KONI firstly design, develop, and manufacture their own products. This means every damper built by KONI is done so with the optimum performance in mind. Koni spend millions of Rands developing each part number to ensure it will give you the ultimate in Performance and comfort for each application. Cheaper brands use general valve settings and don’t spend the time and money to optimise performance because they don’t manufacture their own products. Semi brands (products made by one company and branded for sale by another company) will never have the ultimate control over the design because it’s not done in house, and often carried out by Companies who mass produce replacement shocks (cheaper less performance orientated parts).
The benefit of a KONI damper is its ability to be adjusted in the rebound motion, to optimise performance where spring strengths have been changed. The biggest advantage however is the fact that unlike a normal shock which gets stiffer the faster it moves in and out, a KONI has a flatter performance curve rather than a linear one. This means in layman’s terms that it is stiffer in slow shaft movements and softer in faster shaft movements. This is critically important and we will explain why.
When travelling at hi speed or, on smooth surfaces (motorways and A. class roads) the shock needs to be stiff when moving in and out slowly to give the car stability in hi speed cornering, swerving and harsh braking. Most shocks are too soft in this instance and the car is unstable and body rolls a lot. The KONI shock in hi speed shaft movements such as bad roads or dirt roads is softer than the standard shock and allows the vehicle to get more traction, more stability, and more comfort due to quicker reactions from the shock. These two simple facts already make the KONI shock the choice for discerning clients, whilst all the other benefits such as superior built quality, stronger mounting points, longevity, and cost just add to the value proposition from KONI.