ELFMAN
16th October 2009, 02:46 PM
I've been looking into Koni FSD's as a possible future mod to improve my R56 over its current 'Sport Suspension' setup, which can be a bit 'interesting' on our less well-maintained roads. I don't want to compromise the handling, but feel that the car's overall behaviour in all types of driving could be better, it's fine 70% of the time, but 'pressing on' on some roads can be a bit more fraught than it should be...
Reading bits and pieces on the FSD's, I checked out various articles etc, a couple of which are repeated below. The first one seems to say that the FSD will be at a 'Softer' setting on a bumpy road (which would make sense, as my standard 'Sport' setup with 17's bounces all over the place compared to my old JCW 210's Works Suspension and 16's), so you'd want a bit more compliance) and a firmer setting on smoother roads - again, this makes sense - you don't get racing cars on billiard-smooth tracks using soft suspension.... Anyway, Here's the first article:
1 'The KONI FSD (Frequency Selective Damping) shock combines excellent road holding and handing characteristics with no-compromise comfort levels. It's a two-in-one solution from KONI that doesn't require the installation of sophisticated electronics, cables or sensors. Firmness for sporty driving on even road surfaces. Smoothness for a comfortable ride on uneven road surfaces.' (end)
However, reading the blurb on LOHEN's website, (2), they seem to say that the increased 'frequency' (eg on a bumpy road) actually firms up the dampers - which to me would have a negative effect rather than a positive one - and a smooth road would have the FSD's on a 'soft' setting - which doesn't make sense either. Here's the LOHEN bit:
(2) 'Sounds good, but give me some examples… Imagine this – you’re driving at a fairly relaxed pace along a motorway, dual carriageway, or in town. Although your driving speed will differ, the suspension will be moving fairly gently. As the flow of oil through the FSD valve (which controls the damper firmness) is slow, the dampers will be on the soft setting. In this instance, the ride quality is better compared to most standard cars & certainly a standard MINI. The ride feels smoother, more like the car is gliding along, the bumps and road imperfections are absorbed better taking away the “crashy”/harsh ride.
But what if I don’t always drive that slowly… Not to worry. As your driving goes from relaxed to spirited and the dampers are made to go up and down faster during cornering, the increased flow of oil through the FSD valve forces it to close up. The adjustment of the valve firms up the damper and makes them control the roll (side-to-side) and pitch (front-to-back) of the car better, which makes the car more predictable and stable through corners. The Koni dampers are also able to control the springs better, whether they’re original BMW ones or aftermarket like Eibach or KW. This takes away the typical MINI ‘bounce’ which often makes the car unpredictable in corners: now you have the ability to corner comfortably and precisely, which means more safe fun in your car!' (end)
Now to me, these articles seem to contradict each other. One says 'Smooth = Stiff' and the Lohen one says 'Smooth = Soft'. I'd have thought a softer setting on an uneven road for a more absorbent ride and a firm setting on a smooth road would be the way to go - a firm setting for a smooth road is preferable (as evidenced from my current O.E. setup which is fine on smoother surfaces). And what happens to the FSD's when you're driving fast on a bumpy road?
Reading lots of road tests and reviews, I've no doubt that the Koni FSD is a great piece of kit, but the above ones confused me! :confused:
I'd like to hear any NMS folks' opinions - especially if you've fitted them. Is LOHEN confused? (not like them), or is it just me? My idea would be to fit FSD's and lower the car very slghtly with Eibach springs along with a few lesser suspension tweaks. The way it is just now, there's no way I'd put more power in it - it would be wasted bouncing all over the road! Apologies for banging on a bit, any ideas/opinions/experiences gratefully accepted. :thumbs up::bigwave:
Reading bits and pieces on the FSD's, I checked out various articles etc, a couple of which are repeated below. The first one seems to say that the FSD will be at a 'Softer' setting on a bumpy road (which would make sense, as my standard 'Sport' setup with 17's bounces all over the place compared to my old JCW 210's Works Suspension and 16's), so you'd want a bit more compliance) and a firmer setting on smoother roads - again, this makes sense - you don't get racing cars on billiard-smooth tracks using soft suspension.... Anyway, Here's the first article:
1 'The KONI FSD (Frequency Selective Damping) shock combines excellent road holding and handing characteristics with no-compromise comfort levels. It's a two-in-one solution from KONI that doesn't require the installation of sophisticated electronics, cables or sensors. Firmness for sporty driving on even road surfaces. Smoothness for a comfortable ride on uneven road surfaces.' (end)
However, reading the blurb on LOHEN's website, (2), they seem to say that the increased 'frequency' (eg on a bumpy road) actually firms up the dampers - which to me would have a negative effect rather than a positive one - and a smooth road would have the FSD's on a 'soft' setting - which doesn't make sense either. Here's the LOHEN bit:
(2) 'Sounds good, but give me some examples… Imagine this – you’re driving at a fairly relaxed pace along a motorway, dual carriageway, or in town. Although your driving speed will differ, the suspension will be moving fairly gently. As the flow of oil through the FSD valve (which controls the damper firmness) is slow, the dampers will be on the soft setting. In this instance, the ride quality is better compared to most standard cars & certainly a standard MINI. The ride feels smoother, more like the car is gliding along, the bumps and road imperfections are absorbed better taking away the “crashy”/harsh ride.
But what if I don’t always drive that slowly… Not to worry. As your driving goes from relaxed to spirited and the dampers are made to go up and down faster during cornering, the increased flow of oil through the FSD valve forces it to close up. The adjustment of the valve firms up the damper and makes them control the roll (side-to-side) and pitch (front-to-back) of the car better, which makes the car more predictable and stable through corners. The Koni dampers are also able to control the springs better, whether they’re original BMW ones or aftermarket like Eibach or KW. This takes away the typical MINI ‘bounce’ which often makes the car unpredictable in corners: now you have the ability to corner comfortably and precisely, which means more safe fun in your car!' (end)
Now to me, these articles seem to contradict each other. One says 'Smooth = Stiff' and the Lohen one says 'Smooth = Soft'. I'd have thought a softer setting on an uneven road for a more absorbent ride and a firm setting on a smooth road would be the way to go - a firm setting for a smooth road is preferable (as evidenced from my current O.E. setup which is fine on smoother surfaces). And what happens to the FSD's when you're driving fast on a bumpy road?
Reading lots of road tests and reviews, I've no doubt that the Koni FSD is a great piece of kit, but the above ones confused me! :confused:
I'd like to hear any NMS folks' opinions - especially if you've fitted them. Is LOHEN confused? (not like them), or is it just me? My idea would be to fit FSD's and lower the car very slghtly with Eibach springs along with a few lesser suspension tweaks. The way it is just now, there's no way I'd put more power in it - it would be wasted bouncing all over the road! Apologies for banging on a bit, any ideas/opinions/experiences gratefully accepted. :thumbs up::bigwave: