Koni shock issue

[michael everson]

Has any one had a problem installing the adjusters onto the Koni shocks? I could only get one to fit. But not without having to remove the label on the shock body. The other 3 are way too tight. Before I start stripping the paint off of these, does anyone have a solution? I can only get them on about 1\2 inch before they stop.
BTW My shocks are yellow, not red like Waynes?
Mike

[Wayne Presley]

I've done 12 shocks and they all slipped on.

[michael everson]

were they all red? Maybe FFR sent me the wrong shocks. I have never run into this with the red shocks on the other FFR products.
Mike

[Wayne Presley]

8 red and 4 yellow ish

[michael everson]

Ok I got them all one. 3 of them required a scotch brite thinning of the paint. The 4th had a large burr at the top of the shock keeping the adjuster from going on at all. Once they were on the snap ring would not enter the groove on the adjuster. Took a heavy hit from a dead blow. LOTS of paint on the snap ring. All is well now.

[Mark Dougherty]

Yep
I have run into the same thing.
Just a little to tight on some requires the use of a hammer.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Ok I got them all one. 3 of them required a scotch brite thinning of the paint. The 4th had a large burr at the top of the shock keeping the adjuster from going on at all. Once they were on the snap ring would not enter the groove on the adjuster. Took a heavy hit from a dead blow. LOTS of paint on the snap ring. All is well now.

Hi Michael
I put 2 of my yellow shock together yesterday. The threaded sleeve slid right on, not tight at all.
I don't understand your "LOTS of paint on the snap ring" comment. The snap ring goes in the top hat. I think it is black anodized.
My snap rings went right in.

2 of my 4 ball joints would not screw into my threaded plates. Has anyone had that problem?
Bob

[michael everson]

Bob. I meant the ring on the bottom of the shock that is supposed to go into the groove on the adjuster. It was very thick with paint. I guess my shocks got an extra dose of yellow.
My ball joints were very tight. I thought for sure I was doing something wrong. I finally got them seated. Why do you have 4? I only had 2. Upper front.
Mike

[Bob_n_Cincy]

My ball joints were very tight. I thought for sure I was doing something wrong. I finally got them seated. Why do you have 4? I only had 2. Upper front.
Mike

21160

My father and son project turned into a father AND son project.
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
I have to make mine faster because he is kicking my but every weekend at autocross.
Bob

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I mounted my front shocks today.
What keeps the threaded sleeve from spinning when you adjust the ride height ring?
Just a note to others, My adjustment ring was preassembled upside-down.
Bob

[michael everson]

Bob. Nothing keeps it from rotating. The best way to adjust them is to take the load off them and turn them by hand.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Bob,

Although there is a setscrew in the adjuster ring to prevent movement I never use them (if you do it will likely booger the threads making future adjustment difficult). With weight on the springs I've never had one move.

Jeff

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Thanks Mike and Jeff

[CHOTIS BILL]

If you apply a little Loctite around the top of the threaded sleeve it will seep down between the sleeve and shock body and will keep the sleeve from turning while adjusting the spring height. It doesn’t need to be the wicking type but should be one of the thin types.

Bill Lomenick

[Wayne Presley]

I use a strap wrench on the sleeve and apply a little antisieze on the threads. I don't really like the loctite on the body idea myself.

[WIS89]

21160

My father and son project turned into a father AND son project.
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
I have to make mine faster because he is kicking my but every weekend at autocross.
Bob

Bob-

Congratulations on the change in project scope!! That's going to be some serious fun!! Good luck to each of you, and I hope you have some success at the track soon!

