Koni is here!

[Need 4 Steed]

I had to ream out the hole in my rear top mount for the threads to fit through. Only managed to get one on in about 2 hours. I will post pictures whenever I get Tapatalk to work.

Not sure if my mounts are just a tighter fit, but I couldn't see how this would get past all the testing.

A reamer would be a great addition to this kit.

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[kz]

Looks like the top mount will need some modification.

I believe this what DickR said in FS thread .

 

[jbailer]

I believe this what DickR said in FS thread .

What thread is that? I'm hoping to get some more details and any other gotchas for install.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

What thread is that? I'm hoping to get some more details and any other gotchas for install.

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1204831&postcount=570

 

[MtnBiker]

This is really helpful information for rear shock mounting. Ordering new rear shock mounts so I can do the reaming and test fit without holding the car hostage if there is a glitch. For those that have mounted...are we reusing the OEM bottom mounting bolts?

 

[Need 4 Steed]

Thanks Todd. So the second one went much smoother. Got the top mount drilled out and in in less than an hour.

Looks like the have about a 2.5 turn adjustment. I set them right in the middle and went for a little test drive.

They feel very similar to the performance package at the middle of the adjustment range. I was able to get a 5.1 second 0-60 and a 2.3 second 60 foot on mid temp 275 40 19 Bridgestone S-04 pole position on the street with a little bit of burn out at the beginning.

With a little bit of adjusting I think I can break into sub 5 second 0-60.

Might not be able to get the fronts on this weekend, but will update whenever I get them installed.

 

[Need 4 Steed]

Yes. You will reuse the other hardware and they provide 2 nuts and a spacer for the top. I wasn't exactly sure which side the spacer goes on but I put it under the top mount to provide a bit more bearing area for the loads. Then up top I tightened down one of the nuts then the second on top of the first as a jam nut and tightened it a bit with the impact.

 

[olaosunt]

I wonder how the front struts would pair with the Vikings in the rear that many already have .
Especially since it seems the rear shock may be a bit of pain and it does not look like Viking they will be making a front struts.

 

[jbailer]

I wonder how the front struts would pair with the Vikings in the rear that many already have .
Especially since it seems the rear shock may be a bit of pain and it does not look like Viking they will be making a front struts.

I think it's a great idea. I'm sure they sell front and rear separately for a reason. Some may be very happy with the rear but need better performance out of the front. Some may just want good quality shocks for the rear. Since they aren't sold as a set of 4, you can buy what you need.

 

[Need 4 Steed]

I was thinking about getting the Vikings while I waited on the Koni. They should pair well. I am assuming you could set the compression valving to match the Koni.

On the other side... The rears aren't that bad of an install. The second rear I did went much faster since I know what I needed to do. I just used a circular metal file to open up the hole and then finished it with a dremel grinding wheel to smooth it out. A drill bit would work as well.

It's just that they didn't clearly state anything about opening up the hole. If I would have had the details up front it would be a fairly simple install.

Mine are already installed, but if someone can measure the OD of the threads and the ID of the spacer bushing a lbf post here to help people out on future installs, it would be very helpful.

 

[jbailer]

I got the shocks installed. Thank you David@Steeda for getting me these so quick and the recommendation! This is the ride I've been looking for since I bought the car, finally got rid of that dang bounce! Maybe the struts will further improve it but I'd be happy if I didn't even notice any more difference. For the struts, I'm more looking for the improved performance. For the rear I wanted proper dampening for the spring rate so it didn't feel like I was riding on springs alone.

I'm no mechanic and have never replaced shocks before so take these comments with that in mind. These come with NO instructions. Replacing shocks on this car couldn't be easier though. Literally jack it up, take 4 bolts out remove shock and put the new one in. Quick and easy except for some of the details. You have to take parts off the old shock and assemble the new but there isn't any instructions to tell you how to assemble it and it's not like the parts are all the same as stock. I'll tell you what I did, maybe I'll learn I messed it up and maybe it will help others.

After removing the shock, again, that couldn't be easier, pull the dust cap off the top. It literally just pulls right off. I put a 15mm ratcheting wrench over the rod nut at the top and stuck the top of the shock into a vise to hold it still while I loosened that nut. Remove the nut, then remove the top shock mount, then pull the dust cover and bump stop off the shock. Then put the dust cover back on the bump stop if they separated. You will need to enlarge the hole in the top shock mount. Make sure you have a good quality 1/2" drill bit. I'm fortunate enough to have a drill press which made this very easy.

For assembly, I put the bump stop with dust cover on the shock. Then I put the spacer which rested right on top of the shock and then 1 nut and tightened it the best I could without spinning the shaft in the shock. Then I put the large white nylon washer over it, then the top shock mount, then the final nut. At first I tried the 2 nuts on the top in a jam nut configuration but there was a little slop in the shock mount and I didn't want noise so I changed it.

