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how long should koni's last

3K views 42 replies 9 participants last post by  aeropilot 
#1 ·
i've been asked a question by a friend of mine, how many miles are they good for?. he's been offered a set but is worried about having to change them in a while. i know some tight wads;oops:
 
#2 ·
Dont they have a million mile warranty or summit daft like that? :confused:

What is the Koni warranty? How do I go about getting replacements?

The Koni warranty is 3 years with unlimited mileage against defects in materials and workmanship, although some kit applications have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser. The warranty does not cover damage to the parts caused by misuse, misapplication, installation, motorsports, etc. The warranty does not include mounting bushings. If you determine you have a defective damper contact the company you purchased the unit(s) from. To process your warranty, they will require a copy of the purchase receipt and a vehicle registration.
 
#3 ·
How long is a piece of string! It depends almost entirely on what use they have had previously and what loads have been put through them.

For what its worth we run some pretty pricey dampers and have them rebuilt twice a year (once mid season, once end of season) and dyno them after every other race to ensure they are still in spec. The same dampers on a road car (obviously valved for road use with spring rates to suit) would last years, if not tens of years if correctly looked after.

Cheers
M
 
#4 ·
i want an aero said:
i've been asked a question by a friend of mine, how many miles are they good for?. he's been offered a set but is worried about having to change them in a while. i know some tight wads;oops:
Well it is a risk given posts here and on other Saab forum's about Koni's not lasting that long on a 9-5.

I wouldn't put used Koni's on my car.........but then I wouldn't put brand new ones on either:p
 
#5 ·
aeropilot said:
I wouldn't put used Koni's on my car.........but then I wouldn't put brand new ones on either:p
:lol: lol :lol:
 
#7 ·
I'm pretty sure Koni's have a lifetime guarantee. So if[/if] they do fail, you can send them in to be rebuilt or replaced. They seem to be very sturdy and well made, and I have only ever heard of them needing rebuilt if they were abused on a lpt suspension (lots of travel). They seem to like the stiffer and lower suspensions more.
 
#8 ·
Cambio said:
I'm pretty sure Koni's have a lifetime guarantee.
I quoted the UK guarantee in the second post........
 
#10 ·
John Z Williams said:
Oh yea, why not? I love mine and having them adjustable gives me tuning ability...

John
But you have a 900 and they need more help :p
 
#11 ·
9-5 needs more help, or 900 needs more help? 900 is what you probably mean, so are they too much for a 9-5? I have them on my 9k aero and love them on that car too. I can set them up for the drag strip, road racing twisties, full soft for a road trip and they seem to corner great with my lowering springs, sas sway bars and upper strut mount and poly wish bone inserts.

John
 
#12 ·
Actually I was joking - but yes I think the 900 needs more help ;)

I think its the Nordic recommended upgrade for the 9-5, with eibach springs so those guys like them too :confused:
 
#13 ·
John Z Williams said:
Oh yea, why not? I love mine and having them adjustable gives me tuning ability...
Well, the adjustability is fairly pointless in practical terms......and 15 odd years in various forms motorsport seeing Koni's fall apart compared to the virtual indestructable Billy's means that I'm just biased against Koni. Although, I still the Eibach are best on a 9-5.

I also don't like the fact that you have to hack the OEM front struts about to fit a set of inserts, which is not as good as a complete new manufacture replacement unit.

I've just never been a fan and wouldn't have them anywhere near one of my cars.
 
#15 ·
John Z Williams said:
It has helped me a ton at the track and that is why I have them, they are adjustable and they do work... If improved track times don't prove it, don't know what would...

John
Sadly our roads aren't quite "track like" :roll:
 
#16 ·
Chris 9-5 said:
Actually I was joking - but yes I think the 900 needs more help ;)

I think its the Nordic recommended upgrade for the 9-5, with eibach springs so those guys like them too :confused:
The Eibachs are good for a comfortable ride, but not so much for track or twisties. There are not many available options and I had a choice of intrax or eibach for my aero, went with stock aero springs with one coil cut off each one and am pretty happy with that combined with koni adjustable.

