My Konis are modified with threading and BBi is lowered to where she should be. Drives great and takes bumps better than some more modern Ferrari.
Status update. The new shocks are almost finished. We're just waiting for springs (Eibach). I should be getting all shocks ready for install in the next two weeks. I'm also working on an at-home alignment setup; which won't be ready for another few weeks. Unless I get antsy, I'll likely end up waiting to install the shocks until I can do a proper setup since I'm sure the new shocks and ride height change are going to mess with things. Attached are a few pics of a front shock. PSi painted the new top eye extension in Koni orange. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I woke my neighbors an drove ex LeMans #70 BBLM #38179 on the roads in LA (lower Alabama) for a few blasts around town. I agree that it was similar to the road car. However, being lighter with the wider tires and more power, at non racing speeds it was a bit wide as it trundled along. among traffic making wonderful sounds. As a lawyer who knew lots of judges, I am glad I never had to explain the need to drive it on the street.
Those are absolutely gorgeous! Have you driven the Boxer with those spherical bearings rather than rubber shock bushings? If so, how is the NVH?
Thanks. I'm pretty happy with them so far. They're not too modern looking (I've seen a few of the BBLM running something similar). I seriously considered Ohlins for a while, but ultimately stuck with the Koni. Not yet. I should be receiving the final shocks / springs sometime this week. I'm also working on an at-home alignment setup; which will be necessary to do a proper setup after the car is lowered. So I'm kind of stuck waiting on that. Very curious about the NVH as well. I'll keep posting as things progress.
Quick update. The Eibach springs arrived at PSi and were installed. They ship out today, so I should be getting the full set next week. FYI, the rear shocks didn't need any modification, which is why the top eye was left plated (not painted like the fronts). I won't have the alignment setup for another few weeks, so unfortunately these will likely sit on the bench for a little bit (unless I get real antsy; which is entirely possible). Image Unavailable, Please Login
If you get a chance, could you weigh the OEM Koni shocks and springs versus these aluminum body shocks and springs?
Sure, no problem. When I do the swap, I'll weigh everything and post here. I've only handled the dry 8212 Konis, so I can't say just how much lighter they will be, but the stock Konis are quite heavy. I'm sure the new setup will be much lighter.
I received the shocks today. Until I do the swap and have a chance to weigh the factory shocks, here's what the new ones come in at: Front: 8 lb. Rear: 9.25 lb. Just going off memory from the last time I handled the factory shocks, but these definitely feel a lot lighter.
I have a stock set here so I weighed them. The rear shock is minus one bushing. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I had a feeling it was in that ballpark, but that's pretty dramatic. Interesting how much lighter the fronts are due to the shorter spring (not just the body material). There's a lot of preload on the front factory springs. According to PSi, although the spring rate doesn't technically change by preloading it that much, it does impact the suspension in various ways that make it "feel" like a higher spring rate (at least on initial compression) – which I think partially explains the big discrepancy between front (180) and rear (150 * 2) spring rates. They're still quite rear biased though (per above, likely for intentional understeer, and some other reasons). Since we're running shorter springs in the front, combined with the math PSi ran (ride height, ride frequency, bias, modern tires, etc)., we're actually running much stiffer springs than I originally thought we were going to. Like, so much stiffer that I am hesitant to even share here until I've put them on the car and verified that I haven't lost my teeth
Thank you. Wow, a near 40% weight reduction front and rear! I forget the formula, but a good chunk of hat wieght is unsprung weight so that's a particularly positive weight reduction.
It's essentially 7 lbs. on each corner. There's probably a formula that will tell you whatever you want to hear, but I would think it's at least equivalent to 2-3x sprung mass. So call it 70 lbs. weight reduction? I also: - replaced the heavy four-can exhaust with a much lighter system - replaced the heavy CIS system (dual FMU / plenums / runners) with ITBs. - replaced the high COG AC compressor with a front/low mounted electric AC - replaced the radiator with aluminum - swapped the TRX wheels with BBS magnesium / modern Conti rubber - swapped the battery with lithium (anti-gravity). I haven't done a full tally, but I must be nearing 200 lbs removed by now (before the suspension changes). It'd be great if I could get the car under 3k lbs (curb weight) without having to resort to drastic measures like carbon fiber body parts, etc..
Looking forward to seeing the suspension installed! A few questions if you don't mind: if I understood correctly, PSI is building the coilovers for you around Koni shocks? Are they entirely custom built units? I've seen a couple of manufacturers make coilovers for boxers, at least Intrax and some company in Germany. I was wondering what you think of these options? and of course curious if others here have experience or knowledge about the Intrax coilovers or other "off the shelf" offerings there might be?
They're essentially custom. The 8212 starts off very basic, and they are built up around the specs needed for the car (weight, motion ratio, spring rates, extension / droop, ride height, tire choice, etc.). In the case of the Boxer, the front top eyes need extensions to fit in the forks – so there's also that. I originally considered modifying the factory Konis; which is a popular option. I then leaned towards Ohlins. I reached out to the Ohlins US team, who then recommended I reach out PSi in Sonoma CA. When I spoke with the team there and told them what I was looking for, they strongly recommended I go with the Koni 8212 instead (they're very experienced / knowledgeable in both Ohlins and Koni). One big benefit (to me) is that the Koni 8212 is correct for that era.
Yes, I was surprised by how much lighter my 6 piston calpers with larger discs and aluminum hats weigh compared to the OEM boat anchor brakes. A truly hands on nut and bolt restoration would be interesting and an opportunity to replace many component with lighter ones. Did you also replace the fans? Not only is the radiator very heavy but so too are those old style fans. Replace the inner fender lines (front and rear) with carbon fiber pieces (as are mine) and some other bits as well. My car used to have carbon fiber seats but unless you go with fixed back buckets and solid mount to the floor I think OEM Boxer seats are not that heavy. Someone just paid $3 million for a 964 Singer. Imagine how cool and fun it would be to have a sub 3000 pound Boxer making 500-550 hp!
Would be very interested in learning the weight diference between the Boxer engine and a 512M engine.........
On the AMG cars, those steel rotors are tough to move about heavy. The carbon rotors are amazingly light. X4 seems like an easy 50 pound diet! The best part is the stopping power is great
