As you know, I sell both Koni and Tokico (as well as other dampers). As you know, I tend to prefer the Koni's over D-specs, but also think that D-specs are pretty good bang for the buck which is why I do sell them, and at times recommend them depending on the situation.
I got this note from a customer today who had D-specs previously and now Koni's. He's using Steeda springs and did with the D-specs, and he had FRPP Eibach springs prior to those (run with the FRPP dampers and D-specs). He's not affiliated with me or any other company other than having bought his Koni's from me (and only the Koni's, he had all the other stuff before he found me). Here are his thoughts:
Sam,
My local Ford dealer installed the Koni's last Tuesday. They have a technician there who is very meticulous. He said that he set them at your recommended settings. I have driven the car about 45 miles since the Koni's were installed. Sam, to me they make a very noticeable difference over the D Specs. The roads I have driven on would have really upset the car in the past. It feels more planted with the Koni's but at the same time they have a very nice feeling of compliance that I cannot put into words. Its like I can feel a quality difference is about the only way I can describe it. My cornering feels better also. I have not driven far on an interstate yet but the short drive I made felt very good. I appreciate all your help and the time you took over the phone. So right now my set up is, Steeda Ultra light springs, Koni Sport Shocks/Struts, Steeda HD strut mounts, Steeda Adj. rear panhard bar & HD brace, Steeda G trac brace, factory 18" Bullitts with BFG 255/45/18 KDW NTs. 3.55s. Is there anything else you can recommend? with my goal of increased handling while still maintaining a good ride.
THANKS AGAIN!
P.S. And I know what you mean about the koni's providing a "BMW" ride, the Konis jut feel like quality and thats not my trying to justify the cost. Take Care!"
.... he is a member on this forum, but prefers to lurk vs. get into discussions. As such I removed his name for his privacy, but he did give me permission to have folks contact him privately if he thought it would help though I'm not inclined to do so. I feel that he's willing to do such a thing speaks volumes about how pleased he is with the parts and the service, and I truly appreciate that.
And an interesting note about how I work. He had the Steeda springs in place, has asked about changing springs to what I tend to use first. But I said no, because in the end I knew he's find a difference with the dampers, and didn't want to make two big changes at once. So while I could have sold more, that's not how I operate. If I felt the springs were a mess, I'd have changed him. I did not, so I gave up a bigger sale for a happy customer.
I know this is a little horn-tooting, but I wanted folks to know this is why I don't throw the baby out with the bath-water. And, more importantly I felt it was an unbiased opinion on what are two of the best all around damper options out there for these cars. take it fwiw.
Sam, why is it that you're always tooting your own horn, then defending yourself (or vice-verse)? I don't understand the purpose of this post except to promote yourself and a product you sell. Would you explain why the Konis are better, or was it just that your customer thought they felt better? Is he an experienced driver that can objectively critique a damper? The difference could be a simple difference in damping, and have nothing to do with the "quality" of the damper. Of course I'm not comparing the Konis to the Tok's...just don't see the purpose of the post, so I thought I'd ask.
Tjeppelin, Yes, the Konis are adjustable, on the rebound damping only. The Tok's are single dajustable, but change both the rebound and compression damping together. Changing the relationship between the rebound and compression damping (assuming the compression is OK where it is) actually makes the Koni more "adjustable".
< Message edited by steelcomp -- 4/18/2008 7:26:40 PM >
since sam is off line and won't be responding soon i thought i'd throw my 2 cents in. feel free to ignore my opinion.
i think the purpose of the post is exactly as you suggest: to promote himself and his product. having said that i don't think there is anything wrong with that. he is a site sponsor after all... he's paid some kind of fee, i presume, to be able to do just that. he even admits he is tooting his own horn.
as far as explaining why the konis are superior, i believe that's been done ad nauseum.
sure, he's opinionated, but i love a good discussion and i have enjoyed reading his responses and i feel i've gained knowledge from them.
(and i've never bought anything from him.)
quote:
ORIGINAL: steelcomp
Sam, why is it that you're always tooting your own horn, then defending yourself (or vice-verse)? I don't understand the purpose of this post except to promote yourself and a product you sell. Would you explain why the Konis are better, or was it just that your customer thought they felt better? Is he an experienced driver that can objectively critique a damper? The difference could be a simple difference in damping, and have nothing to do with the "quality" of the damper. Of course I'm not comparing the Konis to the Tok's...just don't see the purpose of the post, so I thought I'd ask.
