Koni on stock FE1 Suspension
08-21-2018 | 07:34 PM
#1
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From: Oak Lake
Koni on stock FE1 Suspension
Installed some nice koni inserts and rear shocks on my 2009 2.2l LAP, my old shocks were done.
Fronts were starting to make noise and the rears couldnt handle my rear sway bar.
Its only been two day, install seemed to go quite well , the mechanic didnt run into any issues after breafing him on how to install them.
The rear shocks are one inch shorter than stock and the car looks like its sitting a little lower (as well as the front, maybe Im seeing things)[2 people at work asked me it i got my car lowered today too so maybe not just me?]
, i set the rears to a 1/4 turn back from full soft.
The rears seem to be perfect, side to side rear end jiggle is gone.
But the fronts, I havent quite figured out the best setting.
Experimenting in the full soft to a 90 degree turn away range. I hit an uneven intersection and got some weird front end shock action. Like the shock folded to the weight.
Anyone have some advice?
Should I turn up the stiffness?
Would cutting the stop bumper matter, going to inquire if that was done during the install.
Seeing people when doing koni + springs they are cutting the foam piece in half to accommodate for the decrease in spring height, my springs are stock, would that even matter?
ive read “softer is more”, “stiff is for perfect roads/track” “softest setting most resembles stock shocks”
Im thinking theyre set too soft, throwing everything ive read out haha
Fronts were starting to make noise and the rears couldnt handle my rear sway bar.
Its only been two day, install seemed to go quite well , the mechanic didnt run into any issues after breafing him on how to install them.
The rear shocks are one inch shorter than stock and the car looks like its sitting a little lower (as well as the front, maybe Im seeing things)[2 people at work asked me it i got my car lowered today too so maybe not just me?]
, i set the rears to a 1/4 turn back from full soft.
The rears seem to be perfect, side to side rear end jiggle is gone.
But the fronts, I havent quite figured out the best setting.
Experimenting in the full soft to a 90 degree turn away range. I hit an uneven intersection and got some weird front end shock action. Like the shock folded to the weight.
Anyone have some advice?
Should I turn up the stiffness?
Would cutting the stop bumper matter, going to inquire if that was done during the install.
Seeing people when doing koni + springs they are cutting the foam piece in half to accommodate for the decrease in spring height, my springs are stock, would that even matter?
ive read “softer is more”, “stiff is for perfect roads/track” “softest setting most resembles stock shocks”
Im thinking theyre set too soft, throwing everything ive read out haha
08-21-2018 | 08:50 PM
#2
Shocks should not be able adjust your ride height lower as the springs support almost all of the weight. Shocks have a little bit of spring to them but if anything they would make you sit higher as you said the old units were completely shot.
I would suggest running SC or TC Cobalt springs with your Konis. The stock shocks are junk. If you get to feeling real crazy YYZ springs are a great addition. As far as running your stock springs there should be no reason to cut the foam bump stop. I'm running YYZ springs and am still using stock bump stop. It wouldn't seem like cutting it is a good idea but I can't say for sure. But like I said above, springs are what set your ride height so you shouldn't be any lower than you where before the swap anyway.
Were they new Konis or used? Did the person who did the insert up front take car to not remove too much of the stock strut housing? If he followed the provided instructions straight up he may have cut too much off which can allow the insert to move around inside the housing as it isn't secure at the top. Take a picture of where the Koni meets the stock strut housing and we should be able to tell. You're experience hitting the intersection makes me wonder if something is wrong.
As far as setting its hard to guess where they should be do accommodate FE1 shocks. I have mine set about midway between hard and soft for use with my YYZ springs.
I would suggest running SC or TC Cobalt springs with your Konis. The stock shocks are junk. If you get to feeling real crazy YYZ springs are a great addition. As far as running your stock springs there should be no reason to cut the foam bump stop. I'm running YYZ springs and am still using stock bump stop. It wouldn't seem like cutting it is a good idea but I can't say for sure. But like I said above, springs are what set your ride height so you shouldn't be any lower than you where before the swap anyway.
Were they new Konis or used? Did the person who did the insert up front take car to not remove too much of the stock strut housing? If he followed the provided instructions straight up he may have cut too much off which can allow the insert to move around inside the housing as it isn't secure at the top. Take a picture of where the Koni meets the stock strut housing and we should be able to tell. You're experience hitting the intersection makes me wonder if something is wrong.
