My 2009 manual sport had 86,000 mi. when I got tired of the rear pitching up on undulating roads and a lot of uncontrolled motion. The front moved around more than I would like, but the rears were worse. I could not get the front STR.Ts, but did get and installed the rears.

Rear shocks on the Fit are easy to replace, but Koni provided no instructions with the shocks resulting in some guesswork. The Konis did not come with bumpers or the plastic dust cover that was on the factory shocks. I assumed I needed to use the ones off the old shocks, but they do not simply come off. There is a metal sleeve swaged on the factory shocks that prevents the easy removal of those parts. I cut the sleeve off to get to the bumper and cover and installed them on the Konis. These DEFINITELY maintain better control on undulating roads. Quick lane changes were more controlled. They seemed somewhat harsher on small bumps but overall better control, less motion, less pitching. My daughter that sometimes suffers from motion sickness in the rear seat was OK with the new shocks. One of these shocks makes some noise at parking lot speeds on undulating roads, like it sticks slightly, but I hear nothing above 10 mph. If it gets worse, I'll contact Koni about it.

At 93,000 miles I got the front STR.T shocks. These again had no instructions. I did not realize that a plastic thingy was there to hold the dust boot at its bottom until I put in the 2nd shock. So I took the first one apart again, but I screwed up and let the half shaft come out of the transmission. This is easy to prevent by putting the jack under the rotor so it cannot flop, but somehow I forgot to do this the 3rd time and could not get that shaft back in so I resorted to cutting the bands on the boot, so I could see the parts, and then they went right in. I have the banding tool that makes it easy to get a tight band (cheap, but essential tool) and spent $8 on the bands, so it wasn't a horrible mistake, but Honda really ought to use a removable lock ring so these could not come apart so easily. My Subaru has that.

These again, like the rears, controlled the suspension better and limited motion, but the fronts also gave a smoother ride. I wish I had had them out in N. Dakota where the speed limit was 75 and the Fit felt a little unsettled at 80 mph on the somewhat rough roads out there. These shocks would have fixed that and made bad roads more comfortable. The car does not wander as much at highway speeds and the overall driving experience is better. Lane changes are crisper too.

Frankly, it is difficult to remember 93,000 miles ago how the o.e. were when new, so I can't definitively say how much better these are than new o.e., but they are better. If you have limited funds, just do the rears. They made more difference than the fronts and are cheaper and easier to install.

 

So how has it been after a few more days of riding on the new konis? Any regrets? Anymore good things to say?

I'm planning on ordering these as well before the 25% off discount is up on the 31st, I think you are the first to have a review of these are the forums here or anywhere else in regards to the GE8 model.

Thank you!

 

Still happy with them! There is definitely less motion--bobbing up and down--than with the oem dampers at 85-90,000 miles. The car definitely feels more secure at highway speeds and on uneven road surfaces. I bought Bridgestone Ecopia tires 205-50-16--mediocre handling, but quiet and soft riding because the original tires beat me up too much. These shocks help in that regard while improving the handling as well. I might have gone with better handling tires had I had these dampers at the time.

My original shocks/struts were not leaking or "shot." Still, these Konis made a noticeable improvement in ride quality and handling. To sum up, I would say they subdue the well known deficiencies of the Fit--over 65 mph road holding, excessive body movement, and shock transmission to occupants. The car rides more like a very good compact car and less like a stiff punishing subcompact.

 

I have dyno'd the stock and Koni STRT shocks and the Konis have different tuning in their low-velocity area that translates into less harshness and feeling every bump... but the mid- and high-velocity range of the Konis is similar to stock. So, you get brand new shock feel without being beat up by them. And the stock shocks continue to beat you up a bit for their entire life.

The Konis make the car ride nicer without negatively affecting any of the fun. Great shocks for a daily driver car that still wants excellent handling.

Chris

 

@hspatz, I just received my Konis this week, upon opening up the boxes for the rear shocks, I noticed a baggy with some extra hardware, like you mentioned, instructions are not there, what did you use the hardware for?
Each baggy includes:
1x small washer
1x large washer
1x metallic hollow/open cylinder
1x lock nut(I'm guessing this is the top nut?)

