Koni shocks and Eibach Pro kit springs review
 

I got Koni shocks and Eibach prokit springs installed Pure Automotive yesterday and wanted to post some initial impressions. Couple of things first: I live in baltimore city where the roads suck (why they agreed to have Indy cars and ALMS out here was a minor miracle), I commute mostly highway, this is a daily driver, it's below freezing here and I'm still on summers (cooper rs3-s...they might be ok when it's warm but holy heck are they hard, and loud, get something else)

I don't have pictures, but there are plenty here in the forums for drop height. It's a mild drop, which is exactly what I was looking for. I'm on gold koning daylights (stock size...thanks @Philly758) and it eliminates a good amount of the "dead cat space." No rubbing issues or scraping issues.

The progressive nature of the springs can be felt. It's awesome. Immediately, it's not as "crashy" as the stock springs. Edges feel a bit more rounded. But cornering is much flatter, and you can feel the increased rate in a good way.

The koni shocks feel great! No bounciness, even at full soft settings. Everything feels well damped and just well held together. Brady set it at 1 turn to firm from full soft initially, and this is great for probably 90% of roads. You will notice big bumps more, but everything else is well controlled and comfortable. If you have driven in baltimore city, you know the sorry state of the streets. Here, I tried full soft. Frankly...it's more comfortable than stock. Sure the large bumps can be felt but it's not jarring or "I hope something didn't break."

No truly spirited driving yet, but I have no doubts the handling performance has been increased. Daily driving is more comfortable than stock...I now understand why people say "it's firmer, but more comfortable."

Bottom line: springs look and feel great, koni shocks are functionally awesome and fun.

I also got the whiteline rear subframe bushings...it gives a more direct rear-end feel with no NVH difference.

...wrong forum, but MTEC shifter springs too. More solid shifter feel, subtle difference, but much appreciated over the slightly sloppy stock feel.

Thanks Brady and Matt @Pure Automotive!

Thanks for the quick review. I've got the prokit springs and will eventually get the koni shocks. Still rolling on stock struts.

Great setup been rolling with this setup the past year without any issues. Enjoy.

Good to hear others like the setup as well.

It's been warmer here in Maryland, and I've gotten the chance to really play around with the shock settings over the past few months. My initial impressions still stand, the setup is great for civilized daily duties (passed the wife test...though might be a bit biased, she drives a mazdaspeed 3), but really "supports" you when you are on it. Handling was great stock, but it's spectacular now!

Some thoughts:
Full "soft" is a tad too soft. It's great for commuting and the occasional back road rip, but the car does not feel as "willing" to carve (still feels better than stock).

Quarter turns do more than you think, and the damping adjustment is rebound only...compression does not change, but I feel that it's dialed in correctly.

I have been fluctuating between a quarter turn and a half turn on front and rear. At half a turn the car has a very confidence inspiring neutral feel at steady state cornering, with a slight bit of oversteer (i.e. Fun) at corner exit under power.

I'm now experimenting with softer fronts (quarter turn) and firmer rears (almost half a turn). It's noticeably more tail happy at this setting...not crazy, but it's noticeable. It's fun when you are familiar with the roads you play on. :burnrubber:

Out of curiosity, why did you elect to go this route rather than a set of coils?

Thanks for the review btw

When you come right down to it, this route is basically a set of coils (cost wise and setup...it's a damper and springs). That being said, I did not want or need height adjustability. The adjustable damping seemed like a fun thing to do, especially since you can access the adjustment anytime as opposed to other cars. No top hats or anything needed, the camber bolts give me plenty of camber for daily spirited drives.

But I was mostly swayed by the koni and eibach quality and reputation. They have excellent warranties should any issues arise, and others who have these parts or setup love them. I was not sure if I could get the same out of a set of "budget" (~$1000) coils.

That being said, SPD and ST/KW1s have good reviews here too, for around the same price.

Lastly, with the damper/spring route, YOU determine what is being built. There is a huge variety of springs out there: eibach, swift, RCE, etc. (and in a variety of spring rates and height drops). Then, depending on what you or your budget dictates, you can stick with the stock dampers, or upgrade to some real quality names: koni, bilstein. I just think that's cool!