Koni CRS performance fitting/review

[Patgas1]

After spending £850 on my drc a couple of years ago my steel pipes are now corroded. I thought it was time to find a replacement, I have owned many cars m3,911,evo4/6 and currently own a noble so I have a reasonable idea of how a car should handle.
My car was already fitted with h&R lowered springs and 10mm spacers so not completely standard. I didn't want adjustable platform coil overs, as I feel unless you are doing track days, corner weight and have set up properly they are completely useless for road use.
I came across Steve at CRS performance who was the sole importer for koni in to SA, and still owns a company out there. He also has many years experience in suspension set up, he seemed to have all the answers.He had fitted 15 plus sets to rs4 in uk and many more out in SA, sales jargon ?????,well apparently not .....more research and a call to koni uk who reassured me of there product for my car, they are also in collaboration with H&R (they sell koni/H&R kits) and told me to contact Steve.
So I contacted Steve again and told him I wanted the car to handle like a go kart but not rattle my fillings out,he made some alterations and sent them out.
Out of the box the rear pistons/damping rod where marginally smaller but fronts where considerably larger,4-6 hours later and they where fitted with no great drama.
So a spirited drive was in order, straight away I noticed that the small lumps and bumps/street furniture where more noticeable, a bit like when you leave the garage after inflating your tyres and they where all 10 psi low.
But out on the open road ....there is no body roll at all, the car actually feels more sporty, sweeping bends and the car is planted, mega stable and actually a little more demanding to drive. Actually it seems to handle better the faster you go, 70/80/90 mph is effortless around the roads of mid wales, and seems to turn in quicker.
Is it better than drc ? I don't know,is it worse definitely not.What it has done has removed some of the family car refinemet and made it more of a sports saloon to match the engine note.
If you want the family car refinement stick with the drc, but if you want more of a demanding sports feel, this is a very economical alternative that doesn't ruin the cars characteristics and is well worth trying.
I have no affiliation with Steve or Koni, I am not on any kind of commission either, this is just my own personal opinion and experience for any one looking for alternative's.
Before any one dismisses Koni ....they are fitted to ferrari,aston,lambo and many more high end sports cars, so they must be doing something right.

[rs user]

it was a route i considered but went with the b14...i am fairly happy with them-only issue being even at the highest setting they are perhaps a little low for my taste
they dont catch speed bumps etc but i like a decent ride height.the ride is firm,although its hard to judge proper refinement as my car is on 275/30 if it was on 255/35 it would be better. some folk on here recommend the fitting of uprated arbs to compensate for loss of drc but i have also been told they can make the car skip on uneven roads[ and make the ride comfort worse]-just like the roads we have here in scotland
i would never dismiss koni-had them on a few cars- escorts,cosworth etc and they did the job well enough

[dhali]

Interesting . So is your car still fitted with the h&r springs ? What's the cost of these dampers and how do you contact Steve ?

[Patgas1]

Yes I kept the H&R springs as that's what Steve sells/koni recommends.I think they are designed for H&R lowered springs.They are £595 shocks only.
Contact -07469785932

[dhali]

Thanks

[Shockerboy]

Arthur D , The issue with coil overs that many customers dont realise is that they can not get to standard ride height they will be speced from 30 or 40 mm drop to 50 to 70 mm, the shock shaft is much shorter and droops less because the small diameter springs dont compress as much as a normal spring. The firm ride comes from the use of Hi pressure Gas in the bilstein mono tube shock . A common misconception is that Gas makes a shock better . this is a marketing fantasy . However the gas in a Bilstein mono tube functions to keep the oil section of the damper under pressure and stops airation under harsh use, it makes the ride firm because they use up to 15 to 25 bar pressure . This gas is in a seperate section in the damper ( oil and Gas are seperated by a floating valve approx one third of the body is gas , two thirds oil ) there is NO such thing as a pure Gas shock , marketing of gas in shocks as a benefit has misled customers for years . The gas simply helps the shock perform correctly with out airation .
KONI use conventional Dual tube design and concentrate on the design of the valve to get the cross between comfort and performance just right , They design most of their shocks with out the need for Gas ( except in Mono tube parts as these have to have gas to function correctly) Of course if you want the firmer handling for Track days the KONI sport damper is adjutable and can be set to do this ( best of both worlds ) .
Typically Dual tube shocks often get 5 to 7 bar gas pressure in them and this is the normal type gas shock your everyday car will have fitted as O E M .
At their own admission KONI often put low prressure gas in their shocks just to please the market ( not because it needs it ) . With the shock market flooded with advertising bragging about Gas shocks the market expects it.

