Which Koni Yellows for touring rear?

[dannyzabolotny]

Hey guys,

I finished my front suspension overhaul recently (control arms + ball joints, sway bar links + bushings, shock mounts, Koni Yellows + Dinan springs) and the car feels pretty great in the front, so now it's time for me to address the awful rear suspension.

I already have a lot of the pieces purchased— rear lower ball joints, BMW rear ball joint removal tool, integral links, upper control arms, sway bar links, and an M5 swaybar with new bushings. All that's left is to get some new rear shocks + shock mounts since mine are completely toast at 188k miles. I have the self-leveling rear suspension and I also have the sport package, so "officially" none of the Koni Yellows are compatible. However I know a few people on here are running them without any problems, so what model number are you guys using? And if anybody's selling a lightly used set please PM me.

Thanks in advance!

[zink]

i thought from comments i read around here those will not work meaning you will have ride height issues and even fitting problems. with self leveling, you are better off with oem less headache and less trouble shooting future wise (the konis wouldn't enhance the stance or tightness anyways in the back)

[blackknight530i]

Both Redshift and myself are running Konis with SLS and they're fine. I just bought the ones listed on ECS for non-SLS sport models. I bought them from Tire Rack and I think if you search on Tire Rack, they show up, with the same warning that they are for non-SLS only. Redshift is actually switching to springs with Jed's spring perches, but that's mainly because he likes to take his wagon to the track and the air bags just don't have enough stability in the corners for his driving level. I'm pretty happy with mine though since my wagon is pretty much exclusively a DD/Utility vehicle.

[hey808]

I've used the Koni's with the factory air springs, and now with springs with Jed's perches. Works fine either way.

[dannyzabolotny]

Gotcha, so I'll just buy the ones that are for wagons without SLS then. Thanks for the tips, guys!

Funnily enough, the shocks moved down a notch in my priorities list because my brakes got really bad the past few days. They shriek and squeak so loudly that I can hear them inside the car, whereas before I only heard them with the windows down. They still stop fine but the noise is crazy. The rotors have giant lips and there's not much pad material left.

[StephenVA]

Get them brakes done! Have to STOP sometimes.

Let me know how your suspension rebuild goes. Mine was pretty straight forward following the DIY articles and videos. No surprises just a bunch of bolts.

[dannyzabolotny]

Get them brakes done! Have to STOP sometimes.

Let me know how your suspension rebuild goes. Mine was pretty straight forward following the DIY articles and videos. No surprises just a bunch of bolts.

My front rebuild was pretty straightforward, here's what I used:

- Thrust arms (Lemforder)
- Control arms (Lemforder)
- Sway bar bushings (Genuine BMW)
- Sway bar links (Meyle HD)
- Shocks (Koni Yellow adjustable)
- Springs (Dinan lowering springs)
- Strut mounts (Genuine BMW)

Aside from the shocks/springs I mostly stuck with things that were similar to OE, because I didn't want a rougher ride. This is a daily driver after all, not a track car.

I'm getting ready to do the rear rebuild pretty soon. I already replaced the rear subframe bushings with Meyle HD solid bushings. I have Lemforder control arms, Lemforder lower ball joints, Lemforder integral links, Lemforder sway bar end links, and a used M5 sway bar with new bushings. I bought the special BMW tool for installing and removing the lower ball joints because the last time I tried using the C-clamp tool it was a total mess.