Koni Sport Kit MX5 Mk1 Reviews

3.5 Rating 6 Reviews

Koni are recognised as the king of shock absorbers for the MX-5.These really are the units of choice.Top adjustable for damping, with a choice of three positions for the spring perch, the perfect 'all round' shock. Combined with Koni's own sports springs. Lower the car by approximately 35mm.The ride height is adjustable by means of a three position circlip on the shock body to raise or lower the bottom spring pan. We fit these set to either the top position or the middle one but never the bottom!Complete car set of shocks and springs.Fits all Mk1 models, 1989>1998

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Phone:

02392 644588

Email:

sales@mx5parts.co.uk

Location:

1 Orion Court, 5 Rodney Road,,
Portsmouth
PO4 8SZ

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Jeroen Feelders

Verified Reviewer

“I fitted these shocks and springs a year ago and have driven 9500km with them. Today I replaced the H&R springs that came with the Sport Kit for MX-5 Parts' regular replacement springs. The ride height became too low even with the perch spring on highest position on the Koni shock. I the beginning it was still bearable but over time the springs continued sagging resulting in scraping the underside of the car over speedbumps.So I fitted the standard springs with the perch spring on the middle ('Bilstein') position. I have had this setup in the past (before fitting the Koni Sport Kit) and it is perfect for daily use while spirited driving.Koni shocks: *****, H&R springs: *, Total: ***”

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Posted 11 years ago

Christopher Malings

Verified Reviewer

“HiI didn't purchase this kit from MX5parts (eek sorry!) but as I have bought quite a lot of bits from MX5parts over the past few years I'd like to add my comments for the benefit of other potential purchasers.I accidentally broke one shock when fitting as you need to use a deep well socket on the top nut to avoid knocking the top of the (rather delicate) adjuster nib atop of the shock when fitting. There were no signs of damage but the fluid did leak out which was a pita.You will need to drill out the top mounts to 12mm and i recommend a decent cobalt drill bit and some cutting fluid/spray - got mine from a well known tool shop.My 'twin hook' type spring compressors were made for a wider diameter spring so didn't fit too snugly - thankfully i had friend's single hook type compressors to assist. A vice proved handy.The front is on the highest setting and is lower than i expected/wanted. The top of the tyre is level with/pretty much touching the arch - It's hard to remember but I'd say about 5cm difference. I do ground on speedhumps and the front my chassis rails are often scraped. I did also change the front bushes to poly which might make a difference, but it seems unlikely.The rear end is a different matter, being on the middle perch and not much different from standard. I intend to move to lowest setting but i recall it's only around 5-7mm difference, so the car will still be nose down.Having been under the car a while ago whilst on lift, i recall that one or two of the springs are bowing, which is disappointing. The ride is hard and the softest shock setting is still firm. I do have a basic interior though, which doesn't help and front poly bushes.The car handles well and they are still fine after about 18 months and perhaps 5-6,000 miles.All in all i think that the quality is ok, bar the sagging, but the set-up and perch heights aren't right. In america they seem to come with different springs and i wonder if they are the rights ones....anyway, sorry to put a negative spin on this product but it's only fair in my opinion”

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Posted 13 years ago

Charlie Leslie

Verified Reviewer

“had these shocks / springs on for 2 years now! i cant recommend this kit enough if you do plenty of track days etc.. a word of warning however, they are insanely hard for everyday use, ive experimented with them a lot, adjusting them to what i felt was best and to try to make the car more comfortable. if you do go for this kit make sure you have the circlip on the HIGHEST setting, mine are at the middle at the moment and 80% of speed bumps my exhaust / chassis rail's are touching the floor.. they make the car look the part too..in summery, if you want a descent set of springs and dampers for track, look no further, but if you want a set to make the car look lower / handle a bit better, look for a less aggressive alternative..at the moment im thinking about selling this kit and putting a set of mk2 standard springs / dampers on as ive heard they just do that!”

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Posted 13 years ago

Morten Andersen

Verified Reviewer

“After a year of ownership I think it is time to write a reveiw. Before this kit my 1,6 NA was riding on a rather stiff setup with standard shocks (+225.000 km) and H&R lowering springs. The ride was low and harsh on some occations. I did however never have any issues with front tyres rubbing the wheel arches or any inner parts. I then changed over to the Koni Sport suspension, complete with new bushings all over. The height was set with the lower spring perches in the highest position in both ends. Unfortunately the result was not satisfying. Well the ride was brilliant, a significant improvement! But... the rear end was sitting sustantially higher than the front end, which in return was (too) low. When driving, slightly spirited, the front wheels would hit the inner liner. On two occations when I turned and passed a pavement (slight change of level) my front wheel made contact with the front wing and caused a lot of damage to it. After this I decided to go back to original springs. I fitted these with the spring perches at the bottom level all around. Well at least the noise dissapeared, but the rear end were sitting very high compared to the front end (and compared to similar MX-5 on stock suspension). The ride was pretty good, but a little soft. I then fitted two Racing Beat sway bars to see how that change the behavior of the suspension. A fantastic improvement - and a must have (no matter which brand of sway bar you choose!).Now in the continious search for the perfect setup, I decided to fit the Koni springs again. But this time with the front end in the top perch and the rear end in the middle perch. The looks have changed for the better now, even though the rear end still is higher than the front end. Oh yes, and I bended the edge of my front wing again...So what annoys me - that the ride height at the forward end is just TOO low for my everyday use. Things would be perfect for me if it was possible to raise the front end maybe 15 - 20 mm. I have a suspicion that the forward springs sag just too much? By the way - the springs are fitted correct all the way around.My initial thoughts were that I could save a bit of money on the Sport Kit instead of a complete coil over. It was definitely a wrong decision, because I have spent a lot of money on changing springs and suspension alignment afterwards each time plus the repair on my front wing. At the moment I am looking for either a set of springs which does not lower the car so much(the shocks are perfect for me!) or a complete coil-over setup. The quality of the kit, well I can't complain about it. It's decent quality, even though the yellow paint on the shocks is very thin and corrosion will probably show after a short time in the Scandinavian climate.The shocks are perfect for my use, the ability to adjust the firmness is perfect for the combination of daily driving and trackday use. For me the spring rate is just a bit to low and the issue with the riding height is just annoying me too much to recommend them to anyone. If you don't mind the difference in height and want your car sitting low - well then the kit is perfect!The quality of the product is four to five stars for me, but due to the above mentioned issues my experience with it is two stars. That's the reason why I am forced to give this product an average three star reveiw.”

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Posted 14 years ago

Andrew Proctor

Verified Reviewer

“The shocks are brilliant.The springs are a bit firmer than stock, but they are prone to sagging, this is annoying.”

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Posted 15 years ago

Vittorio Urciuoli

Verified Reviewer

“Quick international delivery at a reasonable cost!!! It does lower the car of about 2''...MX5parts took them back without questioning. What a nice bunch of people! This is very reliable, affordable and convenient on-line shop!!!”

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Posted 16 years ago