Koni FSD shocks

Topic: Koni FSD shocks (Read 3171 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #50 – November 19, 2010, 10:29:03 am

Quote

I didn't really see any type of "adjustment" on the old ones.....I kept them, I'll have to go take another look.

Rebound Adjustment Procedure
Some shocks can be adjusted while still on the vehicle by removing the lower nut and compressing the shock fully from underneath. If you can do this, follow the instructions below, bearing in mind that clockwise turns will increase the force in the shock, and counterclockwise turns will decrease it. If there is insufficient room under the vehicle, remove the shock and hold it vertically with the dust cover on top. You may use a vice to hold the bottom attachment. If you do mount the shock in a vice, we recommend you use soft jaws to minimize damage to the shock.

Fully collapse the shock absorber while turning shock slowly counterclockwise until you feel the adjustment nut engage in the recesses of the foot valve assembly. Once the adjustment nut has engaged, it is a good idea to make a mark with a black felt on the dust cover and shock body (to make it easier to keep track of adjustment turns).

The damper may have already been adjusted so gently turn it further to the left counting the half turns until you feel a stop.

DO NOT USE FORCE.
If you want to increase the forces, keep the shock absorber collapsed and make a minimum of 1 half-turn (180 degrees) clockwise. In case of prior adjustment add the number of half-turns previously found. The total range is about 5 half-turns.

Pull the shock absorber out vertically without turning for at least 1 cm to disengage the adjusting mechanism. The shock may now be turned freely and reinstalled on the vehicle.

ADJUSTING DIRECTION
Clockwise = Firmer Counter Clockwise = Softer

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #51 – November 19, 2010, 11:34:06 am

The link to adjusting the Koni non-FSD shocks (as Barry posted): http://www.konirv.com/adjustment.html

And absolutely, Konis do the vast majority of their dampening on EXTENSION/REBOUND, as dampening on COMPRESSION adds to the effective spring rate. Said another way, dampening on compression makes the ride harsher/stiffer.

Brett Wolfe

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #52 – November 19, 2010, 01:13:58 pm

In taking a closer look at the old ones, I see on the bottom of the shock it says "adjustable" and has an -------> with a + on it....

However that's not an issue with the new FSD's..........and I don't believe I'll mess with adjusting the remaining non-FSD ones on the rear..

I will "pitch" the old ones.

Thanks Barry and Brett for the info...

Mike

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #53 – November 19, 2010, 03:57:52 pm

Quote from: Mike McFall – November 19, 2010, 01:13:58 pm

I will "pitch" the old ones.

If the old ones are still good and not leaking, someone might want one or two to replace a defective shock. I will have some old Bilsteins in a week or so. If no one wants them, I will try Craigslist.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #54 – November 20, 2010, 09:20:42 am

Mike,

To adjust the orange Koni's, compress them all the way, then twist the bottom section with respect to the top. You will feel a click at each adjustment. I think three rotations are available.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #55 – November 20, 2010, 09:40:16 am

Thanks Brett, When I get a minute I'll play around with them a little...

Can anybody use these Shocks I took off?

The Coach is 2003 and had 55K miles on it, so they are no doubt originals.....

Let me know ASAP if anyone can use them,,,,,,If you want 'em their yours....

Mike

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #56 – November 28, 2010, 09:31:02 am

I have installed the 8 new Koni FSD shocks and here is the results. It seems to ride a little better with out as much bouncing after a dip in the pavement, otherwise the ride is about the same. As I am not a full timer and driving it frequently, it is rather difficult to make a judgement about the ride and I have only driven it about 25 miles after the installation. For those who said it is a lot of work, it is and it isn't. For the dedicated DIY'er with the right tools it shouldn't be very difficult. It's just a matter of removing and replacing 2 bolts for each shock. Getting to some of those bolts is the problem. If you are a large person that will make it harder. I am 6' 165 lbs. There was reference of 200 ft-lbs of torque for these bolts, they were not that tight. I could loosen all the nuts using an 18" ratchet. None had rusted threads though and I used PB blaster. The nuts are fine thread and self locking, so it takes many turns to get them off and on, and once loose they cannot be turned by hand. Lots of wrenching unless you can use a power tool. Wrench size for both the nut and bolt is 1 1/8". I removed the rear fenders to replace those 4. I think removing the rear wheels would have worked too. The front rear upper bolts are difficult to get to. Removing and replacing the rear fenders was more work (not difficult) than the 4 shocks there. I did not remove the front fenders to change the front shocks. The right front was the easiest to get to, the tie rod and drag link make it difficult for the others. About 4 hours for me for the front 4 as I didn't have any power tools, or a gofer to hand me the tool I forgot before I crawled under the MH.

The rear shocks seemed to be the most worn out and that was where the leaky one was too. They are easier to compress by hand than the front ones. Not sure if that is a way to test shocks, but I am throwing away the rear 4. The front 4 Bilsteins still seem to be good, and maybe that is why I don't notice much difference in the ride. If anyone wants them let me know, they are located in Austin, TX. Used for 65K miles. Free if you come get them.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #57 – November 28, 2010, 09:50:33 am

Nice job Jerry,,,,,,well done!

