Anyone with experience with these struts? I'm under the impression that they aren't that bad, just not sure how good. Would it be worthwhile to upgrade my struts? Figured if I am going to do more suspension work I might as well get it all done right the first time. I would be putting prodrive springs on them.
One of the better strut options on the market, especially for wagons since you reuse your stock strut housings. They ride very well and are adjustable for a wide variety of conditions.
The prodrive/koni setup is a very nice one! The only downside is that koni doesn't make replacement struts, just inserts. So, you will have to hack up your stock struts or try and find some blown ones for cheap and hack up those. You won't be disappointed.
Just make sure they don't come with pillow ball mounts or you'll lose your quiet ride. ......WRX quiet that is.
If you're not going full coilover then IMHO the KONI's are the only option. On full soft the ride is almost passenger car smooth, on full stiff, you will have you notice much flatter cornering and expanded handling thresholds. I have the Koni's coupled with STi springs, front and rear sways and rear end links. I absolutely love the way my car handles now. To me, this is what the stock WRX should have handled like...
I have almost the same set up and autocross it. the Konis rule. BTW, PM me if you are serrious about getting a set. I have an inside deal. Just ask Belvn
Koni is FTW. The only downside to Koni is that they are for the people who are capable of innovation and custom stuff/fab/etc.... However, there are places, like boxer4acing.com, that will build you a stock strut housing with the Konis in them. The upside to Koni...is that you can order nearly anything you want from them in terms of valving and applications for racing.
Unless you're SCCA racing with the big boys, it's a great choice! The only real use (IMHO) for coilovers is to dial the corner weight of the car and change the spring weights. You'll get every bit as much practical use out of Konis as you would with just about anything else. I use them with Eibach springs and love the ride. I keep them a tiny bit over full soft and they're still much more firm than stock. On full hard, they're extremely stiff and too harsh for city streets/highway. Look for a used set in good condition. They'll sometimes sell them with the stock shock bodies they cut. I was patient and found a set here. These are sold, but you get what I'm saying. http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1143760&highlight=konis
Well, sounds like its a good idea. Didn't realize that they would require some modification. So the question is how much would it cost me at boxer4racing to set me up with the strut houseing? I found this pic on boxers website: Did they at one time sell them with the housings?
The Koni's don't need to be pushed. They are a great strut, but somewhat expensive to an entry level racer. Koni's are great if you are nationally competitive, they are completely unnecessary for local and regional autox's. The Tokico D-spec and KYB AGX are much less expensive strut with a decent amount of adjustability. If this is your first suspension mod, save some extra cash and buy a less expensive strut and put the extra money towards swaybars and springs. KYB + springs + swaybar = Koni struts as far as money goes. KYB + springs + swaybar >>> Koni strut as far as performance goes. I use the KYB's and AWDTiger uses Tokico's and we both love our struts. The full stiff is amazing and full soft is great for a daily commute. Although, the struts alone are good, but the car will still inevitably roll, which is why a swaybar is a must.
Not sure how much you paid for your KYB's, but with the discount I got going through Gotsol, it was only about a $90 difference between the KYB's and the Koni's. I rode in cars with both prior to my purchase and have ridden in a couple of cars with Kyb's at an autocross and must say that $90 is well worth the performance improvement. As for springs, look for Sti takeoffs. I paid $50 for a set from a member on here and they are plenty stiff with the Koni's...
well I already have sway bars. I just want to do springs next, so I figured I would look into upgrading the struts while I was at it. I probably won't be autocrossing it, but I do want it to be better on the street. Now I know it won't be amazing until I can get better tires(gonna wait until these things wear out first), but I want it to be setup in preparation. So do you guys think I should just upgrade my springs, but on stock struts then put the rest of the cash into something else? I'm only considering the konis+prodrive+alignment as I will beable to do it on one pay check. If I can't do it on one, then I'm not going to do it. Thus why I am not going to consider coilovers.
If money is a huge issue, hold out as long as you can and wait for a used set. There's so many WRX's out there these things pop up for sale all the time. And if you change your mind about them a year from now, you'll be able to sell them for what you paid (or maybe more?).
You can get a set of used KYB's for less than 300. I dont know what gotsol is selling the Koni's for, but I can't imagine it being 300. Honestly, the Koni's are overkill a street only application. So buy the springs with the extra money saved. Ultimately its up to you. Just get whatever you want, because you have to drive it.
Just saw the post which indicated he wouldn't be autocrossing. In that case, I would tend to agree that the Kyb's should be more than sufficient for street use. Even if you pick up auto-x'ing at some point, these will be more than fine for starting out.
In a couple of weeks I'll post up a review of Konis versus my STi struts with everything else being the same. I'm very happy with how the car handles now but I want a decent alignment which I cant get with sedan struts on my wagon.