Koni shocks rebound adjustment?

[phil136]

Just want to see what people with koni sport shocks are running as the rebound settings.

I know springs play a big role so list your springs as well. Also if you are running aftermarket sway bars.
List what you set for DD or other situations and weather(IE going for a run through the twisties, rain, etc.)

Any additional info on the topic welcome.

THANKS!

 

[FB2Chris]

My Konis are set all the way firm

 

[phil136]

My Konis are set all the way firm

damn all the time?? how does it feel on the freeway?


Under/Oversteer>?

 

[Monk]

Having had Koni's on some of my mc's, I have done and would suggest you call Koni and ask them what they'd recommend for settings for your car....... The you can have a very good base to start from.

 

[FB2Chris]

damn all the time?? how does it feel on the freeway?


Under/Oversteer>?

Yeah I haven't got around to adjusting them mainly because the cowl is in the way. I have gotten used to the feeling of it though. You definitely feel everything, even the slightest bumps. With my 22mm rear sway bar I have oversteer, but that's what I prefer.

 

[phil136]

I have heard the rear should be softer than the front for front wheel drive cars?

 

[FB2Chris]

I have heard the rear should be softer than the front for front wheel drive cars?

I've read many different preferences and variations on several Honda forums. Here's one:

Rears have the majority of the control over corner entry and the fronts over corner exit.

On corner entry tweak the rears to give you the kind of turn in you want, balancing between oversteer and instability. Stiffer = more oversteer.

On corner exit, tweak the fronts to give you the kind of traction you need. Stiffer = more understeer.

If either end gets skittish, you've gone too hard. Absolute settings are best left to trail and error but as a general rule, you want the rears harder than the fronts.

 

[Monk]

I've read many different preferences and variations on several Honda forums. Here's one:

That way will take way to much guessing, and time adjusting and readjusting, you need to get a "sag" adjustment 1st.

 

[FB2Chris]

I will probably adjust my Konis tomorrow since I finally have a day off since installing them.

Taken directly from Koni's website:

There is no single best adjustment setting for your KONIs because every driver has different preferences for comfort, performance, performance modifications and roads to drive on. For most vehicles, we suggest that new KONIs be installed in the full soft position. (the standard setting right out of the box) to take advantage of the balance of ride comfort and handling designed by the KONI ride development engineers. If the car has performance upgrades (springs, wheel/tire packages, etc.) or the driver wants the car a bit more aggressive, most people find the optimum setting in the 1/2 to one full turn from the full soft range. Over the extended life of the damper or if the driver wants a specific firm handling characteristic, the dampers can be adjusted up higher. Very rarely will KONI ever need to be adjusted to the full firm setting.

 

[phil136]

^^ interesting. Perhaps Ill do Half turn each day.

 

[Nix]

Wow. Very interesting. I have been running my Koni's at 1 1/2 turns up from full soft.

Quick summary of a very long upcoming post : I think that either 1/2 turn or 1 full turn would be ideal for most people.

I'll list my full setup and let you guys extrapolate from there:

Car: 2008 Civic LX

Tires: 225/45/17 Dunlop Direzza DZ101 ( I do not recommend this tire, but that's for another thread)

Suspension: Koni Yellows with Neuspeed Sport Springs
Spring Rates: 218 Front / 448 Rear

1 set SPC front Camber Bolts
Skunk2 Rear Camber Arms
Performance Alignment: -1.3 Front & -0.8 Rear
(Alignment will affect handling as much as anything else)

Tweaks: Progress 22mm rear sway, Moog endlinks, Energy Sway Bar Bushings
Serious Tweak: Upgraded Front Lower Control Arm Bushing. Basically a traction ball. I can tell you nothing about this.

Stock Part on Left & Upgrade on Right 16.3116

In any case....

I have felt that the 1 1/2 turns is very very stiff for DD use. So stiff that the whole car seems to bang over bumps. I thought the rears were too stiff at this setting but I have been getting used to it. I still get understeer when the road is slightly wet. Certainly the tires break free easier but I feel like the wet conditions simply show what the car will do without having to push the speed to break free on dry roads. That said I get oversteer in the snow. Go figure that one out.The 8th gen to 9th gen have very similar suspension so I expect results should be very similar for everyone.

