Need Help Installing Your Koni Suspension? Step-by-step Install for NA Miata!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ย. 2024
- In this video, join Miata Master Mechanic Kyle Tigar as he installs a set of Koni Special Active shocks on a 1995 NA Miata.
These shocks are aimed at the driver who wants good handling but without any sort of ride penalty. It's not a track setup, although you certainly can do autocross and track days on them.
Similar to systems used on some high-dollar coilovers, there's a secondary oil passage inside the shock that allows the shock to have higher damping with slow wheel movement and softer damping for rapid movements. Koni calls this Frequency Selective Damping, since the shock is actively adjusting the damping level depending on the frequency of the movement. It's almost a self-adjusting shock. This means that the shock can move quickly and easily to absorb bumps, but helps resist the slower body movements that are involved in handling. The idea is that you have good body control with the best ride possible.
They're not intended for higher rate performance springs as they don't have enough damping to control the higher spring rates, and lowered cars will find themselves on the bumpstops too often. Think of them as a higher end self-adjusting alternative to a set of Koni STR.T shocks. Depending on how much damping you like in your suspension, you may prefer the Koni Sport with its adjustable damping - in our head to head testing, the FM staff were split on their preference when matched with stock springs. If you're going to run a higher spring rate like our FM springs, you will want the Sport.
These have a 12mm shaft, but they're 10mm (with a flat) at the shock mount - this means that they fit your stock shock mounts with no modifications required.
As with all the shocks we offer, we include a set of multi-cellular urethane bump stops that are a good upgrade over stock. This is particularly important with the Special Active, as they don't like hard and long bumpstops.
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i've had koni yellows sitting in my garage for 4+ years. i guess it's time to install them.
Oh man! Get after it😁 These things are a great improvement.
Excellent and well produced. Thanks.
PS: New springs and shocks for an NC; carb-legal mid-pipe (2.5") and muffler on the same, too.
Thanks for watching!
NC exhaust components are back on our radar. Stay tuned!
Nice, you are reading my mind... thanks a lot for this perfect instruction!
Not to take away from the video, because its a great video, from the looks of it, the owner did not have an undertray and you guys pre-installed one so you can show that it would normally be taken for install, nice touch. Not sure why people remove those undertrays or don't reinstall them, they are there for a reason.
As you've mentioned, undertray/splash pans are very important for heat management. This car got one before it left the shop.
@@FlyinMiataVideo lol, I figured since it was like the cleanest thing under the car.
Awesome walkthrough! Would like to know FM's thoughts about how the car rides now with these. I know there is a separate video on the shocks but a driving impression video would be greatly appreciated!
@spencerleeb Thanks for the suggestion - we'll add it to our list of video ideas!
I’ll repeat…Excellent! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for watching!
Excellent video. Very detailed and easy to follow.
Thanks for watching!
Well done sir !!
Nice video! Are you going to have a video instruction on how to install koni fsd on NC as well? Thanks!
You can take this same logic and then follow the written instructions for certain details per gen. If we have time.....sure!
Thanks for a great video.
With a hand spring compressor (not the wall one), do you torque the shock nut before fully decompressing the spring, or after fully decompressing the spring?
Thankfully, I've never used a hand compressor but, I'd torque the shock shaft nut without any load from the spring on the upper mount.
Thanks a bunch. That's what I was thinking, but I was second guessing myself with how far down the nut was going lol. Just using a hand tool not pushing very hard, I was squishing the upper and lower bushings into Oblivion and had so much thread up top I could barely get my socket to the nut.
@@pfunkle You are welcome!
Can you make one installing konis on NDs please. Thank you.
We can't guarantee every video request will be met, but I've added an ND Koni Installation video to our list. :)
What about the shock bellows? It seems the oem bellows have the bumpstops cast into the bellows already. But I want to run the FM bumpstops. What bellows do I use? I know i fan run without them but I live up north and would like to keep out as much debris as I can.
Good question! We've been leaving the dust boot (bellows) off for probably 20 years now and haven't noticed any premature failure to the shock shaft seal and haven't heard that our customers around the world experienced anything different either. If you want to run the dust boots, pull the factory bumpstops out of them and run the bump stops that come in our Koni kit (or you can get them separate) and you'll be fine.
Are those OEM top hats?
They sure are! You can buy the same ones here: flyinmiata.com/products/na-upper-shock-mounts?_pos=1&_sid=332082af1&_ss=r
What the cost out the door, parts and labor to have this done on my 95 at your shop. I may schedule a time for a drop off. Still have original equipment on mine.