< Message edited by timothyrw -- 4/18/2008 9:44:04 PM >
since sam is off line and won't be responding soon i thought i'd throw my 2 cents in. feel free to ignore my opinion.
i think the purpose of the post is exactly as you suggest: to promote himself and his product. having said that i don't think there is anything wrong with that. he is a site sponsor after all... he's paid some kind of fee, i presume, to be able to do just that. he even admits he is tooting his own horn.
as far as explaining why the konis are superior, i believe that's been done ad nauseum.
sure, he's opinionated, but i love a good discussion and i have enjoyed reading his responses and i feel i've gained knowledge from them.
(and i've never bought anything from him.)
quote:
ORIGINAL: steelcomp
Sam, why is it that you're always tooting your own horn, then defending yourself (or vice-verse)? I don't understand the purpose of this post except to promote yourself and a product you sell. Would you explain why the Konis are better, or was it just that your customer thought they felt better? Is he an experienced driver that can objectively critique a damper? The difference could be a simple difference in damping, and have nothing to do with the "quality" of the damper. Of course I'm not comparing the Konis to the Tok's...just don't see the purpose of the post, so I thought I'd ask.
I'm sure the reason Sam is on here is to sell stuff. That's his business. He is however a sponsor and I see nothing wrong with that. I'm always a little leary when someone tries to do that. With that being said, what ever advice Sam gives, you can take it to the bank.
What ever he sells you will work and work well. I'm in no way affiliated with Sam and in fact was a competitor of his when I worked at the Tire Rack for 20 years. I have bought products from him for my Camaro in the past and will continue to do so if I buy a Mustang.
I autocross my current car in Street Mod, although it is very close to being an ESP car. I can't count the number of times of people coming up to me commenting about being blown away by the capabilities of the car. I can thank Sam for that.
I always appreciate reading your input to the threads and know you have considerable knowledge of suspension handling. I have no problem giving you a call when it's time to upgrade my suspension. Just give me the best price available!!!
_____________________________
FR Springs, 20's w/ Nitto's, AEM CAI & SCT tune, 4.10's, Steeda Triax, CMDP, UD pulleys, JBA Shorties, Magnaflow exhaust w/ SLP catbacks, Tokico D-Specs, Eibach Rear Sway, Steeda UCA & LCAs, BMR PH Bar, dyno'd at 308 rwhp/318 rwtq
I'm sure the reason Sam is on here is to sell stuff. That's his business. He is however a sponsor and I see nothing wrong with that. I'm always a little leary when someone tries to do that. With that being said, what ever advice Sam gives, you can take it to the bank.
What ever he sells you will work and work well. I'm in no way affiliated with Sam and in fact was a competitor of his when I worked at the Tire Rack for 20 years. I have bought products from him for my Camaro in the past and will continue to do so if I buy a Mustang.
I autocross my current car in Street Mod, although it is very close to being an ESP car. I can't count the number of times of people coming up to me commenting about being blown away by the capabilities of the car. I can thank Sam for that.
THAT is by far the most ridiculous post i've seen in here yet. Sam doesn't need to be defended. He's a site sponsor and has purchased the right to sell parts and use the site to his advantage. What the site doesn't need is an F-body fag signing up to defend him. BTW - the Mustang will STILL outsell the new Camaro like it ALWAYS HAS and ALWAYS WILL.
I don't always agree with Sam or anybody else on here for that matter. Sometimes everyone agrees. This place is full of opinions by definition. Some are correct and informative, some are not.
If I had to guess Sam posted this as an example of how the average Joe describes their experience because there are some people on here that don't understand words that have more than a couple of syllables. Rather than spew out technical $hit that some people don't "get", he said "here's what Joe Shmoe said".
This is an example of one of those useless threads that spirals out of control. Sam posted a customer's view. View it.
_____________________________
06' GT - NASA SoCal #82 TTB
Thanks to Wild Pony Motorsports, Ross Murray, and KW Suspension
3rd place (x2) - California Speedway 3/08 1st place - Buttonwillow Raceway 4/08
I'm sure the reason Sam is on here is to sell stuff. That's his business. He is however a sponsor and I see nothing wrong with that. I'm always a little leary when someone tries to do that. With that being said, what ever advice Sam gives, you can take it to the bank.
