Koni yellows for street build?

[Thecarfixerguy]

My car will be 90% street driven, I want a sporty feeling ride that won’t make my passengers(wife) car sick. I’ve heard the koni can be really stiff but I honestly know very little about them.

However, I landed a set of yellow Koni coilovers in good condition that came with a parts car I bought for an AWD swap. Should I bother installing or should I pick something else that fits my needs better? My current TSI has stock struts that are all blown out.

 

[donniekak]

The koni yellows are a better damper than any set of $1,000 coil overs.

 

[Canadian_CD9A]

Koni Yellows are fantastic dampers, they're adjustable and will match stock spring rates very well. They're a much better choice than any 'budget' Taiwanese damper that's on the market these days, as mentioned.

 

[CrackedDSM]

They do ride stiff AF though. To answer OP's question explicitly. You gotta pay to play. If you're after good ride quality most with a side effect of slightly more sporty go with some Tokico Illuminas. I had them with some Eibach springs (not the stiffest ones, the red ones.) and in my 2G it rode great. It felt planted, but didn't rattle your fillings out on any kind of bump or divot in the road. I was very pleased with it.

 

[pauleyman]

They do ride stiff AF though. To answer OP's question explicitly. You gotta pay to play. If you're after good ride quality most with a side effect of slightly more sporty go with some Tokico Illuminas. I had them with some Eibach springs(not the stiffest ones, the red ones.) and in my 2G it rode great. It felt planted, but didn't rattle your fillings out on any kind of bump or divot in the road. I was very pleased with it.

I do not agree. Cadillac? No. But none of my passengers even mention it let alone complain. I've done 1g and 2g both on eibach prokit and energy suspension bushings.

 

[Canadian_CD9A]

Neon ACRs came with Koni Black/Yellows from the factory, they didn't ride any worse than the base model with the specified setting.

 

[CrackedDSM]

Depends on the spring you used. I haven't ridden in a DSM with Koni yellows and stock springs but I've ridden in my personal 2G that had Koni Yellows and Eibach Springs, GC coilover sleeves, and a friend's 2G with Yellows and H&R springs and they all rode stiff AF, the worst by far being the GC coilover sleeves(obviously).

Maybe stock springs are the miracle answer here. Not really sure comparing an SRT4 ACR's ride quality to a DSM is apples to oranges.

 

[Canadian_CD9A]

Depends on the spring you used. I haven't ridden in a DSM with Koni yellows and stock springs but I've ridden in my personal 2G that had Koni Yellows and Eibach Springs, GC coilover sleeves, and a friend's 2G with Yellows and H&R springs and they all rode stiff AF, the worst by far being the GC coilover sleeves(obviously).

Maybe stock springs are the miracle answer here. Not really sure comparing an SRT4 ACR's ride quality to a DSM is apples to oranges.

Nah, just the regular 1st generation (1996-1999) got the Konis with 150 lb & 120 lb springs, not the SRT4 ACR, which got Tokicos. If the Neon can do it, the DSM can do it. One caveat - Neon owners and racers have remarked over the years that heavy wheel combinations have a negative effect on ride quality with the Konis. Stock wheels, and lightweight 15x7s seem to do much better in that department for whatever reason.

 

[DogWhistle]

We’ve got Koni Yellows with stock springs (and new spring mounts) on our 2G Spyder. around town, even on the softest setting, they will jolt the car — *except* — when traveling at highway speeds. Then, the dampers do well over bumps and keep the suspension calm. It’s a weird combination, but OP, if you can source some OEM style dampers to use with factory springs, you and your wife will be happier.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

The Eibach springs with Ground Control sleeves will beat you up regardless of which struts you use. I've tried Tokico, Koni yellow, Gabriel's. I think they would ride better on a 4,000lb vehicle, assuming the sleeves held up. I actually removed them from the rear of my 2g and have regular lowering springs back there, sleeved front only. The rear of my 2g hardly has weight and was getting seriously beat around with those stiff ass springs. Once, I actually had a bushing and washer blow through the spring plate. That's where I called it quits. I can mostly blame the aluminum GC washer for falling apart and use a steel OE washer, but still done.

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