I have Konis on the back?

NZMiata · Postby **NZMiata** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 12:52 pm

Long story short, I was accessing the tunnel behind the petrol fill tube and noticed a small knob on the top of the suspension...

So I start thinking that my car might have adjustable shock absorbers. Under the car with the camera and look what I found!

I did some Googling with the numbers on the shock and it looks like I have the oh-so-popular Koni adjustable shocks on the back. Sweet! :mrgreen:

Now I need to work out if I should adjust them. Is it as easy as turning the knobs and going for a drive to see what feels the best?

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:13 pm

SCORE!
No need to go for a drive (not in this weather anyway), just turn it to fully hard and sit on the boot (with the bootlid open of course)and bounce up and down, then turn it to fully soft and repeat.
Turn the knob counter-clockwise for hard, vice-versa.

The knob should turn, from memory, about 21/4 turns

At least you'll know their condition; full-hard = the car would hardly squat, full soft = the car will go down maybe 2-4cm depending on the condition of the springs.

If you are tempted to go for an experimental drive, a safe test would be to go over some familiar humps and dips at various speeds.

No Koni's on the fronts?

NZMiata · Postby **NZMiata** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:24 pm

Thanks Andrew. Nope, just stock shocks on the front. It seems strange to have Konis on the rear only. I assume that adjusting the rears to the firmest setting will increase oversteer.

Also, do I have to remove the battery to access the knob on the driver's side one? I hope not because it's kind of a PITA!

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:28 pm

correct re: oversteer, and you can get to the knob on the driver's side without removing battery.

Juffa · Postby **Juffa** » Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:20 am

1red5 wrote:correct re: oversteer, and you can get to the knob on the driver's side without removing battery.

However you will need to remove the spare wheel.

J.

drifter · Postby **drifter** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 12:59 pm

To make adjustments, start from full soft then adjust up to desired stiffness (not the other way around). As mentioned the range is about 2 turns.

NZMiata · Postby **NZMiata** » Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:13 pm

My Koni knob arrived on Thursday thanks to drifter. I have set the shocks to one full turn above "full soft". There sure is a big range of firmness on them! It is much harder to compress the suspension when they're set to full firm.

Anybody have some used front Konis collecting dust in the shed? :p