Koni Sports Install Question

[gjm120]

For those that have installed Koni yellow struts - how are you torquing down the top nut? With the stock struts you can use a strut nut tool and allen wrench to stop the shaft from turning while tightening the nut.

On the top of the Koni Sports are the little adjustment tabs instead of hex head screw.

[crowtrobot]

If I recall correctly, you need a pass-through socket set to really get this done. I picked one up a Kobalt one pretty cheap at Lowes, it comes in pretty handy for other things as well.

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by crowtrobot

If I recall correctly, you need a pass-through socket set to really get this done. I picked one up a Kobalt one pretty cheap at Lowes, it comes in pretty handy for other things as well.

What did you use to hold the adjusting tab? It looks a little delicate. I don't want to break it.

[crowtrobot]

You need something deep enough to fit over the adjustment tab. I used the pass through socket for the nut and another deep 10mm or whatever it is to counterhold the strut while the nut was tightened. Don't use the tab for tightening, that will probably break the valving.

There may be enough room to use the strut socket (with the cutout) and a open ended wrench to counterhold, but this will be a pain since you'll only be able to tighten a bit at a time until the wrench interferes.

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by crowtrobot

You need something deep enough to fit over the adjustment tab. I used the pass through socket for the nut and another deep 10mm or whatever it is to counterhold the strut while the nut was tightened. Don't use the tab for tightening, that will probably break the valving.

There may be enough room to use the strut socket (with the cutout) and a open ended wrench to counterhold, but this will be a pain since you'll only be able to tighten a bit at a time until the wrench interferes.

Thanks. I'll get the pass thru sockets. Anyway, the strut nut sockets I have aren't the correct size.

[1and1]

I'm inclined to say a deep impact socket and air gun... Job done
My impact sockets are a bit over three inches deep

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by 1and1

I'm inclined to say a deep impact socket and air gun... Job done
My impact sockets are a bit over three inches deep

I'll probably end up doing that until I get a pass thru socket. I just want to be able to sort of feel if I have the correct torque.

[1and1]

FWIW, calibrating your air gun will help ease your concerns.

toss on a lug nut and tighten it with your air gun on it's lowest setting, then touch it with your tq wrench.
tighten the nut with the air gun on the medium setting, and check again with the tq wrench
Etc

Mine is consistently, like repeatable over and over again, 48 ft-lbs, 82ft-lbs and 106 ft-lbs. Of course these are based on compressor at full pressure (125psi), numbers are a touch lower if compressor is low and about to kick on again.

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by 1and1

FWIW, calibrating your air gun will help ease your concerns.

toss on a lug nut and tighten it with your air gun on it's lowest setting, then touch it with your tq wrench.
tighten the nut with the air gun on the medium setting, and check again with the tq wrench
Etc

Mine is consistently, like repeatable over and over again, 48 ft-lbs, 82ft-lbs and 106 ft-lbs. Of course these are based on compressor at full pressure (125psi), numbers are a touch lower if compressor is low and about to kick on again.

That makes good sense if I had an air gun that could be set. I only have an electric impact. Not much good for anything than loosening and crude tightening.

[1and1]

I get that....

Still, the next time you use it to tighten something, grab your tq wrench after and learn where it lands- it's good piece of mind knowing that it's consistent to desired lug nut values, or if it's consistently over or under, and by how much.

Frankly it's kinda nice to know I can just slam my lug nuts on with the air gun and they'll be 80-ish ft-lbs every time. Compared to the tire monkey's at the local shop...

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by 1and1

I get that....

Still, the next time you use it to tighten something, grab your tq wrench after and learn where it lands- it's good piece of mind knowing that it's consistent to desired lug nut values, or if it's consistently over or under, and by how much.

Frankly it's kinda nice to know I can just slam my lug nuts on with the air gun and they'll be 80-ish ft-lbs every time. Compared to the tire monkey's at the local shop...

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

Did you final tighten the strut nut on bench or on the car?

And I don't like the tire shop for that reason. They wrench the bolts on to about 1000 ft-lbs than put the torque wrench to it to see that they are tight enough.

[1and1]

I took the baller route and got the parts to assemble less the struts before taking the old one off. I wanted to just swap em out, not pull em, rebuild em then reinstall em.

[gjm120]

I'm in the middle of doing mine now. My hardware had around 8,000 miles on it so I took the cheapskate way and re-used.

