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Koni FSD on Mito

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14K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  pereiraruialves 
#1 ·
Hi all

I have a 2009 Mito 1.4 155cv with the Eibach -30mm springs fitted on original shocks. I find it to be too harsh and crashy over potholes and speedbumps.
Well, the car feels very stiff on irregular roads, but in the other end, the shocks seem to be too soft on certain ocasions, causing the suspension to hit bottom and the bumper to scrap..though I still haven't lost the lower lip (so far).

So, for this Christmas, I'm looking for an upgrade on the shocks :)
I've been reading a lot about the Koni FSDs. Specially in the Minis, it seems to turn out great, even with the Eibachs.

I've searched for these in this forum and found nothing. Does anyone have these fitted?
Or for the more experienced people in the matter, could you please help me forming an opinion?
Thank you:)
 
#5 ·
Ahh the Koni Orange. Yes they'll do, as the Koni Yellows.

But what I'm interested in the FSD's is the fact that they can be sportier (hard on turns, with less bodyroll) and yet more confortable than the original suspension.
If I find out that things aren't as Koni claims to be, then I lean myself to some Bilsteins B6
 
#7 · (Edited)
I will have them on my Punto next week so should be able to provide some feedback after a couple of weeks of use, cars are pretty similar so should be useful.

problem is peoples definition of what is acceptable differs though, I found on test drive that the esseesse coped with solid impacts a lot better than my stock Punto despite the esseesse having stiffer springs and bigger wheels, I felt it was great handling kit, good enough to put my money down on it.
 
#9 ·
I'll be using it with lowering springs which are all part of the esseesse kit which will be fitted to my vehicle.

As mentioned I felt the kit handled well despite lowering springs and wheel upgrade from 17 -18" which should impact ride quality.

I don't think you can go wrong with them to be honest even on stock springs, a number of guys have also opted for Bilstien B14 PSS kit and rave about that also, its reportedly a better kit from track handling perspective but whilst I do go on track I also commute 100 miles daily, road comfort is of higher importance to me.
 
#14 · (Edited)
The Abarth 500 owners 'appear' to be using the Koni FSDs on the Abarthisti. Some of them used them on the standard Abarth springs initially and then they seemed to transition to using the red springs - the esseesse ones (they're 10mm lower than the standard Abarth) - which apparently are hard to get - so some used the Eibach ones in place of them. A lot complained that using the lowered springs i.e. the eibach or the 'esseesse' springs without upgrading to better shocks e.g. the Koni FSD gave an unsatisfactory result resulting in poor reviews of the esseesse not riding well and the springs getting 'down ranked'. A few who looked at 'cutting' costs opted for the AVO. The Bilsteins seem to be a better built shock but as mentioned earlier on are more track orientated and IMHO not suitable for road use.
With lowering the Mito do you have to remove or 'shorten' the bump stops ?
There have been reports that the Koni FSDs need to be re-built at 40K. Can anyone confirm if the guarantee on the FSDs is 'life long' and is the guarantee only applicable to the first owner of them ?
 
#11 ·
Sandys how did you go with the Koni's?


I have the exact same setup as the original posted... standard shocks with Eibach 30mm springs.

And.... well the harsh ride is really starting to get to me now as I've been travelling a lot more on very average roads with loads of bumps and potholes. I love my car but the ride is really irritating me now...

Can't raise it, looks far too good lowered :p
 
#17 · (Edited)
Sandys how did you go with the Koni's?
Don't know how Punto SS springs will compare to Eibach but I've got a nicer stance now, it could do with being a bit lower for looks though to be honest, biggest drop came at the rear, probably just over an inch and the front about 10mm (guesstimates, I didn't measure)

Done over 1500 miles on the Konis now, its very interesting, my sports suspension is much more refined than stock, bear in mind I also have bigger wheels and lower profile tyres with the package too which should worsen the ride.

Most of my mileage was done over christmas with the family in the car, not a single complaint on ride quality from the missus despite her having had a major operation and so being quite tender to movements, and she normally asks me to pick her up in the Scenic due to its limo like ride quality.

I ride up and down A and B roads that aren't of the highest quality for work and the car feels a lot less busy, so from a road aspect I am very impressed, of course you can't completely hide the fact its a small sporty car, some of the more viscous speed bumps still feel bad and rear passengers get a bit of a raw deal due to the loss of rear travel from the new springs but generally it has superior ride quality and the Punto was pretty good to start with in my opinion, very refined, so the Konis are doing a grand job on that score.

