Very happy with Koni STR.T's

[Scoobmaster]

I don't know about the fronts (I only ordered rears and am going to try just changing them and keeping stock front struts for now), but the rear STR.T is 8050 1130. Most websites that sell them will post a description that says "excluding ST" but I called and confirmed with Koni directly that for the rear the 8050 1130 will fit and work fine on our STs (there is no other ST only rear STR.T shock)

Mine just arrived via UPS today. I hope to get them on in the next few days.

 

[MichiganST]

Can someone list the part numbers for the STR.Ts, fronts and rears, for the ST (mine's 2016, but I don't think that matters). Thanks!

Fronts are: 8750 1101R (Front Right)/8750 1101L (Front Left)
Rears: 8050 1130 (Common Left/Right)

 

[BobMaxed]

Incorrect - you're not changing the springs which dictate ride height which, when changed, required an alignment.

What you're saying is true. But when you're changing the fronts you're taking out a large part of the suspension. Putting the springs onto a different strut. This is not precision manufacturing where everything is held to .0005 or tighter. There will be small changes to the alignment and they could add up to an alignment problem.

 

[Areku]

My opinion is that as long as the fronts are not leaking or just plain worn out don't change the fronts. But change the backs as soon as you've got enough cash in your car upgrade fund.

Just changed my rear shocks only with koni Str.t and left the front stock for now. I'm happy with the results, ride is much more compliant, definitely worth the money. I would say ride quility is improved by 85% almost rides like our bmw e91 w/ m-sport.

 

[jayrod1980]

Changing the rears, do you give up some handling? I noticed the rough ride from the overdamped suspension, but since replacing stick tires with Firestone Indy 500's in 205/40 17's that the ride is much improved.

Another thread someone stated that the stock suspension was damped for the car with 4 passengers. I would be up to replacing the rear shocks (since it's so easy to do) as long as it doesn't change the handling of the car.

Bounce aside, I love how fun the car is toss around. I don't track but I do love to throw around corners a bit, and the car is much more fun handling wise than my previous 2006 WRX wagon.

 

[Areku]

On street I don't see any difference in corners, maybe on track. I haven't tried this setup on track.

Update: After driving car for couple days, on freeway and some twisty roads, its seems to be very stable and still pretty tossable. But most importantly its much more compliant on my way to work, we got some bad roads in SF.

 

[Kazz]

Fronts are: 8750 1101R (Front Right)/8750 1101L (Front Left)
Rears: 8050 1130 (Common Left/Right)

Thanks! Watching for any other reviewers!

 

[Michaelquerty]

I emailed Tirerack's customer support and they said "We only have the Rear fitment STR.T for your vehicle.The Dampers for the front of your vehicle that are compatible are:FORD BILSTEIN OE B4 STR FL EA "

I assumed the 8750 1101R/ 8750 1101L are made as an upgrade for the Regular Fiesta, so I checked the Koni site and that part # is listed to fit "10-16 Fiesta excl. ST model - STR.T- Street (Orange)"

Are these the front shocks that require a zip tie to make them work with the ST because they are not specifically designed for it?

 

[Kazz]

I believe that is the case. If someone would follow up with Koni directly, many would appreciate it. I'm running STR.Ts in the rear and am very happy with the change. When the fronts go or I decide I want to make the change, I understood the B6s were what we needed, not B4s?

 

[jayrod1980]

So now I'm confused... are the rear dampers made for the ST or not?

 

[jcooley3]

I installed STR.T's on just the rear (side note: bought them from Whoosh and I have nothing but good things to say about the purchasing experience).

I'll refrain from writing a long review and just list positives and negatives.

+
Softer, more compliant ride
Inexpensive, easy to install
Quiet (no noises, unexpected or otherwise)
The car remains chuckable, with high handling limits

-
Turn in is not as sharp, softens feel
Seems to squat more under hard acceleration (could be psychological as I am more focused on the rear after changing parts back there)
A tad more body roll (minimal)
Feels less willing to rotate - requires more steering angle. Kinda loses a little of that "rotate-y, how did Ford make a FWD car able to do this" feeling.


Overall, I'm happy with them. They may be a bit too soft for me, but I think I'll appreciate them on longer trips than just to and from work.

 

[ron@whoosh]

FYI yall, I'm priced the same as Tire Rack when you use the forum discount FIST5 on these Koni STR.T's
Not too shabby considering I'm not Tire Rack in size

Plus my shipping is a little cheaper, they charge at least $25
Anyway, I've sent out a few sets of the rear shocks this week. Plenty in stock if anyone is interested.

 

[Michaelquerty]

I installed STR.T's on just the rear (side note: bought them from Whoosh and I have nothing but good things to say about the purchasing experience).

I'll refrain from writing a long review and just list positives and negatives.

+
Softer, more compliant ride
Inexpensive, easy to install
Quiet (no noises, unexpected or otherwise)
The car remains chuckable, with high handling limits

-
Turn in is not as sharp, softens feel
Seems to squat more under hard acceleration (could be psychological as I am more focused on the rear after changing parts back there)
A tad more body roll (minimal)
Feels less willing to rotate - requires more steering angle. Kinda loses a little of that "rotate-y, how did Ford make a FWD car able to do this" feeling.


