The Euro Eibach springs fit the USA Kona AWD 1.6T perfectly!
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
Joined
·
1,366 Posts
All I can say is WOW! These springs get rid of the nose dive and rear lifting on braking as far as I can tell now. I am waiting a bit till I get my alignment to let the springs settle, so I will only push the car so far as not to scrub too much rubber off my tires that are not aligned. It is close but no use in killing the tires. The springs took away the unsafe feeling of an under-sprung car that the Kona had. I also installed front camber bolts, so that should also help a lot since the front camber just looking at it by eye, was close to "0". Set by eye now it is close to -.75 to -1. I am waiting 2 weeks till I get my alignment. And Yonson you were spot on... the rear camber did not change much, it "should" be fine as far as how it looks by my eye, but it really has only dropped a 1/2 inch so far. Time will tell.
As far as the ride..... it is just a tad stiffer, but still a smooth ride. The OEM dampeners fully control the stiffer spring. I am 100% satisfied with the shock valving on my first test drive. I am SO HAPPY with these springs. The front springs are 1 mm+ smaller diameter wire and the rears are 1mm+ larger diameter wire then OEM springs. I had some tubing that worked with the new springs that copied the OEM spring tubing location. I had to boil the tubing and use Fluid Film to lube it up to slip it on.
As far as the ride..... it is just a tad stiffer, but still a smooth ride. The OEM dampeners fully control the stiffer spring. I am 100% satisfied with the shock valving on my first test drive. I am SO HAPPY with these springs. The front springs are 1 mm+ smaller diameter wire and the rears are 1mm+ larger diameter wire then OEM springs. I had some tubing that worked with the new springs that copied the OEM spring tubing location. I had to boil the tubing and use Fluid Film to lube it up to slip it on.
Attachments
Joined
·
1,366 Posts
Tongue weight is about 75 to 100lbs depending on how I load the boat, so no problems there. 200 lbs with momentum movement I would guess.
I have 2) 3 and 2.5 ton jacks in the back seat floor and another 150 lbs in the front seat. Surprising how little that affects a turbo motor and that's driving like a grandpa. I am trying to accelerate that sag process.
Eibach says their springs don't sag and every bit of sag comes from suspension bolt slam down and finding end of movement points where everything sets in. Everything was tightened down on the ground after a drive around the block to have the suspension find their happy place. I have driven on bumpy roads to get the suspension it's slam time. Know with the weight I will "weight it out" for a couple of days, it may help, it may not. 40% of the people I have read with Eibach Pro kit springs saw sag happen up to about 1 month, and the most in the first week. I am rolling the dice I can accelerate it in a 2 week window.
.
I have 2) 3 and 2.5 ton jacks in the back seat floor and another 150 lbs in the front seat. Surprising how little that affects a turbo motor and that's driving like a grandpa. I am trying to accelerate that sag process.
Eibach says their springs don't sag and every bit of sag comes from suspension bolt slam down and finding end of movement points where everything sets in. Everything was tightened down on the ground after a drive around the block to have the suspension find their happy place. I have driven on bumpy roads to get the suspension it's slam time. Know with the weight I will "weight it out" for a couple of days, it may help, it may not. 40% of the people I have read with Eibach Pro kit springs saw sag happen up to about 1 month, and the most in the first week. I am rolling the dice I can accelerate it in a 2 week window.
.
Joined
·
1,366 Posts
No, it is still a pretty close alignment wise, I am waiting a full month. It has not moved much, so Eibach maybe right that they don't sag. They said the sag is mostly in how people bolt their suspension up. I drove it around the block lose and tightened all the bolts as it sat. Then went under the rear with a wrenches and low profile jack and and gave the lower control arm bolts the extra tightening they needed by jacking the end of the wrench tighter, that 2 hands on your back and short wrenches can't get.
I can say, it brakes better now, without the extreme nose dive and rear lift. I have not done full race style braking yet to check the bias issue it had before, I won't do that until it is aligned. Unfortunately, pavement temps and tire temps are a bit cold now to get a proper comparative test and too much time has past for proper memory recall. This is how the Kona should of been from the start. It is just a joy to drive now, and not that much stiffer in everyday driving.
.
