[Smokin]

They have arrived in the USA and my set are on the way! Just in time for the Solo Nationals...
And the course maps are out. After spending two weekends up there and having 12 runs I think I am all prepped. Will still be smoked by FoSTs but it will be a great highly competitive T&T!


Thank you Koni NA!!

 

[AlanBDahl]

Specific for the ST or just the regular Fiesta which could require some machining to get the fronts to fit?

 

[Cligedy]

Not ST specific, but no machining needed. My understanding is that the rears are a direct swap, and that the fronts don't have the mass damper and will need a zip tie to secure the brake line because the bracket is different.

 

[AlanBDahl]

My concern with the fronts is that I recall reading that the lower shock mounting points on the regular Fiesta were somehow different such that if you put them on a ST you'd gain camber which is clearly illegal. It would be great if someone could do some careful measurements.

 

[Couldahadav8]

Smokin, did you compare the struts when you had them off?

 

[AlanBDahl]

The Koni NA site say that the fronts are ST-only. However they want $855 for a set. The Tire Rack does not have them yet. Is there another retailer who would have them for a good price?

 

[Smokin]

My concern with the fronts is that I recall reading that the lower shock mounting points on the regular Fiesta were somehow different such that if you put them on a ST you'd gain camber which is clearly illegal. It would be great if someone could do some careful measurements.

Sorry, I've been trying to catch up at work. Mounted the Koni sports before Nats and did 4 T&T runs and the six in Lincoln. Spoke with Lee Grimes quite a bit. The Yellow Sports compression is less than OEM struts but are more balanced in rebound which we all knew was very unbalanced on OEM. They were designed this way, with him stating car mfgrs make compression stiffer to give us a "sporty" feel but sacrificing balance. The car was quite stable in transitions as opposed to tank slapping with OEM. It also was more predictable and felt balanced. The car still needs a stiffer sway bar which is my next move.

Shock mounts are unchanged. The rears were very stiff and I almost got a hernia compressing them to twist up more rebound. They were set at 1/4 turn off full stiff.

Strut mounts are identical and have close tolerances. After mounting I kept the lower bolts semi-loose (with a jack under the lower arm) and put a big pry bar on the top nut whilst tightening the top three mount nuts. This did give me a bit of visible inboard movement and when I had it aligned (with me in the seat ) I had the factory camber setting of -1.3 L and -1.4 R.

The only problem is there is very little room for the adjustment piece and a hand on the struts. Also it was very difficult turning and I had to take the right strut off the next day to get a proper grip on the adjustment knob and I'm not sure I have a whole 2 turns of movement, but Lee said that is possible based on valving.

Now after daily driving the rears at stiff and fronts at one turn from soft the car feels good on the street and freeway. There is definitely a better feel. We have three more events and a rallyX coming up so I'll get more input from the Konis as I go along.

I would definitely recommend them and thanks to Koni for the fast action...

 

[moff3tt]

Glad to hear we finally have a proper set of shocks for our car now.

 

[Max Archer]

Let me find out what my pricing is like, the distributor my shop uses has pretty good pricing on Koni stuff.

 

[AlanBDahl]

Sorry, I've been trying to catch up at work. Mounted the Koni sports before Nats and did 4 T&T runs and the six in Lincoln. Spoke with Lee Grimes quite a bit. The Yellow Sports compression is less than OEM struts but are more balanced in rebound which we all knew was very unbalanced on OEM. They were designed this way, with him stating car mfgrs make compression stiffer to give us a "sporty" feel but sacrificing balance. The car was quite stable in transitions as opposed to tank slapping with OEM. It also was more predictable and felt balanced. The car still needs a stiffer sway bar which is my next move..

A stiffer bar at which end?

 

[Smokin]

Front and front only. This car does not need a rear sway bar.
Have you seen my Ax pictures?

 

[AlanBDahl]

Agreed wrt the rear bar, it made my car handle funny without any perceptible benefit. BTW it's for sale .

 

[Smokin]

Said I'd post the koni strut pix. Sorry for the delay. As you see in pix 2 the abs is supported by the bracket. The mass compensator has no where to go. Doug and Howard were not at Topeka this weekend so didn't get to ask about whether its a rules thing or not.

 

[RDgolfer]

Ready to upgrade...but I am somewhat worried about these being plug and play...unless I am an idiot and didn't read everything...but Koni's are known to require modifications to install...gotta go

 

[FORZDA 2]

S......Also it was very difficult turning and I had to take the right strut off the next day to get a proper grip on the adjustment knob and I'm not sure I have a whole 2 turns of movement, but Lee said that is possible based on valving....

I've received my Konis and indeed the fronts only have about 1 1/4 turns out available from the full firm stop. Not a problem, but they usually have at least 2.25 turns available.

 

[AlanBDahl]

Where can I get the best price on a set?

 

[FORZDA 2]

Where can I get the best price on a set?

I bought mine direct from Koni USA. You may can find better pricing by a few bucks if you spend the time to search the web.

 

[AlanBDahl]

In the past I’ve been able to get substantial discounts (20-30%) off of Koni USA prices on shocks but for some reason I’ve been having trouble finding other vendors that carry our particular shocks. If anyone has found them elsewhere please let me know.

 

[Cligedy]

If you're had success with a vendor in the past, just give them a call and ask. They may not have our shocks listed on their website, but they should be able to offer them with their discount.

 

[stuntdoogie]

And if you find them at that discount be sure to let us know...