Koni. I like Koni!

hey alex I am getting a price on konis for my volvo from one of our local shops ill get a price for the mr2 stuff too.

Thanks Tim :)
I couldn't find any koni inserts for mr2 sold online coming from Australia. The quote I got from the suspension shop was $667 for each pair which is why I was looking at coilovers (same price) or getting konis inserts from the US (cheaper, even with the $250 shipping fee).

Top performance (Aussie Koni dealer) in Victoria quoted me $550 a pair. eBay was around $900AUD shipped for me from US. Fast shipping + support locals vs cheaper although it only took about 2 weeks, not bad. Prices are circa December 2013
 
My experience with Koni yellows + the hardest aftermarket springs known so far (RSR Race) - great for daily and spirited drives, stiffer than bone stock by perhaps 25% guesstimate. If you are chasing lap times tho I would go coilover in a heart beat. Otherwise the aftermarket springs and the shocks off the shelf are too soft for track days imo.
 
NB - See the excel file under FAQs bottom right of the website for spring rate compilation

alexv, are the 7-17-45 wheels staggered?  Also definitely ditch the 18's, too heavy.
From a handling point of view staggered wheels (the lighter the better) and tyres are probably the first thing to get sorted.
The availability and cost of performance tyres is an important consideration.
Also get the ball joints/rod ends and alignment sorted before worrying about ARB's.
 
"Occasional trip to the track"
Sounds like you will do most of your driving on the street anyway, and Koni's will give you the best ride on the softest setting compared to most coilovers, and you could stiffen them up for a track day.
Have you investigated getting your Koni yellows rebuilt?

Tree: Thanks for the info about springs. Very useful. Sadly, I don't know what type is on my car right now ;/
 
RedTarga: No, the wheels are not staggered. Couldn't find staggered wheels that didn't cost $1000+ at the time, and even then good used ones still seem pretty hard to find.
I have not investigated getting the Koni rebuilt, actually. I am not sure if anyone in Canberra can do it and/or if it would be very cost effective considering there are brand new pairs sold for under $300 online but you are right, it's definitely something to consider!

Just an update, for anyone in the future that might be looking at this old thread :)
-Got the full poly bushings installed, helped handling a bit but nothing amazing. Had them installed quite a few months ago and no noise issues so far, at least!
-Whiteline sway bar front and rear: not a huge improvement either, and looking back at it, I probably wouldn't have bought it if I knew. Front sway bar to the stiffest did improve turn in a bit but ended up being too stiff for the car, so switched it back to mid (rear set to softest) for a slightly improved turn in but not so stiff as to raise the front wheel off the ground in hard cornering. Installing the sway bars seems to have cause some clunking to now happen during hard braking and bumps.
-Rear strut brace made no difference as far as I could tell.
-Koni shock inserts: hard to tell the difference considering the stock shocks were shot before, but they do handle well, and the adjustability is an added bonus :)
-Waiting to receive a front strut brace, so we'll see if that does anything...
Previous owner said the springs were some sort of lowering springs, but found out that they are stock. I might look at upgrading them in the future (maybe).
 
The biggest handling improvement, by far, was going from 18" non staggered wheels to 16" 7" and 8" staggered setup.

hey alex
 
how did you go with the engine mount?

Ah yeah, I forgot about these :)
My front engine mount was in pretty bad shape, replacing both this one and the rear engine mounts helped quite a bit during shifting, the car feels more stable (before that, it felt like there was lots of weight transfer when depressing the clutch pedal and again after engaging a gear) and the shifting more instantaneous.
Still a worthwhile upgrade, imo.

nate_p
Best bang for buck in my opinion would be a set of BC coilovers, only upgrading the front swaybar can cause some issues with under steer. Bush kit is a good start I would also recommend checking all ball joints and upgrading to the urethane engine mounts. I have also installed the Megan racing adjustable front tension rods and adjustable rear trailing arms. My sw20 feels really good to drive very responsive feels good on the track and still well behaved on the road.

Nate - how much of a difference do the megan racing bits add ?