esanmiguel

Is it a good idea to set Koni shocks at full firm for track use?

alms_TT_ny

my sway bar has a stiffer setting, but I wouldn't change it before a track day. I wouldn't make any changes beyond brake pads and tire pressure before a track event. You want the car to be predictable not surprising imo.

J. Patterson

My rears are set at mid. I never change them due to the necessity to remove them from the car to set. The fronts are of course easy to adjust, but I usually keep them set at mid firm also. Increased rebound firmness at front could result in more understeer. In reality however, I have never felt much difference when I adjust them. Sway bars---- That is a different story. Big difference between settings.
Thanks for posting this . I would have forgotten to put my Koni adjusting **** in the car for this weekend if you hadn't.

J. Patterson

:-) Beat me by minutes. At least we agree.

revisiTTed

I have Koni adjustables and tried this last week just for giggles. Handling is severely sacrificed! For track you should put the rear shocks on full firm first, and then dial in the fronts. Running the rears shocks on the medium setting for street is preffered. Handling is very poor with full stiff setting up front. Handles like an Elk trying to walk on lake ice.

J. Patterson

But your chassis setup advice sounds good. Though I have not noticed a huge difference in fronts at firm as you describe. Perhaps on a bumpy track. Frost heaves?

revisiTTed

when the front shocks are on full firm, the front suspensions wants to wander all over the place. I think it would be much different if the TT had better weight distribution, but being 60/40 or worse, the front end feels like mush when the shocks are cranked full firm. It would make a huge difference to have a shock that were compression and rebound adjustable like teh KW3 shocks or something like it. Rebound adjustment only is useless on the front.

OldSchool AG

I have set my Konis exactly one time... the day I installed them. These guys who are out there in the paddock frantically adjusting their suspensions before a drivers school crack me up!!!

Actually I have a good friend who does that to his 3-series.... camber plates, adjustable shocks.... funny thing was, at Mid-Ohio my bone stock GTI was one second off his car with all those mods and R-compounds. Hilarious.

sccaracer

a couple of them suggested actually unhooking the front sway bar to see if the increased rotation/reduced understeer benefitted lap times. Has anyone tried this? I know it would be preferable to go w/ a stiffer one on the rear but I don't have the luxury of that this weekend at Barber.

Bill/Memphis

J. Patterson

I'll bring it with me and you are welcome to try it, if you want to turn the wrenches. It will definitely make the car rotate more ;-)