Koni Yellow/Sport Owners. I Need Setting(s) Advice

[n7plus1]

I just picked up a set of these from EuropaParts and I cant find too much info on what settings you guys run with these (for those of you that have them). I want something a bit more stiff than stock. but still 'street-able' as this is my daily. I will be running Neuspeed Race springs with the setup.

Lastly, their website isnt very clear on how to adjust the dampening on these...at least to me it isnt. They were talking about turning the shock body or some shit. I was just under the impression that you just had to use an allen key to adjust at the top of each unit? Any insight on how to adjust these?

Thanks guys

[lisek99]

You have to compress the shock all the way and turn it left (soft) or right (stiff)

At first I had my shocks set to 50% front and back, but after like 2 months I decided to re-adjust them to 100% stiff. With the amount of potholes here is NJ it is not worth risking your oil pan

If you still want your car to be 'street-able' and a little bit stiff I would go with 50% - 75%

[PRY4SNO]

Fit the white knob on the top of the strut, under your hood, then turn in the direction of the arrow. When it stops is maximum.

[kneel]

You have to compress the shock all the way and turn it left (soft) or right (stiff)

At first I had my shocks set to 50% front and back, but after like 2 months I decided to re-adjust them to 100% stiff. With the amount of potholes here is NJ it is not worth risking your oil pan

If you still want your car to be 'street-able' and a little bit stiff I would go with 50% - 75%

x2

[old guy]

If you are running Neuspeed race springs you will need a lot of damping to keep the ride from getting too choppy. I would recommend 75% front and no more than 50% rear.

[Jeff]

Like others mentioned, compress the shock so it bottoms out, then with a 5mm (iirc) Allen key, turn it all the way COUNTER-CLOCKWISE (softest setting). It will stop when it hits the softest setting. Then rotate the shock assembly so that your Allen key is pointed at 12-o'clock, and turn CLOCKWISE to stiffen. IIRC, the front shocks will make one FULL 360-deg rotation, followed by another half + 1/8 rotation (around 7-o'clock). This makes it about 1.625 turns (1-5/8 turns) until it hits the stiffest setting...so doing the math, out of 1-5/8 turns, if you want about 50%, you would do approximately a little past 3/4 turns to achieve 50%. Use this as your baseline, and start at about 1-1/4 turns, drive the car for about 200 miles to break them in (they will soften up), and remove and re-adjust. I have my fronts set at 1-1/2 turn.

For the rears, I believe it makes 2-1/8 rotations. I have mines set at 2 turns (clockwise) in the rears, leaving 1/8 more before hitting the stiffest setting. It all comes down to preference, height, and how you like your car to drive. You typically want your rears on the stiffer side.

[old guy]

You're right Jeff, it's personal preference. I'm surprised that you like the rears set that stiff. I have found that if I go over 50% on the rear the car becomes very jarring over any large bumps. I also get complaints from anyone riding in the back. 40-50% seems to be the best compromise (for me, anyway).

The good thing is that the rears are super easy to change (as compared to the front).

Cheers!

[jsantiago17]

I have Koni/Eibach combo on my 3.0....but, I have my Koni's set to 50 front/30 rear. Rides just as smooth as stock set up. If you want them to ride a bit stiffer than stock, I'd go with what Old Guy said.

[Jeff]

You're right Jeff, it's personal preference. I'm surprised that you like the rears set that stiff. I have found that if I go over 50% on the rear the car becomes very jarring over any large bumps. I also get complaints from anyone riding in the back. 40-50% seems to be the best compromise (for me, anyway).

The good thing is that the rears are super easy to change (as compared to the front).

Cheers!

What do you have your fronts set at?

[old guy]

What do you have your fronts set at?

Around 75%. The have ~135K miles on them. I initially started pretty low and adjusted them several times from there. I ran them close to 100% for a while and then got tired of it and backed them down to where they are now.

[Jeff]

You're right Jeff, it's personal preference. I'm surprised that you like the rears set that stiff. I have found that if I go over 50% on the rear the car becomes very jarring over any large bumps. I also get complaints from anyone riding in the back. 40-50% seems to be the best compromise (for me, anyway).

