RE: 91 200q shock #s

[Henry Harper <hah@srv.net>]

> Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 07:17:58 -0500 (EST)
> From: audidudi@mindspring.com (Jeffrey J. Goggin)
> Subject: Re: 91 200q Bilstein #s (was: bye bye sucky lights)
>
> >FWIW, there's a similar situation with the Koni shocks.  The fronts there
> >are #86-2149, the rears #80-2630.  These are standard red Konis.  No yellow
> >sport Konis are spec'd for the '91 200q.  For the V8, the Koni catalog
> >specs the yellow sports:  86-2149SP front, 80-2630SP rear.  More
> >interesting is that Koni's european web site shows these as sport
> >alternatives for the 20v turbo typ 44 cars :)
>
> I just installed a set of the above Koni sports in my '89 200q and they fit
> and work just fine ... the rear ride height was lowered a bit due to the
> difference in spring perch location but that's okay by me given my plans to
> install threaded collars as soon as the springs I ordered show up.
>
> I bought them from RD Enterprises ... they don't normally keep them in stock
> but agreed to divert a pair of each from the regular order from "some guy in
> Minnesota who works on a lot of these cars."  ;^)
>

I'm clueless, who's in Minnesota? The karquattro guy?

Feeling a need to do more research, I've been surfing and making some calls. 
Spoke with Ned, who likes the Tokico HZ4001 in front and red Konis in back - he 
feels yellow Konis are too hard. And he doesn't stock a lot of anything other 
than engine parts, but can order them if you really want. Pretty much a 
complete disregard of my clear Bilstein preference. He'll be happier to hear 
from me next year sometime when I want a stage IV kit-n-caboodle.

Trying to get hold of Ivor for a while, I called RD and had to twist the guy's 
arm to get him to check part #s - "we don't show anything, okay *those* part 
numbers say Audi turbo quattro '83-'91" (for rear) - fronts they have (same 
part as non-quattro, his "fit list" has them listed for non-q only) for $109, 
rears can get from Bilstein if they have them (which BofA claimed when I talked 
to them last week) next day for $102. Quite a bit less than Ivor's assistant 
quoted me. Waiting some more to talk to Ivor, I surfed to Koni's web site which 
I do believe has a Dutch accent. They show the same rear parts for 200 20v and 
V8, all same front parts for everything, and same rears for 200 quattro (non 
20v) and 200 non-quattro. Interesting.

Then I got Ivor. He told me fronts are all the same, rears use the same part 
but need a 1" spacer on the spring perch to avoid lowering the rear for 
applications older than the '92 S4 - i.e. me and Audidudi, see above. He's got 
some nice adjustable spacers, Ivor does.

So here's a plan: get the set from RD, save big bucks compared to Ivor, fake up 
some spacers (nice thick pipe?). Or buy Ivor's tricky adjustable spacers with 
the bucks I save not buying shocks from him. Heh.

Jeffrey, where are your threaded collars coming from, might these be what Ivor 
is talking about.?

Henry Harper
http://www.srv.net/~hah
1991 200 quattro
1988 GTI 16v