John
 
#18 ·
I think its hard to have a good opinion if you have not even tried them yourself;)

I have had good luck with them on two cars and I have heard they are not as stiff as Bilstein, but having the adjustability is what I wanted and being able to make my rear full firm and my front full soft is what made it possible for me to hook 400whp up at the track;)

I have the fastest 60' time posted, 1.62 60' on a ng900 vert at 6000' at Bandimere..... Would not have been possible without Koni:roll:

John
 
#19 ·
John Z Williams said:
I think its hard to have a good opinion if you have not even tried them yourself;)
John
Nah - an MBC is still a crap mod :lol:

And as for cutting coils - good lord - this is the 9-5 forum dont you know :p
 
#21 ·
John Z Williams said:
I think its hard to have a good opinion if you have not even tried them yourself;)
I'll try again......one last time.

I spent 15 odd years in various forms of motorsport, (driver, nav, spanner wielder etc) where Koni's just didn't cut the mustard.......in terms of bulid quality and ability to damp and control compared with other makes.

I've seen so many owners of various cars buy them, and then have to replace them with decent stuff, either fellow competitors in sprinting, after being bounced around as a Nav, or usually operating the spanner to fix'em, so, I'm more than happy of my opinion of them, and I wouldn't waste my hard earned money on even trying the damn things on my own car.

And mores the point, my Saab is a road car and I want compliance and comfort with added control, not some horrid rough riding bone shaker (which I considered the 2 x Koni equipped 9-5 I've driven to be exactly that - but I would like to try one equipped with these new FSD's instead for comparison's sake).
And if I was considering motorsport use of a Saab (which I wouldn't) then I would definately have Bilstein's without question.....from the years of experience mentioned above.

I'm happy for you that you like Koni.......however I don't.
 
#22 ·
Sounds strange to me as from what I have heard, the Bilsteins are the ones that are said to be too stiff and described as a teeth chattering ride that will shake you to death.

The only bad thing I have heard about Koni is that they are not stiff enough and give great comfort, but not enough stiffness at the track or in the twisties.

It seems you are saying the opposite of this and that seems strang to me and I would guess that is a spring issue, not a damper issue.

You have the right to you're opinion and that is all good and well.

BTW, there is nothing more satisfying that blasting a WRX-STI or Skyline or Camero or brand new Corvette Z-06 with a granny vert saab:cheesy:

I have taken all those cars at the drag strip and it was all worth it just to see their faces;)

John
 
#23 ·
John Z Williams said:
BTW, there is nothing more satisfying that blasting a WRX-STI or Skyline or Camero or brand new Corvette Z-06 with a granny vert saab:cheesy:

John
Hey dont diss my ride man :nono;

 
#25 ·
John Z Williams said:
Sounds strange to me as from what I have heard, the Bilsteins are the ones that are said to be too stiff and described as a teeth chattering ride that will shake you to death.

The only bad thing I have heard about Koni is that they are not stiff enough and give great comfort, but not enough stiffness at the track or in the twisties.

It seems you are saying the opposite of this and that seems strang to me and I would guess that is a spring issue, not a damper issue.

You have the right to you're opinion and that is all good and well.
It's not stiffness, it's the ability of the valving in the damper to control, which is what the Koni isn't that good at and yes, springs are a real issue. The Bilstein's are better in control, but the springs rate is critical. Big problem with the Bilsteins is if people fit the Bilstein kit which has a cheap set of hard springs and this is why there are reports of teeth chattering ride. But, to get the Koni to work properly on a 9-5 they need to be wound up hard and then that's just as bad....:roll:

And it's not just me either....Abbott Racing gave up on trying to get Koni's to work well on a 9-5 after lots of combinations of adjustment and spring rates and went over to specifing Billy's instead.....and whatever you can say about Abbott, they have spent a LOT of time on suspension set-ups over the years.

For a road car though the Hirsch is by far the best, with the matched Eibach Pro kit as a very close second......however, that's fine for us over here of course....:(
 
#26 ·
aeropilot said:
however, that's fine for us over here of course....:(
Yeah so there ......ner :p
 
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