The good thing is that the rears are super easy to change (as compared to the front).

Cheers!

The only complaint from people sitting in the back seat is "Can you PLEASE SLOW DOWN?!?!?" as they're about to sh*t bricks. I don't drive my B6 often anyways--as my B5 Avant does have about 50% in the rears (it's my "comfy" daily driver). :)

[jsantiago17]

Around 75%. The have ~135K miles on them. I initially started pretty low and adjusted them several times from there. I ran them close to 100% for a while and then got tired of it and backed them down to where they are now.

Old Guy...how stiff is the ride at 75%? I like how smooth they are at 50%, but curious how they would be at 75%....

[old guy]

Understood. My B6 is a daily driver so I tend to lean a little more toward the "comfy" side.

[old guy]

Old Guy...how stiff is the ride at 75%? I like how smooth they are at 50%, but curious how they would be at 75%....

A lot depends on how long you have had your shocks. At 135K miles the 75% setting is probably pretty close to what the 50% setting was at 50-75K miles. If I went back to 50% now the front end would be a bit bouncy.

[jsantiago17]

A lot depends on how long you have had your shocks. At 135K miles the 75% setting is probably pretty close to what the 50% setting was at 50-75K miles. If I went back to 50% now the front end would be a bit bouncy.

Good to know. I've only had my shocks for about 4K miles and this is my daily driver, so I'll probably stick with 50% for now.

[n7plus1]

THanks so much guys....very insightful!

[Jeff]

Old Guy...how stiff is the ride at 75%? I like how smooth they are at 50%, but curious how they would be at 75%....

In LA, where roads are bad AND the fact that we still drive fast (80mph+), 50% was soft but was on the "bouncy" side for me in the front, which is why I stiffened up the damping. Remember you are adjusting "rebound damping", and not just how "stiff" the shocks are.

[kneel]

i have my rears at 75% on my avant. had them softer but kept blowing the stocks out. Once i went to 75% no issues back there.

[jsantiago17]

In LA, where roads are bad AND the fact that we still drive fast (80mph+), 50% was soft but was on the "bouncy" side for me in the front, which is why I stiffened up the damping. Remember you are adjusting "rebound damping", and not just how "stiff" the shocks are.

Yeah...same here in NY.....roads are bad and I like to drive on the highway about 75-80mph, but since I drive into NYC daily and go max 50mph, my concern would be that I'd lose some of the comfort. I'd like to stiffen up the damping a bit....maybe I'll increase to 60-65%....

[a4darkness]

Nate, maybe this'll help.

After doing this the hard way when we first installed my Koni's, I tried a different route when adjusting them.

I popped the shock in a vice on the floor and then used a square head driver to depress the sliding arm alllll the way to the base.
Then, when fully depressed, you can rotate it using the driver. When it stops, you'll know you're adjusting the shock and not just spinning it.
I went back and forth a few times to get the feel of it, then rotated it all the way left / counter clockwise to start at fully loose then adjusted accordingly.
The way I was holding the driver / rotating my hand, it was four turns end to end.
As I'm using these with an Eibach Pro Kit, I did 25% for the rears and about 50% for the fronts (but I've gotta redo the fronts, something is off).



Afterward, you need to be sure the top nut is tightened all the way down or the shock will clunk. And BALLS is it ever annoying.





Yeah, I know. Vice Grips are ghetto (oh and I was just using the drawer to hold the shock so I could take this pic... held the base in the vice as well.)

Also, I cut my front dust boots down by about 2-3in but am thinking about removing them completely. I suspect they're making noise but unsure of that yet.

[n7plus1]

wouldnt some grease fix that? thanks for the pics! keep them uploaded haha

[a4darkness]

That is an excellent question... one I've been contemplating myself but more so for the top rubber piece as I can't seem to get it to seat properly.

I think the dust boots are making a more of a 'clunk' due to them being hollow plastic tubes. But again, this is all speculative right now.

And don't worry, pics aren't going anywhere. I was planning on starting a thread about Koni Yellows + adjustments since the instructions are a joke and lots of ppl have the infamous loose top nut problem. But if I pull em again this weekend, will add more stuff here.