Most shops will have a different hourly rate so, I won't be able to tell you the exact price and we no longer offer shop services. For a Koni Stage 1 kit install, we would have charged out 4.5 hrs. Thanks for watching.
I recently picked up a set of koni sports, should I expect needing to get an alignment after the install since you need to undo and retighten the control arms.
Yes, you will need a four-wheel alignment once finished, especially if your kit includes our springs, as they add negative camber.
@@FlyinMiataVideo Should an alignment be done immediately after installation or wait for the suspension to settle completely with some driving?
Do you have to have the suspension loaded before torque if you have SuperPro poly bushings?
That's one of the advantages of poly bushings, they can be torqued without having the suspension loaded. However, any pivot point that still has rubber should be loaded.
Do you mean OE Showa shocks and OE Bilstein shocks come with different springs, and that's the reason for the different perches on Koni Yellow and Koni Red?
I thought the perches were to offer slightly different ride height front/rear/both if lowering springs didn't quite work out how you wanted. (yes i know you shouldn't lower on Red/Orange despite Koni's marketing to the contrary)
That's correct. Here's our written instructions that go into more detail on the install. s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/instructions.flyinmiata/suspension/NA_Koni_special_active_13-57210.pdf. Thanks for watching!
@@FlyinMiataVideoInteresting, thanks! I wonder what the spring rate of the Bilstein springs is.
@@JamieBainbridge We don't know offhand, sorry!
@@FlyinMiataVideoI found the old Fatcat suspension page which says 93 LE and 94-96 R package have the same spring rate as 91-97 manual cars. The 97 R package stiffens the rear springs by 11lbf. That seems to suggest Mazda themselves lowered the car 20mm on Bilstein B6...
@@JamieBainbridge The R Package suspension isn't necessarily one that you want to emulate, it wasn't a terribly effective one for all-around use in large part because it spent a lot of time on the bumpstops.
Anybody know best Miata repair shop recommend at California or Sacramento area? I would like to replace a clutch .
Here's a link with a list of all FM dealers certified to sell and install parts: help.flyinmiata.com/is-there-a-local-fm-parts-dealer-near-me-HJJJfpFgK
❤FM
Thanks for watching!
@FlyinMiataVideo question about the shock covers i see sometimes, the rubber covering the shaft that are not in this video, are those necessary?
I have koni strts with FM bumpstops. Does it matter if the bumpstop is seated tightly around the shock mount spacer (held suspended up against the shock mount) or just loose around the shaft resting on the shock body?
The bumpstop will be loose on the shock shaft. It does not need to be seated against anything, it only needs to be present to absorb larger impacts.
@@FlyinMiataVideo I installed a set of Koni Special Actives on my "04 MSM, it didn't seem logical to leave the Bumpstops up at the top. I simply positioned them at the bottom. I figured they'd get there eventually and slide down.
I wish this video would have been available about 3 months ago when I installed my Koni Special Actives on my '04 MSM. Managed to figure things out. Ride is much improved as Bump Stops in the rear were non existent and fronts were 50% Gone. Old Bilstein's were hitting a bump and without the bumpstop suspension travel would stop very hard, car would be knocked off line or jump sideways I described it as "very twitchy" in the rear. Now shocks actually work and compress and absorb and smooth out the bumps. Ride is still firm but suspension action and reaction is controlled and car is so much more comfortable to drive. Well worth the time and investment!!!
@@JimG-jz5cg We're happy to hear that you like your new shocks! Thanks for sharing your experience.
I was good until you pulled out the hub stands, then $$
Yeah, you don't neeeed the hub stands...but, they sure are handy.
@@FlyinMiataVideo I could do the rear bushings with the wheel on the ground but I'm not sure about the F inner bushings.
@@artmcewen3165 Easiest way to do those without hub stands is to use a jack to lift the control arm until the wheel is at standard ride height in the fender (measure the dimension from the center of the wheel hub to the fender lip before lifting it) and then tighten those bushings.
@@FlyinMiataVideojust have to be sure the sway bar end link is disconnected. That's how I've always done it on all my cars whenever any suspension bolts with bushings get loosened and re-tightened for whatever reason. If the sway bar is hooked up then the car will lift off the jack stands fairly early in the process, before getting to ride height, since you're fighting the twisting sway bar.
@@Patrick94GSR Great Tip! Thanks