So you did the final tighten after assembly before installing on the car?

[1and1]

Yup, with the air gun. Done it that way for years.

I did my rsbi the weekend before, and in the next week or two will go back through every nut and bolt again to double check.

[gjm120]

Makes sense. If you wait until the struts in the car the strut brace has to be moved and those bolts are supposed to be 1 use only.

[1and1]

strut brace bolts are single use only?

huh... how about that.
^ that's me not caring a whole bunch Never even occurred to me that those were single use only.

me heads to google to learn if I should care...

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by 1and1

strut brace bolts are single use only?

huh... how about that.
^ that's me not caring a whole bunch Never even occurred to me that those were single use only.

me heads to google to learn if I should care...

There aren't many suspension fasteners that aren't "replace with new". I'd love for someone who had suspension work done by a dealer to look at their invoice and see if all the nuts and bolts were replaced. I wouldn't think a dealer is likely to eat a bunch of money in fasteners in their shop rate.

I tend to take the replace with new more seriously with nuts and bolts that are torque to x ft-lbs + y deg. It can get expensive and a bother to make sure you have all the parts you need.

[1and1]

Looked up the strut brace specs and it's amazing that they add that much extra to them. All three are steel, not aluminum, and none have the typical blue of an alum or a TTY bolt on a 135... (edit to add: by "all three" I mean the one center mount bolt, and the one bolt on each strut. Don't want anybody confused with the three nuts mounting the strut top hat to the body...)

Meh. FWIW, I didn't even remove the braces during my strut install. My ratcheting wrench fit right in there, and while loosening the mount nuts the strut was lowering rather than the nut coming up to contact the brace.

Speaking of- hot setup is to leave the top mount nuts tight until you get the lower stuff removed, hub mounting spread, and let gravity and the hub/rotor/caliper weight help remove the strut from the hub. Super easy that way, and you get a crap ton of room for removing the strut rather than trying to not scratch your fender...

When reinstalling be sure to use a jack to just take the weight of the corner, just enough to start lifting from the jackstand simulating normal ride height, then fully tighten the control arm subframe bolts so you don't stress the bushings.

[gjm120]

Yeah. I wouldn't torque that much even with new bolts for fear of snapping them. The only reason I needed to loosen them is I forgot to put the adjuster knob on one side before getting the strut in the car. So I'll torque them to close to spec and get new bolts next time I place a parts order.

Do you loosen the control arms to subframe before lowering the hub? I got the tie rod off at the hub and the control arms allowed the hub to be somewhat easily pushed down. This may be bad for the subrame/arm bushings, but, it didn't take much force to push it down.

[1and1]

wow, bet that was a cuss-worthy moment when you realized you were going back in for the adjuster knob At least those two bolts are inexpensive

Sure do loosen the CA subframe mount bolts. Not remove, just loosen enough to allow movement. I didn't even touch the tie rods. Goal was to encourage the hub to drop off the struts, and they did easily with only a few light taps on the tab where the sway bar end links mount to the strut. Two taps and the hub dropped an inch onto the waiting jack. After that just lowered the jack and the hub slid right off the strut, easy-peasy.

Was all happy after all the horror stories I'd read...

And, really, soooooo much easier to remove the strut when the bottom is already free -vs- fighting with it using the top out first method.

[gjm120]

Originally Posted by 1and1

wow, bet that was a cuss-worthy moment when you realized you were going back in for the adjuster knob At least those two bolts are inexpensive

Sure do loosen the CA subframe mount bolts. Not remove, just loosen enough to allow movement. I didn't even touch the tie rods. Goal was to encourage the hub to drop off the struts, and they did easily with only a few light taps on the tab where the sway bar end links mount to the strut. Two taps and the hub dropped an inch onto the waiting jack. After that just lowered the jack and the hub slid right off the strut, easy-peasy.

Was all happy after all the horror stories I'd read...

And, really, soooooo much easier to remove the strut when the bottom is already free -vs- fighting with it using the top out first method.

On strut no 2 I still took off the tie rod end. I just felt pushing down so much was not good. No logic there, but..

Just had a much bigger 'aw shit' moment on the adjuster knob. In one box they give you a tall knob. In the other (the 2nd one I installed) there is a knob short enough to slip in under the strut brace.