Koni STR.T Dirty Review

[Hijinx]

So, over the last few days I've done many things with my Fiesta. One of those things include upgrading from the stock struts/shocks to Koni STR.T. Allow me to preface this: I chose STR.T (orange) over Sports (yellow) simply because I don't require the range of tunability they give. I feel that a lot of us who primarly DD this car won't need Sports, especially from the financial factor. Keep in mind that I'm not an expert, but I am an enthusiast and I like to think I know what I expect from my car. So, as with anything in this life, take this with a grain of salt.

Now, to begin I'd like to quote user mpfannen (original link from the .org:

Hi everyone, I'm a new member/old lurker and owner of a Fiesta ST (FiST). Quickly to the point, I have been working with Koni NA to develop a set of shocks for the FiST as I like playing/Tuning/Racing many of my cars. I felt the stock suspension is great on the car but not a fan of the unstable rear end on course or when driving to the limit. Long story short, I wanted to start working on a proper suspension design without going all out on high end shocks as with my other cars. We started with fitting the STR.Ts (Streets) and moved on the the Sports (aka Yellows, Single Adjustables, Etc) which just arrived for some beta testing! Koni had my car to test for a week and came up with some interesting findings Here are some notes from the development to date...


-Both struts are different lengths than the regular fiesta, so different lengths/customizing the existing Fiesta shocks were necessary but "may not be needed."
-Bump/Compression (Low Speed) of the OEM Fiesta ST shocks was approx 4x that of the STRTs and over dampened according to the techs at Koni.
...I complained of a lack of grip from the rear of the car when making fast transitions and they said this helped with overall grip.
-Rebound (Low Speed) is much higher in the STRTs, but I didn't get an exact amount. Konis tradition of lower compression and higher rebound out of the Sports have helped my cars handling in the past, and I generally tune much more with rebound > compression anyways.
-The weight/bracket added to the OEM strut, weighing approx 1 lb is not included. This is also found on the Focus ST. Koni believes this is Ford's attempt to correct some brake noise, acting like a counter balance weight, but didn't cause any issues with it gone during testing.
-Ride quality is much better despite the higher rebound and lower compression.
-The rears are plug & play to the stock Fiesta Koni units.
-The fronts have no mass damper (like the ST OEs and all other Fiestas with 17" wheels)
-The ABS bracket is different (see picture) and requires a zip tie or custom bracket to hold the ABS line in place.
-The elimination of the ABS bracket and mass dampening weight is the only reason Koni may decide to not list the ST as an official application since brakes are a safety device and thus create a potential litigation risk is anything is altered from stock system.

My plans with the FiST is to continue using it as a daily driver and occasional track day/hpde/autocross when my other cars are not in competition. I feel the car is too nice of a commuter to take development any further, and ride quality will be compromised after going any stiffer, whether by shock tuning, springs, bars, or mounts, etc. I'm not acting as an official or giving any official statements from Koni, but sharing the info given to me that Im allowed to pass on. At this time, Koni plans/planed to release the STRTs and single adjustable sports for the regular Fiesta, but not for the ST. However, the valving may end up slightly different and these Sports/Yellows and STRTs should also end up working on the STs. Once I have the opportunity to switch out my STRTs with the Sports, I will do a side by side comparison with pictures and measurements and include the OEM struts/shocks.

This is the information I read that lead to my ultimate decision to choose upgrading struts/shocks instead of coilovers. But, I already had it made up in my mind that I wasn't going to lower the car. Had Koni or any others not developed anything, I would have gotten coilovers and set them as high as possible. The slammed life I lived with my Genesis Coupe left a bad taste in my mouth. Anyway, mpfannen's input is very relevant. The only point I have to add is that it would seem that Koni has changed the formula a bit as my STR.Ts have the ABS bracket, and no zip ties were needed.

For my personal impressions:

Pros:

• Easy install (not quite related to the Konis, but slightly relevant).
• Ride comfort improved over OEM at all speeds.
• More connected sensation with the road.
• Apparent reduction in body roll.
• Awesome color.

Cons:

• Have to buy them.

Tips&Tricks:
When doing the rears, do one side at a time. You'll thank me because it's not IRS.

 

[Tex ST-AR]

"The only point I have to add is that it would seem that Koni has changed the formula a bit as my STR.Ts have the ABS bracket, and no zip ties were needed."

Sorry if this is a stupid question has Koni officially listed these as fitting/compatible with the ST and if so what are the part numbers? Where did you buy them? Thanks

 

[MOFiST]

So tempted now. I'm in the same boat as yourself though I may lower in the future. Irrespective of that the struts are way too bouncy (over compression?) for my tastes. I understand it's an area Ford could save money on so they did. Dialing in extra rebound like Koni have done makes sense.

Could you share where you bought these?

 

[Hijinx]

"The only point I have to add is that it would seem that Koni has changed the formula a bit as my STR.Ts have the ABS bracket, and no zip ties were needed."

Sorry if this is a stupid question has Koni officially listed these as fitting/compatible with the ST and if so what are the part numbers? Where did you buy them? Thanks

No worries! I don't think the fronts are listed as ST specific, however they are compatible. They just don't have the bracket to mount the counter-weight damper unit. I've not noticed any negative affects from missing it, and it's not connected to the car itself by electronics or any means from what I can tell.

