Koni FSD with lowering springs
 

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the use of FSDs with lowering springs. I found the attached on the lohen.co.uk website:


Koni FSD Sport Dampers.
Details
With Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) Koni introduces the first no compromise shock absorber. Until recently shock absorbers either offered road-holding or comfort. With FSD active ride technology, Koni combines the benefits of both types of ride in one damper. This technology features a smart suspension system adjusting automatically to road conditions as well as driving style. No electronics or sensors are used, only hydraulics. This all means better handling, improved grip, greater stability and better comfort. For more information on how they work please click details. The Koni FSD dampers will work with both standard springs and with lowering springs. Combine these FSD dampers with lowering springs for even better handling. 'Best suited' for road/fast road use.:nod:

They package lowering springs with FSD's for other cars... as was stated in this thread... just not for the mini. With the lack of damper travel in our cars it is suspect that when you limit the damper to 2-3 inches of travel it is thought that the damper can not effectivly control dampening though it's hydrolic setup.

this is the crux of the issue.

It should be OK with a moderate drop (less than 1 inch)

The discussion on the lohen website ONLY refers to the MINI

I my last mailer from TireRack, There is a new Koni/Eibach kit for the mini.

Longboard

hmmm... point taken but alot of us vendors have been packing fsd's with lowering springs for a while... they also sell crank pullies... and other neat stuff that kinda sorta works.

I guess im still skeptical.

and lb... is that a fsd+eibach kit (I assume so as these are usually packaged together) or a koni yellow+eibach kit?

you guys just don't get it . . . if you use Koni FSDs with lowering springs, the Konis will self-destruct w/i 100 miles, your dash will begin to rattle & your windshield crack, Global Warming will increase exponentially, and Ralph Nader will write a book about the safety issues created:eek2: Seriously, there have been several good threads on this topic - I decided to go very slight drop (JCW) for my '06 Cooper with the FSDs, and after about 3K miles, so far, so great. Would be interested to hear if the Eibach package mentioned as available thru Tire Rack is FSD

Ha-Ha-Ha...Dud - Keep your day job. I could not find the FSD / Eibach spring combo on the Tirerack website.

I'm gonna drop out of this thread as sarcasm is reigning supreme instead of valid comments and research. But I'll add my last little bit... I think that a small drop such as jcw suspenson (1/2") would be no problem with fsd's.

I'm more concerned about 1" or great drop such as hsports, bilstiens and m7's. Basically a drop that would necessitate new or modified bumpstops.

good luck.

I first installed my FSD's paired with H-Sport springs and ran them for about 6 months. With all the talk about not using lowering springs as well as the less than spectacular ride, I changed back to the stock SS springs. Wow, what a difference! The ride is much better than with the H-Sports and it seems handling has not changed. It did raise the car about an inch all around, so I am sure that the weight transer is different, but so far I cannot feel a handling difference. I had the car aligned the same as with the H-Sports.

All in all, I am happy! And that is what counts.

H-sport springs come with shorter (1/2 in) bumpstops and the total drop of the FSD / H-sport set up is 15/16 inch. Therefore don't you lose just 7/16 in (<1/2 in) of travel?

I'm running FSD's with the TSW springs and have had no problems at all. I even Autocross with them, and that set up is great. Drop on the TSW springs are only a 3/4" drop.

Gee Simon, that really hurt . . . to address the original question in more depth, and avoid flames from the "this is so serious" crowd, all I can tell you is the combo with JCW springs has been wonderful so far. The ride over slightly broken pavement or stretches of the fwy (like 405 just North of the 22 interchange) is much better, which is consistent with what Koni claims the selective frequency valving is supposed to achieve. When you are pushing hard in corners, everything seems to "firm up" as advertised. I also got the modified bump stops on installation, in case the reduced susp. travel mattered even with the .6 inch drop of the JCWs. For my $$$$, I didn't want to go more than 1" drop in case there would be adverse effects on the FSDs, and don't care for the slammed look anyway. Good luck.

my hsports lower more like 1.5 inches front and rear. I lose about 1 inch of travel. The hsport bumpstops i've got are about an inch shorter then stock. It is this kind of drop that would be un-advisable with fsd's based off of my knowledge of how hydrolic's work.

tsw's would be a great match imo... no proof but judging by the linear rate and the small drop... i imagine them and the jcw to be a great match with fsd's...

do the reading guys... all the ques are available online as to which setup is best... don't trust people trying to sell you things...

