i am pissed of with trying to find a decent set of good used condition koni or similar suspension and with all the different kits being priced pretty similarly what are peoples recomendations

what the advantages and disadvantages of avo and gaz coilovers

or do i stick with getting a set of konis bilsteins or spax or avo just shocks and springs if i can find them at a good price?

cheers

 

Depends what your budget is and what you mainly use your car for?

 

As above, depends what you want, and what you are prepared to put up with.
Coilys are a LOT harder than normal suspension, but will give and edge grip wise when set up correctly in certain conditions.
I've always found the combo of Koni adjustable with avo/chassis dynamics springs work exceptionally well, although others prefer ahmed springs which are an excellent choice, I'd happily use either, just prefer the avo myself, but use coilys anyway.
My advice is to try and get a few rides is cossies with different set ups, so you know how they will be before parting with money, even if it takes a few months.
tabetha

 

For some reason my old Escort cos was shockingly bad and would wollow around corners on koni shocks and unknown lowering springs. Might have been because they had been on a while but they didn't look that old tbh.

 

A nice combo i like on a road car is coilovers on the front and adj on rear with inboard springs,gaz will do a set up for you..
Std coilover front as they would sell in a kit adj rear shox and 350lb inboard rear springs just 25mm lowered..awesome set up!!


cheers danny

 

Ii have a brand new set of avo coilovers but just bought a brand new set of konis because the rear coilovers rub against the inner arch and didnt want to smash the inner with a hammer why not just go to randbmotorsport and get a set of konis and ahmed springs

 

Hence my post above mate...all depends on your budget and your needs but id agree a stg3 road car is great on koni ab springs but anything more serious the above set up is awesome!



cheers danny

 

thats not entirely true, it all depends on how you set them up. You can make Konis and springs just as harsh.

I changed to Bilstein coilovers from konis and springs, the Bilsteins are actually a lot less harsh than the shocks and springs.

 

i have always had coilovers on pretty much every car i have owned all be it front wheels drives...i like to have a bit of adjustability there height wise and like paul rs says you can dial coilovers in how you want...where are you getting the prices from for your spring and damper set ups? all the ones i have seen are between 450 and 550 yet i can get avo or gaz coilovers for 500 quid?...is it a problem with coilovers on the back though? do they really scrub your arch or is it just the wheel and tyre setup that you have r5ford

cheers for the info

 

this can be a touchy subject really ! there is always a compromise and its finding a happy compromise , Gaz are a very good unit nowadays as they have David lyons working for them who used to be research and development for leda 1 they are worth a call to discuss what you want and get the car weighed and let them know what they are then they will tailor the shock for you

 

Whilst that's very true, most coilys spring rates etc are a lot harder, as seen as more track orientated, what I was trying to convey was that the koni avo set up is awsome for the road, nice and comfy whereby a coilover set up with std supplied springs would be a lot harder, though as you say can use softer or longer springs to make softer, in fact avo will do 1 swap FREE if you don't like the spring rate supplied with their coilovers.
tabetha

 

i like bilstein shocks a ebach springs on my old cossie

 

So many variations, I used bilstein/eibach combo on a mk2 astra, was utterly crap, but same set up on a mk3 astra is ace!!
tabetha

 

Konis & Ahmed springs seems to work well on a road car.

Ryans old 3 door was mega smooth on that setup even with 18's and rubber band tyres.

Coilovers are a great upgrade for ride height adjustment but be prepared for a rougher ride depending on what spring rates you go for.

 

Yhep they scrub the inner arch mate and everyone i know has the same issue with coilovers on the rear.. Iv got 17x8s with 235/40 and the coilovers didnt catch but then i didnt drop the car from the stand tbh

 

plus the general obsession with a mega low car and inverting all the arms is a comon mistake with coilovers

 

Sierra's are bad enough without sitting them on the floor !

I agree its something most people ignore, its clearly why you drive the Gts now

 

I have Eibach springs and hate them! Was already there when I got car, to low (Although obviously that is not the springs fault) but way to hard imo.

As said Ahmed Bayjoo springs or Avo seems the way to go, Mike from R&B describes the difference between these as worlds apart though favoring the Ahmed springs.

Martin

 

exactly out the box there better than a cossie and a couple of hundred quid its all adjustable unlike several thousand to do it to a cossie

 

Arn't the shocks on the Skylines (Maybe GTR perhaps) electronically adjustable out the box I have seen one before with an electronic servo on the suspension, maybe it was modified?

Martin

 

no mate not as standard ! cusco and hks use a electronic controllers for some of there kits

 

Thanks for that, what sort of gizmos do they have aside from HICAS?

Martin

 

bought myself a set of konis in the end...drives a lot better now...only issue i have got now is that on the front there are more threads sticking out of one strut top than the other???

i know you may not have any answers but it just seems odd...is there any chance the spherical bearings could be different or someone has swapped out a front suspension cup for somet else...i am pretty sure there was the same number of threads on each shock when i got them out the box??

think i am gonna have to strip everything down and check the dimensions of everything...on the n/s there are about 10 threads showing and everything is tight and on the o/s there are only about 3 or 4 at most showing...wierd one?!

 

any one have any ideas?

 

As you say, take it off, measure and check everything to see what's different. And call the place you bought them from.

Charlie