quick backstory i've got a 13 track pack. i picked up a set of the KONI STR Orange strut/shocks. they ride great but the fronts started leaking in a year and a half. crazy considering the car isn't tracked/raced or really even beat on. i did a bit more digging and have found that the Koni oranges had some QC issues and the Koni yellows offer adjustability i don't need. so i'm looking to try something different. i've heard the Eibach pro are nice. i've also heard about the Steeda strut/shock combo working pretty good. do either of these offer a similar ride to the Konis? do you guys recommend anything else? thanks

 

 

but, I am pretty sure Steeda does not actually manufacture their own struts/shocks, and I have a funny feeling the manufacturer might start with K . . .

second hand information: Bilstein is a "monotube" construction and supposedly holds up very well, even under track conditions. They are also supposedly well matched for typical street-oriented lowering springs, like the Steeda Sports. I'm told they are not as stiff as the Koni Yellows cranked up, but probably a little firmer than the Koni Orange.

are the Koni's still under warranty? replacing them under warranty might be an option?

 

i'm not sure if they're still under warranty. i had a shop purchase and install. i could prob go that route and have another set of KONIs thrown on. but whose to say that those won't fail in another year and half, so i would like to just go with another brand. i'll check out the bilsteins. thanks

 

I switched from the Koni Orange to Tokico HP for the same lack of quality control. The Tokico struts and shocks are worlds ahead of the Koni's in control and comfort. My car corners flat and smooth and is good to drive on all but the roughest roads.

 

I must be lucky, my Koni oranges have held up for 3 1/2 years so far with some track use and no problems. When I bought mine it was a toss up between the oranges and the Steeda shocks. The Steeda's were out of stock so I bought the Koni's. Steeda said that the Koni's and their shocks had very similar valving and most people would not notice a difference in the ride between the two. The next time around I will go with adjustable units.

 

 

Same luck with the orange Konis - 42k miles on mine and zero problems. I will say though, that I can't say they're any better than the stock ones - pretty sure any difference I felt was purely placebo and/or due to the stock ones having 100k on them when I swapped them out.

 

I made several suspension changes (springs, control arms, etc.) all at once, so I can't say how much better the Koni oranges were than stock. The changes I made were a huge improvement over the stock Brembo package suspension. The car is more level in the corners and brake dive is non-existent. For what it is worth, Steeda claimed that the oranges were similar to their private label shocks and that both were about the same as the yellow Koni's on full soft. On another note, I have used Bilstein's on other vehicles and have never been disappointed by them.

 

IIRC, Koni includes a lifetime warranty on their shock/strut kits. I know for certain about this, as my Koni yellow adjustable struts/shocks do include the lifetime warranty. For what it's worth, I would get with the shop who purchased and installed the Koni oranges for you and inform them about the failure and leakage issues you've been having. That being said, you're Koni oranges should be covered under their lifetime warranty policy at no additional cost to you, providing of course that your dampers were neither tampered with nor damaged by you that would cause them to fail. Otherwise, if you're also unhappy with the ride quality/handling of the Koni's and just want to go with another brand? Then I would also recommend making the switch to Bilstein as well.