Adjusting koni adjustable shocks

[crah]

I have the red koni adjustable shocks front and rear. It seems I have a little bit of porpoising going on and would like to adjust them more firm. The instructions say to loosen the bottom mount, compress, and turn clockwise to make firm. I haven't tackled this yet but how does one compress the shock? Does it compress with human strength by just pushing up? Are you using the jacks to extend the shocks first or doing this at normal ride height? Any tips and tricks appreciated before I tackle this.

Thanks

[Mr_D]

Yes, they do compress. They are not pressurized so it's just the fluid moving through the orifices. Takes some muscle or a lever but it's not something you need Superman for. I did mine that way.
On ours I put blocks under the jacks and lifted the MH for more clearance, but I could have done it without that.

[crah]

Thanks Mr. D

If I'm reading correctly all I should have to do is unbolt the bottom, swing the shock up, and push up with your arm strength and twist?

What setting do you have on yours?

[WeatherTodd]

if you have a rod to put through the bottom... it will make pushing or compressing the shock easy as well as turning it.

[crah]

Originally Posted by WeatherTodd

if you have a rod to put through the bottom... it will make pushing or compressing the shock easy as well as turning it.

Thanks

I already adjusted by hand earlier today. They were on very softest setting and I adjusted to the hardest setting. Will test drive tomorrow to judge any suspension improvements.

[Smitty77]

The Koni Adjustable of that era was probably the SP1 series. Koni is now up to the SP3 third generation of adjustable shocks. And from my research about 2 1/2 years ago, these are more robust then your generation.

I'm sure you know, that some have had good luck going to the Koni FSD, if available for you application. (For our 40' IFS 2004 Country Coach, the Koni Adjustable FSD were just not up to the task. Koni argued with Country Coach about using them, as they felt they were not quite robust enough for the application. They did try the FSD on a few 40' of that era, but they too were reported as being just not up to the tasks. So for our rig, we ended up springing for Road Kings all around, and I feel it was a very good (though expensive) decision. I like BMW ride, vs say Cadilac ride.

The Roadmaster in your 36' may work just great with the Koni SP1 on the highest setting.

I'm not real up on Roadmaster, but another item we added to enhance and handling and control, were the Super Steer Motion Control Unit's. These also made a big improvement on our handling. We have tags, so it was good to start with, but the left to right 'setting' of S curve driving, was a bit slower then I liked. The combo of 6 Road Kings and the MCU's - cured this. No, not racing, but I see handling as a safety item - you never know when you may need to do an emergency lane or direction change.

Best of luck, and hope Setting 5 works well for you!!!
Smitty

[wardy]

I'm pretty sure Foretravel is using Koni's on their new coaches so at least Foretravel think's they are up to the task.

[crah]

I just came back from a test drive with the front and rear positions turned all the way up to 5. There was absolutely no difference at all compared to the softest setting. I will have to agree on the lack of robust. When I adjusted them, not much effort required to compress or extend them. Extending took a little more effort but nothin compared to the weight of the coach. I'm contemplating the motion control units.

[CountryFit]

Craig, what is the procedure to adjust koni shocks in rear? where did you jack it? Appreciate your description if you will...

[crah]

Originally Posted by sdlcrazier

Craig, what is the procedure to adjust koni shocks in rear? where did you jack it? Appreciate your description if you will...

You don't have to jack it up. If you have hydraulic leveling jacks, use them to get the coach a little higher so its easier to crawl under. Undo the bottom nut and bolt, push up and compress the shock. This will take a little while as the shock will move slow. Once compressed, if you push in the shock a little further and twist at the same time you will get to a point where you will feel it lock on. That is what you need. Some people say to mark it. I did that once but didn't find it worthwhile. I basically counted clock wise until it got to the firmest point to see where it was originally.

Anytime you let go of the pressure while turning it will unlock. You will know that feeling as when it is locked, the shock has some resistance while turning.

Hope that helps, and use caution and safety while under there. You may want to put blocks under your jacks in case you are worried about your leveling jacks failing.

[MarkofSJC]

Originally Posted by crah

I'm contemplating the motion control units.

I haven't heard of those before ~ like active suspension? More Info, please...or link?

Mark

[CountryFit]

Originally Posted by crah

You don't have to jack it up. If you have hydraulic leveling jacks, use them to get the coach a little higher so its easier to crawl under. Undo the bottom nut and bolt, push up and compress the shock. This will take a little while as the shock will move slow. Once compressed, if you push in the shock a little further and twist at the same time you will get to a point where you will feel it lock on. That is what you need. Some people say to mark it. I did that once but didn't find it worthwhile. I basically counted clock wise until it got to the firmest point to see where it was originally.

Anytime you let go of the pressure while turning it will unlock. You will know that feeling as when it is locked, the shock has some resistance while turning.

Hope that helps, and use caution and safety while under there. You may want to put blocks under your jacks in case you are worried about your leveling jacks failing.

this is a big help. mine has adjustable konis and due for a tweak - it porpoises too much.