Well, a friend of mine (and a not so frequent member on this forum) had the Hsports with FSD's. It worked great in the beginning. However, the life expectancy for the FSD is highly diminished and he is about to swap out his suspension for a different set up. I drove his car recently and the ride is very harsh. I would guesstimate that the FSD lasted less than a year.

So it seems they work great in the beginning, but will not last as long with more of the aggressive drops.

does anyone know about Racing Dynamics? i was wondering if they're any good and what's the difference; or rather performance difference gains in coil overs and lowering springs. Also will my OEM shocks get shot if i just get lowering springs (cuz it's MUCH cheaper haha)

Hans

thank you for posting first hand experience of what i was trying to say in my posts. :thumbsup:

Anytime. As a recommendation:

I have Hsports springs on my 'vert which resulted in a significant drop. I would say and inch and a half, at least. Once the OEM shocks went I started looking around for replacements. I considered Yellows and FSD's. But the severity of the drop from the springs (much more pronounced than the same springs on a coupe) had me concerned. Long story short, on advice of my mechanic I went with Bilstein SP's. They are designed for lowered springs. I have about 6k on them now and am very happy with them.

Not sure if they will last. They just might suffer the same fate as my friends FSD's, but so far so good. A little more expensive, but so far totally worth it. Might be something to consider.

I have seen many cars with H-sport springs and they drop the car no more than 1 inch. Adding the FSDs decreases the drop to about 3/4 - 15/16 inch. With the shorter bump stops you lose almost no suspension travel.

Not to be reasonable or anything...
 

From the KONI North American Website... look up the MINI Cooper S on their product finder, and on the MINI-specific page you will see the following message:

"FSD kit must be used with stock height suspension"

Yes you can make it happen with slightly lower springs, and it'll probably be OK, but you always do so at your own risk. The chances are good that if you have too-low a spring kit your FSD's will just die an early death.

I have had my FSD's on my MCS for probably 6000miles and they are awesome.

~RM2k5

not all hsports are created equal... ask around many will agree. That's why i said my hsports. Also I've had my car bottom out several times on bumps that it would just soak up with stock springs. I may have the same suspension travel, but im using all of it now. take that however you want...

appologize for ot but i have to prove a point i guess.
a fist full of wheel gap:
Attachment 172613

to this... 1 finger
Attachment 172614

I'm done arguing with this thread. I don't care if you buy fsd's with lowering springs. I wont do that.

I have had HSports on stock struts for 9,000 miles and no problems I just switched to FSD's and the car rides and handles better. Also ther ride height is the same as before I measured.
I guess I'm a risk taker to have FSD's and lowering springs.

On MC2 magazine they said that the reason for using the FSD's in the first place was if you wanted a better ride while continuing to use the run flats. One of the reasons that the R53 does not ride as well as the R56 was because BMW did not have enough time to develop the run flats for the R53. However if you switch out the run flats I've been told that the ride improves dramatically. This would make the need for the FSD's unnecessary. I plan to switch out my tires and go for a Dinan suspension set up.

...and the Koni FSD / Eibach MINI kit lowers the car more than the FSD / H-sport set up.

From Tirerack:

KONI's FSD shocks are paired with Eibach's Pro-Kit springs to lower the vehicle's center of gravity and give the car a more solid, secure feel at all times. They're the perfect answer for frequently driven street cars.

Body lowering of 1.0"-1.5"

Dinan suspension
 

Paul, you'll love the Dinan set up. I've had mine on for about two months and have really enjoyed it. I wasn't perfectly happy with the stock MCS ride, read many positive reviews about Dinan, and went for it as a stronger system than JCW that stayed in warranty (through Dinan anyway).

At least for me, the Dinan lowering was imperceptable and I'm not sure technically which Koni shock is used, but I wanted the Dinan system because it is adjustable, and even if I don't get how everything works now, my intention is to figure it out. :)

Well I Was using FSD's with TSW springs. I just had one of the rear shocks fail on me. Not cool. What I know now. If I had to get another shock, I would have gone with the Koni Yellows verse the FSD's... The FSD's would have been fine if I would have stayed with the stock springs. :cry: :mad:

cajun- sorry to hear. :sad: thanks for the info for us other users that
are considering dampers for our lowering springs. your experience will not
be put to waste. :thumbsup:

does either koni FSD or koni yellows come with some sort of warranty ?

From outmotoring.com

"KONI shocks have a lifetime warranty. Try getting that from the tuner garbage (insert initials here). Available for all MINI's with build date after 3/1/02 (see drop down menu for applications) Sold as a complete set of 4 only. Please allow 2-4 business days before we ship."

So wouldn't it be okay to install the FSD into a lowered mini, if it get busted ----> ask for new ones since its covered under warranty.

You guys are correct,

Konis do come with a lifetime warranty, they are also really good at helping customers out.

I suggest you send your FSD to Koni, they will probably send you a replacement for free.

Victor

Currently Alex@tirerack.com recommends stock springs with Koni FSD for best results. You can ask him about Koni warranty in case you use it with lowering springs.

32000 AND COUNTING
 

THE very early set of FSDs, on my car since oct 05, have gone over 32k with first h sport, then H&R springs, so far no issues whatsoever. In addition (sounding like a broken record here) I have installed over 20 sets with lowering springs and not had any issues with those cars either. On occasion, mass produced automotive parts fail ---Your results may vary..........................

Do FSD's raise the height of the car when on lowering springs? IE: 1" lowered car would be less than 1" after installing FSD'S...Sorry to get off thread a little....:cool:

still doesn't mean using them against the manufacturer's recommendation is a prudent strategy for warranty replacement (if needed).

Lee Grimes at Koni implored me to use stock springs with FSD's on the MINI....told me if I wanted it lowered to use Yellows instead. YMMV

PGT I will agree with you and Lee Grimes from Koni.

Koni designed the FSTs specifically to work with the factory springs.

That said, I know that a lot of you run the FSds with lowered spring, without any problems, but does not mean that the shocks are working to 100% of their ability.

I know it has been said many times, but the koni yellows are a proven shock, probably the best out there to be used with lowered springs.

Victor

R53 s 04 suspension upgrade
 

So i am about to upgrade the suspension and aftet reading a lot in here and not only i came to the following choises

FSD with eibach pro
koni yellows with eibach pro
ST coilivers
KW V1 coilovers

my goal is to have a small amount of lowering around 20mm or 0.75 inches with lots of comfort while maintaining reasonable handling.
i want to use the 17' GP wheels (485)
with 215/40 or 45 tyres

i want to ask you guys who had one of the above setup how is your experience and how many miles you currently have on them. Nowadays the price range for all setups above is around 700 - 950 euro

comfort and stiffer shocks do not go together

I have jcw springs and koni yellows, it's stiff the wife hates it

I had FSD with the jcw springs, no where near as stiff but it would bottom out hard on big hits

thanks for reply! Appreciated.
How about adjusting the yellows to less stiffness? Aren't they adjustable?
how many miles on those jcw springs?
what wheel size are you using?
and how many fingers from the top of the tyre to bottom of the body? Does your car look level on your current setup?
That information would help me a lot.
ps sorry for bad English

Are you talking linear or progressive springs as the later has more ability to offer softer rides on straight type driving?

Are you throwing in the cost for longer front end links and thinking your 04 will have the non-adjustable rear control arm that will require new adjustable type.