Community Forums

RickyR · 12-16-2018, 02:40 PM

Got mine installed today.
They look massive compared to the Bilstein.
Few things to know when doing this swap. My upper and lower bolts were 1 1/8. One of the upper bolts wouldn't budge with my impact gun, my compressor wasn't strong enough, I wasn't strong enough (with a large breaker bar), so I took out my CO2 tank and used it with my impact gun. That worked !!!! The upper shock mounts had spacers on both sides sandwiching the upper mount. The lowers were too tight to fit in the slot, so I cleaned up the sides with a flapper wheel (not much). Probably from it being tightened too much...
We will see how it rides and if it was worth the money and time.
2012 King Aire

jwl_atlanta · 12-16-2018, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyR

Got mine installed today.

They look massive compared to the Bilstein.

Few things to know when doing this swap. My upper and lower bolts were 1 1/8. One of the upper bolts wouldn't budge with my impact gun, my compressor wasn't strong enough, I wasn't strong enough (with a large breaker bar), so I took out my CO2 tank and used it with my impact gun. That worked !!!! The upper shock mounts had spacers on both sides sandwiching the upper mount. The lowers were too tight to fit in the slot, so I cleaned up the sides with a flapper wheel (not much). Probably from it being tightened too much...

We will see how it rides and if it was worth the money and time.

2012 King Aire

Anxious to hear what you think, we have our coach in for service at NIRVC in Lawrenceville, GA to have them installed.

FatChance · 12-16-2018, 08:56 PM

Installing the Koni EVO shocks on our MADP was the biggest positive improvement we have made to our coach.

Dutch Star Don · 12-22-2018, 08:47 PM

The place (UltraRV) I get my Koni's from, keeps telling me they still don't have them in stock. They originally said they should be able to get them last Friday, but now not until after the first of the year. I don't want to do business with Shock Warehouse, so I bought direct from Koni. Unless they aren't saying they don't have them, they should be here next week. Cost me $46.00 more for two, so hopefully they have them in stock. We have a trip next week, so it should be nice to have them.

On our first trip, I thought the new coach rolled a little more than my 2014, which I put Koni's on all three axles. After I get the Evo's on the front, I'll probably order Centramatics and Koni's for the rear, so I can pull the wheels and do both installs at once.

jwl_atlanta · 12-22-2018, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

The place (UltraRV) I get my Koni's from, keeps telling me they still don't have them in stock. They originally said they should be able to get them last Friday, but now not until after the first of the year. I don't want to do business with Shock Warehouse, so I bought direct from Koni. Unless they aren't saying they don't have them, they should be here next week. Cost me $46.00 more for two, so hopefully they have them in stock. We have a trip next week, so it should be nice to have them.

On our first trip, I thought the new coach rolled a little more than my 2014, which I put Koni's on all three axles. After I get the Evo's on the front, I'll probably order Centramatics and Koni's for the rear, so I can pull the wheels and do both installs at once.

Same deal here, our shocks have been on order for about 2-weeks. No confirmed delivery date. Driving 10 hours to Naples on Wednesday, was hoping to test drive the Koni shocks this week. Not happening

kpecks · 12-23-2018, 06:43 AM

I got my evos dec 5th as promised. Coach is in the shop for service. Picking her back up Jan 11th w new shocks and a bunch of other stuff completed ready for our trek out west! I’ll post update and feedback once I get it back. Merry Christmas to all!

Tigerfan1 · 12-23-2018, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

The place (UltraRV) I get my Koni's from, keeps telling me they still don't have them in stock. They originally said they should be able to get them last Friday, but now not until after the first of the year. I don't want to do business with Shock Warehouse, so I bought direct from Koni. Unless they aren't saying they don't have them, they should be here next week. Cost me $46.00 more for two, so hopefully they have them in stock. We have a trip next week, so it should be nice to have them.

On our first trip, I thought the new coach rolled a little more than my 2014, which I put Koni's on all three axles. After I get the Evo's on the front, I'll probably order Centramatics and Koni's for the rear, so I can pull the wheels and do both installs at once.

Don I understand why you don’t want to deal with Shockwarehouse. I ordered from them for the first time about six weeks ago. Koni’s were supposed to be in on 12-14. I have called them at least 30 times since and get no live person only recording. No call backs on messages left. No response to live chat on web site. Terrible customer service. Will never use them again.

kpecks · 12-23-2018, 01:46 PM

I posted a couple weeks ago but https://www.sdtrucksprings.com is where I ordered mine. Full communication all the way through delivery and someone was always there to answer the phone. They will also price match whatever lowest price you can find.

kpecks · 01-22-2019, 08:09 AM

Alright!!! Finally had my bilsteins (the updated ones) replaced with the Evo Konis installed at a local spartan dealer for $89 in less than an hour so that was a no brainer.

On to the shocks performance.

Should you install these shocks? YES.

To start, the Konis are visibly larger. Does bigger mean better in this case?? Yes.

Will these shocks change your life? No. But they will make the experience driving and riding in your motorhome noticeably better.

The biggest and most notable difference is in the shock rebound. The shocks absorb more force meaning they travel less than the OEM bilsteins which means less up and down movement. The dampening is significant. So let’s say your coach when going over a nice big bump bounces 5-6 times. The konis reduce the bounces to maybe 3-5 times. But again the biggest improvement is the severity of those bounces. The coach feels significantly more in control than it previously did and if I were to hook up some kind of meter to gauge the difference, it would be noticeable.

Another improvement is the side to side movement of the coach that sometimes occurs. Because of the dampening improvement, the side to side is noticeably reduced.

Finally, the konis reduce what you feel through the steering wheel going over road gaps, bumps, and other typical harsh road conditions.

So, YES, I would highly recommend installing the Konis. The noticeable differences extrapolated out over the course of several thousand miles will make driving a lot more enjoyable. I literally don’t have to “brace for impact” going over spots I normally had to before.

For less than $500 it is a major improvement over the oem bilsteins.

Mr_D · 01-22-2019, 08:18 AM

Wish they had been available when I replaced shocks on our '02 DSDP.

lostinfla · 01-22-2019, 08:23 AM

Still thinking of putting them on the rear too.

kpecks · 01-22-2019, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostinfla

Still thinking of putting them on the rear too.

When I order a new coach I will definitely be replacing all of them. For this next leg of our trip the fronts will do just great. Having the tag axle makes a huge difference anyway.

Dutch Star Don · 01-22-2019, 10:34 PM

I added the Koni EVOS to the front before we left for Quartzsite. They did exactly what I hoped hey would do and did on my 2014 DS. They eliminated that short chop that makes the front window shades rattle and they converted a lot of the rough road impact to softer feel.

I find the new coach sways or leans more than my previous DS. I think a lot of it is the increased height and higher center of gravity. I will be adding the Koni's to the rear and tag, plus Centramatics as long as I have the wheels off for the shocks.

JSteele · 01-23-2019, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

I added the Koni EVOS to the front before we left for Quartzsite. They did exactly what I hoped hey would do and did on my 2014 DS. They eliminated that short chop that makes the front window shades rattle and they converted a lot of the rough road impact to softer feel.

I find the new coach sways or leans more than my previous DS. I think a lot of it is the increased height and higher center of gravity. I will be adding the Koni's to the rear and tag, plus Centramatics as long as I have the wheels off for the shocks.

Have you had Centramatics before? You will love them if you enjoy a nice smooth ride! I run the Balance Masters on mine. Same concept with a different material inside. You may want to look at them as well. It would be interesting to know if one compensated for more weight than the other. Probably comes down to price and availability in your area.