I searched and searched for this and found no threads that sounded like my problem, so, here I go...

Bought front left, front right, rear set of Koni Sports for my 2000 S2000. I have stock springs, Gendron FSB. Running SCCA Solo II so I'm trying to keep it stock and legal.

Install went pretty much as I expected for the rears and the left front. But when I got to the right front, all was not well. The right front only had one perch point. I pulled out the left front and compared it, and the left front had two perch points like I expected, and the perch point for the right shock was closer to the lower perch point, but not quite as low.

Trying to keep the car legal for AS SCCA Solo II, it's my understanding that I need to use the upper perch, but the right shock only had one! Just to get going and figuring I'd get this sorted later (and wanting to drive the car), I changed the left to the lower perch and installed the right with the spring on the only perch. But when I went to put the right side together, the spring mount and the upper A-arm were interfering with each other. Furthermore, the brake line bracket was interfering with the sway bar.

Plenty of frustration, cracked knuckles, and curse words later, I decided to order another right side shock which is supposed to be coming tomorrow. Hopefully it won't be just like the one I have. Note that I did check the part numbers, and they are the correct fitment according to Koni-NA for an '00 S2000.

Has anybody experienced this? Primarily the right front shock only having one perch point location and it being wrong (i.e. the low setting?).

Thanks,
NotAMurasama

 

That part# would be 8041-1278RSport, correct?
8041-1278LSport for the left side and 8041-1279Sport at the rear.

Too bad you didn't spot the difference before installing them.
Do the part # appear on the box AND the shock?

Other then that its a great Dutch product

 

Yep. The part # on both the part and the box was 8041-1278RSport.

And even more too bad I didn't spot it before I drilled out the washers and the dust cover, as I couldn't even put the OEM shock back on!

By your post, I'm guessing that you're verifying that "yea verily" the right should have two perch points, just like the left and the rears? And with the correct part number, I just got one that slipped by their Quality Assurance department?

 

NotAMurasama (Who else? )Posted on Aug 9 2007, 02:11 PM
Yes, both my fronts have 2 perches, the "OEM hight" and a lower one.

That guy / girl must have been on as all Dutch are, all day, every day!
(admit.. THAT's what you were thinking.. haha! )
I hope your supplier (of shocks) gets you the proper stuff

Don't you find it hard to set / turn the rear shock adjuster, especially the one at the driver side behind the fuel pipe?

 

You do know that konis are made in Hebron Kentucky right?

 

Wow, that sucks. Definately have not seen that before.

BTW, you can use your stock shocks again with no ill effects even though you drilled out those parts.

Also, on the interference with the upper a-arm: you have to make sure the perch is rotated so that the highest point of the coil seat is over the front of th a-arm. Once the car is on the ground and not at full droop the perch won't even be close to the A-arm.

 

Wow, that's a defective item.
Hope you get things solved.

^^^ And yeah, when I first installed mine, I thought the coil seat was gonna interfere w/ the a-arm, too.
But once I put the car back on the ground, all was good.

Dan

 

Update on this problem...

When I discovered the problem, it was after 5:00 last Wednesday, and Koni-NA was gone for the day. I called a friend of mine, who has a wholesale account with a different supplier, and he overnighted AM delivery a replacement right front. When it got in on Thursday morning, it also only had one groove, so he sent it back.

So, I called Koni-NA and talked with Stoney. He went in to the back and found at least one shock in their warehouse that only had one groove, but most of the inventory was correct. He sent me a replacement shock (with two grooves), overnight AM delivery, which arrived Friday morning, and it was on and the car was aligned, just in time to put it on the trailer and get to the event I was going to on Saturday.

Stoney thinks they found all of their defective inventory, so hopefully the problem won't bite anyone else. Just the same, check your perch grooves before you get half way through the job like I was!

Also, on the interference with the upper control arm issue... Not sure, but I may have aggravated the problem as the bracket for the brake line was interfering with the front sway bar, so I rotated the shock 180 degrees to avoid that interference. For the "correct" shock, I found another way to avoid the FSB.

BTW, Thanks Stoney from Koni-NA for taking care of the problem promptly and relieving my stress level!