FlatlineEF9

Ok so I know I went cheap on this and didn't get KWs like I should have...
My setup that I had was koni yellow shocks, stock springs, and euro pads...I loved it...but I didn't like the fender gap, and my rear is about an inch lower than my front because I have a big sub in the trunk. I figured coil overs would give me a lot more adjustability in how I wanted the car to look.

First I inquired with Ksport to see if they would just sell me the springs and sleeves without the shocks. They declined doing this, because the stock length shocks are far too long to run with the coil overs. I caved in and spent the 900 bucks or so to purchase the Ksport full coil over kit.

In hindsight I wish I had spent the 2k and got the KW variant. Its made in Germany and has a much better reputation.

Problems with the ksport arose as soon as I picked the car up from the shop.

I have to admit, the car looks cool and slammed. Its tucking tire and I figured the shop put the coils in about half way down or something...WRONG...it was tucking tire in front ALL THE WAY UP! so basically im stuck with a 3 inch drop in the front and cant go any higher. The rear is tucking tire too, at about 75% drop. So much for my adjustability.

First issue I encountered was a clunking noise coming from the front. This ended up being the shock bolt, which they didn't torque down correctly. Bolted it down, no more noise.

The SCARY part right now is the wobble. The rear is doing a shimmy on the right side only when I go over bumps. The right rear bounces an inch or two to the right, its pretty scary...especially in the rain. I figured it was a ride height issue, or something of that nature. I checked the springs and shock heights, and both sides match up...both sides look even from outside the car as well.

I tried an experiment last night. I made the rear dampers uneven, and now the car rides about 90% better. I made the right (softer) side full stiff, and left side about 8 clicks from full stiff.

I contacted Ksport today to tell them my results...obviously both shocks have different damper rates and they should replace one or both of them right? I figured they would stand behind their product, and send me two shocks while they test the two that I send to them. Ill post the email thread below.

FlatlineEF9

Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 5:18 PM
To: Eric Dayton
Subject: RE: Kontrol Pro

Hi Eric,

I ended up purchasing a complete kit from a seller on google shopping. I received the kit and had it professionally installed by A1 euro auto here in Honolulu. Im having a significant issue with the rear shocks…they are riding completely uneven. I counted the threads on each side, and im riding identical shock and spring heights on both sides, yet the right rear is significantly softer than the left rear. Its causing an unstable ride, the rear swaying from side to side on uneven bumps. Last night, I decided to try an experiment…I made the right rear all the way stiff, and made the left rear 8 clicks softer than full stiff, and the rear sway is about 90% gone. I think my rear shocks are not bounding or rebounding at the same rate. What can I do to go about this? Can you guys send me one or two more replacement shocks under warranty? Thanks in advance

Their reply

Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 2:21 PM
To: Lam, Justin
Subject: RE: Kontrol Pro

The weight of the vehicle will affect ride height. Coilovers are adjustable naturally because in order to get a perfect height you might have to adjust to different heights on the car. This is why lowering springs give an uneven job every time. First you must adjust height on a completely flat surface (not a garage floor) they are not that flat. Then your dampening needs to be adjusted by each corner. Typpically 30 clicks from full soft to the right is about 75% stiff. The last 6 clicks are the last 25%.



Eric
Account Manager

FlatlineEF9

Me: Yes, I am aware of that, but should the left and right side of the rear suspension be 8 clicks different? To make the rear ride even I have the left 8 clicks softer than the right. My height between left and right is even. I guarantee if you check these rear shocks, they are uneven in dampening.

Them: I am pretty certain that you are not able to feel the difference in 8 clicks. Maybe if one is set to 20 and the other to full stiff. Set them both to 18 clicks and try the ride.



Eric
Account Manager

Me:I set them both at full soft it rode scary (wobbled left to right, the right shock dipping more than the left). I set them both at 18 and it did the same. I set them both at full stiff and it did the same.
I set the left 8 clicks from stiff and the right full stiff and its almost gone…something aint right.