How bout we consult the resident expert. Professor Fletcher, thoughts on dust boots making noise and any locations to add grease?

[old guy]

I really don't think the dust covers are heavy enough to make any kind of "clunk" noise. The most likely culprit for a clunk from the front suspension is an improperly tightened nut on the shock shaft.

Here is a little tip for when you remove the shocks for adjustment. It won't help you if you already have a clunk, but once you get everything tightened properly it can be very helpful. Use you calipers (or any other measuring device at your disposal) and measure the distance from the top of the nut to the top of the shock shaft before you remove it. Just tighten it back to the same dimension after you remove/adjust/re-install the shock and everything should be good.

[a4darkness]

Yeah, that's what I figured OG, but the damn thing is on tight. And it's still making this noise, perhaps it's more like a hollow thump than a metallic clunk.
Regardless, I'm hoping to find a happy medium (and no noise) with this setup or I'm going to start looking into performance oriented coilovers.

Was just blasting around the forest backroads in my buddy's old 3-series (Bilsteins, bushings, x-brace, F/R strut tower braces etc) and not only is it perfectly comfortable + compliant but has almost zero rebound. Oh, and it handles like a Porsche.
If that can be achieved in an early 90's 3-series, there's gotta be a better solution than this setup for me.

[n7plus1]

locktite on these bolts? i know they have the plasic in them but wondered if that would keep them from loosening.

[old guy]

Was just blasting around the forest backroads in my buddy's old 3-series (Bilsteins, bushings, x-brace, F/R strut tower braces etc) and not only is it perfectly comfortable + compliant but has almost zero rebound. Oh, and it handles like a Porsche.
If that can be achieved in an early 90's 3-series, there's gotta be a better solution than this setup for me.

What sway bars are you currently running? If you still have the OEM 16mm rear bar an upgrade will do wonders for the handling. Keep in mind that it is really difficult to offset the heavy front weight bias of your quattro system.

locktite on these bolts? i know they have the plasic in them but wondered if that would keep them from loosening.

I don't think the issues is with the nut coming loose. It should be a Nyloc nut. The problem occurs when you go to tighten the nut. The shock shaft offers little resistance and turns as you tighten the nut. You either need to use a hollow socket set and an Allen wrench or else clamp the top portion of the shock shaft to prevent it from turning. Otherwise it is extremely difficult to tell when the nut is tightened properly.

[a4darkness]

What sway bars are you currently running? If you still have the OEM 16mm rear bar an upgrade will do wonders for the handling. Keep in mind that it is really difficult to offset the heavy front weight bias of your quattro system.

OEM Sport. And when I pressed my buddy to give me the full list of suspension upgrades on his car, the moment he started talking about strut tower braces I knew H-Sports were in my future.
On my old B6 w/sport suspension, I swapped the RS4 rear sway and it made a sizable improvement but it was nothing like this.

I'm fully aware that replicating the handling abilities or at least feel of a perfectly dialed RWD 3-Series is going to be difficult, but after a few aggressive rides on windy roads, I am fully motivated to try.

I don't think the issues is with the nut coming loose. It should be a Nyloc nut. The problem occurs when you go to tighten the nut. The shock shaft offers little resistance and turns as you tighten the nut. You either need to use a hollow socket set and an Allen wrench or else clamp the top portion of the shock shaft to prevent it from turning. Otherwise it is extremely difficult to tell when the nut is tightened properly.

Yeah, no loctite on the top nut. x2 on exactly what OG said, it's more about making certain you're actually tightening the nut and not spinning the shock.

[a4darkness]

Interesting info about chasing down noises here, clunking sound was actually a sway bar bolt.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...light=bilstein

Speaking of noise, last night I was trying to figure out where the 'rubber creaking' noise was coming from.
Thought it was the black rubber piece at the top of the shock tower, turned out to be the bump stop. Just got some long pliers in there and rotated it a bit, creaking noise is all gone.
Guess it wasn't seated properly.

[n7plus1]

What sway bars are you currently running? If you still have the OEM 16mm rear bar an upgrade will do wonders for the handling. Keep in mind that it is really difficult to offset the heavy front weight bias of your quattro system.



