Advice needed on Koni shock absorbers

[GGR]

Hi all,

I want to stiffen the chassis on my W111 Coupe. I already fitted poly bushings and I now need to buy new shocks. I m interested in the adjustable Konis as they will allow me to test several combinations of siffness. I did a forum search and found that overall the Pagoda community is quite happy with the Konis. This is not generally true with people having tried them on W108/111 chassis, where I often read that stock Bilstein will ensure the best results. My problem with Bilsteins is that they are not adjustable and I don't want to fiddle with different sets until I find the right stiffness combination. So I thought I would ask here what the experience is with Konis (they are the same reference fo the W113 and W111 chassis) and more specifically how do the compare with the stock Bilstein in terms of comfort, body roll, overall efficiency and how stiff they are set.

Thanks!

[ja17]

Hello,

The W113 cars were originally designed for Bilstein gas filled shocks.  Gas filled shocks provide an up-force on each corner of the car. They are not adjustable.  Konis are only hydraulic and provide no upforce. The Konis are adjustable and can be adjusted to stiffen up the suspension if desired.

If the shocks on your W113 are not original Bilstein, or the shocks on your W113 are just worn out, or if they have been changed to non-gas filled, then just installing new Bilstein shocks will make an amazing difference in the  ride quality and handling of your W113. Many owners have commented on what a drastic improvement installing a new set of Bilsteins in their car has made to the drivability and feel of the car. This I can also confirm by my experience.

I have never lived with a set of Konis so I cannot compare the differences directly. I suspect that the handling gets stiffer and the ride suffers a bit with Konis depending on the setting. Most likely the ground level of the car lowers a bit also.