Writeup over at CC I did about Koni for my 924s years back.
http://forums.corner-carvers.com/showthread.php?t=39302&highlight=924s
I got my Koni at LTB autosports Good people good prices. They know racing. They are not catalog jocks
http://ltbautosports.com/konishocks.html
The CC link requires a login :-( Good info on the Konis - I had posted a thread about where to set my rears I recently got but it died a quick death. I have them set about 1/4 turn off full hard not yet installed, I don't have adjustable sways so I'm thinking I'll leave them there and use the front adjustable to dial the balance in. I currently have used up M474 front struts (adjustable by fully compressing them, sure....) and ?? rears after the PO had the Konis changed out. I bought a used Koni setup to go on, hopefully next weekend after belts this weekend (thanks Dean for the tool loan!)
Hey, thanks for the advice!
After it was pointed out to me elsewhere that the height difference between the 225/50 and 225/45 really didn't matter, I am now looking at the 225/45 Hankook Ventus RS-3's ($452 to my door from DTD). That frees up some $$$ for shocks!
Looks like a full set runs $592 shipped from your supplier, or $568.09 from Tire Rack. Hmmm...
Well, the coil over conversion is cheap, just cut the spring perches back and drop on the adjustable sleeves and the springs. Top hat is drilled to fit the strut shaft.
Torsion bars are cheap and will make a difference when paired with front springs.
Camber plates are optional, but you might look into 89+ turbo strut mounts as they are a little lower apparently.
Koni's are either red or yellow I believe and will be stamped with Koni, etc.
Front struts might be inserts, so they'd have to be pulled apart to find out.
I have cheap Mookeh camber plates and a set of coil overs from an Accord on the front if my 924, with the 28mm rear bars and the 300lb front springs, I have perhaps $600 total into it, including balljoints and poly bushings.
If it weren't for the side draft throttle bodies, I'd have Challenge money wrapped up in the car. :)
pigeon wrote: The CC link requires a login :-( Good info on the Konis - I had posted a thread about where to set my rears I recently got but it died a quick death. I have them set about 1/4 turn off full hard not yet installed, I don't have adjustable sways so I'm thinking I'll leave them there and use the front adjustable to dial the balance in. I currently have used up M474 front struts (adjustable by fully compressing them, sure....) and ?? rears after the PO had the Konis changed out. I bought a used Koni setup to go on, hopefully next weekend after belts this weekend (thanks Dean for the tool loan!)
Well then I will copy and past for those that can not log in. No problem re the tools they shipped this am you should see them Thursday or Friday. Fedex said 2 day's to your door.
Me said: A follow up to this: I ended up ordering these from LTB Motorsports. I spoke to Lewis. He is a great guy!! Knows racing. Understands the needs of a driver/crew-chief. Not just a parts number jockey. In addition to this I spoke directly with Koni (Lee in the motorsports division) who also knows Lewis from LTB (car racing can be a very small world some times). The reason for speaking to Koni was to see if it would be worth getting my struts rebuilt. Bottom line is it would cost the same as new ones and unless I needed a special valving for my car (I don't) I was better off getting new ones and the warranty that comes with them. Re-valved units have no warranty I was told. Now the tech On Konis that I got from all this. It turns out that it is critical that bump stops be used with these units especially if the car has been lowered (as mine has). When you lower the car you move the "working area" of the strut lower into the tube moving the static position of the piston closer to the bottom of the strut. In my case about 1 1/2" inches. This reduces the effective compression travel that the strut has before it bottoms. Koni Sport struts (and I assume shocks) are made so that if you bottom out the piston with any kind of force you will destroy the valving on the bottom of the piston. This is due to it crashing in to the bottom of the tube. If this happens it is game over for your strut. The bump stops prevent this from happening. They will stop the strut from compression all the way. Additionally I was told that it is very important to install with the bump stops the plastic "C" spacer between the strut housing and the bump stop. This gives a place for dirt that is wiped off the rod a place to go and keep it from getting compressed into the top seal of the strut. Anyway. I just wanted to follow up with this information as I felt that it may be helpful to others and again I would like to restate that I was extremely impressed with both Lewis at LTB and Lee at Koni. !!!! Lastly, The prices I noted at the top of this thread for LTB have increased you can no longer get the price I listed in my first post. They are up to over $$200 each. __________________
I also forgot to mention that you should invest in rod bearings and a pan gasket.
ALWAYS run an extra 1/2-1 quart oil on track or autocrossing. I have an accusump that has helped alot but with these cars rod bearings are just part of regular scheduled maintenance especially if they are tracked. Considering what happens when you spin a bearing in one of these cars changing the bearings is a much better option.
If Oil pressure is under 2.5 bar hot at idle it is time to start thinking rod bearings. Long sweeping left handers are very bad for 944 motors in stock form. The oil slides up the side of the pan due to the slope of how the motor is mounted and the angle of the sides of the pan (they are at about a 45 deg angle up towards the right side of the car.)
Unlike most cars these are considered a ware item.
Ouch! I hadn't heard that one yet! I will definitely get some fresh oil in there stat and keep it topped up. How hard is a rod bearing change in the car?
Yeah, a buddy spun his on the 924S even running extra oil. And I think he only did like 2 or 3 autocrosses with it. An accusump is a must have in my opinion. Not sure but I don't think they have a baffled pan either. The turbos do have one, but I still went with an accusump just in case.
I'd talk to Hurricane and the Fordahl folks up in Washington...they seemed to make 944s do quite well!
jeffp wrote: I'd talk to Hurricane and the Fordahl folks up in Washington...they seemed to make 944s do quite well!
Tell me about it! I really need to get up there and pick their brains. Wonder if they're coming to the ORPCA Duel at the Mill in August?
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