Johnny O'Connell vs Koni FSD
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 112
Likes: 2
From: Phoenix Arizona
As a DD, youre likely better off driving a Lexus.....
..but seriously, a general rule of thumb (until you get into coilover$) is that, the harsher the suspension, the better it will handle.
If you live in an area with a bunch of potholes and you just drive back and forth to work, leave it stock...but if you get loose on the weekends or happen to work at the top of a windy mountain pass, change them.
Good luck finding someone on here that has had both sets installed on the same vehicle that can give you an unbiased opinion on the differences in both sets.
..but seriously, a general rule of thumb (until you get into coilover$) is that, the harsher the suspension, the better it will handle.
If you live in an area with a bunch of potholes and you just drive back and forth to work, leave it stock...but if you get loose on the weekends or happen to work at the top of a windy mountain pass, change them.
Good luck finding someone on here that has had both sets installed on the same vehicle that can give you an unbiased opinion on the differences in both sets.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 24,977
Likes: 2,690
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
Also, does your car have the base suspension or Z51?
If you have base, either of those shocks will probably give a somewhat firmer ride but give better handling during transitions.
If you have Z51, you might or might not notice much difference.
Everyone who makes shocks will claim that their version will improve your handling, improve your ride, make your teeth whiter, and stop world hunger. And under one particular combination of tires/springs/pavement/speed/driving style, they are probably right. Except for the teeth and hunger. But under your circumstance which may vary even from day to day, the results may not be so encouraging.
The FSDs have a dual valving arrangement which is supposed to make them soft under the sharp movements of bumps, but firm under the slower movements of cornering. Some people love them, others say they are just another set of stiff shocks. I wish I knew for sure, because I'd like to get more comfortable shocks for my Z51.
If you have base, either of those shocks will probably give a somewhat firmer ride but give better handling during transitions.
If you have Z51, you might or might not notice much difference.
Everyone who makes shocks will claim that their version will improve your handling, improve your ride, make your teeth whiter, and stop world hunger. And under one particular combination of tires/springs/pavement/speed/driving style, they are probably right. Except for the teeth and hunger. But under your circumstance which may vary even from day to day, the results may not be so encouraging.
The FSDs have a dual valving arrangement which is supposed to make them soft under the sharp movements of bumps, but firm under the slower movements of cornering. Some people love them, others say they are just another set of stiff shocks. I wish I knew for sure, because I'd like to get more comfortable shocks for my Z51.
Thread Starter
Naples FL
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,383
Likes: 175
From: FL
thanks for all the replies...it is my daily driver...106k and counting...since my 100k warrenty has expired....I've started to make some performance upgrades...I have kook's 1 7/8 LTH with 3-2.5" catted x pipe, Halltech superbee CAI, agressive tune with 417RWHP & billy boat PRT exhaust ....I just replaced the original brakes (not because i had to) with DBA's 4000 and GM ceramic pads with SS lines...the car drives excellent and I just want to up date the suspension to match the rest of the MOD's...the Koni's say they maintain ride quality of the base suspension that I have (not Z51) while improving handeling....I saw the write up on the Johnny o connor and was thinking maybe sway bars too...I don't want to loose my soft ride..but would like quicker response...I do not track...
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,912
Likes: 33
From: S.D. CA
thanks for all the replies...it is my daily driver...106k and counting...since my 100k warrenty has expired....I've started to make some performance upgrades...I have kook's 1 7/8 LTH with 3-2.5" catted x pipe, Halltech superbee CAI, agressive tune with 417RWHP & billy boat PRT exhaust ....I just replaced the original brakes (not because i had to) with DBA's 4000 and GM ceramic pads with SS lines...the car drives excellent and I just want to up date the suspension to match the rest of the MOD's...the Koni's say they maintain ride quality of the base suspension that I have (not Z51) while improving handeling....I saw the write up on the Johnny o connor and was thinking maybe sway bars too...I don't want to loose my soft ride..but would like quicker response...I do not track...
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 112
Likes: 2
From: Phoenix Arizona
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Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
From: Yorba Linda Ca
Koni's
I have the Koni FSD's on the base C6. I think they are actually smoother than the original base shocks. I believe that it is due to a lower gas pressure. Overall they are much more stable at speed. The Z51 sway bars with poly bushings made the ride slightly stiffer, but it is also a must have mod. The two things together are great and immediately improved on ramp confidence. Night and Day difference. If budget is a big issue then I would consider the Bilsteins but have no experience with them to comment.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,724
Likes: 9
thanks for all the replies...it is my daily driver...106k and counting...since my 100k warrenty has expired....I've started to make some performance upgrades...I have kook's 1 7/8 LTH with 3-2.5" catted x pipe, Halltech superbee CAI, agressive tune with 417RWHP & billy boat PRT exhaust ....I just replaced the original brakes (not because i had to) with DBA's 4000 and GM ceramic pads with SS lines...the car drives excellent and I just want to up date the suspension to match the rest of the MOD's...the Koni's say they maintain ride quality of the base suspension that I have (not Z51) while improving handeling....I saw the write up on the Johnny o connor and was thinking maybe sway bars too...I don't want to loose my soft ride..but would like quicker response...I do not track...
If you have any questions please let us know! I can be reached directly at jarrett@pfadtracing.com, or at 1-888-972-2464.
Last edited by Pfadt Racing; May 10, 2012 at 06:33 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 14,999
Likes: 200
From: Bay Area Ca.
