Koni FSBs...a shock and tire story
07-28-2014, 07:36 PM
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'05 E320 CDI;'04 S2k;'94 Supra TT;'10 QX56;'38 Buick;98 Port City Offset Late Model
Koni FSBs...a shock and tire story
We have a 2005 E320 CDI. Now closing in on 120k miles. The later W211s had decontenting and we never warmed to the W212. We actually did a tour of the available options earlier this year: Audi, MB, BMW. We drove a full tilt E250CDI in both RWD and 4Matic versions.
So, we decided we liked the current car better. Ours is pretty much loaded and other than one or two newer safety features (e.g. blind spot and lane departure detection, adaptive cruise with collision prevention) and a newer technology nav system we felt our car was better. It had a more luxurious interior. We have both front seats as drive dynamic. The truck is bigger. Even the fold down rear seat is much better in the W211 than the W212, 5-series, or A6.
We had done European the and seen that the cards they're all delivered with V–rated and W–rated tires. When we arrived home, we first put on H–rated Michelin Pilot Sport winter tires and then in the summer W-rated tires from Tire Rack's Ultrahigh Performance category.
The first time we went for shocks we got Bilsteins. They had 4 model: OEM replacement 36mm B4s, 46mm HD B6s, 46mm Sport B8s, and coil over PSS9s. We got the OEM B4s wanting to preserve the smooth ride. As expected, the monotube Bilsteins were outstanding.
60k miles later we needed new shocks. Our first thought was another set of the Bilsteins...however on other cars on other forums the Koni FSBs seemed to be getting good reviews.
The FSBs are not monotube...which had me concerned. The technology that makes the shocks softer over impacts, called 'regressive damping' was initially developed to allow F1 cars to pound into curbing without upsetting the car's balance. Penske now has regressive pistons available for their monotube racing shocks.
So we gave it a shot. I went for the best price on the shocks, which meant in this case the dealer's distributor had to order them from Koni which needed to ship them from Europe. The shocks were around $700. Installation with a wheel alignment at a garage (MB dealers wouldn't install the Bilsteins or the Konis) was $500. Additionally we replaced the upper front shock mount which both the installer and the dealer said wear out over time.
Note that by the time they were installed we had put on Conti DW tires, rated Max Performance at Tire Rack. To get the ride right with this combo we ended up putting the tires at 29psi cold. They were very sensitive to pressure.
How does this combo work? The ride is as good as the Bilsteins over really small stuff. Over medium size stuff such as small potholes and railroad tracks...the bumps virtually disappear. Even major potholes seem minor. It handles these as well as my QX56 with 33" diameter tires. The MB tires are a bit under 26". This was remarkable, better than expected, and really useful with the poor condition of our NYC area roads.
Handling? From the shock: flat. Less dive on braking, less roll in turns. The car seems much more stable from a handling standpoint. All with a ride no worse of small stuff and much better over potholes, etc.
Now a word on the tires. The Conti DWs are very quiet. Ride is good. Steering is sharp although the steering wheel angles are no tighter than before. That may be do to running lower tire pressure (we used to run 36psi all around). Traction is much higher than the Ultra High Performance tires were were using. It is noticeable under braking and acceleration. Before, the diesel was able to chirp the tire, kicking in the traction control. Now it just goes. In turns, combined with the shocks, it just feels planted.
I would rate the current ride and handling better than current E250CDIs, A6s, and 535s.
Note: the Koni FSB shocks, and the Bilstein shocks are only available for RWD models. This also the case for BMW. I don't know why there are virtually no aftermarket shocks for 4Matic MB models or XDrive BMWs...but that is the case.
So, we decided we liked the current car better. Ours is pretty much loaded and other than one or two newer safety features (e.g. blind spot and lane departure detection, adaptive cruise with collision prevention) and a newer technology nav system we felt our car was better. It had a more luxurious interior. We have both front seats as drive dynamic. The truck is bigger. Even the fold down rear seat is much better in the W211 than the W212, 5-series, or A6.
We had done European the and seen that the cards they're all delivered with V–rated and W–rated tires. When we arrived home, we first put on H–rated Michelin Pilot Sport winter tires and then in the summer W-rated tires from Tire Rack's Ultrahigh Performance category.
The first time we went for shocks we got Bilsteins. They had 4 model: OEM replacement 36mm B4s, 46mm HD B6s, 46mm Sport B8s, and coil over PSS9s. We got the OEM B4s wanting to preserve the smooth ride. As expected, the monotube Bilsteins were outstanding.
60k miles later we needed new shocks. Our first thought was another set of the Bilsteins...however on other cars on other forums the Koni FSBs seemed to be getting good reviews.
The FSBs are not monotube...which had me concerned. The technology that makes the shocks softer over impacts, called 'regressive damping' was initially developed to allow F1 cars to pound into curbing without upsetting the car's balance. Penske now has regressive pistons available for their monotube racing shocks.
So we gave it a shot. I went for the best price on the shocks, which meant in this case the dealer's distributor had to order them from Koni which needed to ship them from Europe. The shocks were around $700. Installation with a wheel alignment at a garage (MB dealers wouldn't install the Bilsteins or the Konis) was $500. Additionally we replaced the upper front shock mount which both the installer and the dealer said wear out over time.
Note that by the time they were installed we had put on Conti DW tires, rated Max Performance at Tire Rack. To get the ride right with this combo we ended up putting the tires at 29psi cold. They were very sensitive to pressure.
How does this combo work? The ride is as good as the Bilsteins over really small stuff. Over medium size stuff such as small potholes and railroad tracks...the bumps virtually disappear. Even major potholes seem minor. It handles these as well as my QX56 with 33" diameter tires. The MB tires are a bit under 26". This was remarkable, better than expected, and really useful with the poor condition of our NYC area roads.
Handling? From the shock: flat. Less dive on braking, less roll in turns. The car seems much more stable from a handling standpoint. All with a ride no worse of small stuff and much better over potholes, etc.
Now a word on the tires. The Conti DWs are very quiet. Ride is good. Steering is sharp although the steering wheel angles are no tighter than before. That may be do to running lower tire pressure (we used to run 36psi all around). Traction is much higher than the Ultra High Performance tires were were using. It is noticeable under braking and acceleration. Before, the diesel was able to chirp the tire, kicking in the traction control. Now it just goes. In turns, combined with the shocks, it just feels planted.
I would rate the current ride and handling better than current E250CDIs, A6s, and 535s.
Note: the Koni FSB shocks, and the Bilstein shocks are only available for RWD models. This also the case for BMW. I don't know why there are virtually no aftermarket shocks for 4Matic MB models or XDrive BMWs...but that is the case.
