Koni yellows

[95accord]

hey guys
just wondering, i have koni yellow adjustables. i was wondering if they are height adjustable?? and if so how do you lower or raise? I took off my wheel etc and had a look and it looks like they have little ridges, but there is no thread like coilovers..? any help would be appreciated

cheers

[Mugen Civic]

What car is it for?

Some makes is height adjustable but not fully adjustable like coilovers. They are notches that are abouts 1-1.5" steps. Theres a ring that you slide up or down to choose the notch setting.

[95accord]

its for em1 civic, ive tryed to move them but its really really hard to i think you need a tool or something? i asked a shop and apparently they said that they are only damper adjustable, but the guy before me who owned the civic said he had his car alot lower but raised it for roadworthy etc.

[Mugen Civic]

you need to take off or compress the spring first. I suggest take off the spring.

Take the load off the bottom hat and use flat head screw drivers to unclip the ring and move them up or down.

[dsp26]

koni yellows ARE NOT height adjustable unless you had spring sleeves installed with it (ie ground control)

if the previous owner "raised it" he most likely had lowered springs and changed it back to stock

[vinnY]

yellows are 'height adjustable' in the sense that you move the metal clip and move the spring perch lower so the spring sits lower
so you can lower the height of the car at the expense of shock travel

[EK1.6LCIV]

be careful around the circlips, on some older models the paint will chip from friends past fun with them

[SiReal]

my koni yellows are height adjustable. 1 inch up and down (on my accord konis) , using the circlip and spring perch.

but if u have adjustable sleeves, thats even better.

[dsp26]

i stand corrected... BUT... that function isn't meant for that... not having spring sleeves and using that method to "lower" will lose spring captivity/pre-tension.

VERY dangerous, espesh in the wet... every bump will dynamically shift camber and steer your car....

[SiReal]

well i've had it on the lowest for aroudn 2 years. no danger whatsover, i have a full length spring, and the weight of the car keeps it captive.

its even more dangerous (esp in the rear) wtih a coilover spring, because they are shorter (in fact 1/2 the length of a 'normal' lowering spring. 'normal' being reputable brands like eibach, neuspeed, H&R).

I make this based on comparing two similar cars - accord CB vs accord CG. CB has coilovers springs on konis and the rears come out whenever he goes on a steep driveway, etc etc however my full length lowering spring (with dead coils), stays put.

edit: adjustables are hella bumpy and stiff as well. very uncomfortable in the rear and are more prone to oversteering than a proper lowering spring. esp on wet , undulating roads. He has skunk2 adjustables.

its all about the design really.

[JohnL]

i stand corrected... BUT... that function isn't meant for that... not having spring sleeves and using that method to "lower" will lose spring captivity/pre-tension.

At full droop, the spring only 'knows' about the distance between the upper and lower spring seats, it doesn't 'know' nor 'care' how that distance is achieved or adjusted.

A spring of X uncompressed length will become 'free' when the distance between the upper and lower spring seats reaches X at full damper extension. Regardless of what kind of spring seat adjustment is used (threaded or circlip) it shouldn't allow the spring to become free, which has nothing to do with what kind of adjuster is used, only the degree to which the distance betwen spring seats is adjusted with that adjuster and the free length of the particular spring fitted to that damper.

[krzy]

would running a 3inch drop kmac spring, not full length spring, mess up the koni yellows? i ran those super low springs on my stock shocks and they blew, just wondering if the same will happen? is it unwise?

[Mugen Civic]

would running a 3inch drop kmac spring, not full length spring, mess up the koni yellows? i ran those super low springs on my stock shocks and they blew, just wondering if the same will happen? is it unwise?

No it shouldn't, Koni yellows can handle lowered springs. Stock shocks can't.

[vinnY]

i wouldn't say they're able to handle it, just more resilient than stock shocks
3" drop springs will eventually kill the shock, not to mention cuts down a heap of your available shock travel

[Mugen Civic]

i wouldn't say they're able to handle it, just more resilient than stock shocks
3" drop springs will eventually kill the shock, not to mention cuts down a heap of your available shock travel

^^ Better stated.

[JohnL]

It's not the 'drop' per se that will wear / damage the damper, but either the damper bottoming out heavily (which should not be a problem with good bump stops fitted), or the higher rate of the lowering spring forcing the damper to work 'harder' each time the damper extends.

The higher quality the damper (design, materials, tolerances, more than rate which isn't really a signifier of quality, though a softer damper rate will last longer all else being equal) the longer it will last (especailly with stiffer springs). The stiffer the spring the better the damper needs to be to last a reasonable period of time.