Also, does your car have the base suspension or Z51?
If you have base, either of those shocks will probably give a somewhat firmer ride but give better handling during transitions.
If you have Z51, you might or might not notice much difference.
Everyone who makes shocks will claim that their version will improve your handling, improve your ride, make your teeth whiter, and stop world hunger. And under one particular combination of tires/springs/pavement/speed/driving style, they are probably right. Except for the teeth and hunger. But under your circumstance which may vary even from day to day, the results may not be so encouraging.
The FSDs have a dual valving arrangement which is supposed to make them soft under the sharp movements of bumps, but firm under the slower movements of cornering. Some people love them, others say they are just another set of stiff shocks. I wish I knew for sure, because I'd like to get more comfortable shocks for my Z51.
If you have base, either of those shocks will probably give a somewhat firmer ride but give better handling during transitions.
If you have Z51, you might or might not notice much difference.
Everyone who makes shocks will claim that their version will improve your handling, improve your ride, make your teeth whiter, and stop world hunger. And under one particular combination of tires/springs/pavement/speed/driving style, they are probably right. Except for the teeth and hunger. But under your circumstance which may vary even from day to day, the results may not be so encouraging.
The FSDs have a dual valving arrangement which is supposed to make them soft under the sharp movements of bumps, but firm under the slower movements of cornering. Some people love them, others say they are just another set of stiff shocks. I wish I knew for sure, because I'd like to get more comfortable shocks for my Z51.
Thread Starter
Naples FL
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,383
Likes: 175
From: FL
what do you think of your sway bars with the koni FSD's?
We feel that the Johnny O'Connell setup is perfect for daily drivers. Even if your car never sees a single track day I think everyone can appreciate having a little more fun with their car. Excellent street manners were a primary concern when we were developing the damping that eventually became the Johnny O'Connell Shocks. That being said, the JO shocks are a performance shock option and the base shocks are very soft. If you're sensitive to changes in ride quality you will notice that the car rides a little firmer over slow speed bumps with the JO shocks, but that's because they're really a higher performing shock than what you've currently got on the car. If you absolutely don't want to give up the very soft ride of the Base car shocks you can always upgrade just the sway bars and still see a pretty significant increase in handling and overall fun factor ... but keep in mind that the package deal really does offer fantastic bang for your buck.
If you have any questions please let us know! I can be reached directly at jarrett@pfadtracing.com, or at 1-888-972-2464.
If you have any questions please let us know! I can be reached directly at jarrett@pfadtracing.com, or at 1-888-972-2464.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 415
Likes: 1
From: DFW Texas
The PFADT JO package is on my short list of mods. If your going to get their sway bars, might as well get their package as I'm sure it works great together versus mixing their sway bars and different brand of shocks.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,724
Likes: 9
Well it's a setup that we definitely didn't intend to be run together, and from a performance standpoint you're probably leaving something on the table with the FSD's compared to the Johnny O'Connell shocks... but mechanically there isn't a reason why you couldn't do it. You will still see a performance increase with the bars, but the suspension package as a whole won't perform quite as we intended if your using FSD's.
Will work for HPDE time.
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 2,560
Likes: 7
From: Orlando FL
Had Konis on my C4...unfortunately my only comparison is that they made that car much better.
I am 1000% more confident pushing this car (C6) to the limit (Pfadt JOC/Z06 springs) than when I had the Z51 bits on. Buy the matched set. You'll spend more for the Konis and the Pfadt sways and not have something that was engineered to perform together.
I am 1000% more confident pushing this car (C6) to the limit (Pfadt JOC/Z06 springs) than when I had the Z51 bits on. Buy the matched set. You'll spend more for the Konis and the Pfadt sways and not have something that was engineered to perform together.
Last edited by TNTC4VETTE; May 16, 2012 at 10:16 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 24,977
Likes: 2,690
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 36,838
Likes: 438
From: Manassas Park VA
St. Jude Donor '07-'08,-'13-'14, '16-'17
We sell both, and have had great feedback on both
Johnny O'Connell Stage 1
http://www.customcorvetteaccessories...ellstage1.html
Koni FSD's
http://www.customcorvetteaccessories...fsdshocks.html
Peace
Chip
Johnny O'Connell Stage 1
http://www.customcorvetteaccessories...ellstage1.html
Koni FSD's
http://www.customcorvetteaccessories...fsdshocks.html
Peace
Chip
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 959
Likes: 3
From: Hartford CT
thanks for all the replies...it is my daily driver...106k and counting...since my 100k warrenty has expired....I've started to make some performance upgrades...I have kook's 1 7/8 LTH with 3-2.5" catted x pipe, Halltech superbee CAI, agressive tune with 417RWHP & billy boat PRT exhaust ....I just replaced the original brakes (not because i had to) with DBA's 4000 and GM ceramic pads with SS lines...the car drives excellent and I just want to up date the suspension to match the rest of the MOD's...the Koni's say they maintain ride quality of the base suspension that I have (not Z51) while improving handeling....I saw the write up on the Johnny o connor and was thinking maybe sway bars too...I don't want to loose my soft ride..but would like quicker response...I do not track...
That being said i think you may be happier with the FSD with your stock or Z51 bars. That should give you more body control without being too aggressive. I think the Pfadt setup is great but I think it will work better for someone who will do some trak days or is a VERY aggressive street driver.
If you want, try the Pfadt setup and if you dont like it sell it to me.