Joined
·
1,366 Posts
I did my alignment yesterday, and yes the rear camber is adjustable. All four corners are set to neg .9 camber. I threw it around a couple of clover leafs and the rear is solid and planted, and not oversteer happy, which I don't want when I am on the street with curbs. It's quite neutral thankfully, with some light understeer. For the track you would want the rear to be a hair happier, so I am happy. It was off quite a bit, it had 2 degs neg camber in the rear and 1.4 on one front and 1 on the other. I was plowing rubber too. If anything, I will add a 1/16 to 32th toe neg to the front to stabilize steering a bit more.
.
.
Joined
·
1,366 Posts
I still am on factory rubber and rims. I normally run Continental rubber, and my pet peeve is good wet performance, and from what I have seen summer only tires are not the best, so my tire of choice would be the Extreme DWS 06, but with the purchase of the rims $$$ I think I will be going with a tire that has Continental technology since they own it. I am looking at a set of
https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/general-gmax-as-05/p/34782
I hope to get these at price $129. Tire Rack tested these and they did really good. Then I will sell the Goodyears in spring time. The test video is mid page.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...r=2018&autoModel=Kona+AWD&autoModClar=Limited
I will be buying my rims on Black Friday to get a maximum discount at Discount Tire.
.
Joined
·
1,366 Posts
I was asked by Hot Hatch Uno in a PM, How much to import and if I know if Eibach makes a kit for FWD Kona's. I wanted to post it here so others can see and use the info posted and not just him in a PM.
$130 to import, but they are only for the AWD version. I was surprised as helll that they even made them for the AWD version. There had to be "someone" high up in Eibach Germany that had a friend or a high up employee had a Kona that they even did the testing, because the USA Eibach is run as a separate unit and can choose to make/and test what ever car they want. They had ZERO, ZERO interest in even considering springs. Just as I found out, ZERO interest on this site in buying spring when I posted it for a mass buy. The German/UK websites don't even have the Kona AWD part # posted anymore. My springs had to be made to order so I suppose you can still order them and they will put you in their production run, but it's not like they are wanting to sell Hyundai Kona lowering springs.
This is not a performance car in anyone's eyes, but a few of us. It's not like a Veloster that has 22 year old males buy them to specifically turn them into a tuner cars, half are liberal, tree hugger women who are sick of their Subaru styling and want something different and buy a Kona. They don't buy lowering springs.
Your best bet is pull the trigger on a cheap set of coil overs for $1100. I think that is your only real option left. I just don't see enough people hot rodding a Kona that any of these OTHER spring companies will be selling lowering springs soon.
I am in the same boat as you sort of as far as shocks....while the OEM Kona AWD are stiff and completely dampen the movement, a true "sport" version would have another 15-20% more dampening. So I may at a later date buy one 2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line rear shock and see if it fits in the Kona were I think it will. at $105 each. The rear needs a tad more damping then the fronts do on my car. The problem with these on line stores are they will not sell you parts for a different car /VIN number because they don't want a return, so you have to call out you void any return or they won't sell it to you for the discount. And I guess I don't blame them, I would do it that way too if I had a online store. I had to do that with my lower trans mount I ordered off the N-Line Elatnra GT.
I really want to do coil overs, but the wife just doesn't get performance cars and sees it as a waste of money. ( she has no idea yet about my new/used Elantra GT Sport seats I switch out.) If I did coil overs, I would have to go with the $2,200 version since that is the "refined" models that have the correct dampening adjustment I would need. That just is not going to happen, I can't justify it. I just bought a new boat and to get it rigged right that took an extra $1,800 so I am tapped on spending on play toys for awhile.
If I go with the Elantra GT n-Line shocks I think I would get the next level where I need to be. I see no aftermarket shock company like Bilstein or Koni coming out with anything for the Kona, so Hyundai OEM switch outs is the only game in town other then measuring the rear shocks and emailing say Bilstein and seeing what comes close and see if that car 's shock that it fits is close to the Kona's weight and gamble it fit's that is an option too I may look into since a Bilstein would be more refined and will last the life of the car for the most part were the OEM Hyundai will not. The 2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line where I would be possibly swapping out "was said" to be tested at Nurburgring, so at least the Hyundai shocks have "some" tuning and would be more refined then the OEM Hyundai Kona AWD shocks that had only common testing done for handling and there being less tuned for all out handling.