As far as setting its hard to guess where they should be do accommodate FE1 shocks. I have mine set about midway between hard and soft for use with my YYZ springs.
08-21-2018 | 10:27 PM
#3
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From: Oak Lake
Okay so I’m probably just imagining it lower lol hah
but yeah I went over with the tech very clearly to measure and subtract to ensure the insert’s ribs are pulled into the housing locking it in place with the lower retaining bolt. Made sure I knew what he had to do before getting a tech assigned
Gave the tech a print out of instructions, showed him a koni install video, supplied him with 2 new drill bits, serval cutting wheels and some lock sealer.
Konis are brand stinking new.
Going to try increasing the stiffness, the noise happened so quickly it’s hard to describe.
My logic may certainly be off, but too soft of a strut would leave the spring to bounce the load.
Ideally you would want it at a setting where it would share the load and not just damping The recoil
Were not at death con-clunk so hoping to stay optimistic. I will take some pics tomorrow
but yeah I went over with the tech very clearly to measure and subtract to ensure the insert’s ribs are pulled into the housing locking it in place with the lower retaining bolt. Made sure I knew what he had to do before getting a tech assigned
Gave the tech a print out of instructions, showed him a koni install video, supplied him with 2 new drill bits, serval cutting wheels and some lock sealer.
Konis are brand stinking new.
Going to try increasing the stiffness, the noise happened so quickly it’s hard to describe.
My logic may certainly be off, but too soft of a strut would leave the spring to bounce the load.
Ideally you would want it at a setting where it would share the load and not just damping The recoil
Were not at death con-clunk so hoping to stay optimistic. I will take some pics tomorrow
08-22-2018 | 05:27 AM
#4
I'm also on yyz springs along with the konis, and I haven't really experienced what you are talking about. I'm about 1/2 turn on the rear currently because I don't mind a little stiffer ride if it helps handling a touch. I've played with the front from dead soft to full stiff. I can't honestly remember where it's set currently but it's closer to soft than stiff. I did not cut the bump stops.
08-22-2018 | 07:34 AM
#5
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From: Manitoba, Canada
Hey I'm also in Winnipeg. I just removed my rear FE5 SS/TC springs. Might be willing to let them go for the right price. They're not super low but with the Koni's they should handle great.
08-22-2018 | 09:21 AM
#6
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From: Oak Lake
Interesting, what’s the right price haha?
Well i I drove to work at one full rotation from full soft.
Handling over bumps seemed to be a little better, my intersection action died down.
noticed doing hard turns, 40/h swinging into the turn sounds like my links are rattling. Only on a hard turn.
Just had an alignment, links are a month old , with new clamps and bushings.
Going to try 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 half away from soft going home. I choose mevotech links at the time, thinking of swapping out to moog links, which are a little thicker than mevotech. Maybe I beat them up a bit...
Dont think the links are loose they would’ve been torqued the **** down, I know my bushing clamps are tight as **** too.
Again hoping to to stay positive, maybe I can kill these noises with the dial adjustment
Well i I drove to work at one full rotation from full soft.
Handling over bumps seemed to be a little better, my intersection action died down.
noticed doing hard turns, 40/h swinging into the turn sounds like my links are rattling. Only on a hard turn.
Just had an alignment, links are a month old , with new clamps and bushings.
Going to try 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 half away from soft going home. I choose mevotech links at the time, thinking of swapping out to moog links, which are a little thicker than mevotech. Maybe I beat them up a bit...
Dont think the links are loose they would’ve been torqued the **** down, I know my bushing clamps are tight as **** too.
Again hoping to to stay positive, maybe I can kill these noises with the dial adjustment
08-22-2018 | 10:28 AM
#7
Check your top nuts that fasten the koni strut to the top hat that bolts into your strut tower. If these nuts didn't get torque properly they can allow the strut rod to bounce around it the top hat with suspension travel. The nut should be centered in the hat.
08-22-2018 | 10:44 AM
#8
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I will check those at lunch see if anything loose. I do have a strut brace so the three nuts on either side should be really tight.
I did notice while adjusting the tops, the center seemed to have some play in the knob adjuster.
Looked like it was dead center, if it is loose, could I torque it while on the car if I can find a deep socket for it
I did notice while adjusting the tops, the center seemed to have some play in the knob adjuster.
