KONI Sports for Classic Z's

[Joseph@TheZStore]

Motorsport has joined forces with KONI to create an exciting new product, one of the most requested upgrades for early Z-Cars we've had, to replace (and improve upon) the long-departed Tokico HP & Illumina Adjustable Struts. Completely new, constructed specifically for 70-83 Datsun 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, & 280ZX, these externally-rebound-adjustable, twin-tube low pressure gas-charged KONI Sport (Yellow) Struts are designed for use on both stock & modified street cars, as well as autocross & track day cars. Built to give a good balance of street ride quality and handling at the softer end of the adjustment range, the KONI Sports can easily be tuned up to nearly double the rebound damping force for more aggressive control needs: simply open the hood or rear hatch and turn the KONI adjuster knob. Not only can you tailor the struts to your local road conditions (and to your taste), you can also quickly and easily change the settings for a blast at a weekend autocross or mountain run, then easily re-set them for a relaxed ride home. Whatever suspension behavior you need is literally at your fingertips. Also, if you race on different tracks and race conditions, the adjustable damping gives you an edge in setting up your car specifically for any track or autocross course. Koni believes they will work great with Eibach Springs, and will be fine with even lower springs, as long as a proper bump stop is used. Let us know if you have any questions, James@TheZStore & I will get you an answer.

The first shipment, for 70-8/74 240Z & Early 260Z, is expected to arrive in the U.S. this March. We expect to receive the 9/74-78 Late 260Z & 280Z Struts 3-4 weeks later, and then the 79-83 280ZX Struts/Spring Seats 3-4 weeks after that. To reserve your set from the first shipment, the Pre-Sale is on now at https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic20b04

[jonathanrussell]

@Joseph@TheZStoreThis is awesome news. Have you guys installed in one or more cars and tested on street and track? If so, a write-up by drivers describing the characteristics and other setup elements (which springs, anti-roll bars, etc) would be really helpful. If not, any chance this is being considered?

[rcb280z]

2 hours ago, jonathanrussell said:

@Joseph@TheZStoreThis is awesome news. Have you guys installed in one or more cars and tested on street and track? If so, a write-up by drivers describing the characteristics and other setup elements (which springs, anti-roll bars, etc) would be really helpful. If not, any chance this is being considered?

I went to MSA's website and they are testing now with results coming soon. 

https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic20b04  Click on the "test pilot" page.

Edited February 6, 2019 by rcb280z

[Joseph@TheZStore]

8 hours ago, jonathanrussell said:

@Joseph@TheZStoreThis is awesome news. Have you guys installed in one or more cars and tested on street and track? If so, a write-up by drivers describing the characteristics and other setup elements (which springs, anti-roll bars, etc) would be really helpful. If not, any chance this is being considered?

As rcb280z posted (thank you), yes. Hector Cademartori was the test driver that worked with the KONI engineer on the struts. He has been at Daytona for the races the past week or so, and will soon be picking up where he left off on his report, and filling us in on the rest. When he finishes part two, it will be added here: https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic20b04a

For those not familiar with Hector, or who weren't signed up for the recent Z-Mail, Hector knows what he is talking about. Here is his very cool racing Z "Ferratsun" ?

[Zed Head]

23 hours ago, Joseph@TheZStore said:

Koni believes they will work great with Eibach Springs, and will be fine with even lower springs, as long as a proper bump stop is used. Let us know if you have any questions, James@TheZStore & I will get you an answer.

You should post a link to the instructions so people know what's involved and how they work.  Looks like some special bits involved.

Also, are you selling the "proper" bump stops, or will people have to figure that part out on their own?  I've seen where bump stops come with the Koni strut.  They don't do that anymore?

Nice to see some new options besides KYB and hard-to-get brands.  @James@TheZStore

[jonathanrussell]

@James@TheZStore ..... ZH makes a great point. Koni makes great soft bump stops and it would be fantastic if you guys would sell the model or models that have an inner diameter that fits the shaft best.

[NVZEE]

Since these likely will fill the gap left by NLA Illuminas, an objective comparison of the two would be useful also ?

