How are Koni's for RallyX?

[Mobutusan]

I just got my hands on a set of Koni's and I'm expecting great things on the street, but how are they for RallyX? That's about as far as I want to go off-road, realistically. I was reading about some people saying they shouldn't be used for that, that they break, leak, can't handle the abuse, etc. Does anyone here have any real world experience with Koni's in the dirt?

TIA :waving:

[MBasile]

I think a lot of it depends on teh springs you have on them. If you have really low springs on them, youre going ot want to be careful about setting them to their softest settings. Not so low springs and you should be able to set them pretty soft (supposedly softer is better for rally-x because it'll absorb the bumps instead of sending you flying off of them) Did you get the ones off of i-club?

[Mobutusan]

I got these off of WRXclub with some blue Prodrive lowering springs which I think have around 25% higher spring rates than stock. I'm not too worried about the ride height, because I've done two RallyX's on my current stock strut/Tein H-Tech spring setup, and was okay, but a bit bouncy, pogo-stickey at times. I'm thinking the Koni/Prodrive setup should put me at the same or slightly higher ride height than my current setup, but I'm not sure how stiff or soft to set the struts, or if I can trust them to hold up out there. I really hope they work, because I love to RallyX.

[Mobutusan]

Anybody else have any experience with these or other input?

[Jard]

I have seen a few sets that have been broken just from tarmac driving. I wouldn't run them for rally-x.

Also, the Prodrives are barely stiffer than stock springs and a lot lower, again not great for rally-x.

[BlackParis]

OKI...

NOT SUBARU-Koni experience..

But My dad put Konis on His SER- Spec-v I absolutely LOVE what they did for his car in the dirt... His OEM shocks were better for pavement, than the konis, he is however using stock springs, so That could Be the problem...

[williaty]

Several Impreza owners have had the Koni inserts fail during morning session of their first RX. Koni themselves say the dampers will not tolerate repeated, full-travel (read big bump) cycling of the piston.

Konis FTL, sadly, for offroad. That's why I went with the D-Specs.

[Mobutusan]

Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, that confirms what I already suspected. I guess the damping is not geared for the off-road scene, but I absolutely LOVE these things on the street. It kind of kills me that I won't be able to use these in the dirt, but I certainly don't want to destroy them. :(

And the drop of the Prodrive springs is actually pretty moderate. I still have ~1.5 fingers of fender gap. A lot more than the Tein H-Techs I ran with my stock struts, which were much lower, but still enough clearance for RallyX.

I guess I could throw some stockers on again, (maybe STI takeoffs? Opinions?) and run those for "rally season" since I have lifetime alignments at Firestone. Even though that would be a lot of work for probably only 3-4 days max, that I would actually get to race, it would probably be worth it to me even if I only got one day of rallying. It's just sooo ding dang diddley doodley fun. :D

Or go with something else, like Tokico's? I don't know much about these, and it seems like you guys think they are a good choice for rallyX, but how are they on the street? I like the spring/strut setup, and now I'm spoiled with Koni's adjustable damping. Maybe a good all around coilover eventually?

[williaty]

If you're going to mix street and gravel/dirt, the Tokico D-Specs are definitely the best choice. They have as large of an overall damping range as the Konis do and as good of valving in the low-speed region (which is where chassis control comes from). The high-speed valving ("feel" of the ride) is different between the D-Specs and the Konis, so an individual might prefer one or the other.

The major drawback to the D-Specs occurs only if you're a 04+ wagon owner, in that they're sedan-specific whereas the Konis fit into your stock struts. That being said, I run them on my 05 Wagon and love them. Believe me, if I haven't broken one, you're not going to.

[Mobutusan]

That's some good info. Those are looking like a pretty good option. As far as fitment, I'm running Koni yellows in '03 sedan housings on my '04 wagon with extra camber bolts front and rear, and it works great. When I set my bolts for max camber before getting it aligned the first time, I had about -2* of camber for the front wheels which was backed off to about -1.3* If the Tokico's fit the same way as the stock '03 struts, I shouldn't have a problem.

Anyone running D-Specs with Prodrive springs, or similar springs? I'd like to keep the springs.

Williaty, which model year setup are you running on your wagon? '04 and '05 wagons had the same stock suspension setup, right?

[williaty]

04-07 have the same setup.

I've got D-specs, which are 02-03 sedan fitment. So I've got the Scooby921 Spacers to make them work with 04-07 springs and top hats.

Current car setup is:
2005 Impreza 2.5RS Wagon in Regal Blue Pearl
Basic Suspension: USDM STi Springs, Tokico D-Specs, PolTec Heavy-Duty Endlinks, Whiteline 22mm Adj RSB, Whiteline QR Rear STB, GT-Spec ALK, Whiteline Max-C Motorsport camber plates
Bushings: Full STi Group N Lateral Link, Trailing Link, and Rear Strut Mount Set, Kartboy Tranny Crossmember, TiC Comfort Rear Diff, Whiteline Steering Rack, Interestingly Hacked Outrigger Bushings
Brakes: OEM blank rotors, Carbotech Bobcat Pads, TechnaFit Stainless Steel Brake Lines, ATE Superblue Racing Brake Fluid
Competition: Primitive Racing 3/16ths Front Skidplate and Rear Diff Protector, Alfa Club Rally Odometer/Chronometer
Powertrain: Stromung SS 2.25" Midpipe, DIY Catch Can, Group A Performance Lightweight Crank Pulley, Hybrid Silentake, Group A Performance Throttle Body Spacer, RomRaided
Electronics: Hawker Odyssey PC-680MJT Battery, Hella Rallye 1000 FF Driving Lights and Micro DE Fog Lights, Rear Deck Light Addition, Map Light Addition, Hella Supertones, Innovate Motorsports LC-1 WBO2 w/ LED Gauge
Rolly Bits: Summer-16" OEM wheels in Falken FK452s | Winter-16" OEM Wheels in Hankook Icebear W300s
Body: Front Grille Center Pillar Delete, DIY Big Assed d@mn Serious Rally Style Mudflaps, Obsessive Amounts of RAAMmat and Ensolite
ICE: Pioneer DEH-3900MP, Pioneer CD-IB100II iPod Controller, Pioneer TS-D161R 6-1/2" Kevlar 2-Ways
Interior: DIY Hypoallergenic Cabin Air Filter, GC-Lock, S204ed Center Console