Koni Active Dampers and H&R -40mm Springs

[Tee6.1]

@T6ARF appreciate your thougbts. I would like to find out how it is possible that sometbing that seems to work perfectly in others cases goes wrong ? Is it abuse by Van owners (too much weight and towing?) I'm not defending or criticing.....just want to find out.....by now it intrigues me . Hope to read what really convinces me and make perfect sense. Then I could move on with my life and end this terrible quest.

 

[Andyf]

@Tee6.1 have you driven a van with the Komi set up ??
I lavender driven either, but it would be interesting to see you views between the two set ups
By testing the two set us it would put the comparison on a level playing field

cheers
Andy

 

[Tee6.1]

@Tee6.1 have you driven a van with the Komi set up ??
I lavender driven either, but it would be interesting to see you views between the two set ups
By testing the two set us it would put the comparison on a level playing field

cheers
Andy

Hello Andy,

I did not drive this Koni set and I have no doubt this new KONI set up works perfectly and listening to Steve it is the better set compared with B14. If I knew I would have chosen for this set too. But imho and in my case B14 to my surprise works and performs perfectly, despite other experiences in the recent past or the 'imperfections' of this set seems to have?

 

[Andyf]

You say imperfections in the past
Are you commenting possibly about the crashy ride some owners comment on

 

[Tee6.1]

You say imperfections in the past
Are you commenting possibly about the crashy ride some owners comment on

I said..... 'or the imperfections', referring indeed towards the crashy ride experiences from others and seemingly a failing rear spring.

I have too a car with a coilover from Eibach pro street and a car with KW V3 mounted. Have had enough trouble with these coilovers when low (but within the boundaries) and using them intensively for what they're made for (but letting me down) . Tbh, I'm a first timer having too a Van and on a B14 coilover, but it really performs as it should. Maybe the max. weight is key ? Soon I want to do a testdrive loading the Van to the maximum permissible weight (2190 + 810 kg.) and see what happens.

No set is flawless in my experience.

 

[Maplesyrup]

I’m probably one of the few who wasn’t that upset by the standard ride and handling of my Transporter having owned quite a few of them for work purposes over the years but I wanted to make our T6 a nicer ride for really long drives and family camping trips. So one more thumbs up for the Koni and H&R -40mm combo, I had the roll bars changed at the same time and my T32 is now a lot nicer to drive. Thanks Steve

 

[Stuw101]

Currently researching this. Is it the Red koni special active dampers people are fitting with the H and R lowering springs? I read a post on autorcross car forum where they said the active dampers don’t work well with lowering springs as they have a second valve fitted which opens and closes , but when used with lowering springs there is less travel on shock and the active damper secondary valve will stick open all the time and hence not stiffen the vehicle up like it should had the spring of had full travel and if been of standard length?

 

[The Van Cave]

Currently researching this. Is it the Red koni special active dampers people are fitting with the H and R lowering springs? I read a post on autorcross car forum where they said the active dampers don’t work well with lowering springs as they have a second valve fitted which opens and closes , but when used with lowering springs there is less travel on shock and the active damper secondary valve will stick open all the time and hence not stiffen the vehicle up like it should had the spring of had full travel and if been of standard length?

I would typically fit the Koni sport shocks when using lowering springs and use the special actives when staying at standard ride height. The sport shocks give an outstanding ride quality with lowering springs.

 

[CRS Performance]

Currently researching this. Is it the Red koni special active dampers people are fitting with the H and R lowering springs? I read a post on autorcross car forum where they said the active dampers don’t work well with lowering springs as they have a second valve fitted which opens and closes , but when used with lowering springs there is less travel on shock and the active damper secondary valve will stick open all the time and hence not stiffen the vehicle up like it should had the spring of had full travel and if been of standard length?

