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daveinaz58 · 05-27-2023, 08:40 PM

This morning I put Konis, front and back, on our 2004 Adventurer 33V. Thanks to my 1/2" impact wrench and 18" breaker bar, each shock R/R only took about 20 minutes.

For the front, it's a good thing I'm a smaller guy because I really had to shinny up in between the front end to get to everything. At first the impact wouldn't loosen the nut on the bolt so I switched to tighten for a few seconds and then back to reverse and they came off okay.

The backs were easier since there's more room. After the front, it felt quite roomy! On the OEM shocks that were on it, there is a place on the bottom to put a wrench (15/16") to keep it from spinning so you can get the bottom nut off (15/16"). But when I put on the Konis, there was no such place to put a wrench to hold the bottom of the shock. Their instructions call for 74 ft/lbs of torque but I doubt I got that much on it since the nut seemed to be seated as far as it could go on the stud and then the bottom wanted to start turning. The rubber bushings were "smushed" enough so I figured it was good enough.

The job was easier that I expected. Took it for a short test drive around the neighborhood. I don't know how it'll be on freeway expansions and bridge transitions yet, but the low speeds change is very nice. Every block in our neighborhood has those drainage depressions and there is less porpoising on those, and on the corners (90 degree left or right turns) there is definitely less of a boat feeling and the rig feeling "tippy.".

It feels firmer and more controlled -- and no wonder since the OEMs that I took off seemed shot -- if judging by how easily I could both extend and retract them. The Konis are definitely heavier than the OEM shocks if that makes any statement as to their comparative quality.

FWIW, the bolts and nuts on the front, both top and bottom are 1-1/8".

On the rear, the top bolt and nut are 1-1/8" and the bottom nut is 15/16".
There wasn't enough clearance without jacking it up to use the impact on the bottom nut so I used a 1/2" ratchet with the 15/16" socket.

Now I can't wait to get it on the highway again and see how it feels.

DustyDriver · 05-27-2023, 11:33 PM

Hey David. Thanks for the installation info. I just ordered Koni's for my 2010 Fleetwood about a half an hour before reading your post. It's good to have an idea of what I'm about to jump into.

Happy Trails!

DD

Ben-Jo · 05-28-2023, 03:56 PM

I think you will really tell the difference with the Koni's. I put them on our 2003 W22 and it handled much better but the real notice was I had a lot of porpoising at bridge transitions and they took care of it. We still had quite a bit of "slam" at expansions, pot holes, etc. Put new sumos on the front and now you hear the expansions, etc but don't get hardly any "slam" from them.
And yes sounds about exactly how I went about putting them on, 1/2" impact and couple I had to use breaker bar but not too bad of a job even for an old man like me. Worst part was crawling around on the ground under it.
Enjoy your new ride.

daveinaz58 · 05-28-2023, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben-Jo

I think you will really tell the difference with the Koni's. I put them on our 2003 W22 and it handled much better but the real notice was I had a lot of porpoising at bridge transitions and they took care of it. We still had quite a bit of "slam" at expansions, pot holes, etc. Put new sumos on the front and now you hear the expansions, etc but don't get hardly any "slam" from them.
And yes sounds about exactly how I went about putting them on, 1/2" impact and couple I had to use breaker bar but not too bad of a job even for an old man like me. Worst part was crawling around on the ground under it.
Enjoy your new ride.

Yes, when we took it back to the storage area today, they have those traffic calming things...sort of like wide speed bumps? Anyway, I REALLY felt a difference going over those. Even my wife who was following in the car could see a difference with it not bouncing up and down so much -- just one shallow rebound instead of 2-3 deeper ones.

Wilgarrison · 05-29-2023, 03:43 PM

Well, I have mixed emotions about this install. I put them on 4,000 miles ago. The porpoising, which was terrible when we purchased the coach, is definitely vastly improved. And, actually, so is that "transition slam" that Ben-Jo mentions. However, the overall ride on generally rough roads is actually worse. Not sure how old the shocks taken off were, but their overall ride was better than the Konis. Just my seat of the pants 2 cents worth.
What improved our "tilt" issues in turns the most was installation of a Helwig sway bar in the rear. Very good!

NXR · 05-29-2023, 04:35 PM

74 ft lbs? Which chassis do you have and which exact Koni shock did you buy?

Our 2019 22K F53 chassis uses like 250 ft lbs for the shocks. We have FSDs.

Ray

daveinaz58 · 05-29-2023, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NXR

74 ft lbs? Which chassis do you have and which exact Koni shock did you buy?

Our 2019 22K F53 chassis uses like 250 ft lbs for the shocks. We have FSDs.

Ray

We have a W22 chassis. And Koni FSDs. The 74 ft/lbs was only for the bottom stud nuts on the rear. The top 1-1/8 bolts&nuts on both front and rear was 250. I thought I'd made that clear with the comments about the bottom of the rear turning before reacying 74 ft/lbs.

NXR · 05-29-2023, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveinaz58

We have a W22 chassis. And Koni FSDs. The 74 ft/lbs was only for the bottom stud nuts on the rear. The top 1-1/8 bolts&nuts on both front and rear was 250. I thought I'd made that clear with the comments about the bottom of the rear turning before reacying 74 ft/lbs.

I'm sure it was clear to someone familiar with the W22 chassis. Thanks for the explanation.

Ray