What ever he sells you will work and work well. I'm in no way affiliated with Sam and in fact was a competitor of his when I worked at the Tire Rack for 20 years. I have bought products from him for my Camaro in the past and will continue to do so if I buy a Mustang.
I autocross my current car in Street Mod, although it is very close to being an ESP car. I can't count the number of times of people coming up to me commenting about being blown away by the capabilities of the car. I can thank Sam for that.
THAT is by far the most ridiculous post i've seen in here yet. Sam doesn't need to be defended. He's a site sponsor and has purchased the right to sell parts and use the site to his advantage. What the site doesn't need is an F-body fag signing up to defend him. BTW - the Mustang will STILL outsell the new Camaro like it ALWAYS HAS and ALWAYS WILL.
I don't always agree with Sam or anybody else on here for that matter. Sometimes everyone agrees. This place is full of opinions by definition. Some are correct and informative, some are not.
If I had to guess Sam posted this as an example of how the average Joe describes their experience because there are some people on here that don't understand words that have more than a couple of syllables. Rather than spew out technical $hit that some people don't "get", he said "here's what Joe Shmoe said".
This is an example of one of those useless threads that spirals out of control. Sam posted a customer's view. View it.
Hi there RodeoLiar. Thanks for the warm welcome. I'll defend Sam if I want to, even if I have to read your stupid ass comments in the process.
Just for your own education, which from your above post I'm sure you have very little of, I didn't sign up on here just to defend Sam. Believe it or not I'm actually considering buying a new Mustang to run in F stock. I've been lurking on this board for a long time. I've been autocrossing and tracking F bodies and Mustangs for 30 years or about the time you were born. Do you think I give a **** if the Mustang outsells the Camaro? I'm not some fan boy of Camaros.
I'm glad that the majority of people seem to understand how business and life works, and I appreciate it. Thank you to those that understand how the world works, and that realize that I can't just sit here and wait for folks to come to me. All companies advertise in some way, shape of form, or they aren't companies for long.
I do run a business, and it's how I pay my bills. No different than if you work at a desk, or drive a truck, or mow lawns. Letting people know that you have something to offer is a necessary part of staying in business (or keeping your job). I believe it's called advertising, and is part of what I paid for when I became a site sponsor. Now, the other difference here is that I actually own and driven Mustangs, most companies are here solely to advertise. I'm here for that, but also because I enjoy (usually) working with fellow owners.
I guess I upset the apple cart by showing up and sometimes disagreeing, and "tooting my own horn". I'm a bit sad that dissenting opinions are looked up by some with such disdain.
Yes, Koni's are adjustable... though unlike D-specs Koni's do not link the compression to the rebound damping. Koni's for S197's only do rebound damping (which I think is generally a good thing, but not everyone does because not everyone understands how compression and rebound differ).
There was a production issue, and during that time some other companies did not work with Koni to remedy the issues. I send all the "bad" ones back and had them replaced with good. Some places kept the bad ones because, since there was no official recall they were not compelled to return the bad ones. I still have a set of "bad" ones here, if I were as big a dirt-bag as some seem to think I'd have sold them to someone. Instead I was very proactive in making sure they weren't installed and that the customer who got them originally got replacements as fast as we could get them for him. Technically, I could sell those to someone. I never would, even right now when we are a few more weeks from more Koni stock. Easy sales aren't my bad..... correct ones are.
I haven't seen too many people post about actually driving on Konis vs D-specs on the same car/springs, so I'd say this is a usefull thread. Thanks for the comparison!
Sam Strano claims 4th SCCA National Championship and 3rd ProSolo Series Championship (www.stranoparts.com)
Can anyone else claim that here on there racing resume?
I have spoken to Sam on a handful of occasions regarding parts that I purchased from him, he went as far as to find another supplier because he couldn't provide me with the "corrected" Koni's. Everytime he has called me or I have called him, I sit with a pad and pen in hand to take notes. The man is an open book and has a wealth of knowledge regarding suspension setup. Very few companies go that extra mile to ensure a customer is completely satisfied with there purchase, Sam does everytime. I have read this in a number of posts from customers from this forum alone, including myself. As I further the setup on my car I will continue to be a deticated customer of his for his service and knowledge.
_____________________________
Speed Kills......But so does everything else only slower
Printable Version
Koni vs. D-specs.. a customer's view - 
signing up to defend him. BTW - the Mustang will STILL outsell the new Camaro like it ALWAYS HAS and ALWAYS WILL. 
