jbachert

I intend to redo my suspension with some Vogtland springs and new shocks/struts...any thoughts on the Konis vs the Bilsteins - cost factor aside - I think they are pretty close.

Thanks,
John

OWDLVR2

I had Koni's in my 4kq. Blew out the fronts twice.

Bilstein all the way, they also benefit from bigger diameter shock shafts.

-Dave

YucatanAudi

feel and performance. And that larger shaft is always nice!

mityVR6

For everyday use, however, I would always suggest Bilstein over Koni.

MikekiM@PureMS

Bilsteins and Koni's have lifetime warranties.

Bilsteins are a high pressure monotube design. They have a floater thing on the bottom, that separates the hydraulic oil from the nitrogen gas. Bottoming the shock out will damage this floater.

Koni's use a twin tube design with a foot valve on the bottom. Bottoming the shock out will damage this foot valve as well.

Bumpstops are recommended for all shocks, unless explicitly recommended otherwise from Bilstein/Koni. Each p/n varies.

Both shocks are made with very high quality components inside, stainless materials, shims, etc which make BOTH shocks excellent products worthy to last the life of your car.

Now having said that, the performance you get from both shocks is DIFFERENT. Bilsteins high pressure design caters itself to offering slightly better roll control, at the expense of slight harshness during small piston movements. (Read, street cracks and joints)

Koni's hydraulic low pressure design allows a little more "give" in the shock, and makes it more comfortable on the street. These have adjustable rebound damping as well, to allow you to tailor the shock to match the spring you're using.

Bilsteins high pressure also acts like a secondary spring, which can result in a slightly higher ride height than with other shocks. This is usually pretty minimal, but can be noticeable to some.

They're both very good products and we have no problems recommending both, depending on your preferences.

MasterB

hmm, not sure about that...the shock is inverted which is why the shaft is bigger

MasterB

I haven't had both sets in the car, so I can't really do a head-to-head comparison.

I liked my Koni adj's in the GTI and Corrado... ...can be nicely set 'firm' & 'firmer', not 'harsh'.

I find the Bilsteins to be a bit too 'harsh'... ...also could be the 300/350lb springs

YucatanAudi

My preference is for you continue to provide this great information & clear explanations!! :-)

NoNonsense

hmmm...looks like i got all my info wrong...i'm deleting my post below. =)

tecknoquatt

bilsteins at least the ones i had are more forgiving on the street & Koni's are a firmer ride, but it all depends on your setup. i.e. coilovers, type of spring, spring rates. yadda yadda