Smoother ride found, and it's not the springs.......
I, along with many others found the stock ride pretty harsh. People who ride in the back really complained. I changed out the springs to Tein S-Techs which looked and handled better, but I felt this change did not improve the ride (at least IMO). Since the front of the car seemed to ride better and spring rate is similar to stock for the Teins, I left the front struts alone. Since the Tein rear springs are stiffer than stock, I changed out the rear shocks only to Koni's. Finally, the ride is improved!! These shocks have a lot less dampening on compression and more dampening on rebound. This allows the rear wheels to move (like suspension!), but in a controlled manner. Much smoother and more comfortable.
I would recommend the changeout of the stock rear shocks to the Koni's for anybody, whether lowered or not. I should have done it immediately out the dealer showroom. The rear shock is plain and simply harsh and is a big contributor to the poor ride.
Yeah, that's what I thought. But, you would be surprised that the people in front also benefit from this rear shock replacement.
The shocks are the model for the Echo (80-2827sport). They have just recently been confirmed from Koni as the proper model for the XA and XB. I got them at LTBmotorsports for $196 for the pair including shipping.
What did it cost to get the Koni's mounted up and where did you have it done?
Cost nothing. This is the easiest, do-it-yourself upgrade done so far. Easier than the intake or the rear sway. About 20 minutes and no jack required, just tools.
i was always under the impression that if you got shocks intended for lowered cars they had a shortened throw since they dont have to extend as far.
also, don't the shocks have travel limiters in them to keep the springs from popping out if the suspension is unloaded? (for the rear anyway, i know the front isnt an issue)
softer suspension will decrease handling...i guess you win some and you lose some. I would like to go stiffer if I could. I wish money grew on trees and I had the only one.
Shorter shocks are beneficial if the shocks are sensitive to position due to the valving of the shock or if bump stops are removed. Koni's are not position sensitive, so shorter shocks do not offer any benefit here. Shorter shocks make sense if you put in a shorter spring that was so short that it fell out when fully extended. That is the primary reason why lowering spring are progressive (such that they do not fall out with stock shocks.) A short spring may also bottom the shock, especially if stock bump stops are removed.
With regard to Koni's being soft and reduces the handling capability, this is not correct. From my seat of the pants, the Koni's have significantly lower compression dampening. This is a good thing to improve the ride. This allows to wheel to move upward with little resistance (soaks up the bumps). The stock KYB's are very poor in this regard with way too much compression dampening. This means when you hit a bump, the shock pushes back at the car (and people) which make for the punishing ride.
The rebound dampening of the Koni shock is adjustable, so you can "dial up" the rebound stiffness you desire. Rebound dampening will control how much "bounce" there is after the "bump". Even at the softest setting with stiffer than stock springs, the Koni's rebound dampening is very good. Even if you "dial up" more rebound dampening (stiffer in rebound), the low compression dampening will remain so the shock will still "soak up the bumps".
All in all, this is a sweet shock. You can really feel the quality.
I also think the front Tokico strut is O.K. and does not need replacement unless you want to spend the additional $330 for the Koni struts. Maybe later.
The rear KYB shock, however, is an awful shock as I have found out. I don't think I would ever buy KYB after this. Of course this is OEM KYB (the cheapest stuff out there).
so what makes the stock shocks blow out from running 2" or lower springs?
When you change out the springs, they are typically stiffer. To keep the stiffer spring from moving up and down, the shock has to also have more dampening(in rebound) to keep the strong spring in control. There is a relationship between the spring rate and dampening rate that should be maintained for proper ride control. If the stock shock is not properly dampened, the suspension moves more than it should and this additional movement reduces the life of the shock. Most of the time, the shock is not really "blown", it's mismatched to the spring so the suspenion bounces a lot. A shock is "blown" when is no longer providing any dampening.
I think the stock shocks provide a reasonable amount of dampening as they do not bounce around a whole lot, but the biggest difference between a Koni and the stock rear shock is how it dampens. Koni has less dampening on compression, and more on rebound. This soaks up the bumps much better. The stock shock has probably the same dampening rate in either direction which punishes the occupants when a bump is hit. This is a budget design.
The only thing I would watch out for with the Koni is if you had a low rear spring rate with 2" lowered springs. The Koni shock allows more suspension movement due to the lower compression dampening, so you could bottom out if the spring was not sufficiently strong. My only experience is with the Teins which have a pretty healthy rear spring rate and are only lowered ~1.5".
hmm this makes me want to actually get the koni's lol... but you sure your tein springs aren't playing some part?
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you sure your tein springs aren't playing some part?
Pretty sure.........been running Tein S-techs for well over a year now. Right now I have the Koni shocks on full soft which feels sort of like a Mercedes sedan (suspension works to soak up bumps). I'm going to dial up the stiffness this weekend which should make the ride more sporty. There is a good test/review of Koni shocks in Tirerack. Check it out.
If you hate the ride, this is the simplest, most effective upgrade.
Smoother ride found, and it's not the springs.......
