Suspension help!

Michael Perez

Michael Perez

Well-Known Member
556
154
Miami, FL
Vehicle Model
2012 Civic Si
Body Style
Sedan
I came across this page after browsing through the forums. What's the deal with the koni sport shocks paired with the lowering springs? For 700 it seems nice.

I know Megan Racing makes the EZs for 689 but I have heard they are are a no go? But with the Megan STREETs at about 850 are they worth the extra money over the springs and KONIs??

http://redshiftmotorsports.com/RedShift2012CivicSuspPackages.htm
 
If you scroll down there is what looks like adjustable spring using the koni shock??

And it's rather cheap

image.jpg
 
You are going to need some heavy modification of the front struts for the Konis to be on your car. Those options you see listed on the right are what you are going to need to purchase. The Koni damper is definitely superior to any of the $1000-ish coilover options.

The cost is really $879 + :

If you want no down time with your car you will need to purchase new stock front struts. The labor to do the fabrication for you is a very reasonable $99. New struts are $220 and the new OEM parts you will need to complete everything is $279.


So $879 + $99 + $220 + $279 = $1477

It is considerably more expensive this route than the regular coilovers you see but your performance will be superior. The Ground Control Coilovers are the way to get ride height adjustability but the high end damping of the Koni strut.

I run konis and they are fantastic. Let me know if you have more questions. RedShiftChris can help also. (& let me know if my math is wrong)
 
Last edited:
So they really are that superior like compared too the BC or Ksport coilovers that are 1000+

And for clarification the 1477 would be adjustable coilovers using a Koni strut?

Thanks!!
 
This is straight from an email from RedShiftChris:

The Koni Sports are $485 shipped. We have a package with the H&R Sport Springs that is $704 shipped.

Now there is the issue where the front Koni Sport shock is an insert where you have to use the stock front shock and cut it open to install the Koni insert. If you are not comfortable with that, we can do it for $99. And obviously we would have to have struts to fab, and yours are on your car... so we have a core service for $200. You pay $200 up front and then we refund the $200 when you return your struts to us... so it costs you nothing but shipping your struts back to us. Or you can purchase new struts from us for $200, but then you cannot return your struts for a refund.

Pricing on all that is:
$704 Koni and H&R springs
$99 fab
$200 strut core (new or used/refundable)
TOTAL up front $1003.
After you refund your cores, then we refund you the $200 and you will have spent $803 on it all.

Lastly, we have a "Full Assembly" option for $199 where we build the front struts like an HFP kit (so it's easy to install)...that way you don't have to do any dis-assembly of your front struts.

Of course, these extras are optional... and you can just get the $704 parts package too... but I wanted to be sure you were aware of all the services we offer.

Or you can get the full coilover setup... it's a really nice setup. But if your car is a daily driver mostly, then I'd recommend against the coilovers. The H&R Springs and Koni Sports is so good as a street setup that it's hard to beat. The coilovers will make the car faster through corners, but maybe that's not the most important thing to you?
 
So it seems like the koni and H&R set up is a solid set up for street, it has a decent drop. However I'm a bit confused with the difference between the Fab and the Full Assembly?

Isn't the Fab just drop in Konis with H&R springs?
 
Ok long post....

The fabrication ($99): Is just modifying the front strut to have the Koni insert.


The full assembly ($279):

Means that the spring, top hat, new bearing, and everything is all assembled on the front so it just bolts in. If you just got the fab done you would have to swap over and install the spring and some parts yourself. It really just depends how much work you feel you are capable of doing yourself.

The new bearing for the top is quite expensive on it's own. I added up the price of the parts and the $279 is not that bad. There is the less costly Tenneco option but Chris said the OEM honda parts, while more expensive, fit better. That sold me on it right there. I don't want any noises or odd creaks. I like knowing that everything was professionally assembled perfectly.

I paid for all new everything and assembly cause I just don't have a place to work and my parts were all old and worn out anyway.

The koni/H&R setup will be very nice, you just won't have the adjustable ride height. I'm not sure if they are available yet but I went with neuspeed sport springs. It's just over 1.6" drop, which I did get camber arms for to correct the rear. I don't think you would need them for the H&R springs as the drop is listed at 1.3/1.4 in the rear. Right on the edge of where you might want to get the arms. The rear camber arms are used since lowering the car results in more - camber in the rear. It will help you get the settings back to ones that won't eat your tires so much. -1.5 is not horrible. You might end up around there without them. Get an alignment after your install and see where you are.

Alignment: I bought the unlimited package from Sears for my car and as long as you don't swap any parts you can go back and get tweaks as the springs settle. I did not buy the arms for my wifes car as she only has the HFP drop. It's just around 1" so I didn't buy camber arms and hoped it wouldn't be to far out of spec. I slipped the guy a $20 to just put it on the rack and let me know where it was to start. If it was way off I was going to put on rear arms and then come back and pay for the full package. I got lucky and it was only at -1.4 in the rear on hers. They did do custom settings for my car and agreed to honor the "unlimited" warranty on my car as long as I didn't change any parts and stuck to the settings I requested. Kinda cool for Sears. But this is just a heads up on a place I found that did decent work and had a good price/package. ($185/unlim/3yrs.)