At the moment with all the family commitments over christmas and commuting miles I've not really put it too the test at the extremes beyond an enthusiastic roundabout so can't really comment with authority on that, I will admit that it feels so compliant, so much softer than I'd expected a modified car to be, that I have reservations that its going to be good on track but that's probably the point of the dual mode damper, much like the QV switchable stuff, two characters to the car, it certainly feels pretty tidy from what I have tried, less roll and a bit more stability under braking, its certainly no worse, the little 1.4 Punto has been a menace on track, terrorising much more powerful machinery :D I'm hoping the lowering and changes to geometry will help to cut some of the push on understeer as the faux e-diff is not much cop really, not able to rely on its response, though my new pads with extra bit might help here.

I will take it on track in the next month or so, need to get the car looked at first as picked up an issue returning from the dealer after fitting, slight vibration at speed when under load that wasn't there when I dropped it off, just not had the time to rectify it.

Abarth 500 users can also fit Konis from the dealer option and by all accounts it makes a harsh ride compliant and much nicer for day to day.
 
#15 ·
As far as I've learned, the QV can be lowered...The sensors and the electronics are on the shocks, not on the springs.
But it will change the cars behaviour, probably not in a good way.

QV owners all say the suspension is really very good, there's no need to change it.
And, I'm not sure, but I think when you set to "D" mode, the suspension lowers a bit.

multispoke:

In North America, Koni offers lifetime warranty on the shocks.
Here in Europe, I'm not sure..I'll ask the dealer.

I've read some people complaining that their FSD didn't last long.
However the shocks were improved a few times by the manufacturer since they got on the market (in 2006 i think).
We'll have to wait and see.

The FSD's aren't repairable.
When you detect that a shock has failed, you need to send it to Koni..they confirm the malfunction and give the money back.
This process may take 2 months so in the meantime you'll have to buy a new shock if you want do ride the car :p

I don't know much about the Abarth 500.
The MiTo is pratically an heritage from the Punto Evo, and the FSD has a very positive feedback on the Evo community, even with the Eibachs.

Mini owners who installed them, are also impressed.

I've received today an e-mail from my dealer...
According to him, there's a delay on the manufacturer and the shocks will only be available by the end of March.

3 months for some shocks?!!!
 
#18 ·
...The FSD's aren't repairable.
When you detect that a shock has failed, you need to send it to Koni..they confirm the malfunction and give the money back.
This process may take 2 months so in the meantime you'll have to buy a new shock if you want do ride the car :p...
Thanks for the update.
Looks like it would be wise to keep the 'old' shock in the unlikely event of the FSD giving trouble.
Very interested to know if the guarantee in Europe is life-long and if it only applicable to the original purchaser of the shock.
 
#22 ·
Fiat 500 1.4, 1.3 Multijet & 1.4 Abarth Koni FSD Damper Kit 2100-4117 Only £552.96

Your first link with dcperformance at £520 seems to be the cheapest. The one above was taken from the AF around 3 weeks ago and the price was £495 on a special but is now showing £553 & it's with DC Performance.:confused:
Prices seem to have gone up since there has been a number of issues with them lasting.
I would be interested in a set if I keep the 155TB.
 
#25 ·
Got them installed a few days ago :)
I haven't tested much, but I went right away to the more degraded roads nearby and what I can say is:

The car is now more solid and, at the same time, softer when absorbing potholes and irregularities in the road.
I have the car lowered with the Eibachs -30mm, so there are no miracles. That means when I find a bigger hole, I can still feel the suspension hitting the end, but nothing like the crash I was used to with the original shocks.

Somehow, the car feels more responsive when accelerating..less nose lifting when pushing the pedal. In curve, the shocks keep the car very balanced, altough I haven't pushed it very much.
In time, I will explore the car with agressiveness to see how it handles.

Need to test it also in higher speeds (in highways, the original shocks were already good enough at moderate speeds).

In the historic/turistic areas that we have in Portugal (specifically Lisbon), the roads are made of sidewalk stones.
Going through these paths with the original shocks, a lowered suspension and 18" wheels isn't easy at all.

Here was my biggest surprise :)
I expected to be better, but I was astonished with the diference! The Mito really absorbs almost all the irregularities in these road. Of course, the car is still stiff - can't change that, the nature of the car wasn't to be a Mercedes. I was amazed, it really does the job. The same in the speedbumps. Goes through them with both firmness and softness. No crashy feeling :D

Still need to test it for a few more weeks to have a solid opinion but, until now, it sounds really good.
It solves the problems I've been complaining about :)
 
#30 ·
Still loving it :)

I have the same opinion as in the beginning. It's not a Mercedes, the ride is firm but it's much much better than the original shocks with the Eibach springs.

Also, the tyre pressure has a big influence with this setup:
2.2 bar - you will feel the comfort.
2.4 bar - you start to feel the stiffness
 
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