Regards,

Steve

[indiana818]

Bob,
What side of cinch do you live?
We are going to a pumpkin run car show on the north side in a couple of weeks
If your close I would stop by an check out your chassis
Kerry sylvester

[RM1SepEx]

first if you have red shocks, they sent you the wrong shocks, I asked about the two reds they sent me and they just replaced them with yellows. Koni reds are lower quality than the yellows... check their documentation/website
second all of my threaded adjusters were assembled upside down
one of my 2 original yellows was difficult, it had a burr. The two new ones just came out of the box today... I need to remove the reds and send them back w the prepaid FedX label

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Bob,
What side of cinch do you live?
We are going to a pumpkin run car show on the north side in a couple of weeks
If your close I would stop by an check out your chassis
Kerry sylvester

Hi Kerry
I'm at exit 33 off of I275. You will be going right by on the way to the pumpkin run.
Hope to meet you.
Bob

[RM1SepEx]

As usual I spoke too soon
on my two new yellows the spring adjuster collars will not slide past the label...

here are some photos to show reds vs yellows

218102180921808

reds are gas charged, yellows are not, so reds extend themselves due to pressure
Reds have .540 rod yellows have larger .620 rod (approx measurements, too lazy to dig out digital calipers and go metric!)
reds appear to have swaged on, no removeable ends at the rod exit hole
yellows use an end cap with spanner holes that screws in to a threaded body and are rebuildable
red PN 30 1720 Factory Five FFR# 14622
yellow PN 82-2598 no Factory Five ID
both are adjustable, though it is impossible for me to compress the gas shock by hand to engage the adj mechanism

[Mechie3]

:deleted:

[Wayne Presley]

As usual I spoke too soon
on my two new yellows the spring adjuster collars will not slide past the label...

here are some photos to show reds vs yellows

218102180921808

reds are gas charged, yellows are not, so reds extend themselves due to pressure
Reds have .540 rod yellows have larger .620 rod (approx measurements, too lazy to dig out digital calipers and go metric!)
reds appear to have swaged on, no removeable ends at the rod exit hole
yellows use an end cap with spanner holes that screws in to a threaded body and are rebuildable
red PN 30 1720 Factory Five FFR# 14622
yellow PN 82-2598 no Factory Five ID
both are adjustable, though it is impossible for me to compress the gas shock by hand to engage the adj mechanism

Dan, you can adjust the reds by hand. Put one end in a vise and depress the other. We did it 4 or 5 times at the track on the R and S

[Joe Scott]

Hey Guys,

we are using the yellow konis on all 818 S models shipped today. these are a twin tube shock. on the first couple of kits we used the red konis, these were a mono tube. this is also the difference between the R's and S's, the R's are mono tube and the S's are twin tube.

I did have this issue as well with fitting the collars on the Yellow konis. this is because the yellows are hand painted with a thicker layer of paint. i ended up sanding some paint off until the collar fit

Joe@FFRTECH

[Xusia]

Can anyone comment on the difference between the yellow twin tube and the red mono tube in terms of performance?

[RM1SepEx]

I had to shave off the labels to get my collars on, they slid with a bit of effort but it wasn't too bad.

I'm a MS weakened pansy, can't compress the gas filled reds.

The Red 30 series can be run inverted... that's a benefit...

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Can anyone comment on the difference between the yellow twin tube and the red mono tube in terms of performance?

Watch this video
http://www.kyb.com/service/monotube.php

[Xusia]

Good info. Thanks.

Of course, now I want the mono tube. Thanks for adjusting my budget!! LOL

[Mechie3]

Budget shouldn't change. Not sure if you can get the monotube from FFR, but if someone else has monotubes (red) and you have the twin tube (yellow) you could trade.

[Xusia]

Budget shouldn't change. Not sure if you can get the monotube from FFR, but if someone else has monotubes (red) and you have the twin tube (yellow) you could trade.

According to Joe at FFR, the monotube is what comes with the 818R.


...this is also the difference between the R's and S's, the R's are mono tube and the S's are twin tube.

I thought it had been stated that the 818R suspension is an optional upgrade for the 818S. If so, that should mean I can get the red mono tube Koni's on my 818S if I want (and am willing to pay the up charge). Or did I miss something??

[RM1SepEx]

Koni lists the reds as an economy race shock, the yellows are KONI Sport shocks and have been their mainstay for 40 years...

