4g61t.org

My friends.
After speaking with three reputable European Bilstein re-builder, i have finally understand this thing :
If we want a better rear suspension feeling with functional re-valving damper tune assorting to elevated spring rate = stock spring height !
This with the stock B6 EVO X Bilstein !
The B8 Bilstein is tuned for lowered spring by the shortened perch, but more expensive of course. Anyone ready to spend more $$$$ to test it ?
A lowered car is cool, but it's not the best cheap setup to track it regardless of their different usage.
Or you need to spend more cash than the car for a good suspension setup.

The best way to go in my mind is to use the koni damper, rear and front. Already tuned for lowered spring and really good perform on our CSM.
The rear are discontinued and rare to find trust me, the front are expensive but still available =
I have, i hope a good deal from a Spain Koni shop to sold out the entire European stock, front 8641-1172SP and rear 8040-1080SP.
I keep you updated soon and maybe a group buy will be opened

Good news Remy!

Read throught the Koni site and saw that they offered limited lifetime warranty on certain shocks ... would this be the case for these parts ... and/or would it void that with different springs being used?

I wondered if Koni's could be rebuilt ... so for North America, yes it would apply and be very local to the populace here.

I assume that the shop in Spain and or a shop in France, could also rebuild or revalve the Koni's too. Koni France's link does not work for some reason ...

Check this out:

http://www.koniracing.com/services.cfm

Here is the North American page showing the

Click for 1989 Dodge Colt 1.5/1.6L shock body search page

I for one don't like the car too low and my aftermarket springs sit the car too low IMHO. Suspension geometry suffers greatly from this.

http://www.koni.com/car-racing/products/sport-tuning/

These cartridge style shocks will require cutting the original strut housings just below the weld that holds the internal shock tube/guts in place.

It is the first suspension mod listed on the DSM "http://vfaq.com/index-main.html".

Official Koni strut insert video:

Click for Youtube video

This is my rear 8040-1080 yellow Sport, restored this week by the French koni service shop. Cost 443 US$
Re-valved +20%, new bushing. Pictured with the KYB SB107 protection + bump stop kit.






I don't know for the moment if the front 8641-1172 could by rebuild, next week i hope.

I have received an Email from the Spain warehouse, in stock ready to ship exceptionally to France:
6 unit of 8641-1172 Yellow Sport series, 185 us$ each ( i take two )
16 unit of 8040-1080 Red Special series, 142 us$ each Comparing KONI Special vs. KONI Sport


Let me know if anyone is interested, i could start a group buy.
Maybe a moderator could move this Koni's information on another thread.

Done.

My next question would be what springs are ideal for the Sport (Red/Black with skinny stock sized chrome tube) and the Super (Yellow with larger sized chrome tube)?

I have done some reading about controlling progressive springs and linear spring rates and although stock springs are linear, I doubt finding a spring in an uprated/stiffer coil will be easy in a linear application, just like the coilover shocks would get (IE 60mm standard styles). Using a drop/lowering spring would get an uprated/stiffer suspension, but it would a progressive style spring more than likely.

What option do you currently have on your car and would you change it and why Remy?

I am trying to decide if a shock with a single valve setup can actually handle a loweing spring in a progressive rate with 100% predictable outcome like they show on their sheets. I assume they shock dyno with a linear spring (or maybe none at all!).

These are the kinds of things that will separate the cost point of tuneability and what guys/gals here will want to get on board with.

I have no preference except that whichever setup is used, it's outcome is the best it can be for each application. (Street, rally, road coarse, etc).

Tim.
On the picture above provided by the Spain shop :
The Yellow is the front cartridge "sport" series, the Red is the rear damper "special" series.
From the Koni FAQ : From this picture, i can tell you the rear damper is rebuildable. Same Yellow sport construction, removable plug on top...
So maybe revalvable latter for higher performance.

Only the Sport Yellow is valve tuned for lowered spring, like a B8 from Bilstein.
The Special Red is valve tuned like a B6, so lowering spring could kill it rapidly like my GR2 with H&R 29710 lowering spring :


My rear GR2 are dead, clunk on bump and bad efficiency, i upgrade my damper setup front and rear.
I don't know much about progressive VS linear spring, the Koni Technician only confirm me the H&R 29710 kit is the best spring setup available for the Koni Yellow sport.
Maybe an European mind about the worldwide market.
I have revalved +20% my rear Yellow damper's accorded with Koni technician for improve the performance on hill race application

Good job Rémi !

I suggest to archive this thread.

_________________
Dodge Colt 1992 4G63T -= Racing Car =-
Toyota Corolla S 2015 -= Daily Car =-
Mitsubishi Outlander V6 2009 -= Family Car =-

Yes, but when archived, no one can respond to it!

Still active, so we leave it open as updates continue.

So, are we going to be able to buy the front and rear inserts? I've had a few different suspension setups on the car, but I still haven't found one that I liked. The B&G's weren't engineered properly so the spring would make contact with the body of the car, and the Ksport Coilovers are too damn stiff even on there softest setting. I'd love to run either a Koni/H&R spring combo or a Koni/Ground Control setup. I'm looking for sporty handling without back breaking stiffness.

_________________
1991 Plymouth Colt - Project
2001 Audi S4- Stage 3 Daily Driver

The B&G springs when correctly fitted and produced (I remember threads about the recent stock not matching proper fitment), do clear the inner fender metal, like all DSM springs from the era, but any old springs are now probably experiencing sag. New springs with an intended drop (lowest drop to date) at a minimum, with proper shocks as Coltixim has posted is your best bet for entry level performance.

I have received the Yellow front, end of November month.
I update this thread this week i hope, i work hard this end of the year ...

Awesome please let us know! I just received KYB shocks and struts with the B&G springs again at the house. I couldn't stand the Ksports anymore. I think if I ran the Koni Yellows with he B&G springs it would be the best setup. I'm only missing a few key pieces before I can put it back on the car. Does anybody have the rear top hats? And the plates that holds the top part of the spring on the front shocks?


Also, are these the right ones for the front? Listed for a 1991 Mitsubishi Mirage on Tire Rack.
http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/susp ... toModClar=

_________________
1991 Plymouth Colt - Project
2001 Audi S4- Stage 3 Daily Driver

Yes, this the good part number.
I have asked TireRack end of September, this is their answer about front and rear availability :
No update since this Email, you could maybe contact Austin directly for better communication

This is the picture of the front setup received from Spain :


And the cutted rear bump stop, the picture show the height difference before and after :

A little work for this Holidays...
Rear Koni, i have found my "clunk" issue on bump !
The rear axle beam hit my exhaust line, red arrow.
I hope fine tune the rear Koni for the best handling (soft position actually), if the rear axle hit again i'd need to modify my exhaust later for peace.



The front cartridge install is easy to assemble, the old's GR2 (2K miles) core :



The cutted part :


Final result :


Road test next week i hope

are the rear yellow koni's still avail??

where did get those fronts? I thought the koni fronts are only inserts