The front is slightly more drop due to the weight of the engine. Front camber bolts are nice but not necessary as they just allow you to dial in more - camber for better handling.
 
As always man great post! I understand now.

Since the least to spend on this about 800 (fab included and after core charge)
Are you really feeling that that KONI shocks are better than $1000+ coilovers (aside from the height adjustability aspect)
Some (such as the KSPORT) offer 32 way adjusting and camber for the front and it's $915 I believe also the D2 coilovers are under $1000.

Are these shocks really worth it? Or is it better just to go with the coilovers.
I hope one day to track my car (mostly the strip) and I want a comfortable ride on the street and great handling.

I hope you can give some input once more.

Thanks!
 
Hard question to answer since everyones goals for their car are different.

What I can say is that the Koni is one of the superior dampers out there. They are adjustable in terms of stiffness and they are rebuildable also. I would have liked to get coilovers but ultimately decided on the strut/spring combo since I live in the northeast and know that the threads would get eaten alive by the winters. I also decided that I didn't want to fool around with setting the ride height. After some research I went with the Koni based on their reputation as an excellent strut and the fact that it was supposed to be one of the best handling setups available.

I do think that the $1000-ish coilovers are pretty decent for street use. They let you get low and I do like the K-sports camber adjustment feature on the front. On the track I don't think they are in the same league as some of the better suspension options out there. The dampers are not as well built as the Koni and the internals are not of the same quality.

Setting the Koni to full soft makes it feel very similar to the stock suspension. Very comfortable for DD use. Being able to turn them up for track sessions is a really nice feature and I think you will be able to feel and use the performance. I run mine 1 1/2 turns stiff, about halfway. The ride is bone jarring at times but the car feels absolutely glued to the road.

I'm sure that RedShiftChris explain some of the differences as he knows better than I do.

(side note - mine arrived fully assembled and they looked absolutely flawless, really nice fab work on the fronts from RedShift. I was really impressed. Got a couple extras in the box too!)
 
Last edited:
I agree with you now lol I think you have convinced me.

How much did your total come too? And if only the fab option is chosen all that is needed is the swapping of parts? As opposed to you option where they were assembled.

And if springs are use can I use any spring and just install it when the struts come?

Also what do you think about the ground force package? Are they a good spring aside from adjustability?

And thanks again nix.
 
It just depends on what you want ultimately. Hahaha good to hear though, I think you would be very happy with the Koni setup.

Aight lets see:

1) My total was around $1450 for everything. I also got rear camber arms but my Koni/Spring combo was on sale at the time but I think you'll probably end up around the same if you want all new parts and all the work done.

2) If you just get the front fab option you need to swap over a few parts from the stock strut. Send a message or email chris when you are thinking about ordering and he can tell you exactly what you will need.

3) As far as I know you can use whichever 9th gen spring you would like. The rears are pretty easy but be prepared to do a minor bit of work for the strut. It's basically a straight bolt in job except you need to reuse the dust cover and bump stop off the OEMs. You might need to drill out a spot to slip them off the old one and possibly enlarge the hole to fit the new damper rod. Just use a drill and a slightly larger drill bit. The fronts will need to be assembled with the top hats and bearings.

4)Do you mean the ground control coilover springs? I don't think they are a bad option at all if you are looking for ride height adjustability. However I think that the package deal redshift has right now for the 2012+ civic listed as the :
RedShift Koni "SPORT"
FULL Coilover


It's $1539 on sale and with the core return if you send in your "old" struts is only $1319. That is a pretty sick deal. If you are thinking of going the ground control option I think this might be a better deal. It appears to include all new parts, fab, and assembly. I think it's one of the best options going if you are thinking you want height adjustment. It's still Koni based so you have the high performance damper and the adjustability of both height and firmness.


I have to say I never thought my car was slow until I got my new suspension, now I just want to push it all the time. It has made the car so unbelieveable to drive.
 
Last edited:
You must be a KONI salesman! Lol thanks for the info once again. I'm going to do a spring combo similar to urs , i just have to look at the suspension post to see which ride height I prefer.

One last question though. When would you recommend using the camber arms in the rear? What is sort of like the threshold?
 
I'm really considering the redshift setup. SOON. Trying to decide which is the best fabrication option..new/core
 
That's my plan. I will be buying springs now. (I cannot decide which!) then once my shocks begin to wear I will replace them with the KONI set up.
 
I am a bit confused about spring rates tho. What am I looking in a spring that handles well for DD. Nix
 
Michael Perez said:
I am a bit confused about spring rates tho. What am I looking in a spring that handles well for DD. Nix
Click to expand...

http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/2012-honda-civic-suspension-options-with-product-info-links.6860/

http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/camber-kit-needed.7988/

Youre getting a progressive spring whith not a hole lotta stiffness. 10-15% harder with H&R,Eibach,Tein etc. See thread ^^

I were to go back I would get stiffer springs, especially with konis. And cut bump stops. (2 cents)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Nix
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top