If I was doing an "R" I'd opt for the optional double adjustable race shocks and add the $1700 to my build price... (reviewed the email quote to add to my S order)

21839

[Frank818]

Good info. Thanks.

Of course, now I want the mono tube. Thanks for adjusting my budget!! LOL

Yeah but has the red monotube a stiffer dampening than the yellow twintube? Might not be good on the road if yes.

[Mechie3]

Koni lists the reds as an economy race shock, the yellows are KONI Sport shocks and have been their mainstay for 40 years...


I haven't looked it up, so I'll have to, but top of my mind I'm wondering the order of things in terms of cost/performance. Sort of like cars might have a "sport" trim level which sounds great, but is the low cost version while the EX, LTD, etc is the higher version though sometimes the LTD is heavier/slower because of the added leather/niceties. The sport shocks might be better in terms of road performance (ie: comfort, noise, ??) while the race shocks are higher performance, but harsher ride?


In short, I'm wondering if it goes:
economy sport (if it's an option)
sport
economy race
race

In terms of outright raw performance, but in terms of luxury/comfort level it'd go something like:

race
economy race
economy sport
sport

Am I making any sense? lol.

[C.Plavan]

Koni lists the reds as an economy race shock, the yellows are KONI Sport shocks and have been their mainstay for 40 years...

If I was doing an "R" I'd opt for the optional double adjustable race shocks and add the $1700 to my build price... (reviewed the email quote to add to my S order)

21839

I didn't even know that was an option. I just emailed Dan and asked them to add it to my order.

[RM1SepEx]

I asked about them and posted the info on the forum end of July, 1st of August. These are the real koni double adjustable race shocks.

I believe that both the reds and the yellows are equivalent damping wise... both are valved by Koni for the 818 based on their testing. You can increase the rebound damping by pushing the piston rod in fully on both. The Red monotubes allow 4 adjustment settings the yellow's six by rotating clockwise. The max setting for both is 100% increase. The reds will react quicker due to design parameters (monotube) and are gas pressurized to rebound quicker too.

For my street and autocross use I prefer the tried and true performance of their aluminum double tube rebuildables. My kit came with a pair of yellows and a pair of reds, I chose to go with all yellows, they picked up the reds this morning for my swap.

I found the product page for the reds once but can't find it now... They are not listed in the racing section of the website... found them... FFR PN isn't listed but... http://koniracing.com/oval30.cfm

I used my $ to buy the CF aero pieces vs the shocks..

[Xusia]

The picture of the shock on that page is yellow! It is described as a single adjustable with 4 settings, so I think the description is correct. It's just funny the pic is of the yellow shock.

[Mechie3]

I told Joe @ FFR I'd like blue ones if they're giving out different colors and he told me he'd send me pink ones instead. :lol:

[RM1SepEx]

There is another page somewhere with the same description in red, I can't find it again... ;-(

FYI:

http://www.koni-na.com/pdf/tech.pdf

I'm sticking with my yellow dual tube hydraulics

[wallace18]

For those installing the collars on their yellow Koni's, all you have to do is heat the collar for about 45 seconds with a heat gun and it slides right on no problem. No sanding or label removal. I thought I would pass this tip along.
21896

[AZPete]

Heat? Really? Yesterday I stripped all the yellow paint off 4 shocks with a wire wheel. Today I vacuumed up the yellow dust everywhere.
Now you tell me! :o
Pete

[michael everson]

Great tip Wallace.
Mike

[wallace18]

Heat? Really? Yesterday I stripped all the yellow paint off 4 shocks with a wire wheel. Today I vacuumed up the yellow dust everywhere.
Now you tell me! :o
Pete

What can I say I did not put mine on till today. LOL. Don't feel bad I did not notice FFR sent me 8 collars and no hats for my shocks and my 45 days are up. I am hopeing they will swap me out.

21897

[longislandwrx]

I might need those collars, as there's no way mine are coming off the yellows I put them on to go on the reds. :)