[26th-Z]

Hey!  I recognize that front end.  I didn't realize Hector had this car.  Nice car.  With respect to the chatter about the Konis, this is a great deal.  IMO, there are shock absorbers and then there are Konis.  As much as I appreciate the comments about Illuminas, they are NLA so that means that there is no comparison.  But that pretty much is how I feel about Konis, and these are the adjustable version.

[Zed Head]

1 hour ago, 26th-Z said:

 As much as I appreciate the comments about Illuminas, they are NLA so that means that there is no comparison.  

That's the "take it or leave it" approach.

Give a good comparison and you'll get more "take it"s than "leave it"s.  Without a comparison, KYB's are a known quantity, the Koni's an unknown quantity.  In today's world it's very possible that these "new" Koni's are just rebranded "other" shocks.  It's the world we live in.  Koni could just be a trademark.  Today's world is littered with old well-known brand names on low quality parts.

The more info supplied the more likely people will make the jump.  Please don't reply with "I can assure you".  Just data, it's all that matters.

Good luck.  They look promising.

[Zed Head]

Here's some good stuff.

http://www.koni.com/en-US/Cars/Technology/Adjustment-Guides/

[ollie]

I'm all over this, thanks for posting.  Externally adjustable front and rear too, that's awesome.  Subscribed.

[Joseph@TheZStore]

Sorry for the slow reply.

As far as these being genuine Koni creations, I can say that about a year ago, Greg started digging through all our suspension parts to find proper strut housings and so forth to ship off to them for the engineers. A year and lots of work later, these are the result, and they were 100% designed and created by Koni to their Sport Yellow spec of struts. Here is the official Koni release: http://www.koni-na.com/en-US/NorthAmerica/News/News-Releases/KONI-Sport-Performance-Dampers-for-Classic-’70-83/.

Don't be surprised if Lee from Koni himself jumps in here at some point. Koni has been absolutely awesome through this process, I think we're all lucky to have Koni wanting to invest in Classic Z's.

As far as the bump stops, by "proper" they basically meant having properly designed and undamaged units, trimmed if needed based on spring height. These units do not come with bump stops. The factory rubber ones are acceptable, and our urethane ones might be the best bet for progressive "bottoming", in addition to the fact that they fit the shaft sleeve diameter perfectly. As far as the Koni "Silastic" Foam Rubber (i.e. Silicone) bump stops, they look like a great progressive option as well. They are not model specific, and may not fit as snugly as our urethane ones (we're going to get some and try, and let you know), but we're looking into offering those as well. Assuming the Amazon seller has the right part pictured, you can see one of those ($26.56 each? Ouch!) here: https://www.amazon.com/Koni-70-34-54-000-0-Bump-Stop/dp/B001G99RKS.

As far as the hardware shown above, the top left is the shaft sleeve. The sleeve fit is perfect. I'll try to find a spring seat if possible and show some of it fit together.

Below that in the image of course is the top locking nut.

On the bottom left of the image is the I-realize-now-I-should-have-exposed-that-in-the-image-better Gland Nut. I'm looking for inexpensive options for tools so you don't have to use a pipe wrench. Will advise.

On the top right of the hardware shown is of course the adjuster knob. Since you get one with each strut, you can loose three of them and still be ok... ?

On the bottom right is their "washer" to go on top of the Gland Nut. It is designed with channels and waves, the purpose being an added layer of protection for the seal underneath, as it will direct away any air pressure when bottoming, or road junk that bounces up there, so it doesn't end up crammed on top of the seal.

We'll work on a digital version of their instruction sheet, but they are a bit generic and have nothing special I can see beyond standard info. Other than the placement of the disc and the Z-specific sleeve (which aren't shown on there anyway), there isn't anything that would surprise anyone who has gone through cartridge install before. They do however have a diagram showing you how to place the adjuster knob in your glovebox...  ?

I'll check with Hector on Illumina's. It won't surprise me if he has experience with them and can offer some comparisons. Stay tuned.

You may have seen it on our website already, but here is a quick illustration of the adjustment: https://youtu.be/HM83qhwRB30

James will be following up if we missed anything. Thanks for the interest!