kcaalarcon

Looking at getting some new struts. Either koni yellow or qa1 double adjustable. Anyone with any experience or knowledge it have heard good things about either? I've heard a lot of good things about the konis but almost nothing about the qa1. Advice would be greatly appreciated

Flip 2

iTrader: (1)

Koni's are the default choice here on TGO.
For myself, I would go with the QA1s (or wait for the Viking struts- which should be out soon).

kcaalarcon

From what I've seen most people who want decent struts just automatically go for koni, and I've heard a lot of good things about them. But I've also heard a lot of positive things about qa1. Just not on their struts. Any particular reason why you would go with them? I have a hard time believing that koni is the only company that makes a decent strut/shock

paul_huryk

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the adjustability ***** on the QA1 struts require one to modify (grind) the spindles to work correctly. Koni does not require one to do that.

dmwracing42

iTrader: (3)

I got Koni's all the way around. I was going to wait on struts/shocks, but Summit had them on sale for like $150 off all 4, probably $100 off the struts, so I jumped on the oppurtunity.

Literally the best decision I ever made. It's like riding on a cloud when i want it to be, and if I ever feel the need to take it out and run it hard, the adjustability is really simple. I don't know much about the QA1, but I do highly reccomend the Konis

kcaalarcon

Thank you for your input on the konis, that's normally what I hear about them, people saying buying them is the best decision ever.
And it is required to modify the spindles for qa1 but it think its to clearance for the lower strut body, not the *****. I could be wrong tho

dmwracing42

iTrader: (3)

Unless you're comfortable modding the spindles then, I would go Koni's. I had no issues on install. Hardest part was removing the top nut on the old struts. Ended up having to use an impact on the left side (right side came off with wrenches). That only worked because it spun the nut faster than the shaft could spin lol

Jay_rich

iTrader: (4)

Im going Koni all around just because some guys i know around here blow qa1's on the street. Also my friend has qa1 coilovers on his 4th gen and he said dont buy them unless u get the double adjustable "R series"

Jay

UMI Sales

Koni's are well known for their sophisticated valving and comfort. They are also pretty expensive.

I've been in direct contact with Viking and their engineers know we would prefer to not have to grind the spindle. Hopefully they can accommodate.

The main benefit of the Viking (and a similar QA1 double adjustable product) is the large window of tuning available.

And FWIW, the QA1 R-series features heavy compression damping even on the low setting. They are to allow a drag car to drop the nose without bottoming. The R-series is a bit rough on the street, kind of like having the **** all the way to the top setting. For street use you'd want the standard single adjustables. The doubles of course can be tuned to whatever you'd like.

RWB____s

I have just removed a set of Koni yellow adjustable sport shock and struts from my Camaro and they are now for sale. I am going in a different direction with the car and I no longer need them. they are in great shape . they served me well in street duty and autocross.
I just checked Summit and jegs for these shocks and struts. Summit did not list the front struts as even available. The rear shocks were $131ea. Jegs had front and rear shocks and struts listed at over $900. So $400 plus shipping is a fair price
asking $400 + shipping . I am located in south west Missouri.

kcaalarcon

Well I don't have a problem modifying the spindles at all, that parts easy. And if I were to get qa1s there would be no point in getting ones that aren't double adjustable. I've been reading more in them tho and people say they're good shocks/ struts but they tend to leak and blow out after not long so it's making me lean a little more toward koni. It would be nice to have double adjustable tho.

Flip 2

iTrader: (1)

The third choice, that I mentioned, was waiting for the soon to be released Viking struts. They will be double adjustable.
The hope is, they will correct some of the issues with the QA1s. New, they have no track record. I do have a pair of their double adjustable shocks on the rear of my car. The improvement over the Bilstein HDs I had on is huge. Tamed the front a lot, too.

dmwracing42

iTrader: (3)

Just out of curiosity...Are you Auto-Xing this car or anything like that? If you aren't I'm not really sure I see the point of double adjustable. That being said, to each his own.

My 0.02 is I love my Koni's, but then again the only other thing I've run is 30 year old shocks/struts that I pushed together with my hand when I took them out and then they didn't rebound at all. So I guess anything was an improvement lol

kcaalarcon

Thank you, I will check into the Viking shocks. And my car is going to be a weekend cruiser and driven on the streets somtimes, not a daily driver, but mostly a full rr and autox car so I want as much adjustability as possible with everything in the car and the best performing parts money can buy. Within reason

UMI Sales

We've beat a few sets of Vikings pretty much senseless with no leaks or other troubles combined with great performance and adjustability. For what it's worth, the debut of Viking (composed of executives from QA1) has improved QA1's qaulity as well due to some healthy competition. For doubles I prefer Viking.

ramey

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

The compression adjustability is meant for people who have added/reduced lots of weight from their car. For the majority of people, you want to leave the compression setting alone and just concentrate on the rebound adjustment.

Koni sells both single adjustable (rebound only) as well as dual adjustable (compression and rebound adjustable)...... I run the single adjustable. Less chance of getting things set the wrong way with the singles.

Homer23

I ran Koni yellows on my old Civic and they work great. They greatly enhanced the handling characteristics of that car. With my Camaro, I want to run QA1 because they are double adjustable and aren't used as much by people on this forum.

Both shocks are rebuild-able so buying them used is a good idea if you're not doing any road racing/autocross or drag racing competitions. It's also Eco-friendly. Hopefully you have a 2nd car for when they do need to be rebuilt.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

I have seen lots of qc issues with qa1 shocks/stuts. Mostly leaking bodies.

Koni ftw!

morrow

look up jri shocks

Roostmeyer

iTrader: (3)

Rebound controls the sprung mass (chassis), compression controls the unsprung mass (wheels, brakes, etc). Typically you use the rebound adjustment to compensate for stiffer springs, not necessarily changes in weight.

I am also a believer in more adjustments being just more rope to hang yourself with. I wouldn't turn down some nice double adjustable dampers, but I'd find a good starting point and leave them alone until the rest of the setup is nearly locked down.

paul_huryk

Agreed.

Most folks don't have the patience to adjust SA dampers perfectly - DA ones make it several times worse to get optimal.

monkey-leader

I used to do those kinds of adjustments all the time on Motocross bikes.

The best is get guy with a video camera to watch you do certain things on the track, its not as complicated as it sounds. You can Youtube how to do it better than i can explain it.