Writeup/Review: Koni Adjustables For Universal Air Suspension Users

Simans82 · 03-31-2008, 06:01 PM

I figured I'd open up this thread early as I did with my UAS write-up. I should have the Koni's in by Friday, and will be installing them on Saturday.

To preface some of the reasons why I wanted to go with the new setup from Zack, I have been struggling with the stock struts bouncy ride since they began to go at the end of last year. As you all know, riding around completely dumped, and laying your ride out at stoplights/parking lots doesn't do your stock struts very much good. lol But it sure as hell is a lot of fun.

Zack approached me once this design was completed, and we talked a bit about what I can expect from the new Koni's along with the UAS setup. Considering you won't find me out on the auto-x with my 300, honestly I was looking for an increase in ride quality while under normal driving conditions. Also, from what Zack has expressed to me, I should be able to see a bit more of a drop out of the bags using these struts. I will make sure to post before/after pics to see just how much lower it actually does get, but no price can be put on receiving a much more comfortable ride. This is definitely my number one priority and reason for going with the Koni's.

I'll be putting these new Koni's through their paces after installation, and will be able to give a full review/opinion on just how big of an improvement these are over the stock setup with the UAS. I have no doubts that Zack and Koni will be able to deliver... but for all of you out there that are on the fence about swapping out to a new strut with your air ride, hopefully this will give a real world review to help make your decision. I'll continue to update this thread with install/pictures/ride quality review as the next few weeks pass.

As always, thanks for checkin' out my thread! I have a feeling that the delivery of the Koni's will be a bit less intimidating than the delivery of the UAS setup was.

UPDATE! 4/4/08

Because everyone loves pictures...

UPDATE! 4/7/08

Well, two Tiger's games got in the way of finishing the fronts this weekend... but I finished the rears Saturday morning. Unfortunately, if I knew that the Tigers were going to suck it up so bad, I would've been more inclined to stay home and finish up the install. lol

So one word can sum up the new rear Koni's from UAS... WOW! I spoke with Zack last week in regards to where he likes to have his Koni's set at, and I took his advice in setting them to the "medium" setting first, and then adjusting from there. He also gave me a great tip on adjusting the rears without actually having to remove them, and this came through HUGE as I came back to my garage three or four times to remove the rear wheels to change the stiffness. I wish I had a lift, then I wouldn’t have had to even remove the wheels. Not a big deal in the end. It was a gorgeous day, and I actually enjoyed coming back to the garage and seeing what the next setting would do for the ride quality.

To preface my opinion on the Koni's, I like to ride LOW. I mostly ride dumped in the rear (50-70PSI for cruising, 80-100PSI for spirited driving), so please keep that in mind when I mention which settings I ended up liking the most for the rear.

If you've worked on the suspension on your LX, you know that the rear strut is easily pulled out, so the install only took probably 45 minutes (most of the time was to pull the wheels off lol). When I originally put them on, I set them to the "medium" setting, and felt as though it was still a bit soft at the ride-height that I usually cruise at. My girlfriend rode with me so she could feel the difference too, and she couldn't believe it. I used to bounce down the road when I was riding at the above mentioned PSI settings, and the initial test drive completely justified my choice to go with these Koni's. The bounce was completely gone.

The next step was finding the right stiffness for my liking. Like I mentioned above, the "medium" setting was a bit soft for my liking, so I began to go stiffer from there, and basically ended up at the stiffest setting possible. For my tastes, this was perfect. No bounce, and I could definitely feel the road. This communication between the road and the chassis/steering wheel is exactly what I wanted.

I did some hard cornering to see how the rear reacted as I changed the setting each time. It is UNBELIEVEABLE how different this car reacts even with just the rears done. I lost most of the body roll when I originally put the bags on, but as the stock struts began to give way to the pressures of being absolutely smashed to the ground

, the roll came back a little bit. With the new rears, the roll is completely gone now. Even more so than when I first installed the bags.

I'll complete the write-up as soon as I install the fronts. I'm hoping to complete that this coming weekend. I'm absolutely ecstatic about the ride, and wish that these were available back when I first installed my bags. If you're on the fence about this, DON'T HESITATE. Aside from the bags themselves, the struts are by far the best mod I've done to the 300 yet.

Thanks UAS! Comin' through for the LX community again.

UPDATE! 4/22/08

Well, the installation was completed this weekend, and I can't believe I waited this long to upgrade my struts. I was blown away with just how the rears handled, but having finished the fronts there is absolutely no body roll. This thing handles like its on rails. Zero bounce, tight cornering, and adjustability. I couldn't have asked for anything more out of this UAS setup. The Koni's have really finished off what I was going for from the beginning. A nice smooth ride, adjustable, and great for dumping it on the ground for shows. The Koni/UAS setup is definitely the solution for those who want all of the performance and show aspects of a suspension setup.

I went with the stiffest setting front and rear, and I am 100% satisfied with how it rides and handles. For all those going with the UAS setup, the Koni's are ESSENTIAL to complete the system in my opinion. I wouldn't wait to purchase the Koni's until your stockers go, I'd do it right the first time around.

Thanks again Zack! Definitely a wicked setup.