Then installing it was easy. Set it in on the bottom mount and put those 2 screws in, tighten to 35lb ft. I reused all the bolts although Ford identifies these as 1 time use. Then compress the shock a little and position the top shock mount just under the 2 guide pins and put the top bolts in. Tighten to 66 lb ft.

As I mentioned there were no instructions. Well to be fair, there was a picture that was showing something to do with the adjustment and no words. There was nothing to say which direction was firm or soft. Every other adjustable shock I've had went firmer as you go clockwise. I started out with mine all the way counter clockwise figuring I'm not on the track, I want to see what the softest setting felt like. To me, it seemed exactly like the stock PP shocks, still very bouncy. There are 2.5 full turns of adjustment so I adjusted them 1 full turn and tested again. This was much better but needed more. I finished with them adjusted 1.5 turns from full counter clockwise. So 1.5 turns towards firm and they feel GREAT!

 

[wildcatgoal]

Did you have to bore out any holes like above posts? Confused how that could have happened when Steeda was evidently involved in the testing/design of these...

 

[kz]

Did you have to bore out any holes like above posts? Confused how that could have happened when Steeda was evidently involved in the testing/design of these...

From DickR's post linked above :

"For those of you planning on installing Koni Sport shocks in the rear be prepared to enlarge the nominal 10 mm hole in the oem upper mount to nominal 12 mm. A 1/2" drill worked fine today for me. Koni indicated that the 12 mm shaft is needed since it is hollow for the internal adjustment shaft which therefore requires greater outer shaft diameter for sufficient strength. The shocks do not come with bump stops or dust covers so you will need to transfer those."

I don't know if Steeda was involved in designing those, I know Koni wanted to borrow my car to test those out and ended up borrowing another forum member's GT for that. So it's not like they never seen a S550 Mustang and came up with these, clearly had a reason for that.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

I got the shocks installed. Thank you David@Steeda for getting me these so quick and the recommendation! This is the ride I've been looking for since I bought the car, finally got rid of that dang bounce! Maybe the struts will further improve it but I'd be happy if I didn't even notice any more difference. For the struts, I'm more looking for the improved performance. For the rear I wanted proper dampening for the spring rate so it didn't feel like I was riding on springs alone.

I'm no mechanic and have never replaced shocks before so take these comments with that in mind. These come with NO instructions. Replacing shocks on this car couldn't be easier though. Literally jack it up, take 4 bolts out remove shock and put the new one in. Quick and easy except for some of the details. You have to take parts off the old shock and assemble the new but there isn't any instructions to tell you how to assemble it and it's not like the parts are all the same as stock. I'll tell you what I did, maybe I'll learn I messed it up and maybe it will help others.

After removing the shock, again, that couldn't be easier, pull the dust cap off the top. It literally just pulls right off. I put a 15mm ratcheting wrench over the rod nut at the top and stuck the top of the shock into a vise to hold it still while I loosened that nut. Remove the nut, then remove the top shock mount, then pull the dust cover and bump stop off the shock. Then put the dust cover back on the bump stop if they separated. You will need to enlarge the hole in the top shock mount. Make sure you have a good quality 1/2" drill bit. I'm fortunate enough to have a drill press which made this very easy.

For assembly, I put the bump stop with dust cover on the shock. Then I put the spacer which rested right on top of the shock and then 1 nut and tightened it the best I could without spinning the shaft in the shock. Then I put the large white nylon washer over it, then the top shock mount, then the final nut. At first I tried the 2 nuts on the top in a jam nut configuration but there was a little slop in the shock mount and I didn't want noise so I changed it.

Then installing it was easy. Set it in on the bottom mount and put those 2 screws in, tighten to 35lb ft. I reused all the bolts although Ford identifies these as 1 time use. Then compress the shock a little and position the top shock mount just under the 2 guide pins and put the top bolts in. Tighten to 66 lb ft.

As I mentioned there were no instructions. Well to be fair, there was a picture that was showing something to do with the adjustment and no words. There was nothing to say which direction was firm or soft. Every other adjustable shock I've had went firmer as you go clockwise. I started out with mine all the way counter clockwise figuring I'm not on the track, I want to see what the softest setting felt like. To me, it seemed exactly like the stock PP shocks, still very bouncy. There are 2.5 full turns of adjustment so I adjusted them 1 full turn and tested again. This was much better but needed more. I finished with them adjusted 1.5 turns from full counter clockwise. So 1.5 turns towards firm and they feel GREAT!

Thanks for posting this up!! Great to hear the bounce is gone

 

[jbailer]

Did you have to bore out any holes like above posts? Confused how that could have happened when Steeda was evidently involved in the testing/design of these...

Yes, mentioned in the 3rd paragraph. You need to enlarge the hole to 1/2" in the top shock mount for the shock rod to go through. Thanks to DickR who shared that in the other section. As he said, the reason is because it's adjustable, they needed to make it a little larger because of the internal adjustment.

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