Review: Koni Special Actives with OEM springs

[mrmatto]

I`m considering the Koni Special Actives, do I re-use my original OEM springs or replace with new OEM springs?

The originals have done 60K miles.

Originals should be fine.

 

[Group N]

Originals should be fine.

Great, thanks for the confirmation @mrmatto

 

[Pierreoj]

Very nice review @mrmatto

I have experience with the B6 on a different car, and I have installed Special Actives (front only) on my Alltrack.

The B6 have a lot of low speed compression and every imperfection on the road is felt. They also have too much rebound damping and will make the suspension pack down and impact the tire contact on anything but a smooth road. Overall, people will say that the handling “feel” is higher because of the reduced roll and pitching.

The special actives, while more comfortable but maybe less handling “feel”, I would say control the motion better (compliant) and I would be curious if the tire contact is not also increased compared to B6, especially when the roads are not perfect.

It’s nice to have multiple suspension choices to improve the ride and handling. Both are quality dampers and a significant upgrade from stock.

PS: I have not experience with B6 on the Golf.

 

[DerHase]

Between this thread and @xXDavidCXx 's input I just pulled the trigger on these shocks. Hoping they will lose the jittery feeling hopping curbs in the esses at VIR.

 

[mrmatto]

Between this thread and @xXDavidCXx 's input I just pulled the trigger on these shocks. Hoping they will lose the jittery feeling hopping curbs in the esses at VIR.

I forget, are you on stock springs?

 

[DerHase]

I forget, are you on stock springs?

At least for now yes.

 

[DerHase]

To follow up these these things are indeed fantastic. How the car should have been from the factory. The initial review is spot on.

 

[mrmatto]

To follow up these these things are indeed fantastic. How the car should have been from the factory. The initial review is spot on.

Nice! So glad to hear they’re working out so far. I hope they treat you well on the track too.

 

[DerHase]

I can't imagine they won't help. The rear end "shifting" with each hop in the esses is very pronounced and was my #1 gripe with the car. I thought it may have been all the rubber bushings out back, but now I'm sure it was 80-90% the shocks.

This was on stock shocks for reference and what I'm hoping to avoid:

To my untrained ass, they feel like they have:

+ more low speed rebound and maybe more low speed compression (more controlled body motion in transitions and initial turn-in)

+ noticeably less high speed rebound (suspension isn't "jacking down" over the back side of bumps leaving the car to "fall back to earth" undamped)

+ more high speed compression (doesn't feel like hitting a harsh high frequency bump is pushing the tire up into the air anymore)

 

[mrmatto]

Your observation on the rebound characteristics is exactly what Koni told me

And it was a noticeable improvement going over the curbs on the kart track at Daytona last weekend. Didn’t upset the car much. Stayed planted.

No miracles, but a positive difference.

 

[DerHase]

They worked pretty close to a miracle. These things are freaking great. Was able to hit the curbs with a lot more consistency without upsetting the car so easily. Unfortunately no audio because I'm a moron... but plenty of data!

 

[xXDavidCXx]

They worked pretty close to a miracle. These things are freaking great. Was able to hit the curbs with a lot more consistency without upsetting the car so easily. Unfortunately no audio because I'm a moron... but plenty of data!

That's awesome! What's the time delta?

 

[DerHase]

That's awesome! What's the time delta?

Prior best was 2:13.9 for reference.

To be clear other changes were:
- Powerflex offset LCA bushings. Definitely helps in the turns, but not really a factor in the esses.
- Played around with the H&R front sway bar. This is on the stiff setting, previously was on the soft setting. I did a bit of A-B-A testing and ultimately the stiffer setting felt best. My driving was not consistent enough IMO to go by time alone, so I'll have to go through the data.

 

[mpg7]

When I was researching these dampers, I had a hard time finding more than a few GTI owners with this combo. So I want to record information and impressions for posterity in case someone else is interested in this ugprade in the future. TL;DR at the bottom.


BACKGROUND

My car: 2015 GTI S, stage 1 tune, some bars and braces, daily driver, autocross ~8-10x a year, 69k miles.

I was unhappy with the ride quality on the stock suspension, 18's, and summer tires. It transmitted too much harshness and busyness to the cabin, which made it tiring and noisy on casual drives. However, I liked the responsiveness and directness of the setup. The goal was to improve ride quality without killing the handling feel, as part of my Grand Touring build.

