Suspension Koni sports vs. Bilstein Sports
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Koni sports vs. Bilstein Sports
I'm looking to replace my shocks on my R56. I've had Bilstein Sports on some of my other cars and liked them very much. However I can get the Koni's for about the same price as the Billy sports. I'd like to hear the opinion from fellow Mini owners about what they think especially from those that have experience with both shocks.
For a daily they are very similar. Mine is a daily and back up autocrosser. Not willing to drill holes, though I do have Koni's.
That said, half a turn from soft in rear and full soft front with the right springs and alignment has given me some very fun off-throttle oversteer.
I too have heard this. As in, non-revalved yellows may have slightly different valving side to side if you are unlucky. Only noticeable if driven competitively.
That being said, the ubiquitous Koni Yellow is actually a decent shock for the price. The off-the-shelf valving is usually pretty good, the **** is rebound-only with very little crosstalk onto compression, and while the **** is SERIOUSLY nonlinear, it can be worked with: a typical Yellow had 2 1/2 turns of adjustment. The last 1/2 turn to full hard is useless (tiny changes make huge force changes) and the last half to full turn to full soft does nothing, but that turn to turn and a half in the middle of the range usually isn't bad.
Koni's quality control on the Yellows is such that the odds on any two shocks with the same part number matching forces are very small - there's quite a bit of shock-to-shock variation. But bought as a group buy and then dyno matched, it is possible to put together matched sets. Be aware that I've seen Koni Yellows with the same part number that matched perfectly when one was 1/2 turn off full hard, and the other was at full soft - I consider the adjuster **** a way to match shocks on the dyno, NOT a tuning tool.
Koni's quality control on the Yellows is such that the odds on any two shocks with the same part number matching forces are very small - there's quite a bit of shock-to-shock variation. But bought as a group buy and then dyno matched, it is possible to put together matched sets. Be aware that I've seen Koni Yellows with the same part number that matched perfectly when one was 1/2 turn off full hard, and the other was at full soft - I consider the adjuster **** a way to match shocks on the dyno, NOT a tuning tool.
but maybe yea, for noncompetitive driving, not too noticeable
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not quite -
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html
but maybe yea, for noncompetitive driving, not too noticeable
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html
but maybe yea, for noncompetitive driving, not too noticeable
On my NB Miata I first used Koni yellows with Mazdaspeed springs. Due to lack of camber in front it would understeer on entry but often oversteer on exit when I had Konis at nearly full stiff (1/8 turn away). Backing the rear off just by half a turn made a huge difference and the car wouldn't oversteer on exit. When I switched to S-tech springs I backed off a full turn from full stiff rear and left front at full stiff making it a a good compromise set up.
As for the Mini, after a few autocrosses it seems like I got a decently matched set. Rear is half a turn from full soft since I put them on that way. Front is just backed off of full soft or half a turn from full soft. It's very predictable with the Swift Spec R springs and the remaining understeer is mainly due to lack of camber.
Ride quality hasn't degraded much in my time of ownership. It's great for a car that is daily driven and autocrossed on a monthly basis. I wouldn't mind something more comfortable since I usually autox a Miata tho.
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