tokico vs koni

[i_love_my_stang]

looking for a new strut up front, i have the koni yellow single adj. in the rear right now, and im looking at either the koni single adj or the tokico illumina for up front, which do you guys think i would be more happy with? i can get a better deal price wise on the tokico but if they konis are like a million times better i might as well spend the extra money let me know

 

[Mr.Bolt-on]

They are both probably about the same. I have experience with the Tockico Illuminas, and they work GREAT. Koni's are just about the exact same thing, cost more, but look cheaper in my opinion. The Tockico Illumina's are more than just single ajust, they are 5 way adjust I think... but I'm not sure. Either shock would be great though.

 

[OnyxCobra]

I have the Illuminas and I have no complaints with them, they are 5 way adjustable.

 

[i_love_my_stang]

ok cool, i was thinking of them cuz they are most cost friendly

 

[ReplicaR]

The two shocks are not even close. Koni stock will handle far more spring rate than Tokico ever could in the first place. I say you do it right, and get Koni SA up front as well.

 

[2slo95fiveoh]

X2 Go with the Konis.... They are a very well praised damper, and plus, they are on sale right now:
http://www.koni-na.com/cat_search.cfm?mt_id=1&my_year=1994&mak_id=17&mod_id=119&submit.x=30&submit.y=13

I just bought a pair for the front of my car, haven't installed them yet, so I can't comment on how they ride, but I'm sure when
they are paired with my MMR coilovers, it will be a great improvement.

 

[OnyxCobra]

hey ReplicaR of all the main aftermarket strut makers what order would you put them in from best to worst?

 

[cntchds]

Koni
Bilstein
Strange
Tokico
KYB
Stock replacements...

That would be my list at least.

 

[i_love_my_stang]

how are the koni's for drag racing? not that i do it that much but just wondering, also will a lowering spring hurt them, and does a lowering spring hurt your drag times? if so its prob by .010s of a second right?

 

[ReplicaR]

hey ReplicaR of all the main aftermarket strut makers what order would you put them in from best to worst?

It's hard to say which manufacturer is better than the other. They all have their pros and cons, when it comes to different factors. For widely available off shelf stuff, I'd rate Koni and Bilstein about the same. Koni is cheaper and adjustable, but the service cost on Bilstein is 3 times less (60 vs 180 for race revalve). I'd bunch KYB and Tokico into the same category as well of affordable performance shocks. They are fine for the street and whatever, but no one who's serious about performance is using those, although I do hear good things about Tokico HP series as a drag shock. I don't have any experience with drag shocks such as QA1 or Strange, so I really can't talk about the.

 

[OnyxCobra]

Interesting. So if i was going to replace my Tokico Illuminas with something better for street/track use what would you suggest? I love the adjustability of mine so I'd like to keep that if possible.

 

[ReplicaR]

Koni Single Adjustable. They are pretty well priced, they are good for a LOT of spring rate. They also come with lifetime warranty, and they ride superb on the street, while performing really well at the track. I'm about go stiffer on the spring rate yet again because I've ordered a Torque Arm, and I'm certain that my stock valved Single Adjustables will keep up just fine.

 

[cntchds]

If you are wanting SAs now is the time to buy. They have an awesome sale going on at Koni's website.

 

[OnyxCobra]

What does Single Adjustable mean? Would my car ride more solid than with my Tokicos do you think? I have zero complaints with my car's ride quality right now.

 

[ReplicaR]

Koni offers two type of adjustable shocks. Single adjustable controls rebound, while bound is set. Double adjustable controls both bound and rebound independently from each other. Double adjustable Koni come with more aggressive valving than Single Adjustables as well. Most of suspension tuning is done though rebound anyway.

Ride quality depends on two things: stiffness of of the springs, and ability of the shock to dampen the movements. As the spring gets stiffer, the need for more aggressive valving is required to keep the car from bouncing. I imagine you have an Eibach kit on your car, correct? Eibach springs are not terribly stiff, so medium performance shock such as Tokico would suffice. I highly doubt you will get much out of Koni over what you have right now, unless you are looking to go stiffer.

 

[OnyxCobra]

I actually have H&R SuperSports, if my memory serves they have a lot higher spring rate than the Eibachs.

 

[i_love_my_stang]

will the konis help in doing a drag race too, like how would you set them stiff in the front and soft in the rear, what spring would you recommend for a good street strip?

 

[OnyxCobra]

will the konis help in doing a drag race too, like how would you set them stiff in the front and soft in the rear, what spring would you recommend for a good street strip?

for drag racing you actually want the front set to soft and the rear set to stiffer.

 

[i_love_my_stang]

oh ok thanks