Will these hardware pieces come into play during installation where they become self explanatory?

And after some more time now, how are the shocks treating you?

Thanks!

 

Got a part number by any chance? they arent listed on their website

 

I removed the bump stop and plastic dust shield from the old shocks after cutting off the metallic cylinder on the old shocks and reused them along with the new hardware you mentioned. It will be obvious once you remove the old ones. I had some intermittent noise on one of the new shocks that seems to be from one of the plastic dust shields I transferred to the new ones. I am thinking of trying some rubber between the plastic dust shield and the large metal washer to see if that eliminates the noise.

Are you doing the fronts too?

 

Front right is 8750-1102R
Front left is 8750-1102L
Rear--same left and right is 8050-1131

 

@hspatz thanks for the response, and yes I am doing the fronts as well. Gotta wait til I get some time before I tackle it.

 

When you do the fronts be sure to use the plastic piece that comes from Koni. It is to hold the accordion dust shield down, same as the metal one on the stock shocks. It was not obvious to me at first. Also, make sure you support the hub assembly when you detach the shocks. An easy way is to keep your jack under the edge of the rotor to keep it from flopping over. If you let it flop, you will likely have to cut the cv joint boot clamp at the transmission because it will slip out of the transmission and you cannot see how to get it back in. Then you will need a CV boot clamp tool and the clamp. Unfortunately I had a brain malfunction and forgot why the jack was there, let it down, and you can surmise the rest.

 

Thanks for the heads up, I've had my fair share of headaches already installing swift springs earlier this year, hopefully everything goes according to plan this time around!

 

I'm going to get these next month and will post a review once installed

I'm running Tokico HP's on my 350z and have had a good experience with those, I expect a similar if not better experience with these shocks

 

Please post your thoughts on these with the swift springs once they are installed.

 

Alright! Mission accomplished!
All in all, the install was straight forward, although the crimped on collar on the rear shocks holding down the dust boots and bump stops was a PITA to get off, but I followed hspatz tip and used a dremel with the metal cutting attachment, and they came off easily.

Right away I can tell the difference between my 35k miles oem shocks vs the new konis, the ride is firmer, but in a way that is not jarring. I drove through some bumpy back roads that I drive everyday and these shocks soaked up the small bumps very well, and took on the larger bumps with more composure. There also seems to be slightly less body roll especially during hard cornering.
Overall, I am very happy/satisfied with this purchase for $250 and around 3 hours of work, I think it is well worth it if anyone is trying to replace worn stock shocks and/or looking for a budget replacement.

My current setup: Swift springs, koni str.t shocks/struts, progress RSB, 15x7 RPF1, 195/55/15 kumho PA31

 

Nice, thanks for your review

 

Yes, thank you for the review. If you don't mind me asking, where did you purchase them?

 

I originally purchased all 4 from AutoAnything. Their website took my order and within a couple of days emailed to say all were shipped. When only the rears came, I called and they told me to wait a few days that often orders were split even though the the tracking number applied to the entire order. I waited and nothing came. Finally they admitted that fronts never shipped and were a couple weeks out. They finally did refund my money on the fronts--one at a time several days apart. Their communications is terrible. They cannot tell you accurately even if they have shipped or not. I ended up buying the fronts from Koni themselves. They had a sale and were very close to other online prices and they shipped very quickly.

 

I also purchased from autoanything and had the same experience as hspatz. I did wait however, and eventually the fronts did arrive 2 weeks later. I like the fact that they have free shipping. So if you are not in a hurry, you could save on some $$ on shipping.

 

Thanks for the info guys!

 

hspatz,

Is yours still making noise? Installed mine and put about 1k miles on them and on of the rears is making some major squeaking noise at low speeds on bumps. If I stand on the doorsill and rock the car I can recreate the squeak. I'm thinking about taking and off and checking it out, but curious if you had/have the same noise.