Overall, I'm happy with them. They may be a bit too soft for me, but I think I'll appreciate them on longer trips than just to and from work.

I have to agree with this review for the most part and add this, I was thinking about getting rid of my ST because after 2-1/2 years the ride was getting a bit much for the roads around here. I now think I will keep this car for at least another few years and it's insanely cheap at $120 bucks or so for the pair and the install is easy. If you can do a standard brake job, then you can change out the rear shocks.

The handling isn't quite as good as stock, but the ride quality increase made it worth it. If the stock ride, on a scale of 1-10, was about a 3 then the ride after is a solid 5. The bounciness is all but gone and I can actually place my head against the headrest without it bouncing off when I hit a bump. It was a great mod for me!

 

[Turbo65]

I have to agree with this review for the most part and add this, I was thinking about getting rid of my ST because after 2-1/2 years the ride was getting a bit much for the roads around here. I now think I will keep this car for at least another few years and it's insanely cheap at $120 bucks or so for the pair and the install is easy. If you can do a standard brake job, then you can change out the rear shocks.

The handling isn't quite as good as stock, but the ride quality increase made it worth it. If the stock ride, on a scale of 1-10, was about a 3 then the ride after is a solid 5. The bounciness is all but gone and I can actually place my head against the headrest without it bouncing off when I hit a bump. It was a great mod for me!

What springs are you using?

 

[Areku]

What springs are you using?

I’m on stock springs, i was under impression they work better with stock springs.

 

[Chops]

Are any of you running lowering springs with the STR.T's? I'm on Cobb springs with stock struts and love the ride height but I'd like to delete the bouncy ride, especially in the rear without sacrificing quick turn in / cornering...

 

[PIPLUP]

I'm thinking of running the Koni srt.t struts in the front and shocks rear with eibach pro kit springs from Whoosh.

 

[JewFro]

I'm thinking of running the Koni srt.t struts in the front and shocks rear with eibach pro kit springs from Whoosh.

Did you ever do this?

These seem like the best bet if you stick with stock springs but one user in the other STR.T thread switched to Koni Yellows due to hitting the bump stops with STR.Ts + Cobb springs.

 

[Iustabfast]

I'm getting ready to buy a set too. It's my daily driver, and Ca. roads are like a 3rd world country's, plus I'm old.
Everything I've read is telling me these are what I'm looking for.
I've installed a Eibach rear sway bar which I hope will make up for the softer shocks around corners, reducing body roll.

 

[neeqness]

I may have posted this before somewhere but I have both the Eibach and the Str.Ts and while I do like the drop and both parts when used separately, they have problems when used together.

First, they were both designed to be ran with their oem counterparts (Eibach springs&oem shocks/Str.Ts&oem springs) - each of their sites admit this. Secondly, neither works well as a substitute for the other - Eibach springs are progressive and somewhat softer than oem springs. Str.Ts are somewhat softer than oem shocks. The two together are just too soft and loose overall and make for a somewhat bouncy wobbly ride which is especially noticeable in bumpy areas and on freeways. (Ask me how I know this, lol.)

Now the Eibach springs alone with oem shocks is a significant improvement to the oem suspension. Not only does it have a slightly smoother ride but you will also notice some performance improvement. If on pristine roads, this is my favorite combination overall as I didn't really notice any downsides in that environment (and let's not forget the nice drop!). However, if the roads in your area are anything less than nearly pristine and the bumpiness is a problem to you, this setup will get old fast.

Not willing to give up there though as I really liked the drop, I also tried mixing them a bit by using Eibach springs all around for the drop with oem shocks in front and Str.Ts on rear. This actually wasn't too bad of a combination and at first I really liked it and ran it for a few months. However, there is a squirrely motion I noticed from the rear mainly at highway speeds if the highway had any bumps in it. At first, I think I kind of ignored it because it is somewhat subtle and the improvement overall was so significant otherwise that I was just happy with the improvement and I really didn't notice or care too much at first. But as I got used to the ride overall and how the car was moving along, the squirreliness started becoming more apparent until I just couldn't ignore it anymore.

Ultimately due to the horrible roads in my area, I ended up using the Str.Ts with oem springs. I miss the drop - this car looks awesome dropped - but eventually the ride and peace of mind won. Besides that squirrely motion just didn't seem natural and had me worried that it might cause some other problem later down the road.

Just to clarify in case someone decides to try it out anyway - this squirrely motion was not really noticeable on the street. Even on the freeway it was hardly noticeable unless traveling around or slightly above highway speed limits (oops) and hitting some bumps (it doesn't take much though at this point so I probably should call them lumps, lol). Which is probably also one of the reasons why it took me so long to finally acknowledge it and change it but a fairly high percentage of my mileage is done on the freeway (and there was no way that I was going to be cruising below the speed limits in the slow lanes all the time) so MAYBE for someone else this might be a non-issue...

[MENTION=4643]Chops[/MENTION] [MENTION=7118]PIPLUP[/MENTION] [MENTION=8409]JewFro[/MENTION]

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk