UpDate : Koni FSD Shocks

[timmac]

Well after installing my new poly Energy Suspension sway bar bushings I just ordered 4 Koni FSD shocks for my motorhome, my Monroe's are starting to bounce and sway more so I upgraded to Koni's, I hope the $670 investment pays off..

Heard lots of good info on Koni's, I sure hope so, expensive shocks..

:C

[timmac]

Well my chassis is just 20,500 lbs, no tag axle, the standard FSD Koni gold shocks work very well with this weight, I also want to note I have air bags front and rear on my motorhome so I have some adjustment right there.

[Smitty77]

OP - Glad the FSD's helped your ride...

For other's considering shocks. Another way to approach this is to use the FSD's not he Steers, and Koni Adjustable SP3 shocks on the rear.

You feel more road transfer to the front seats from the Steer axle. And having five levels of dampening settings on the Drive (Tag too, if it's a tag coach.) will give you more flexibility on settings. And SP3's were a bit less expensive the last time I looked. If it is for a Diesel Pusher, instead of the Gold FSD's, look at the EVO '99's' - which are also FSD type design, buy much more 'stout/robust'.

Best to all, travel safe, have fun,
Smitty

[timmac]

Just installed Koni shocks and new poly sway bar bushings and went for a long test drive and the difference is much better, sway is much less and overall control is better, the Koni shocks are much better than the Monroe's and the Bilstein shocks.

At 62 mph with a semi passing me for the 1st time the semi did not push my motorhome, stayed right in its lane.

Even when going out my driveway at a angle the motorhome did not rock side to side.

The Bilsteins were to hard for my 20,500 lb chassis and the Monroe's were to weak/soft as to sway and handling and such.

The Konis seem to be right in the middle, not to hard and not to soft and much better control even in the 30 mph wind during my test drive.

Well worth the $670 for shocks and $100 for poly sway bar bushings..

:B

[scbwr]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Koni does make all kinds of shocks, some of which are gas charged. The Koni Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) shocks, which are the title of the posting by the OP is about Koni FSD shocks, which are not gas charged.

Not quite true for all FSD shocks. The Koni shocks for my 2012 F53 Chassis are the 8805 1018 (front) and 8805 1019 (rear). According to the web site, these are FSD shocks and according to the information chart, they are identified as non-adjustable FSD/active and twin tube low pressure.

I'm not being critical of Koni shocks, but there are differences in their shocks for different motorhomes. For those of us with the F53 chassis, the it's difficult to determine whether the Koni shocks perform better than Biltein shocks to justify the added cost. And there are some references that the Bilstein shocks work better for the F53 chassis while the Koni shocks are much better for diesel pushers.

There is a real need for some comprehensive testing to provide consumers with some accurate data as to how shocks perform on a variety of different motorhomes.

[rgatijnet1]

Koni does make all kinds of shocks, some of which are gas charged. The Koni Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) shocks, which are the title of the posting by the OP is about Koni FSD shocks, which are not gas charged.

[scbwr]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I had great results from my Koni FSD shocks. My previous Monroe, and most other shocks, are gas charged which means they are under "compression" when just sitting still and they transfer even the slightest road joint bump in to the chassis.
The Koni FSD shocks are NOT gas charged so they dampen all of the many small bumps that you may receive on an interstate as well as doing a great job of dampening the large bumps. Not being gas charged also means that they are an easy install. I think you will be happy with your results.

Some Koni shocks are gas charged. If you go to the Koni website and look under "frequently asked questions", you can find a link for a chart of specifications for the different Koni shocks:
Koni Shock specifications

[timmac]

I agree with the Bilsteins shocks that ride ruff, 6 years ago I replaced the Bilsteins with Monroes and it did soften the ride but not much help in the sway/ride conrol, so now its time for better shocks and better control, should have them installed by this weekend.

[purplekeenah]

timmac, you'll be a happy guy going with new Koni's! I replaced the Bilsteins that came with my rig after the first 10K miles. The Bilsteins hit hard, the Koni's made a great improvement, especially with bridge transitions and expansion joints in general. Now, after approx. 60K miles on them they're still providing a comfortable ride.
Well worth the investment.

[rgatijnet1]

I had great results from my Koni FSD shocks. My previous Monroe, and most other shocks, are gas charged which means they are under "compression" when just sitting still and they transfer even the slightest road joint bump in to the chassis.
The Koni FSD shocks are NOT gas charged so they dampen all of the many small bumps that you may receive on an interstate as well as doing a great job of dampening the large bumps. Not being gas charged also means that they are an easy install. I think you will be happy with your results.

[FloridaRosebud]

I'm real interested on how this works out for you. I've been thinking of doing the same thing as my Bilsteins ride pretty "stiff". I would like to soften the ride up some so things like expansion joint aren't as jarring.

Al