After reviewing the many discussions on the forums regarding shock absorbers, I finally ordered and installed a set of Koni's. Even though the cost was higher than other makes, I decided to go with the shocks favored by the majority of the forum contributors and the original equipment.
I was surprised upon receiving the Koni's to see that they were made in China. I have no complant about the shocks, but I probably would have thought twice about spending this much money on a "Made in China" product.
Jerry
Topic will remain for info; please let's not have responses stray into non-FT off-topic discussion or we'll have to lock it.
Jerry,
Can I ask where you ended up purchasing and a ballpark costs?.... Bill
Keeping this on-topic, how do you like the ride and handling after changing to Konis?
BTW, these days, even US based companies have no choice but to go where the manufacturing costs are low in order to remain price competitive and stay in business.
Well Tom,
I didn't really change to Konis. I replaced the Konis with new ones. On the short ( 10 miles) test drive, the ride seemed smoother. During the replacement, I found bushings missing on one side of the rear sway bar. I have fixed that and will take a longer drive in the near future. The old Konis were not adjusted as the factory recommended but as far as I know, the shocks were orginal equipment which would make them 21 years old. I might could have just adjusted them, but any shocks that old should be replaced in my opinion.
Jerry
Bill and Deanne,
Sorry I missed your post. I bought my Konis from KermaTDI.com. They were shipped directly from Koni. Koni price was $692 and Karma TDI was $648. Karma TDI was having a 20% off sale. I just checked and the sale runs through May. Mind you this is just for 4 shocks. I am sure yours requires more (8?).
Jerry
Guys, there is some apples and oranges here.
Koni FSD shocks are more expensive than the adjustables.
So, be sure to specify part number or technology if comparing prices. And, yes, the 8 outboard air bag suspension coaches use 8 shocks.