Them: You are saying the car wobbled, what do you mean? There are a bunch of factors in the car that can attribute to road driving such as bearings, camber, tire wear, bumps on tires, irregular wear, worn bushings, wheel weights. The dampening on the car is adjustable to suit the needs of the vehicle. Not all parts of the car will perform the same. If you want to send them in to us to have us dyno them you are more than welcome to do so. You would pay shipping both ways. The height of the rear shock *will* be different on both sides of the car. The weight transfer on the car will also affect height and dip. I am pretty certain the shocks are not very different and can only be seen by a shock dyno, I have yet to see a mismatched set. I would ask you provide more precise information as to what the car is doing and how much it dips. Pictures are also good.



Eric
Account Manager

Me: Basically the best way I can describe it is when going over a bump on the left side tires, it rides fine…when I hit a bump on the right side, when the bump hits the rear…it doesn’t just move up and down, it moves to the right…significantly. I thought this was an alignment issue, but I had the car aligned after I dropped it. Tires are 3 month old Michelin pilot super sport. Rims are brabus monoblock 6 in perfect condition. This wobble did not occur before the ksport install. It feels like the right side of the car dips lower than the left. I will do more fine tuning this weekend with spring heights and shock heights to see if I can rectify this.

FlatlineEF9

So that's where we are at right now. I have never had this issue before with Tein, Koni, Tokiko, Meagan, or even NEX level full dampers...

I guess I will try and see if I can get my koni yellows shortened so I can use them with the Ksport coils and sleeves.

Be careful guys...I might be out 900 bucks for this. Anyone wanna buy my ksports for 200 bucks? HAHA

Hirnbeiss

Can you try swapping left for right in the rear to see if the problem follows the shock?

FlatlineEF9

Hirnbeiss: That's the plan this weekend. Im going to first try to raise up that side maybe 1/4 inch and see if that helps, if not, switch sides. Im also in contact with Koni to see if they can shorten my Koni Yellows a few inches so I can use them instead of these ****ty china shocks.

Also gonna test fit my BBK

renault12ts

I'm amazed you can tell what is happening with each rear wheel whilst driving the car. How do you know a wheel is bouncing out about an inch on one side? I know I couldn't.

FlatlineEF9

Normally I couldn't, but the fact that it literally makes the car JET horizontally (yaw) like an airplane rudder is cause for concern lol.

matt72

are you sure the allignment is right,do you have a camber kit? i wonder if being that low you can get it in spec without a camber kit. my car is handling really bad on the back end,lots of sideways motion,only started when the rear subframe mounts were done,i have had it alligned but think i will,take it to the local mb dealer to get it done again.

FlatlineEF9

The camber is in no doubt way out of alignment spec. I am going to purchase camber arms next week or so...but this would be a tow issue, or shock issue. Seeing as how stiffening up one side and softening one side is fixing the issue, I am leaning toward a shock issue rather than alignment. Just a hunch.

desired_speeds

are you sure the shop adjusted it correctly with the correct amount of preload because since our cars have separate springs/ shocks, the height may be affected by one side's shock being adjusted in a way where it's preloading the coil more so than the opposite side. Your mentioning that the car wobbles over bumps lead me to think this may be the problem. Although the ride height is even in measurement, an uneven preload will affect the ride dramatically.

FlatlineEF9

Update guys. I took out the ksport shocks and measured them compared to the Koni yellows. The Koni yellows are about 2 inches longer at the height i was riding at. Installed, the konis have a lot of travel before bottoming out, so I put them on. I jacked up the car from the diff to test maximum spring travel (in case i caught air or something lol) and with maximum extension the springs stay put, front and back with the konis in. Test drove the car...all problems gone. Not sure what imma do with the ksport shocks. Might sell them on ebay with zero reserve just to get rid of these pieces of crap.

The koni shock, ksport spring/sleeve setup rides very nice, and the konis can go WAAAAy stiffer than the ksports. I am running shortened bumpstops currently with the yellows as well. Drove all day yesterday and today with zero issues. Ill be sure to email ksport and notify them that fixing the problem was just to remove their POS shocks.

FlatlineEF9

Both shocks had even thread on the bottom of the adjustment preload

Stealth Bomber

Do you think that you could tell if something was wrong with them if you could x-ray them?

FlatlineEF9

Not sure. I am sure that if put on a shock dyno that they would not be even. Just compressing them by hand out of the car, one can notice a significant difference. Will be posting up the shocks on ebay soon for 1 dollar with no reserve lol