Not totally correct . The Special active has the ability to soften on rebound when it senses a high speed bump movement . the Bump motion controls the handling and the rebound motion gives the comfort . The rebound valve is a very special device on a Special active , It cant get stuck as suggested but when it opens the suspension can move more freely and easily and it needs travel which is lost in the lowering of the van ,
Any one needing proper advice on this can contact us or Van cave ( a dealer of ours ) Unlike most suspension suppliers we do know what we are doing , and like to help .
Just a note all KONI shocks have 3 Valves . this is how we get more comfort from a shock than most of our competitors

We have done many KONI S A dampers in vans up to 40 mm lower ( we can only do this in Transporters because of the large travel available, in a car it would be a disaster so not sure what vehicle Autorcross was talking about ) ,

 

[Hoody]

I have read this thread with great interest. Finally a thread about comfort (real comfort) and not just lack of body roll (being described as improved ride comfort).

The standard suspension always looked like it was on stilts but I always though the comfort was good. It didn't crash over drains and potholes as I expected. Comfort is what I want - there is nothing wrong with a land yacht ride??

Then my mistake - 5 years ago (after extensive forum reading) I fitted 40mm H & R springs (original shocks) to my T30 camper conversion. This has 18 inch alloys.

I love the look the 40mm drop gives, but I have never been impressed with the ride. It is simply awful comparted to the original. It is uncontrolled over bumps and is physically exhausting to cruise around country roads. I have always felt that the original shock cannot cope with the increased spring rate, especially when they are being asked to work hard.

It seems that my sensible upgrade would be to fit a set of KONI S A to calm everything down.

One question though - Do the standard ARB drop links benefit from being changed to a different length when you change the ride height? Does the drop increase the load on the ARB?

 

[CRS Performance]

I have read this thread with great interest. Finally a thread about comfort (real comfort) and not just lack of body roll (being described as improved ride comfort).

The standard suspension always looked like it was on stilts but I always though the comfort was good. It didn't crash over drains and potholes as I expected. Comfort is what I want - there is nothing wrong with a land yacht ride??

Then my mistake - 5 years ago (after extensive forum reading) I fitted 40mm H & R springs (original shocks) to my T30 camper conversion. This has 18 inch alloys.

I love the look the 40mm drop gives, but I have never been impressed with the ride. It is simply awful comparted to the original. It is uncontrolled over bumps and is physically exhausting to cruise around country roads. I have always felt that the original shock cannot cope with the increased spring rate, especially when they are being asked to work hard.

It seems that my sensible upgrade would be to fit a set of KONI S A to calm everything down.

One question though - Do the standard ARB drop links benefit from being changed to a different length when you change the ride height? Does the drop increase the load on the ARB?

Excellent points

Lowering vans on standard shocks never gives good results and due to the seemingly cheaper VW shocks on the newer vans ( made in Spain) the ride is even worse lately .
The secret is control of the unsprung weight and two things mess this up , BIGGER wheels and lowered stance ( lack of travel )
We have sold 100 s of sets of the KONI shocks this year already and we have yet to have a complaint about the results , so we know this is a market changer for customers who want sensible drops and a nice ride .
There are lots of KONI shocks popping up in other kits nowadays These aren't KONI Catalogue products but it shows how the market has changed and the clients are becoming more demanding and not just accepting the one bullet result that most suspension companies have been shooting for many years .

To your question . The normal drops of 40 mm dont require a A R B drop link change ( other than for maintenance ) ., the ARB will stay roughly in the right place at sensible drops
The well known B14 kit has the ARB bracket in the standard place so lowering 70 to 80 mm which many do will diminish the effect of the ARB and if the dealers supplying the B14 kit knew anything about suspension they should have been offering longer ARB links to maximise the ARB with this kit . ( What they did do is push expensive ARB kits to help correct this )
Our Height adjustable kits always have the ARB bracket on the shock mounted lower to keep the ARB working as it should ( as parallel to the ground as possible ) the further from Parallel the ARB goes the less effective it is .
Technically speaking the load on the anti roll bar is lessened the lower you go IF you use standard length drop links of course .

 

[nick ekins]

Excellent points

Lowering vans on standard shocks never gives good results and due to the seemingly cheaper VW shocks on the newer vans ( made in Spain) the ride is even worse lately .
The secret is control of the unsprung weight and two things mess this up , BIGGER wheels and lowered stance ( lack of travel )
We have sold 100 s of sets of the KONI shocks this year already and we have yet to have a complaint about the results , so we know this is a market changer for customers who want sensible drops and a nice ride .
There are lots of KONI shocks popping up in other kits nowadays These aren't KONI Catalogue products but it shows how the market has changed and the clients are becoming more demanding and not just accepting the one bullet result that most suspension companies have been shooting for many years .

