Koni Yellow w/Stock vs 2017+ Suspension

[tuna]

I recently acquired a 2014 BRZ and would like to upgrade the struts as they are a little tired with 189k miles.

Anyone have experience with Koni Yellows and 2017 Stock BRZ suspension? What are pros and cons to either?

[2.2Lude]

No experience with Koni's on this platform but I put 2017 PP Sachs(yellow label) + TRD springs on my 2014 BRZ about 500 miles ago. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[tuna]

How did the car feel in terms of comfort and balance?

[Muskoka800]

I ran Koni Yellows, TRD springs, and a 17+ rear sway bar and for considerable DD mileage and lapping. Ride was totally acceptable and handling was much improved over stock. Ride height looks great too!
Eventually sold off that gear and moved to my current sweet Ohlin/Hotchkis set-up. In both cases having adjustable damping is the key to frequent street and track smiles.

[2.2Lude]

Originally Posted by tuna

How did the car feel in terms of comfort and balance?

Comfort is surprisingly very good. Full set up listed below. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since the set up is essentially using OEM shocks and springs. For reference I very much prefer a compliant ride vs a stiff one + softer springs rates with matched valving.

After reading up on the PP Sachs and TRD springs a lot of users reported the ride was stiff and bounced off irregularities on the pavement. I can say for certain this has not been my experience. In fact, while this combo is marginally stiffer than the OEM 2014 set up it is simultaneously more compliant in its valving paired with the TRD springs. The Sachs and TRD spring combo is a major OEM winner in my book.

For additional reference, it easily passed the wife test. She said it rides better than the original stuff with its 94k miles.

I can comment more on the balance once I hit the track in April as I don't push my cars on the street. But road balance so far as been as flat if not flatter then the original suspension.


Set up :

- 2017 PP Sachs(yellow label) with 40k
- TRD Springs
- Pedders Strut mounts
- SPC 81305 Lower Camber bolts
- Lower OEM bolts in the upper position
- Apex ARC8 17x9 +35
- Falken RT615k+ 225/45


Alignment :

-2.8 Front camber
0 Front toe
FR 5.9 Caster
FL 6.7 Caster

-2 rear camber
.03 toe-in/each side

[tuna]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm keen on keeping it daily-able so it sounds like PP struts would be a contender.

[cmiovino]

2017 PP owner here. Autocross a ton and Koni Yellows are a staple for sticking within the street class rules. I opted to keep my Sachs dampers for the last 4 years. One of the reasons I bought the PP was because the dampers were already installed and better than the base stock ones (along with the Brembos). Can't say I really love them. They're not bad, but not great either. People complain they're a bit "crashy" or harsh over certain road surfaces, but I didn't think they were that bad. Just not super ideal for autocross.

My honest opinion are the springs aren't rated high enough for the PP Sachs. Bumping them up would have paired them better. There's almost too much strut-action going on for the low stock spring rate. They'd ride better with 20% stiffer springs.

Between Koni Yellows and them, I'd pick the Koni's hands down. Remember that you have adjustment knobs with the Konis. Valving on the Konis are likely going to better overall and that adjustment allows you to match whatever springs you go with.

The PP Sachs would be good for anyone who's on a budget and can snag them for as low as $200 I sometimes see.

[tuna]

Originally Posted by cmiovino

2017 PP owner here. Autocross a ton and Koni Yellows are a staple for sticking within the street class rules. I opted to keep my Sachs dampers for the last 4 years. One of the reasons I bought the PP was because the dampers were already installed and better than the base stock ones (along with the Brembos). Can't say I really love them. They're not bad, but not great either. People complain they're a bit "crashy" or harsh over certain road surfaces, but I didn't think they were that bad. Just not super ideal for autocross.

My honest opinion are the springs aren't rated high enough for the PP Sachs. Bumping them up would have paired them better. There's almost too much strut-action going on for the low stock spring rate. They'd ride better with 20% stiffer springs.

Between Koni Yellows and them, I'd pick the Koni's hands down. Remember that you have adjustment knobs with the Konis. Valving on the Konis are likely going to better overall and that adjustment allows you to match whatever springs you go with.

The PP Sachs would be good for anyone who's on a budget and can snag them for as low as $200 I sometimes see.

Really helpful. The adjustment is a big plus for sure. I was set on the Konis until I saw YouTuber thetopher had installed 17+ suspension to replace his konis and said that it was perfect.

[x808drifter]

Originally Posted by tuna

Really helpful. The adjustment is a big plus for sure. I was set on the Konis until I saw YouTuber thetopher had installed 17+ suspension to replace his konis and said that it was perfect.

Totaly OT.
Is that the design from the paper cups as your avatar?

[tuna]

Originally Posted by x808drifter

Totaly OT.
Is that the design from the paper cups as your avatar?

Yup. If my car was white …. http://https://spinnywhoosh.com/collections/japanese-car-livery/products/retro-solo-jazz-livery?variant=39602662834254

[2.2Lude]

Originally Posted by cmiovino

My honest opinion are the springs aren't rated high enough for the PP Sachs. Bumping them up would have paired them better. There's almost too much strut-action going on for the low stock spring rate. They'd ride better with 20% stiffer springs.


The PP Sachs would be good for anyone who's on a budget and can snag them for as low as $200 I sometimes see.

That tracks with my experience as well. I haven't looked into how much stiffer the TRD springs are compared to the PP springs but the Sachs valving paired well IMO. I never actually rode on the 2017 PP springs though. We'll see more once I hit some berms on track.

I picked mine up for $250.

[cmiovino]

Originally Posted by 2.2Lude

That tracks with my experience as well. I haven't looked into how much stiffer the TRD springs are compared to the PP springs but the Sachs valving paired well IMO. I never actually rode on the 2017 PP springs though. We'll see more once I hit some berms on track.

I picked mine up for $250.

I've also heard that RCE Yellows pair well with the PP dampers. A guy at semi-local-ish region runs them and they're very usable for autocross. Would probably be near perfect for a street only vehicle.

Spec-wise, these are 250lb even front and rear. Give or take about 20-25% over stock. TRD springs are probably closer to Eibach rates, from what I can gather. Still an increase over stock.

[2.2Lude]

Originally Posted by cmiovino

I've also heard that RCE Yellows pair well with the PP dampers. A guy at semi-local-ish region runs them and they're very usable for autocross. Would probably be near perfect for a street only vehicle.

Spec-wise, these are 250lb even front and rear. Give or take about 20-25% over stock. TRD springs are probably closer to Eibach rates, from what I can gather. Still an increase over stock.

The RCE yellows were actually my preference in spring choice but I wasn't able to find a set when I doing my search and settled for the TRD springs for $100 used.

[overd0sed]

Where can I get RCE Yellows now that they're sold out