Looked like it was dead center, if it is loose, could I torque it while on the car if I can find a deep socket for it
08-22-2018 | 01:04 PM
#13
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Well I did notice however my strut brace is loose, holding no pressure.. the nuts are securing it in rock solid, but that bar could be twisted with my hand, not how I first installed it.... going to try re tightening the bar tonight, maybe that will reduce some noise...
08-22-2018 | 07:23 PM
#14
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Well jdbaugh1 we should be able to think this through logically.
You were helping me with my past ZZP front sway bar install failure post and I do appreciate it.
If you recall or go back in time, at one point while trying to make the ZZP front sway bar work I had an alignment done and proceeded to switched back to 11.8” links in a futile attempt at trying to make the bar work.
Kept those 11.8 mevotech links into putting back on the stock bar, new bushings new clamps.
The next month was weird. My noise was gone, but the smoothness of driving got worse.
didnt make the noise it was making now, anyway
What I learned after having the koni’s installed.
They did the alignment at my request, couldn’t tell you exact measurements but the tech laughed it was stupid off in the front from the zzp bar alignment
. Not good.
My driving now is precise, straight, my wheels feel solid, but turning hard left, like the wheel has been turned a good few times but you should Be able to hit the corner doing 40km/h, I get some clunking sounded like links. A turn I Could hit before and accelerate into.
I’m on a stiff setting right now so bumps are no to kind, perhaps I’ll try full soft again to hit that corner on my way to work.
Again my bar Is tight af lol, I cannot move it whatso ever, links are tight but they’re mevo tech they got a huge cushion and they’re thin, so they may be tight but not at there far ends. Though they would’ve been impacted just the other day and seem fine.
At the point where it’s hard to say what this car can hit and handle without feeling the bumps up and down in roads.
I can source this turning noise to be a real issue and recreatable however,
Thoughts?
I
You were helping me with my past ZZP front sway bar install failure post and I do appreciate it.
If you recall or go back in time, at one point while trying to make the ZZP front sway bar work I had an alignment done and proceeded to switched back to 11.8” links in a futile attempt at trying to make the bar work.
Kept those 11.8 mevotech links into putting back on the stock bar, new bushings new clamps.
The next month was weird. My noise was gone, but the smoothness of driving got worse.
didnt make the noise it was making now, anyway
What I learned after having the koni’s installed.
They did the alignment at my request, couldn’t tell you exact measurements but the tech laughed it was stupid off in the front from the zzp bar alignment
. Not good.
My driving now is precise, straight, my wheels feel solid, but turning hard left, like the wheel has been turned a good few times but you should Be able to hit the corner doing 40km/h, I get some clunking sounded like links. A turn I Could hit before and accelerate into.
I’m on a stiff setting right now so bumps are no to kind, perhaps I’ll try full soft again to hit that corner on my way to work.
Again my bar Is tight af lol, I cannot move it whatso ever, links are tight but they’re mevo tech they got a huge cushion and they’re thin, so they may be tight but not at there far ends. Though they would’ve been impacted just the other day and seem fine.
At the point where it’s hard to say what this car can hit and handle without feeling the bumps up and down in roads.
I can source this turning noise to be a real issue and recreatable however,
Thoughts?
I
08-22-2018 | 08:29 PM
#16
Are you sure the shocks aren't too short? I have no clue but a fe1 sets fairly high and I'm wondering if they are getting extended really quick and bottoming out at the top travel causing you to have no shock basically, till they compress a bit.
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08-22-2018 | 09:58 PM
#17
when i read this thread this morning i was thinking the exact same thing. myself, id try jacking the car up and seeing how much the wheel gap opens before it lifts the tire. if the shocks are topping out its gonna create some interesting handling issues.
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G5ALIVE (08-29-2018)
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08-23-2018 | 07:37 AM
#21
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what springs should I go get, I still wanna be able to go over speed bumps without bottoming out.
Zzp springs okay? Also if I do get lowered I would then need the smaller links yes?
Zzp springs okay? Also if I do get lowered I would then need the smaller links yes?
08-23-2018 | 08:07 AM
#22
If you had to short of shocks you would have limited rebound but not jounce. You would most likely feel this going over a hole or other situation where the tire is trying to fall away from the vehicle. Over a speed bump the suspension should mostly up travel and then rebound back to stock height. Like they said you can check this easily by jacking up your car and measuring how much additional drop you get from the suspension travel.
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G5ALIVE (08-29-2018)