To your question . The normal drops of 40 mm dont require a A R B drop link change ( other than for maintenance ) ., the ARB will stay roughly in the right place at sensible drops
The well known B14 kit has the ARB bracket in the standard place so lowering 70 to 80 mm which many do will diminish the effect of the ARB and if the dealers supplying the B14 kit knew anything about suspension they should have been offering longer ARB links to maximise the ARB with this kit . ( What they did do is push expensive ARB kits to help correct this )
Our Height adjustable kits always have the ARB bracket on the shock mounted lower to keep the ARB working as it should ( as parallel to the ground as possible ) the further from Parallel the ARB goes the less effective it is .
Technically speaking the load on the anti roll bar is lessened the lower you go IF you use standard length drop links of course .

I have a new T6.1 4mo Caravelle with DCC - currently on standard 17" wheels (which I am planning to change to 18"~~~). It works fairly well, but is still 'vague' even on the firmest settings. Does CRS have a KONI product with DCC compatibility?

 

[CRS Performance]

I have a new T6.1 4mo Caravelle with DCC - currently on standard 17" wheels (which I am planning to change to 18"~~~). It works fairly well, but is still 'vague' even on the firmest settings. Does CRS have a KONI product with DCC compatibility?

Hi there No after market manufacturer has the kit to link to the DCC , What we do is electronically delete the function so the car doesn't fault code
KW make the device and its available on a 2 week delivery time frame

 

[nick ekins]

Thanks for your reply, i would be reluctant to de-fit the Dcc - as opposed to upgrading it - as its pretty effective and I just paid £1000 for the factory to install it. I would be happy to pay to have it lower and feel more 'plush'... but retain the manual adaptability. I am currently in France, and have just driven from the Alps to the Coast - stiffest for the mountain roads, and softest for the autoroute works well.

 

[CRS Performance]

You can lower the suspension and retain the DCC shocks with all its functionality. With a 40 mm drop you might find it beneficial to have it in sport mode more often to get a decent ride . (in my opinion) even on bumpier roads

steve

 

[CRS Performance]

Thanks for your reply, i would be reluctant to de-fit the Dcc - as opposed to upgrading it - as its pretty effective and I just paid £1000 for the factory to install it. I would be happy to pay to have it lower and feel more 'plush'... but retain the manual adaptability. I am currently in France, and have just driven from the Alps to the Coast - stiffest for the mountain roads, and softest for the autoroute works well.

Foot note , Make sure the springs you put in ONLY go 40 mm or as close as possible to that , There are lots of spring kits which don't do what it says on the Tin , anything lower than 40 will be a disaster in my opinion .

 

[nick ekins]

Foot note , Make sure the springs you put in ONLY go 40 mm or as close as possible to that , There are lots of spring kits which don't do what it says on the Tin , anything lower than 40 will be a disaster in my opinion .

Thanks for that tip. Do CRS have a product that you can supply? My VW main dealer has nothing official to offer and I do pass by your area every so often for business.

 

[CRS Performance]

Thanks for that tip. Do CRS have a product that you can supply? My VW main dealer has nothing official to offer and I do pass by your area every so often for business.

Yes we have a range of 8 different springs to supply , we custom build the kit to suit your van , this enables us to get the drop right and balance the front to the back or visa versa

 

[Rolande300]

So on Friday I drove from Plymouth to Cannock to have these Koni Active dampers fitted to my T6 by Steve at CRS. After 7 years and four transporters I feel I have found the most comfortable drive available in my opinion (apart from air maybe). I have test driven most other options and as I use my van as a daily driver comfort was my top priority although the van handles very nicely as well . If any members locally want a ride in it just give us a shout.

Are you using standard springs?

 

[362bkr]

Are you using standard springs?

No. I have Eibach comfort lowering springs fitted .