Koni Reds vs. FSD's

Przemix

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Location
Roselle,IL
TDI
2006 VW Golf 1.9 BEW TDI MK4
Although they are close, Koni Reds are going to ride slightly better than FSDs. Technology in the Reds (twin tube hydraulic) is older than the FSD technology, for what that's worth. I still like Reds a lot.

Regarding springs, your best bet is probably to stick with the springs that came in the car. Match the paint codes to be sure. If you want a bit more height in front you can use a 12mm spacer (OE VW part) in front to raise it a bit.

I appreciate that, thanks for the info. I guess I will buy Koni Reds with stock spring then.
 

Przemix

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Location
Roselle,IL
TDI
2006 VW Golf 1.9 BEW TDI MK4
Have You ever tried or hear anything about Bilstein B8 or HD?


How are they compared vs koni red with smoothness of a ride that im looking for?

How do they perform on soft MONO tube, high diameter piston (Bilstein B8 or HD )vs koni red TWIN tube litlle diameter piston (KONI RED) ?

whats your feedback on those?

just watched this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfw6oNxVi-c

thanks for the info
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I replaced the original dampers in my wagon at 60K miles with Bilstein HDs. I hated them. In the MKIV platform they ride very harsh. Keep in mind that perceptions of ride quality are totally subjective, and a lot of people like HDs. But I'm not one of them. I took them out after about 20K miles and installed some of the first Koni Reds for MKIV to come into NA. Much, much better ride. Even Koni coilovers with higher rate springs ride better in my car than the HDs.
 

TornadoRed

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Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
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2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
I also have the Bilstein HDs, after two sets of Koni Reds. The HDs are not all that comfortable, especially right now smack in the middle of pothole season. I feel every expansion joint. But they are too new for me to even consider replacing them.
 

Przemix

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Location
Roselle,IL
TDI
2006 VW Golf 1.9 BEW TDI MK4
interesting....



yeah even my Mr2 turbo JDM TEIN Coilovers are kinda hard for me when it turn from hard to soft. Its fun on hard level but just over the weekend to play around,thats why its only my weekend car, but for every day definitely I want extremely soft . I also bought gel cushion which is amazing, now I can drive 4 hrs non stop to go fishing, without my butt being sore.


thanks for the feedback guys. Im definately going with Koni reds and stock Spring.


by any chance anyone can recommend best summer tire 2018 for 06 Golf mk4?

Price is not an issue. I just want it to be best of the best!! like I have for winter sick Michelin Latitude X-Ice
 

Przemix

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Location
Roselle,IL
TDI
2006 VW Golf 1.9 BEW TDI MK4
rims are 15"


I bought the car with Michelins Primacy MXV 4 and did 60K on it and they still have a lot of thread just cracked all over the place and makes weird sound when I drive probably because needs to be balanced again

so yeah I use those for spring now


the size of tire is :

195/65 R15 91H


I'm big fan of pirellis but only on my crouch rocket bike, I was surprised when I saw the reviews of Summer Pirelli on the cars wheels in 2017 :eek:



On my MR2 Turbo I have sick summer only "Yokohama ADVAN NEOVA" 245/40R17 Enkei rims, incredible grip, I think even better then Toyo tires I had in the past. but unfortunately they dont make those for my Mk4 golf ; /:confused:
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Not a lot of performance tire options in that size (none, really) but there are some good all-seasons. Michelins are good but I find them low on traction in all conditions. And they're expensive. I have Bridgestone Ecopias on one car, my sons have Continental PureContacts with EcoPlus Technology (long name, good tire) and I'm probably going to buy General Altimax RT43s for my Wagon. I have them on my Passat, and they have good grip, are quiet, and they're significantly less expensive than the Michelins.
 

OlyTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Location
Olympia, WA
TDI
'04 Golf
I ran a set of the Primacy MXV4s and got over a 100K on them. They were the best all around tire I've ever run. Quiet. Of course, they stopped making them when it was time for new ones.

Have the Pirelli P7 Cinturatos on there now. They're very good but not as good as the Michelins were, especially in wet pavement. But they're better in slight snow and ice than the Michelins were.

I'm sure that if you have dedicated winter tires, finding better dedicated summer treads than those I've mentioned above will be possible.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
There are few, if any, summer tires available in this size. Haven't been for years.
 

Przemix

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Location
Roselle,IL
TDI
2006 VW Golf 1.9 BEW TDI MK4
CONTINENTAL PURECONTACT WITH ECOPLUS TECHNOLOGY


got best reviews from them all


I might go with Continental then


are they also quiet like Michelins?
 

Matt-98AHU

Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
Gresham, OR
TDI
2001 Golf TDI, 2005 Passat wagon, 2004 Touareg V10.
I generally like the firmer dampening of the HDs, but yes, there are certain road conditions where they do provide a bit of a harsh ride. Very well controlled, but harsh. Sometimes that level of control makes bigger dips less punishing than softer setups, though. Definitely a trade off.