I ordered them from Panda Motorworks! They aren't listed on the site, but you can email them. These are the part numbers: 8750 1101R (Front Right), 8750 1101L (Front Left), 8050 1130 (Rears are the same).

 

[lukits01]

No worries! I don't think the fronts are listed as ST specific, however they are compatible. They just don't have the bracket to mount the counter-weight damper unit. I've not noticed any negative affects from missing it, and it's not connected to the car itself by electronics or any means from what I can tell.

I ordered them from Panda Motorworks! They aren't listed on the site, but you can email them. These are the part numbers: 8750 1101R (Front Right), 8750 1101L (Front Left), 8050 1130 (Rears are the same).

I can corroborate those part numbers, these were the ones listed for the normal Fiesta & Mazda 2.
I've had the Koni STR.T (Orange) on my 3-door Fiesta ST for a little over a year now and have never regretted them.
The ride quality is so much better than stock. I've kept the stock springs, so the ride height is unchanged.

I found the hole on the shocks to secure the ABS cable was a different shape to the plastic fixings that were on the ABS cable, hence the zip ties.
Not sure if yours were actually different, I'm sure there's different ways to secure the ABS cable.

 

[Hijinx]

I can corroborate those part numbers, these were the ones listed for the normal Fiesta & Mazda 2.
I've had the Koni STR.T (Orange) on my 3-door Fiesta ST for a little over a year now and have never regretted them.
The ride quality is so much better than stock. I've kept the stock springs, so the ride height is unchanged.

I found the hole on the shocks to secure the ABS cable was a different shape to the plastic fixings that were on the ABS cable, hence the zip ties.
Not sure if yours were actually different, I'm sure there's different ways to secure the ABS cable.

Lukits01, my rubber grommets slide right into the bracket perfectly. It doesn't have that zip tie slot, though. Just the hole. It seems unnecessary. If that's what the "problem" is, then I consider it moot. I have to go back under the car soon to re-torque things down, so I'll snap a couple pictures.

 

[lukits01]

Lukits01, my rubber grommets slide right into the bracket perfectly. It doesn't have that zip tie slot, though. Just the hole. It seems unnecessary. If that's what the "problem" is, then I consider it moot. I have to go back under the car soon to re-torque things down, so I'll snap a couple pictures.

Ahh, then it's the same, yes the rubber grommets fit fine, I was talking about the zip tie slot.
I've attached the pictures from my install, and the grey zip tie in question if anyone is curious.
Personally I didn't think it was a problem either.

 

[Hijinx]

Yep, that's it exactly.

 

[GreGGo]

Do you have any clunking noises coming from the rear of your car? I've got the same struts, and get a clunk going over speed bumps and my driveway as well as some low speed bumps and dips.

 

[stuntdoogie]

Do you have any clunking noises coming from the rear of your car? I've got the same struts, and get a clunk going over speed bumps and my driveway as well as some low speed bumps and dips.

I get the same clunk noise with my bc coilovers in the rear. Trying to figure out what it is till this day.

 

[Hijinx]

No. Nothing that wasn't there before.

I've got a couple hundred miles on them now, and they've gotten more comfortable while still outperforming the stock struts. What I mean is that these struts allow the tires to stay on ground through bumpy turns; the car doesn't want to hop or skip.

 

[GreGGo]

It could be my springs then. I may swap to Eibachs. Something a little less aggressive.

 

[MOFiST]

Must resist.. Lol. For me it's a toss up between these and bc coils. Anyway for guys with with clunk could it be worth going over and re torquing all related components (including strut tower mounts) down again but make sure they're done on the ground ie pre loaded. Also chuck some lube on the sway bar bushings.

 

[CSM]

Do these offer a pretty substantial increase in performance vs. OEM? I've had Koni Sports in the past and LOVED them, but I don't want to have to take off the rears every time I want to adjust them. My FiST may see only a handful of autox events every year.

 

[Hijinx]

Do these offer a pretty substantial increase in performance vs. OEM? I've had Koni Sports in the past and LOVED them, but I don't want to have to take off the rears every time I want to adjust them. My FiST may see only a handful of autox events every year.

I wouldn't say "pretty substantial" in performance. But they do offer an increase in both performance and comfort. As such, you have to realize that there is a trade off. It's a favorable one, though, being that the trade off coming from OEM is slightly increased performance AND greatly increased comfort.

 

[CSM]

I wouldn't say "pretty substantial" in performance. But they do offer an increase in both performance and comfort. As such, you have to realize that there is a trade off. It's a favorable one, though, being that the trade off coming from OEM is slightly increased performance AND greatly increased comfort.

Great! Thanks for the input. I think I may end up going for these at some point in the near future

 

[Brick]

[MENTION=759]Hijinx[/MENTION] now that it has been a couple months.... still happy? Wish you would have done anything different?

 

[Hijinx]

[MENTION=759]Hijinx[/MENTION] now that it has been a couple months.... still happy? Wish you would have done anything different?

Aside from custom springs, I have no regrets. The front end a little soft compared to the rear, but overall the ride is great.

 

[shouldbeasy]

Good to hear, my shocks should be installed mid July at the latest. Can't wait.

 

[stuntdoogie]

Good to hear, my shocks should be installed mid July at the latest. Can't wait.

So how you like?