[sj]

Does anybody have any opinions on the ideal setting for Koni dampers??
I just bought some Koni's for my 9-5 and was slightly disappointed to find that I have to remove and strip down the coilover in order to adjust the damper.

The koni picture instructions suggest 180deg
is + and 360deg is ++ and on the fronts only 720deg is ++++.

I have tried the rears at ++ and although the handling is greatly improved, the ride seems firm. I am about to replace the fronts and I am minded to try these at + and soften the rears to match. Any suggestions please ????

 

[murphwiz]

I'll move this into performance, your certain to get plenty of ideas from long time koni users!

 

[peter messenger]

i left mine on the original koni setting front and back and the car handles great. i did fit lowering springs at the same time though.

 

[billj]

If they're like the 9000 Konis, you will find that the dampers will soften over the first 10K miles or so. I originally went with Abbott Racing's settings, which were comfortable with decent handling for a while but got worse over time. The car would roll a lot and the ride was pretty bad. I was going to soften them, but instead tried firming them up more. The handling was much improved and the ride was better too. The dampers had softened to the point where they couldn't control the springs properly.

I found roughly 2/5 of the way up from full soft (that's about 360 degrees on the 9000 dampers) gave a ride that was firm but still actually more comfortable than the standard 9000 Aero suspension (which was a bit "crashy" over bumps). Performance was pretty good.

 

[brent]

I think I had read before...to install the Konis something had to be removed or modified to fit them?...on a 9-3...had I read wrong or is that the case? If so sounds like more than i figured..

 

[billj]

Certainly on the 9000, the Konis for the fronts are inserts rather than complete struts. The top of the strut needs to be cut off, the rod and piston removed and the insert... inserted. Mind you, considering that you need to remove the strut and take the top bearing and spring off, even if you are fitting a complete replacement strut, then the modification is only a small part of the job.

 

[sj]

Having fitted the fronts yesterday, I can confirm that they are supplied as a replacement strut (not an insert) on the 9-5. No modification required.
I did fit the fronts at + and I definately want to try the rears softened to match now.

This will have to wait until my other half has calmed down though, I 'wasted' most of Sunday fiddling with 'that bloody car again', so she didn't get to go shopping

 

[swintooh]

How difficult it is to adjust Koni dampers once they are installed on a 9-5 (front and back)? Are bare hands enough or a garage visit is required?

 

[sj]

You have to take the struts (or rear coilovers) off the car and then take the spring off the strut, fully compress the damper and turn the piston rod. (and re-assemble and refit)

If you can do that with your bare hands, I wouldn't want to meet you on a bad day!!

 

[swintooh]

Originally posted by SJ:
[qb]You have to take the struts (or rear coilovers) off the car and then take the spring off the strut, fully compress the damper and turn the piston rod. (and re-assemble and refit)

If you can do that with your bare hands, I wouldn't want to meet you on a bad day!!  

 [/qb][/b]

Cheers, well dunno about the job ;-) but I had a bad day yesterday. I came back from Italy finding 4 speeding tickets and a Saab service invoice for almost 1000 Euros in my post box. When my wife saw my face she escaped and hid in behind the book. And she is a very brave woman...

I'll wait until warranty expires (22/02/2004) and Stage 2 + eibach kit is on the way... And no more servicing at Saab dealership (and no more 1000 euro bills).
I can wait so feel the real

and the car handling as it should from the very beginning.