I never liked FSDs. They don't seem to hold up as well for as long and they always feel just mushy to me.

I have loved every set of adjustable Konis I've ever installed for both myself and customers, whether it be Reds or the Sport Yellows. I tend to put them right in the middle of their adjustment range with stock springs, usually ever so slightly on the firm side of the middle to be accurate, and they have always provided an excellent, well-controlled ride and take a bit of the harsh edge off the ride compared to HDs.

The first set of Reds I ever installed I did what Koni said and set them fully soft. After about 2 weeks it felt like I was driving on 4 bad struts. It was pretty bad. And unfortunately with the reds, you have to remove them to adjust. I eventually did so, put them in the middle and was happy with them ever since. I think I recall the adjustment full soft to full firm was somewhere just shy of 2 and 1/4 turn. I'd turn it to the full firm setting, then back it off one full turn. Have been happy with that setting on every car I've used it on, but then again, I don't mind HDs in most situations... But even at that relatively firm setting, they're a bit more forgiving than HDs.

What I can say about HDs is they seem to last. They do indeed take quite a lot of punishment and never seem the worse for wear even after 150k miles. Most OE dampers are getting mushy by 50k...
 

Judson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
Cheyenne, WY
TDI
2001 Jetta
I am running the Reds with stock springs and cupra bushings at the rear. No need for a rear anti-roll bar. The setup is a bit rough around town as our roads here suck. On the highway it’s perfect, straight as an arrow and easy to chew up the miles.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Matt-98AHU

Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
Gresham, OR
TDI
2001 Golf TDI, 2005 Passat wagon, 2004 Touareg V10.
does koni reds and nice conti ECOPlus Tires will give big differance in MPG?
Struts won't make any noticeable difference, no. The tires might, but that depends on what you have on the vehicle currently.

I think there are tires out there that are lower rolling resistance still than the Purecontact w/ECOPlus, but they're a nice blend of having decent grip, tread life and not killing your fuel economy either.

They are an improvement if you were already running tires geared much more towards performance like I used to. Wheel size and weight is likely to play an even bigger role than tire brand and model, though.
 

jmodge

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Jun 18, 2015
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Greenville, MI
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One thing to watch out for on tires designed for fuel mileage, they are generally very light. Sometimes you can end up with weaker sidewalls, so you give up something to get something else.
 

jptbay

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Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Location
Thunder Bay
TDI
2003 Beetle, 2006 Jetta Wagon
I have to send in one of my MK4 rear FSD's to Koni for warranty, as it is blown.

Was looking at ID Parts and notice the FSD's are now being called "Active". Is this correct? https://www.idparts.com/koni-special-active-strut-and-shock-set-a4-p-561.html

Also noticed the price has come way down. Set of 4 is priced lower than the reds or yellows, and about $275 less than I paid during the Koni sale in 2012!

Hope the quality has not diminished...
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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Location
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Yes, Koni has discontinued FSDs and replaced them with Special Actives. Same technology, same damper, still made in Holland, but red instead of gold and packaged individually. And the price is significantly lower.

Reds are not available for most platforms, so the MKIV is a bit of an unusual situation where both Reds and Special Actives are available. They are priced very slightly below the Reds, but I'm not sure how long that price point will be in place. For the e90 BMW, for example, they're currently priced below the Yellows, which I think will be the case for most platforms.

It'll be interesting to see what Koni does for warranty replacement on your FSDs. We bought all their remaining stock.
 

jptbay

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Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Location
Thunder Bay
TDI
2003 Beetle, 2006 Jetta Wagon
Thanks for the info Brian.

I hope Koni offers to replace both the rears. Only the one side is visibly blown, with oil all over it. Will update this.
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
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Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Very happy with my Reds and the HD spring set. Towing my ~1400# teardrop for the last 1000 miles, performance and handling has been
exceptional. I did dial up my rear springs 25%. And I have the 23mm
front bar. Rock solid on the highway cruising 70-75, tracks great.

Great prices on the FSDs now, but I'll stick with what I've got.
 
Joined
Mar 9, 2014
Location
Gloucester, MA USA
TDI
'13 JSW Tdi, '06 A3 3.2Q
Bumping up this classic thread. Great reading.
My wifes 13 tdi sportwagen has a broken rear spring, so at 110k miles, i am thinking shocks as well.
Does anyone have real world experience with koni special actives as a rear only replacement shock, while keeping the stock front struts?

This car commutes daily to Boston. No SoCal suggestions please.
Working on an idparts cartload, and im stuck at deciding rear shock brand.

Btdt with HDs and koni yellows on my Audi A3.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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Location
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Probably OK to do Special Actives in the rear only, but it would be much better to replace all 4. Of course you could replace the fronts later.
 
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