KONI SHOCKS

KONI SPORT

Both Koni Sport and Bilstein Sprintline come in a vivid, sporty yellow color. Against Bilstein, we see Koni using 'oil pressure shocks in front' for 106 GTI and every single shock is adjustable. I must state that the word Koni adjustable only stands for 'adjusting the stiffness' here, not adjusting the ride height. You may find height adjustable shocks in other series of both Koni and Bilstein.

When you first fit Koni Sport shocks, you drive your car about 300 Kilometers with the softest adjustment. After completing these 300 kilometers, you go for a second adjustment and let your Koni Sport shocks adjusted exactly as you like.

My first impression on Koni Sport was a bit disappointing. In first 300 kilometers they were softer and working slower than I expected, and the sway was more than I had with Bilsteins. Probably the reason was that Koni Sport shocks were all on softest adjustment

After completing 300 kilometers I went for a second suspension adjustment and as being used Bilstein before I adjusted Koni Sport shocks to the hardest. My first impression changed after that. Koni Sport was working faster and I had the stiffness that I want.

The main advantage of 'oil pressure shocks in front' is that when you hit a bump, you never hear sounds like your 106 will crash anymore. Koni is more successful in absorbing this kind of 'frontal' forces. Koni is like 2 in 1. You get a stiff suspension for fast road, whilst it is more comfortable on bump and holes.

Koni Sport - Disadvantages

As front and rear pairs have different working principals (oil pressure for front and gas pressure for rear), Bilstein seems working in a better harmony than Koni. Sway is less in Bilstein, but again, you must forget the front of the car. With Bilstein, you feel like you don't have suspension in front on bumps and holes. The choice is up to you.

So.. What Do You Mean? Is Koni Weak When Taking Corners?

No, never.. They are almost the same.. On fast road driving you can trust Koni while taking a curve at 180-190 Kilometers. Koni just bounces a little bit more than Bilstein.

Is Having Adjustable Shocks Necessary?

As a person who likes stiff suspension I may say that having adjustable shocks is not so necessary (if you have stiff shocks, even they are non-adjustable), but adjustable shocks have some very important advantages besides that.

First of all, having the ability of adjusting the stiffness of your suspension shocks 'to a level that you exactly like' is a pleasant feature. In fact you can adjust all 4 shocks separately for a precise balance.

RESULT

The choice is up to you... Only you know the road characteristics in your area. If it's bumpy then go for Koni.. Or, as a general result of this test:

For street, choose Koni.. For track, choose Bilstein.