.
$130 to import, but they are only for the AWD version. I was surprised as helll that they even made them for the AWD version. There had to be "someone" high up in Eibach Germany that had a friend or a high up employee had a Kona that they even did the testing, because the USA Eibach is run as a separate unit and can choose to make/and test what ever car they want. They had ZERO, ZERO interest in even considering springs. Just as I found out, ZERO interest on this site in buying spring when I posted it for a mass buy. The German/UK websites don't even have the Kona AWD part # posted anymore. My springs had to be made to order so I suppose you can still order them and they will put you in their production run, but it's not like they are wanting to sell Hyundai Kona lowering springs.
This is not a performance car in anyone's eyes, but a few of us. It's not like a Veloster that has 22 year old males buy them to specifically turn them into a tuner cars, half are liberal, tree hugger women who are sick of their Subaru styling and want something different and buy a Kona. They don't buy lowering springs.
Your best bet is pull the trigger on a cheap set of coil overs for $1100. I think that is your only real option left. I just don't see enough people hot rodding a Kona that any of these OTHER spring companies will be selling lowering springs soon.
I am in the same boat as you sort of as far as shocks....while the OEM Kona AWD are stiff and completely dampen the movement, a true "sport" version would have another 15-20% more dampening. So I may at a later date buy one 2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line rear shock and see if it fits in the Kona were I think it will. at $105 each. The rear needs a tad more damping then the fronts do on my car. The problem with these on line stores are they will not sell you parts for a different car /VIN number because they don't want a return, so you have to call out you void any return or they won't sell it to you for the discount. And I guess I don't blame them, I would do it that way too if I had a online store. I had to do that with my lower trans mount I ordered off the N-Line Elatnra GT.
I really want to do coil overs, but the wife just doesn't get performance cars and sees it as a waste of money. ( she has no idea yet about my new/used Elantra GT Sport seats I switch out.) If I did coil overs, I would have to go with the $2,200 version since that is the "refined" models that have the correct dampening adjustment I would need. That just is not going to happen, I can't justify it. I just bought a new boat and to get it rigged right that took an extra $1,800 so I am tapped on spending on play toys for awhile.
If I go with the Elantra GT n-Line shocks I think I would get the next level where I need to be. I see no aftermarket shock company like Bilstein or Koni coming out with anything for the Kona, so Hyundai OEM switch outs is the only game in town other then measuring the rear shocks and emailing say Bilstein and seeing what comes close and see if that car 's shock that it fits is close to the Kona's weight and gamble it fit's that is an option too I may look into since a Bilstein would be more refined and will last the life of the car for the most part were the OEM Hyundai will not. The 2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line where I would be possibly swapping out "was said" to be tested at Nurburgring, so at least the Hyundai shocks have "some" tuning and would be more refined then the OEM Hyundai Kona AWD shocks that had only common testing done for handling and there being less tuned for all out handling.
.
Joined
·
46 Posts
Who makes the coilovers you were talking about? That's the route I'd like to take.
Joined
·
1,366 Posts
Call these guys, they are fairly priced and have connections with at least 6 different coilover companies, and you could add Koni and Bilstien to the mix too.
https://www.fitmentindustries.com/
https://www.fitmentindustries.com/store/suspension
.
https://www.fitmentindustries.com/
https://www.fitmentindustries.com/store/suspension
.
Joined
·
46 Posts
Thank you. They don't list Hyundai but I requested info.
Joined
·
166 Posts
Thanks Mainia, I'm sad they only make those eibach springs for the awd, I have the fwd, or else I would had them imported, if any one is interested there these gecko coil overs for $850 I didn't want to spent that much. I don't know what I'm gonna do, yet
https://geckoracingusa.com/collections/hyundai/products/g-street-coilover-for-17-up-hyundai-kona
https://geckoracingusa.com/collections/hyundai/products/g-street-coilover-for-17-up-hyundai-kona
Joined
·
238 Posts
Actually....wow! 24 damper settings plus height adjustments. I like this a lot better than the coil replacements as I can raise it back up for winter driving.
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!