Replacement damper advice.

A

Alfie Noakes

Member
Hi All

I have a 2004 1.4TDi Sport 90BHP 145K miles.

Not long after I bought the car I fitted Koni FSD's all round. That would be about 10 years or 120K miles ago. They are fine.... or at least they were.

Thanks to Surrey County Councils wish for everyone to drive Range Rovers, potholes are a part of the everyday slalom here. So far this has only cost me tyres and wheels.

Now it has broken the OSF damper.

Is it a viable option to fit 1 new FSD - are they available?

Alternatively is there a good cheap alternative for me to buy 2 and replace both dampers at the front. They are both rusty.

I don't want to go back to the OEM spec. they were scary.

Any help appreciated.

Robert
 
Hi I have the same car (2004 90 Sport). It had Koni FSDs which were corroded (the bad batch as posted variously on here). A couple of weeks ago I had the current version fitted to the front (the backs were very good still) and I am very pleased with the result (with Weitecs). They are now red and called Koni Special Active but the same technology is employed. The poor paint/steel quality in some FSDs is reported to be well sorted now with the Special Actives. As per belt and braces I sprayed the painted surfaces with a high quality high temp laquer before they were fitted. Other options are Bilstein or Monroe at lower cost and others will post soon on those I expect (I have experienced neither). I believe it to be sensible to fit a matched pair.
atb
 
Hi there and thank you for your reply. I am not prepared to spend the sort of money the Koni's will cost. My A2 is a daily driver and I don't drive it in a way the Koni's would like any more.

I am looking at the Bilstien and Monroe and if anyone can give me feedback on those I would appreciate it, although as the car is off the road I want to order today.

I have also been looking at TRW which, to my surprise is an offshoot of ZF. They do a twin tube gas damper for sports suspension at less than £100 a pair which look interesting.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

If anyone can come back with some experience of the Bilstein or Monroe that would be great.

Cheers

Rob
 
The Monroes are good....I've had them fitted on two of my A2,s with both SE and sports suspension. They were also fitted to the A2 from new.
 
As per above, we have Monroe which are comfortable, also have bilstein b4 which are pretty much the same (IMO). Spring-loaded.co.uk are often the cheapest for a set of B4's, 22-105813 front and 19-106120 rear IIRC though please check. They're around £118 for all 4.
Best change lower rear spring seats and bump stops as well as front top mounts while you are there (other parts listed here...)

The Definitive Suspension Parts List

If you're looking to do a complete suspension overhaul, you'll need a collection of miscellaneous parts. The purpose of this thread is to keep an up-to-date list of part numbers. Choose your dampers, springs and drop links and add the following for a complete renewal of the suspension. 6N0 412...
www.a2oc.net
 
Re the first reply post I should explain (slightly defensively ref "not prepared") that: I was able to get the Konis at the same price as Bilstein B6s; I recovered the vat; comfort and longevity were my motivation (not performance driving); they should see me out if they don't rust (!) and that it seemed good to use same shock system front and rear. I don't think that Konis or any sophisticated shock absorber demand a particular type of driving. It was a lifetime ago that I was a boy racer! I think the better the kit the safer you are when the world goes pear shaped. I grew up in Surrey and Cambridgeshire roads are the same! atb
 
In the end I got theses:

MONROE 2x Shock absorber front axle

MONROE 2x Shock absorber front axle Products with top quality and for a favourable price in our shop. Fast shipping and more than 800,000 products.
www.cartech-one.co.uk www.cartech-one.co.uk

They are describes as being "for chassis with sports suspension" and mine is a sport. I have only done about 30 miles so far but they seem fine and they dont have that inital floaty feeling that the Koni's had. So the car feels more stable on small steering inputs albeit a bit stiffer.

The failed Koni was seriously failed as the top fitting has blown right out of the tube due to rust. See photo. So they dont just rust on the outside.

Cheers

Rob

 

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Reactions: TFG
Interesting comments, @Alfie Noakes . Would you say the ride is firmer on the Monroes than the Konis, or just put the 'floaty' down to the Konis being old?

I've got Monroe Reflex on mine but would swap if I could find something more forgiving. I'm not after the last word in handling - just want a ride quality that doesn't feel like it's come from a horse cart. The compression damping on the Monroes feels OTT to me, even though they tout this 'dual rate' business in their blurb.

Cheers, Matt
 
Lot of research done on German A2 forum - best sport set up is Bilstein B6 rear, B8 front with KAW springs and H&R ARBs but might be too stiff for some.
 
TFG said:
Interesting comments, @Alfie Noakes . Would you say the ride is firmer on the Monroes than the Konis, or just put the 'floaty' down to the Konis being old?

I've got Monroe Reflex on mine but would swap if I could find something more forgiving. I'm not after the last word in handling - just want a ride quality that doesn't feel like it's come from a horse cart. The compression damping on the Monroes feels OTT to me, even though they tout this 'dual rate' business in their blurb.

Cheers, Matt
Click to expand...

Hi Matt

As far as I know the FSD's that fit the A2 are actually for a Polo. I have been told that the floaty sensation is due to a different pre-load. This manifests itself as a slight oscilation at the front at about 60mph and a little bit of lean on turn in. I only found this out after I had bought them. Even after 100,000 miles they were still firm once loaded in a bend. They were loads better than the originals which gave me the distinct impression that I was going to end up in a ditch on country roads.

The Monroes are quite stiff, 10mph over sleeping policemen, but once rolling are OK for me, and seem less scary than the originals. I went for them because they were available (car off the road and in a garage stuck on the ramp), a sensible price and seemed as near as I could get a genuine fit for the car.

I'm happy.

Cheers

Rob
 
ecoangel said:
Lot of research done on German A2 forum - best sport set up is Bilstein B6 rear, B8 front with KAW springs and H&R ARBs but might be too stiff for some.
Click to expand...

Might be "best" in Germany, but they don't have our roads. And even then one mans best is anothers NOT best. And I have the 17" wheels.
 
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