[RS4JAY]

How are these a year on??

[RS4JAY]

Arthur D , The issue with coil overs that many customers dont realise is that they can not get to standard ride height they will be speced from 30 or 40 mm drop to 50 to 70 mm, the shock shaft is much shorter and droops less because the small diameter springs dont compress as much as a normal spring. The firm ride comes from the use of Hi pressure Gas in the bilstein mono tube shock . A common misconception is that Gas makes a shock better . this is a marketing fantasy . However the gas in a Bilstein mono tube functions to keep the oil section of the damper under pressure and stops airation under harsh use, it makes the ride firm because they use up to 15 to 25 bar pressure . This gas is in a seperate section in the damper ( oil and Gas are seperated by a floating valve approx one third of the body is gas , two thirds oil ) there is NO such thing as a pure Gas shock , marketing of gas in shocks as a benefit has misled customers for years . The gas simply helps the shock perform correctly with out airation .
KONI use conventional Dual tube design and concentrate on the design of the valve to get the cross between comfort and performance just right , They design most of their shocks with out the need for Gas ( except in Mono tube parts as these have to have gas to function correctly) Of course if you want the firmer handling for Track days the KONI sport damper is adjutable and can be set to do this ( best of both worlds ) .
Typically Dual tube shocks often get 5 to 7 bar gas pressure in them and this is the normal type gas shock your everyday car will have fitted as O E M .
At their own admission KONI often put low prressure gas in their shocks just to please the market ( not because it needs it ) . With the shock market flooded with advertising bragging about Gas shocks the market expects it.

Hi, Steve. Any offers on the shock & H&R springs bought together?

[neil_f]

How are these a year on??

I fitted these Koni dampers in July but used the original springs. Highly recommend the Koni's. I did a write up on here about them.

[RS4JAY]

How are these a year on??

I fitted these Koni dampers in July but used the original springs. Highly recommend the Koni's. I did a write up on here about them.

Got a link mate? Did you retain your original ARB’s?

[RS4JAY]

Found it Neil.

[Shockerboy]

Hi RS4 Jay . the H&R springs are approx 260 pounds retail , can do for £ 215.00 incl vat . its a nice combination . there is no need to uprate the A R B as the shocks cope perfectly .

[neil_f]

Got a link mate? Did you retain your original ARB’s?
[/quote]

Retained original anti roll bars . Took one of my friends for a run yesterday down a favourite stretch of country road we both know. Very bumpy and good test for suspension setup and he was amazed how the car dealt with it all without feeling uncomfortable. He asked what I'd done with the suspenion as he knew I'd ditched the drc and was surprised when I told him it was only koni sport dampers ,everything else was oe

[brownm]

Some further feedback on the Koni's / H&R spring setup, I bought the Mugello Blue saloon from patgas1 exactly a year & 4,000 miles ago.
I would say I have not tried an RS4 with the DRC setup so cannot compare the two.

In the recent past have owned some cars with pretty stiff suspension, Porsche 968 sport and a 1992 Carerra 911 4.
Patgas1 had gone for a firm setup, in city & poor B roads you feel every bump and road imperfection, might just be a little wearing if a daily commute on such roads.
Although 25mm lower than standard never an issue with speed-bumps, plenty of clearance.

It's a different story on fast A roads, plenty of these up here in NE Scotland. Turn in is very sharp, never unsettling and the rear feels very well planted.
Cornering is absolutely flat, at higher speeds on a twisty undulating road the setup is perfect, nothing that would cause concern even in the wet.
Yes you feel every bump, crest & dip but these are well controlled, in some ways reminds the feedback on bumpy undulating roads reminds me of the 911 and is not intrusive.

[RS4JAY]

I’ve just went with Bilstein B14.