Tokico D-spec adjustables or Koni yellows?

[Night-Mare]

Considering picking up some shocks and struts and the major choices seem to be between Toliko D-spec adjustables and the Koni yellows. Looking for something I can use as a daily driver and also use for drag and road course when those opportunities comes.

I'll be putting springs on the car, but haven't really decided which route to go. Steeda sports or ultralites are highly recommended, I like h&r sports because of their 1.7"/2.4" drop. I definitely want to eliminate the 4x4 look without sacrificing performance though so the h&r's might be a little much. Also, I don't mind doing steeda hd mounts to correct camber but I don't want to have to worry about having to buy a billion additional suspension adds to accommodate such a large drop. With either o the struts/shocks above combined with either of the steeda springs require anything other than the HD mounts and a panhard bar?

Never lowered a car before and I want to do this right, thanks for the help gents!

 

[grnenvy]

I run the Steeda sport springs and Koni adjustibles.

I had the D specs in my 03 Cobra and I could never get the feel 100%. It was either to harsh or to soft. I believe that shock only ajusts the dampening.

The Koni ajust fully and are direct replacement no need for C/C plates.
The D spec may be better for the 1/4 mile what way are u going with the car?

 

[blackbeast12]

I run steeda sports with tokico d specs. 1 thing the d-spec have is precise ride adjustment meaning 7 turns of 360 degree rotation with the adjustment tool. so if i feel 3 and 1/4 turns is best i can set it. There are no set positions. I'm impressed with my takico's they give me the ride qaulity I was looking for and i didn't have to wait for them like you do for the koni's. Note if you upgrade to steeda springs I highly recommend their heavy duty strut mounts which are much better then gt-500 mounts!!!

 

[65sohc]

I think it's hard to argue against adjustability. The D-specs adjust both compression and rebound. Chances are full soft is softer than the Koni's and full hard is stiffer so there is bound to be a sweet spot in the middle that you would like.

 

[Big Ben]

I can't speak for the D Specs but I recently installed Koni yellows, Steeda sports with GT500 mounts, UPR LCA's and a Steeda rear sway bar. My car is an absolute animal and went from overweight muscle car to Ferrari overnight. I drive with a pretty firm setting as I just love corners and off ramps, and the ride is more than live able. I think either way you will be happy.

 

[Night-Mare]

One thing I notice is that it "seems", based on vendor descriptions, that the Koni's only allow rebound adjustment, whereas the Tokico's allow both rebound and compression adjustment.

It seems that it would be fairly burdensome to have to send the Koni's in to have them rebuilt and revalved, but in reality would it ever be necessary? What happens when a Tokico goes bad? Warranty aside, I guess i would have to purchase a new one and perhaps the Koni could just be rebuilt?

I have to admit that I am pretty new to this suspension stuff but I want to do it right first time out the gate and not have to waste any money down the road.

Primarily the car is a DD, but the ring is just a hop/jump/skip away and I will most likely frequent it once I have the car dialed in. Car will also see some drag and I have been wanting to get into autox, so I want a pretty versatile setup.

It does seem the Steeda Sport springs are working very well for folks, so I am really starting to lean that way. BigBen, your car has a really nice stance to it. Sport springs only call for a 1" front and 1.25" rear drop, is the additional lowering you are seeing due to the shocks/struts?

If the Koni's are direct bolt-on's that no longer require the gt500 style mounts, my guess is that I would then need caster/camber plates. If I go with the Tokico's I would get the HD mounts which will allow me to correct camber.

If I go with either of these shocks or struts with the sport springs, is there anything additional that I will need to purchase to do this correctly? Is drive line geometry a concern? I know I will need a panhard bar or a watts, but anything aside from that?

Thanks for your feedback folks.

 

[Big Ben]

I used to have the Steeda Ultra Lites which are supposed to sit lower than the Steeda Sports. They were nice riding springs but the fronts were a little bouncy to me. My buddy switched out his Koni's and Sports to my car as he was trading it and my car actually sits lower now. I would put the drop at about 1.5-1.75 now. I have had Koni Yellows on a previous ride and when set to firm the car would sit lower which is definitely my case. My buddy with this exact setup won two autocross championships so I'm quite confident in this setup. Driving it any speed is an absolute thrill. Next few weeks I will have some new sticky tires and I will loosen them up and see how much better it hooks. I am sure she will transfer very well.

I believe Koni's are a step up from the Tokicos and carry a better warranty. However I still think the D Specs are a great option.

 

[Night-Mare]

Thanks or the informative response bigben. I'm glad to know that the drop actually increases with the addition of struts. From your signature pic, it looks to be perfect in my eyes. Handling is the main concern, but drivability and aesthetics are too! Looks like either way I can go wrong, strano won a bunch of championships on the tokicos and your buddy won some on koni's. Strano's website also states the koni yellows are the "best shock for performance and lowering setups.". Your probably right on key with the koni's being a step up but I'm sure I would be completely satisfied with either. It's only another $100, so I think I've settled on the yellows. And sport springs with all the positive feedback I've recieved.

So here's another question, if the koni's are a direct replacement, do I need to worry about a panhard bar? What about caster/camber plates? From what I gather I shouldn't need relocation brackets, right?

This suspension stuff gets more and more complicated.

 

[Night-Mare]

Apparently steeda doesn't ship to APO based on their website

 

[blackbeast12]

no need for adjustable panhard bar with steeda sports!!!!

 

[Big Ben]

Thanks or the informative response bigben. I'm glad to know that the drop actually increases with the addition of struts. From your signature pic, it looks to be perfect in my eyes. Handling is the main concern, but drivability and aesthetics are too! Looks like either way I can go wrong, strano won a bunch of championships on the tokicos and your buddy won some on koni's. Strano's website also states the koni yellows are the "best shock for performance and lowering setups.". Your probably right on key with the koni's being a step up but I'm sure I would be completely satisfied with either. It's only another $100, so I think I've settled on the yellows. And sport springs with all the positive feedback I've recieved.

So here's another question, if the koni's are a direct replacement, do I need to worry about a panhard bar? What about caster/camber plates? From what I gather I shouldn't need relocation brackets, right?

This suspension stuff gets more and more complicated.

Glad to help! You need at least GT500 mounts and there are others that allow a little more alignment adjustability. You will love the Koni's and my buddy said he chose those as he prefers how they adjust. My rear Steeda sway has its own HD brackets. As far as a panhard when I only had ultra Lites I did not need one but I switched to the setup now it seems I need one. My axle seems to shift as my new 305 series tires stick out on one side more than the other. I will be adding one next week I think. As far as shipping check some eBay sellers?