ok bout 2 order new suspension set up iv been doing my research and got my answers so now im just wondering what you guys think of my 2 main options its either Koni yellows with four top hats and groundcontrols or Ksports pro


any input will be very appreciated

thanks


and if you have pics with either 2 set ups i have listed post pics would like 2 see the stance of your rides

 

otc(over the counter) koni's = life time warranty.

 

tokico hp FTW

 

koni/gc cause of the warranty.

 

no reason anymore. for the same $ you can buy the koni str.t

let alone the better and adjustable sports

 

Koni/GC, that combo will simply outlast Ksports hands down as well as most coilovers out there.

 

koni they last a long time and when they blow lifetime warranty

 

How long a Koni will last will depend on your spring rates and your ride height. As a guy who has run nothing but Koni's on my Integra and Civic for the past 10+ years I have to admit that I think my KSports are superior in just about every regard.

1. KSports are monotube with larger pistons vs a twin tube "street shock"
2. KSports are slightly lighter than a Koni/GC setup
3. KSports are significantly cheaper (~$800 online vs ~$1200 for OTS/GC/tophats) when you consider they include springs as well as aluminum top hats.
4. KSports have independend ride height in addition to spring height/preload
5. Call me a ricer but the KSports look better, especially since they are anodized aluminum vs painted metal
6. Performance: With my car they have outperformed my SPSS and my custom valved and shortened bodied Koni's

YES: I am sponsored by KSport, but if they didn't perform I wouldn't run them. If you think I'm biased and I'm just trying to hype up KSports, results don't lie...

http://www.nasa-tt.com//Arizona_Track_Records (look at the class "TTS").

Additionally, I just got back from a NASA So Cal event at Buttonwillow (#13 CW).

http://www.nasa-tt.com/Socal_Track_Records

They haven't updated the website yet but I broke both the TTS and TTU track records at Buttonwillow Raceway Park (#13 cw). On Saturday I ran TTS with my low HP tune (270WHP) and ran a 1:56.4xx. On Sunday I ran TTU and put some fresher tires on and ran my 300WHP tune and had a lap time of 1:52.8xx besting both of the current track record holders (and faster than even Chris Rado has run there to date!).

I am simply running the OTS (Off The Shelf - not even the RR versions!) KSport Kontrol Pro kit with 14K (front) and 12K (rear) springs!

NOTE: Yes, I think KSports used to suck hairy donkey ***** when they first came out and everyone has a story about someone they knew who had an early set or even a set from a couple years ago. They have come a LONG way since then...

If you want to read about more details about KSports on my car check out KSports blog spot --> http://ksportusa.blogspot.com/

 

i would have to agree that k-sport is better. i've had both on my eg and if you are a person that like to drive hard and do a lot of cornering i would say that k-sport is a better choice. you don't see high performance car driving on struts and springs do you. coilovers are simply the way to go. ksport have really improved their products because i have recently bought some for my eg2 and i do see a lot of improvements from the old set that i bought for my hatch....its is more noticeable now when i adjust the dampers. and no i'm not sponsored by ksport.

 

I will vouch for Koni products anyday. I used them and loved them. Didn't have the GC combo with them, but still loved them. Plus, like everyone else has stated, they gurantee their product with a lifetime warranty. Too bad my ride I had them on got jacked.

 

if you wan some pics just hit up my suspension thread... i just got the koni/GC with 430F 400R spring rates... and all 4 top hats.. its an amazing setup... it is a very high performance setup that maintains a very nice ride quality... i will never again buy anything else. (especially somthing as cheap as a korean made cheap quality coilover).. i've had the D2 suspension when i was more of a newb.. it was great for about 6 months.. then they blew up... i contacted D2 (same makers of Ksport) to see if they would replace them and they pretty much laughed at me... and i only drove maybe 10K miles.. not the best experience... they were good looking though.. thats pretty much the only good thing i can say about them... so in answer to your question i would most definatly go with koni/gc.. make sure you pick out spring rates you'll be happy with.. what are you planning on doing with the car?

not to start a fight or anything... but tokico blues are some of the worst performing struts i've ever owned... i had s-techs on my stock struts and thought i would get some new struts and i got some tokico blues (they were cheap and i was a broke ***) lol... while they were being shipped to me i believe that my rear stock struts blew out.. i put the new struts (the tokico blues) on my car... and they performed worse than my oem struts did in their prime.. i was extreamly dissapointed... needless to say... tokico blues FTL!

again, not trying to start a fight... but how long have you had your suspension for? my d2's blew after 6 months... and i didn't even have them turned up all the way.. so in my opinion k-sport FTL... Koni has LIFETIME WARRENTY... nuff said.

