Talk to me about Koni dampers

Keith Tanner said:

I'd love to know the technical differences between the Ohlins DFV and the Koni SA/FSD. I suspect they're pretty minor, the main difference is selling price and marketing. 
 

Are you running lowering springs on the 5? Your Koni rep sounds more like a reseller with limited tech knowledge, as that statement about "only on rebound" sounds exactly wrong to my understanding. Hit up Lee Grimes at Koni, he's a really helpful guy who knows his stuff. 

Thanks again, Keith.

No lowering springs here.  Suspension is 100% stock.  Front bump stops might be original.  Strut mounts are new.

The Koni rep I spoke with was someone who picked up the phone when I called the number on their site.  But yeah, sounds like it's time to talk to someone else.  I'll try to reach Lee.

racerdave600 said:

I put FSDs on my R56 Cooper S, and it transformed the car.  It's not a track car, but they work great on the street.  These replaced a set of Bilsteins, but I am definitely not a fan of those.  As they get their "sporty" feel by running way too much compression, it would crash and jolt over even the slightest bump, while the Konis feel practically perfect.  It now takes in the bumps and it vastly more controllable.  The best way to explain it is that it feels more like a BMW instead of the neighbor's kid's Civic with 1000 pound springs and no shocks.

I have the FSDs on my R53 MINI and I'll second this opinion. Love the ride and handling improvements.

IamFODI said:

Keith Tanner said:

I'd love to know the technical differences between the Ohlins DFV and the Koni SA/FSD. I suspect they're pretty minor, the main difference is selling price and marketing. 
 

Are you running lowering springs on the 5? Your Koni rep sounds more like a reseller with limited tech knowledge, as that statement about "only on rebound" sounds exactly wrong to my understanding. Hit up Lee Grimes at Koni, he's a really helpful guy who knows his stuff. 

Thanks again, Keith.

No lowering springs here.  Suspension is 100% stock.  Front bump stops might be original.  Strut mounts are new.

The Koni rep I spoke with was someone who picked up the phone when I called the number on their site.  But yeah, sounds like it's time to talk to someone else.  I'll try to reach Lee.

Wow.  Yep, Lee Grimes is awesome.

He suggested swapping in fresh bump stops.  Really wasn't in the mood to mess with those damn top mount nuts again, and I'm skeptical it'll work, but I guess I'll try it.  Fingers crossed.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

racerdave600 said:

I put FSDs on my R56 Cooper S, and it transformed the car.  It's not a track car, but they work great on the street.  These replaced a set of Bilsteins, but I am definitely not a fan of those.  As they get their "sporty" feel by running way too much compression, it would crash and jolt over even the slightest bump, while the Konis feel practically perfect.  It now takes in the bumps and it vastly more controllable.  The best way to explain it is that it feels more like a BMW instead of the neighbor's kid's Civic with 1000 pound springs and no shocks.

I have the FSDs on my R53 MINI and I'll second this opinion. Love the ride and handling improvements.

When I was talking to my Koni guy last week, he mentioned the FSDs had become a strong go-to on that platform specifically. I'm looking forward to seeing how they work on the Tesla, I think they'll be well suited to that platform.

In reply to 02Pilot :

My experience  with Koni's is dated but it is all positive.  Especially regarding durability. 
 They also helped me reduce trailing throttle over steer because of their adjustability. 

I recently installed koni sports on my e36 m3.  The rears are a pain to adjust in that application but setting them to half way gave good ride & handling.  Are the fronts for the e82 direct replacement or do you have to cut the factory strut?  The e36 needed the factory strut cut, that added some time to the install.

The e8x/e9x platform is really bad about rusting the rear shocks, make sure you use new dust boots & mounts when installing. A upside down shock like the m3 used may help with this as well.

In reply to Caperix :

The E82 units are direct replacement - no cutting.

I ripped out the Bilsteins it came with due to rust on all four. Last I checked the Konis were holding up OK, but I do need to look again before winter. I wonder if there's any downside to coating them in Fluid Film. Or maybe silicone spray.

02Pilot said:  I wonder if there's any downside to coating them in Fluid Film. Or maybe silicone spray.

I've read a warning against using something like Fluid Film on dampers, but the only reason given was that it'd make it hard to tell if they were leaking.