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Aftermarket coilovers sleeves on Koni shocks with Stock Springs
I have a set of Konis I am going to be assembling before installing. I ran across a an individual coilover kit on Summit Racing that includes the sleeve, adjustment but and hat made by All Star. Very similar to Carl's old Hypercoil kit.
The upper spring hat in the kit is of no use to me if I opt for retaining stock springs. My question is can I use the stock springs with the lower retaining plate, starting on top of the adjuster 2.5" nut, while utilizing all stock hardware at the top of the shock?
I assume it would be possible since you're just using a different threaded collar that doesn't need to be JB Welded on, but heated for expansion and cooled for contraction., It may involve a little grinding for the stock lower spring plate to have the proper diameter clearance to slip over the threads.
2 months ago I installed 4 Koni Classics, set full soft, stock springs, and got an alignment - I cannot believe the change, it feels like it's a brand new car!
I've read that the Boge Sport shocks are the best, and I don't dispute that. However, these Classics at full soft, feel really, really good, and for half the price.
Without a doubt, one of the best maintenance/upgrades I've done to the car in 21+ years of ownership.
Semi-retired, as of Feb 1, 2023.
The days of free technical advice are over.
Free consultations will no longer be available.
Will still be in the shop, isolated and exclusively working on project cars, developmental work and products, engines and transmissions.
Have fun with your 928's people!
If your going to go new shocks with stock springs I would suggest to get a set of Bilstiens,
the Bilstiens come with new lower spring perches and adjuster collars use your original top hats and perches.
Buy new bump stops and 4 white discs.
sell the Koni stuff and springs to someone thats looking for a trackstar
What does the installation of these aftermarket adjusting pieces do that the stock adjuster pieces don't do?
I don't need JB weld to fasten them on, but rather just put the sleeves in the oven to expand before installation.
I really like how a 928 with Konis rode. A friend of mine had them on his car before he sold it. The Konis I purchased were virtually at a steal too when there were no Bilsteins available last year for one side of the car (forgot if it was front or rear).
I don't need JB weld to fasten them on, but rather just put the sleeves in the oven to expand before installation. So, other than installation (or frozen stock adjusters), there is no advantage to using these pieces?
I really like how a 928 with Konis rode. A friend of mine had them on his car before he sold it. The Konis I purchased were virtually at a steal too when there were no Bilsteins available last year for one side of the car (forgot if it was front or rear).
The more I study Dyno results from the various shock options and study how the suspension on a 928 works, it seems like the less I know, for sure.
Konis on a 928, are a whole different "rabbit hole".
You talk to anyone who has large amounts of knowledge about suspension and ask about Koni shocks and they will, for the large part, always respond the same way:
"Anyone still using or considering Konis knows so little about shocks and how they work to waste your time talking to them.....that technology and those people are back in the 1970's"
Of course, anything anyone ever says needs to be taken with a grain of salt and individual study....
With enough testing (dyno), one can certainly adjust a set of Konis to be fairly close to a set of Bilsteins (Rebound only....one is stuck with what they "built in" for compression.....which is relatively mild.)
And one can get fairly close to a set of the factory "Sport Boges". (Again, rebound only., with the same problems with compression.)
The big issue, with Konis, is that the "full soft/near full soft" settings and the "full hard/near full hard" settings are absolutely/completely worthless with the given compression.
These shocks would be much better (better for 99% of the people using them) if Koni eliminated these ridiculous adjusting points and made all of the available adjustment range in the "in between" range.
Of course, there is never anything one can do to a Koni to achieve the digressive valving that a Bilstein has, built in.
However, the separation of the front springs and the shocks, on a 928, is essentially is a form of digressive valving built into the design of the suspension.
Therefore, digressive valving isn't as big a deal, on a 928, compared to other vehicles.
And the relatively high seal drag of a Bilstein also negates a percentage of their digressive valving.
(Which is why a Boge Sport, without digressive valving, less seal drag, and higher compression numbers work so well, on a stock 928.)
In short, I think that a Koni is a reasonable shock for a stock 928, when properly adjusted.
Finding the "sweet spot" in the adjustment range is terribly difficult, without dyno results from the entire range for every single shock.
Additionally, adjusting a stock Koni installed on a 928 is a dreary task, at best.
Even with dyno results to get one "close", they should all be converted to externally adjustable Konis to be of any practical use.
The aftermarket adjusting sleeves are a lower cost. The price of a pair of adjusters for the front is equivalent to the price of only one front shock threaded ring straight from Porsche. While I can buy used threaded rings for the rear shocks from Mark at a good price, the fronts I cannot. Pretty sure Mark throws those front threaded rings since it's not worth their time to remove.
Therefore, the only advantage is cost. Koni also sells their own threaded sleeves kits in house too that are coarse thread, just like these All Stars.
Full disclosure....my shocks were $456 shipped for all 4. Bilsteins are at the very least, double that price. Like I said....the Konis were a steal.
My shop here prefers Koni but he put the car so deep so the shock can‘t compress much anymore. On a good flat road it‘s a fast setup but the steering feels heavy because the geometry is broken .
His argument against Bilstein is the pull is wrong damped but maybe the cars are only to low?
with the correct ride height my car has way more comfort with Bilstein as with the Koni before.
For the second car I bought the M474 setup, Boge Red. Over double the cost of Bilstein but I‘m curious how the car drove with the original setup.
After 155.000 miles in the front is one grey shock and the lasting red one has moisture on it.
But the rubber parts above the shocks are near the same price as the M474 shocks. My guess is after near 40 years all rubber has very different behavior than new and nobody knows the feeling of a new 928 in the past.
On very fast rides on Autobahn my cars feel unsafe at high speed braking because the rear goes from left to right and this is because the Weissach axle is worn out in all parts.
On the 84 car all bad behavior is gone after complete rubber change. The stiffness of the side wall of the tires can compensate also the weird feelings of a worn suspension. A cheap tire can ruin the driving experience complete.
It‘s difficult to research all this with my hobby budget so I listen to different opinions and take changes and ask my butt meter on the road.
The aftermarket adjusting sleeves are a lower cost. The price of a pair of adjusters for the front is equivalent to the price of only one front shock threaded ring straight from Porsche. While I can buy used threaded rings for the rear shocks from Mark at a good price, the fronts I cannot. Pretty sure Mark throws those front threaded rings since it's not worth their time to remove.
Therefore, the only advantage is cost. Koni also sells their own threaded sleeves kits in house too that are coarse thread, just like these All Stars.
Full disclosure....my shocks were $456 shipped for all 4. Bilsteins are at the very least, double that price. Like I said....the Konis were a steal.
I did not realize that you did not have any of the factory spring adjusters.
That makes the aftermarket pieces an interesting option and something to consider, when converting to adjustable springs.
Good find!
If you could figure a way to move the welded on "stop" on the Konis and lower it down, that would be a good upgrade, since early cars this.
The Konis you got seem like a good value, at that price.
I must confess, I pay zero attention to the price of different options, when comparing those options....I have a long history in "Porsche Racing" and price has never been a factor, when those two words are used together.
07-01-2023, 09:44 PM
Aftermarket coilovers sleeves on Koni shocks with Stock Springs