 

I will vouch for Koni's as well. They are a great product. I'm just trying to say they aren't the only thing in town and after owning both I fail to believe one is more "reliable" than the other. I've had Koni's for 10+ years on my cars. Some shocks lasted years, while other lasted less than 6 months before either blowing the seals out or simply leaking at the tops. In fact, my last set of Race spec Koni's lasted exactly 12 days (6 track weekend) but you don't see me on here talking $h!t about their products. The reality is I was running a funky setup with some solid bushing that likely were causing the rods to bind and the seals to fail prematurely. I can't possibly be the only num nutz out there doing improper installations on these products either intentional or not so don't take your brother's cousin's friends experience with "brand X" before forming your own opinion.

Keep in mind that one major advantage of the KSport and most coilovers is height adjustability in ADDITION to spring perch (i.e. preload) adjustability. When it comes to fine tuning, this is a pretty big advantage of a full coilover vs a shock/strut and spring (or GC) setup.

I also don't deny that my car could be faster on a set of $4K Moton's but the point is there's lots of products out there that will yeild practically the same dang performance so it's really a debate on price, warranty, looks, brand loyalty, etc. It's not like Lee brand jeans work any better or less than Levi's brand. IMO, the personal *feel* of a suspension is what honestly makes 90% of the performance. There is no such thing as a perfect driver nor a perfect lap, and we all leave time out there on the track. The difference between driver's lap times in identical setups (besides raw talent) is how *comfortable* the driver feels with their car and it's ability to keep the tires planted on the ground. Here is my opinion on performance differences:

* KSport Kontrol Pro w/packaged springs vs OTS Koni's with same spring rates = A toss up

* KSport Kontrol Pro w/14K & 12K vs OTS Koni's with same spring rates = The KSports will outperform simply because the valving is not high enough on OTS Koni's

* KSport Kontrol Pro w/14K & 12K vs Koni "Race Spec" with same spring rates = Probably a wash if "the Stig" was driving my car but I am faster with KSports simply because they absorb the bumps better than any of my Koni's ever did and I don't *feel* like my car is going to lose traction during a big bump in the middle of turn giving me greater confidence.

I want to see if I can win the Super Lap Battle (FWD Unlimited) on just an OTS KSport kit and after that I'll start revalving my KSports and trying stiffer springs and then I'll give my evaluation of them again at that point.

As far as the makers of KSports, I think you need to check your facts and not rely on hersay. *rolleyes* Most of the coilovers from Tawain, China, Korea, Japan use a lot of the same suppliers for their parts. Very few *make* a coilover from the ground up until the point of shipping the product to the United States. Most use a specific company to machine the shock bodies, another one for the anodizing, another one for rods/pistons, another one supplies seals, another one does assembly and final packaging. Most of the companies out there use the same suppliers but likely few all use the exact same ones for everything. I didn't ask the owner of the exact specifics but what I got from our conversation was KSports use the same suppliers/manufacturers as some of the cheap stuff out there as well as the high end stuff.

 

i personally had ksports on my old car...and they are garbage. Not more than 6 months went by and the front drivers side blew. Both were leaking. I would take koni yellow's w/ 100k miles on them over brand new ksports. There is no comparison. Do a search on it. Koni>Ksport ANY DAY.

 

Is this really a thread?

 

apparently

 

KSports haven't been out long enough to tell longevity. I doubt you have put 100,000 miles on a set. Ridiculous claims you have made.

 

I see Tage's point. The Ksports have suited you well, but in my opinion...the koni's are the best choice for most of the people on this forum. Most guys on here will never see a track event and the koni's proven longevity suits them better. Most guys here just want to go low and not have to replace parts every six months. It is great to hear that Ksport has worked out quality issues but until they prove to last longer than 12 months...koni all the way.

 

But they don't even last to the 1 year warranty point or die shortly there after. So you're right Ksport will never make it to 100,000 when they blow in 15,000.

 

even if they did hit the track you have to run some pretty aggressive tires or be on a very fast track to get a time improvement with more shock

 

^another great point.

 

Koni's have been around long enough to find a reliable package. KSports have not. IMO, they only found a good formula in Oct 2008 when they improved the seal design. Prior to that, the design was not as good and let's not forget the batch of defective seals from the Asian manufacturer. The same manufacturer of Tein and several other asian coilovers. Not sure exactly how many coilovers this impacted but it's believed to be in the thousands! So if you're comparing KSport coilovers that were older than a manufacturer date of Oct 2008, you're not comparing the same product!

Another bad comparison is, some folks with KSports that just drive them on the street simply want to go low and slam the **** out of their cars. KSports can go way lower than Koni's simply because the shock bodies are shorter. I think if people setup the shock body and ride height and bump stops the same as a Koni they could be very comparable as far as longevity goes.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I think it's wrong for people to make claims based older products. What is funny to me is, here I am defending a product specific model that really hasn't even been on the market for a year. LOL! I guess only time will tell.

BTW, track driving a few times a month is WAY harder than a couple thousand street miles so IMO if my KSports can last 1-2 years that is damn good. FYI - None of 6 sets of Koni's ever lasted that long.