Review: Koni Special Active on 2008 135i Convertible

[NewDirection]

Hello everyone,

Just installed the Koni Special Acitve on my 2008 135i convertible with 78,000kms on the stock sport suspension. At the same time, I installed Dinan camber plates, Meyle HD control arms, and fit 245/35/R18 tires up front on OEM 264 rear rims for a near square setup.

My shocks and struts were in good condition before the install but I was looking for more comfort over road imperfection like expansion joints without sacrificing body roll. My benchmark is my 2018 A4 with the SLine suspension, one of the best handling cars I've ever driven in terms of the balance between comfort and handling.

I've driven them for a few days now and can say that there is SOME improvement over a good condition stock suspension with better absorption of small bumps, and slight improvement in body roll as well.

HOWEVER, was looking for a huge improvement (perhaps unrealisitcally so) and was disappointed to see that this change did not make the car feel more like a 2 series, never mind my A4. Quite a bit of road imperfection is still transmitted through to the cabin.

In conclusion, I think the Koni Special Active are a very good replacement for a worn out or blown suspension but are NOT a huge upgrade over a well functioning stock suspension and if I was doing it again I would not have jumped on this for another 40,000km or so, which at my current rate of driving would be in about 10 years .

If you have any questions, please let me know.