Mike

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #58 – November 30, 2010, 10:35:07 am

As an after the fact exercise, I did an internet search on how to tell if motorhome shocks need replacing other than the obvious leak, cupped tire wear, etc. Found this statement by Brett Wolfe in an Open Roads forum: "You mention that you do a bounce test on your car's shocks. Same for the motorhome. No, you can't test them by hand, but you can by driving over regular parking lot speed bumps at normal (low) speed. If an axle bounces more than 1.5 times they need replacement." I also found a comment that if most of your driving is on smooth highways, you will probably think you wasted money on the Koni FSD's, however if you drive on bumpy roads you will think they are great. Maybe I need to drive the road into Chaco Canyon again.

The fact that the my old rear shocks had less resistance than the front shocks, falls in line with my theory that equal size parts on the rear axle wear out before equal size parts on the front axle, due to more weight on the rear axle. (brake pads, rotors, air bags, shocks)

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #59 – November 30, 2010, 12:42:04 pm

No need for Chaco Canyon here in Southern California. Any CalTrans maintained (?) freeway will do.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #60 – November 30, 2010, 03:25:35 pm

I got mine from Summit Racing last spring for $131 each.

Great timing!
I also replaced them myself, hard work, not recommended unless you're a brute for punishment.
However, I'm glad I did it.

I've got pictures, etc. if anybody is interested.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #61 – November 30, 2010, 04:12:16 pm

Quote from: Harvey Nelson – November 30, 2010, 03:25:35 pm

I got mine from Summit Racing last spring for $131 each. Great timing!
I also replaced them myself, hard work, not recommended unless you're a brute for punishment.
However, I'm glad I did it.

I've got pictures, etc. if anybody is interested.

Can the pics be posted here along with any procedural write up so all can benefit? I know I would like more info. Thank you.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #62 – November 30, 2010, 10:52:09 pm

I've only replaced with Bilsteins so far, so can't comment about the Koni's (I would like to be able to comment on them, though

.)
The Bilsteins are gas-filled and getting them compressed to install the bottom bolt was a pain. I used a band clamp (from Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) to compress the shocks and hold them compressed while I installed the bolts. Also needed to use an air impact wrench on the upper bolts, since access with a ratchet was hard.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #63 – December 01, 2010, 07:16:03 am

Our experience with Konis has been great. In '07 we headed for Newfoundland with a new set of Goodyear tires. By the time we got home to Texas, the front tires were cupped so badly that some cords were beginning to show and the rears were showing just a little cupping. I took the coach to FT to get the front end checked and they said that it was in good condition and near perfect alignment,. The coach was handling poorly (hard to hold in a straight line especially on narrow roads like state highway 21 near Nac). We bought a pair of Michelins for the front at the tire dealer in Nac and drove the 170 miles home. The coach still felt squirrely so I ordered a set of eight Koni FSDs from Summit Racing and had them installed by MOT. This solved my problems completely to my satisfaction. We had about 85k miles on the coach when we left for NFL and nearly 130k now and it handles like it did when it was new and no more tire cupping. Note that our coach is a 34' Foretravel.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #64 – December 01, 2010, 03:16:56 pm

Quote from: Dave Katsuki – November 30, 2010, 10:52:09 pm

I used a band clamp (from Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) to compress the shocks and hold them compressed while I installed the bolts. Also needed to use an air impact wrench on the upper bolts, since access with a ratchet was hard.

Could you compress the new Bilsteins by hand by pushing down on them with the bottom end on the ground? I can do that with the old ones I took off and I am wondering what the difference is with old vs new. The front ones are stronger than the rear ones. The Koni's not being gas filled could be pushed together rather easily, but then extending them took some effort and time. Did make it easy to install as far as lining up the bolt holes.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #65 – December 02, 2010, 01:10:29 pm

I could compress the Bilsteins by pressing them down on the ground, but they were pretty stiff. Impossible to get on without some way to hold them a bit compressed. I'm happy to hear that the Konis don't need that, since they will be the next shocks for the rig.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #66 – December 02, 2010, 06:08:16 pm

Dave, if you installed Bilsteins, I doubt that you will ever need to replace them with anything. I like the Konis but I don't think anything beats Bilsteins. They should be good for the life of the coach if they are anything like their automotive shocks.

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #67 – December 02, 2010, 08:19:38 pm

Kent,

We have Bilsteins on the 1997 U295. I wanted to change them before our December trip, but couldn't get into FOT until January. I think our coach porpoises and rocks too much. I expect the Konis will help. We put them on our previous 1997 37' DP. The new shocks along with Henderson's Motion Control Units for the air bags made a remarkable improvement in that coach. The FT, however, rides better with old shocks than the SOB did after the upgrades.

I have high hopes for improvements from new shocks and a proper all wheel alignment from FOT. We plan to get that work done in January.

Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 10, 2025 ...

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #50 – November 19, 2010, 10:29:03 am

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #51 – November 19, 2010, 11:34:06 am

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #52 – November 19, 2010, 01:13:58 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #53 – November 19, 2010, 03:57:52 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #54 – November 20, 2010, 09:20:42 am

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #55 – November 20, 2010, 09:40:16 am

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #56 – November 28, 2010, 09:31:02 am

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #57 – November 28, 2010, 09:50:33 am

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #58 – November 30, 2010, 10:35:07 am

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #59 – November 30, 2010, 12:42:04 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #60 – November 30, 2010, 03:25:35 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #61 – November 30, 2010, 04:12:16 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #62 – November 30, 2010, 10:52:09 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #63 – December 01, 2010, 07:16:03 am

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #64 – December 01, 2010, 03:16:56 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #65 – December 02, 2010, 01:10:29 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #66 – December 02, 2010, 06:08:16 pm

Re: Koni FSD shocks

Reply #67 – December 02, 2010, 08:19:38 pm

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