I don't think the issues is with the nut coming loose. It should be a Nyloc nut. The problem occurs when you go to tighten the nut. The shock shaft offers little resistance and turns as you tighten the nut. You either need to use a hollow socket set and an Allen wrench or else clamp the top portion of the shock shaft to prevent it from turning. Otherwise it is extremely difficult to tell when the nut is tightened properly.

such as a pair of vice grips around an old t-shirt up towards the threads?

[EBG 18T]

I have noticed those nylock nuts should be replaced every few uses. It seems like they do indeed back off slightly, well atleast on my 9hlins they seem to back off if re-used a few times.

[n7plus1]

just to update this thread, since it was linked to. i got everything in fine and used a hollow socket set and an allen bit to tighten down the front nuts on the koni's. no problems here. this was back in 11/11

[digitalAUDI]

Been reading through this post and others in regards to the Koni sport shocks, just have one question as everything else has been answered in this thread...

It seems that the struts need to be adjusted/set before installing them. So correct me if I'm wrong, but you can't reset/adjust the dampening once they are installed. Which in turn means, you'd have to remove the shocks to re-adjust? Can someone confirm this?

[a4darkness]

Very much confirmed.

[digitalAUDI]

thats what I thought.... possibly a stupid question, but has anyone thought about drilling a hole around the area where the knob would be to gain access to it? or is there just no room or possible way to do this?

[old guy]

It’s not a matter of turning a knob. You have to fully depress the shock rod and turn the rod to engage the adjuster. The only way to do that is to remove the shock.

[digitalAUDI]

It’s not a matter of turning a knob. You have to fully depress the shock rod and turn the rod to engage the adjuster. The only way to do that is to remove the shock.

true..... forgot about that part... thanx for the input...

[Pothole]

In LA, where roads are bad AND the fact that we still drive fast (80mph+), 50% was soft but was on the "bouncy" side for me in the front, which is why I stiffened up the damping. Remember you are adjusting "rebound damping", and not just how "stiff" the shocks are.

pump*

just installed some Koni's on my car, and left everything at the softest dampening, (0% front and rear) my plan is to let it settle for a few hundred miles then come back to it.
Ive noticed that my car takes big bumps and potholes much better than before, however on relatively smooth roads I can feel the car bouncing a little. would adjusting the front up to 50% get rid of this?
I have it lowered on HR sport springs and would like to end up with a nice smooth soft ride, nothing race car here... just kinda confused how the rebound effects the handling

[old guy]

The HR sport springs are fairly stiff and the Konis set at full soft are probably a bit under-damped for those springs. I suspect you are getting a rather choppy ride with those settings. If you had something like Eibach Pro-Kit springs you could get away with really low settings. As the spring rate increases the shock rebound resistance has to increase accordingly or you start to get excessive rebound. No harm in running them there for a while but I think you would like them better set at 50-60% front and 40-50% rear while the shocks are fresh.

[Pothole]

The HR sport springs are fairly stiff and the Konis set at full soft are probably a bit under-damped for those springs. I suspect you are getting a rather choppy ride with those settings. If you had something like Eibach Pro-Kit springs you could get away with really low settings. As the spring rate increases the shock rebound resistance has to increase accordingly or you start to get excessive rebound. No harm in running them there for a while but I think you would like them better set at 50-60% front and 40-50% rear while the shocks are fresh.

Thanks for the help!
I was gonna go hr/bilstein but heard that is more of a stiffer ride, I'll adjust the koni's up a bit in a few hundred and see how that feels

[SJorge3442]

Bringing this back to the top. My Koni Yellows should be here next week and its time for a full suspension refresh. New shocks all the way around, shock mounts for the front and new control arms in the front. Im hoping for a whole new car essentially after this. My question is:

I plan to run these with my stock sport springs (my inside connections at Koni have said this is ok) and I'd like to know where to set the shocks. The car will be on a road track maybe twice this summer, but for the sake of adjustment, lets just say that I will NEVER track the car.

Im thinking 50% in the front 30-50% in the rear? Should the rear always be softer?