I would definitely recommend everyone start at full soft and slowly increase the stiffness. I have left mine alone because I love the way the car generally feels going over dips and curves. It is stuck to the road. But.... Bumps suck! That is certain. I get a headache from my car on long trips if the roads are bad. I live in upstate NY so they are horrid. That said 1:45 drive between Rochester and Syracuse = Heachache

I recently drove 10hrs from Rochester NY to Lousiville KY. The roads were definitely improved further south and I did not find the ride to be unpleasant. So do keep road conditions in mind depending on how much you drive.

 

[phil136]

^^Very informative. Thats what i was looking for. like the bushing upgrade

 

[Monk]

Nix ...... IMHO, yours is way to stiff(enough to get tyre skip) 1st thing is to adjust the sag(sag should be set to with the wt of the car/and you/and what you normally keep in the car).
The basic setting for sag, is the travel of the shock. It should be 1/3rd of the travel(top), with 2/3rds of the travel(bottom). This is the basic rule for all shock settings.
So the wt of the car should be set so 1/3 of movement is for unwt-ing, and down force uses 2/3. This is done with the spring setting.
Note: the spring compression will "not" make the car ride stiffer, it only controls the position the shock stays in.(1/3 - 2/3).
The softness of the shock, which is controlled with the fluid flow, is then set, only after the sag is set. Then I'd follow the Koni recommendation to start soft. I'd only do 1/8th turn tests. Note: Don't turn the adjustment hard against the valve seat(soft starting position, or hardest for that matter. Can mess up the seat).

The way to check the resting place of the shock, is to jack the car up till the wheel is off the ground and measure the shocks full extension(use the bottom of the wheel(not tyre) running the tape from there to finder(using centre of wheel as a straight line marker). Then measure with the car sitting on the ground. Then take those figures and work it out the shocks spec's on total inches/mm's that your shock can travel, to get the 1/3 -2/3 final.

 

[FB2Chris]

I adjusted my Konis to one full turn from the full soft setting. I haven't taken my car out yet, but will later to see how it feels.

 

[phil136]

Wouldnt chris be too stiff riding on full stiff all the time?

Monk, are you referring to koni sports?


BTW: yesterday i set it to half turn in rear, full turn front. I went and pushhed it on windy road. I felt the car was sticking to the ground more on stock shocks. The tires were letting lose more.
I think the tires now cant keep up with the new shocks, maybe...?
\
Keep in mind I haven't got alignment yet.



Today I set front and back to 1 full turn. see how it feels.

 

[RedShiftChris]

Bottom line is the best adjustment for the street (comfort) is fairly soft in front and a little harder in back probably. So, maybe 1/4 turn from full soft in front and 1/2 turn from full soft in back. Best performance is probably something like 1 turn from full soft in front and full firm in back. In any FWD car (Civic included), best performance usually comes from setting the front shocks a little softer because they have to grip in turns and corners, and firm = less grip at the limit usually. And a FWD car wants a ton of control in the rear; so full full firm in back... as firm as they go.

Chris

 

[phil136]

^^ good to know. I have been doing the opposite.





BTW: Is it me or is it a real pain in the *** to get the adjustment knob on the shock in the front under the cowl?

 

[RedShiftChris]

Wouldnt chris be too stiff riding on full stiff all the time?

Monk, are you referring to koni sports?


BTW: yesterday i set it to half turn in rear, full turn front. I went and pushhed it on windy road. I felt the car was sticking to the ground more on stock shocks. The tires were letting lose more.
I think the tires now cant keep up with the new shocks, maybe...?
\
Keep in mind I haven't got alignment yet.



Today I set front and back to 1 full turn. see how it feels.

from full soft.....try 3/4 turns front and 1.5 turns rear. That should feel good. Then try 1/2 turn front and 1 turn rear.

If you set front stiffer than the back, then the car will feel tight to steer and less control in back... like crappy. You want good grip in front and good control in back, which is what those settings I recommended should do for you.

Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Chris

 

[FB2Chris]

from full soft.....try 3/4 turns front and 1.5 turns rear. That should feel good. Then try 1/2 turn front and 1 turn rear.

If you set front stiffer than the back, then the car will feel tight to steer and less control in back... like crappy. You want good grip in front and good control in back, which is what those settings I recommended should do for you.

Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Chris

How about one full turn in the front and 1.5 turns in the rear?

 

[phil136]

How about one full turn in the front and 1.5 turns in the rear?

Guess its trial and error. you would have to push the car on same road see the difference.