Considerations:

• Downsize to 17" wheels — A reasonable option to improve ride quality, but I'm not a fan of the more rubbery feel of the taller sidewalls, and it wouldn't necessarily fix all of my complaints with the suspension. I might still consider this option in the future.
• Bilstein B4 — Way cheaper, but essentially a stock replacement with slightly improved damping. Probably not worth the time and money unless your stockers are toast and you're on a strict budget. No real promise of improved comfort or handling, as far as I can tell.
• Bilstein B6 — Similar price and strongly considered due to their reputation for durability, but I had concerns over them being stiffer than stock. Probably a handling upgrade, but not going to help with ride harsness.
• Koni Sport (adjustable) — More expensive and overkill for my needs. And even at full soft, users tend to agree they’re still pretty stiff.
• Suspension age — At 69k miles, the suspension was starting to show its age with numerous creaks and clunks, so it was due to be taken apart and some parts replaced anyways.

Several forum members here helped me out with their personal experience using these dampers and other spring/damper combinations. Thank you @GTIfan99, @xXDavidCXx, @avenali312, @gixxerfool, @SouthFL_Mk7.5, @tigeo, @Brian_, @jmblur, @Baka, @Royalion, and others for their first-hand experience, advice, and input related to this project.


ABOUT KONI SPECIAL ACTIVES (SA)

SA’s use Koni’s Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) dual-valving technology (in fact, these dampers used to be named FSD). You can read more here. TL;DR: Bumps and rough roads create high frequency movement, and maneuvers like turning and braking create low frequency movement. High Frequency = lower damping, Low Frequency = higher damping. So the dampers promise to smooth out rough roads for improved comfort, but still control large body motions and cornering forces. Because of how the valving works, Koni very strongly recommends not using these with lower or stiffer springs.

SA's fit a bit of a niche need: Someone who wants to keep the stock ride height and appearance, but smooth out daily driving without sacrificing handling. These are a fairly popular upgrade in other communities: Mazda 3, Mini Cooper, and even BMW and Porsche.

It sounds like a tall order to “do it all,” so let's give it a whirl...


SO, DOES IT REALLY WORK?

It does, and I’m seriously impressed.

Small, sharp bumps and road imperfections are noticeably ironed out, and sometimes completely absorbed. This was my main goal and I'm so, so pleased at the outcome. The ride is significantly less busy now. It doesn’t eliminate all bumps, but it soaks up the little stuff and takes the edge off bigger bumps, like someone went out on the road and shaved all the edges and transitions down. Harshness is mostly gone. And where I used to get some jitter and an unsettled feeling from the stock suspension on hard bumps, now it’s just a single event that's very composed and controlled, feeling very planted. So when I’m just cruising around or commuting, the car is so much more enjoyable, calmer, and comfortable. I no longer find myself swerving around rough areas of the road, I don’t cringe when I hit bumps anymore, and it even makes the cabin quieter because fewer big jolts means fewer squeaks and rattles. It really feels like a more expensive car now, and it's a joy.

What about handling? Is it soft now? No!

When I maneuver, the car is actually more taught and flat than stock. These dampers are indeed slightly more damper-y than stock overall. Body motion and weight transfer is slower and more controlled. Less dive under braking is where I notice it the most. And the high frequency stuff still gets soaked up when I'm cornering hard, so the car stays more composed while being pushed, too. I can’t wait to see how it does at autocross.

So far, I don't feel like the SA's are isolating me from the "road feel" too much, which was my main concern with this change. I can still feel enough and I can still tell what my tires are doing.

(Side note: I installed Euro Sport Camber Mounts at the same time as these dampers, so the additional negative camber contributes some turn-in responsiveness and front-end grip. Fantastic upgrade in its own right.)


SUMMARY

I am incredibly pleased with this upgrade and it honestly exceeded my expectations. I wouldn't go so far as to say this upgrade is transformative, but it's definitely more than just a tweak to the car.

TL;DR: Here's how I would summarize the ride: Firm and smooth. Little stuff is soaked up while handling is flatter. Take the pros of a slightly firmer suspension, the pros of a slightly softer suspension, and combine them with none of the cons of either.


PARTS LIST

Here's what I used. These part numbers may change over time, but they're current as of Dec-20. 22.

• Koni Special Active Strut front - 8745-1325 x 2
• Koni Special Active Shock rear - 8245-1327 x 2
• Euro Sport Camber Mount, assembled x 2 (these use OE strut mounts)
• Genuine VW/Audi Strut Bearing - 5Q0412249E x 2
• Sachs OE Rear Shock Mount - 5Q0513353G x 2
• All nuts and bolts removed during installation should be replaced

Hi, How many miles now since the Koni Active(s) install now in 2023 and have they loosened up, stayed the same? How are they holding up? You still on 18" rims? Thanks if you see this.

 

[mrmatto]

Hi, How many miles now since the Koni Active(s) install now in 2023 and have they loosened up, stayed the same? How are they holding up? You still on 18" rims? Thanks if you see this.

~7,100 mi since installation now. They’re still great; perfect for this car. Street tires are 18, track tires are 17.