Koni Special Active dampers installed – review

[TodmordenLad]

I bought my A4 Avant Black Edition MY ’23 with my eyes open, knowing that I’d need to do something to improve the ride quality of the sports suspension on 19"s. I wanted the trim level for aesthetic reasons, interior and exterior, plus the seats.

I’ve just had Koni’s Special Active Dampers fitted and the wheels aligned so thought I’d share some thoughts in case there are folk thinking of doing the same. The shocks use a patented technology which Koni refers to as ‘frequency selective damping’. It uses valve technology within the damper to adjust response based on frequency – aka road surface quality. A form of active behaviour without any electronics.

The ride quality has undoubtedly improved although it would be an exaggeration to say that it has been transformed - this is no Bentley on air suspension! At very low speeds on bad surfaces, it’s not much different from stock, tbh (which were Sachs, OEM for Audi). Once you reach speeds of around 30mph and over, it's noticeably better. Imperfections in the road surface are muted and there is less harshness and crashiness. At motorway speeds, things are better still, with less float to the ride. The car still isn’t as planted as the 3 series BMW’s I’ve owned but it’s a more refined drive, which compensates. In summary, the ride remains firm but much better controlled/resolved.

So, one pleased customer

[TodmordenLad]

In the highly unlikley event that there's anyone on here considering these for their A4 Avant B9 S Line (sports suspension) or S4 Avant B9, be warned!

Koni has positioned the spring seat on the front dampers too high by around 13mm. It raises the front ride height and lowers the rear. My reseller, who also did the installation, has sent data off to Koni, asking for a solution. We took exact measurements of the Koni's and my OEM dampers, as well as using another OEM version of the same. Koni has definitely got it wrong here. Hopefully they’ll put their hands up and engineer a new batch with the spring perch at the correct height. Otherwise, I’ll be returning the Koni Special Actives for a refund and will revert to stock dampers, which would be a pity.