Forum Discussion

Firefighter701's avatar
May 16, 2014

front shocks

I have a 2000 Monaco Diplomat 40PBD with a roadmaster chassis by Monaco. I want to replace the front shocks ( 2 per Wheel)with airbags. Was thinking about putting on Koni. Has anyone used Koni shocks? Do you like them? If not what shocks would be good? thanks

5 Replies

  • Firefighter701......I just sold my 2005 Diplomat that I bought new. There are several things you can do your chassis. The biggest/best improvement will be the shocks. DO NOT put the Bilsteins on it. They were designed to be installed with a ride enhancement kit (REK) and won't work as well as the Koni's. Buy the Koni FSD's. You should put all eight on, but that can be a big bill all at once. Do the fronts first.

    They're very easy to install if you have air tools. Still easy if you don't but will take a little muscle. Turn the wheels hard right and you will have easy access to one on each side. Turn hard left and do the other two.

    Another very important aspect as to how your coach will ride is tire pressure and ride height. If your ride height isn't adjusted correctly, your coach will actually ride rough. You have one ride height valve on the front and two on the rear. They're easy to measure and adjust. Lastly, get the coach weighed and put the correct amount of air in your tires.

    If you do the above, two which are free, you'll eliminate the short chopping ride you get on rough roads.
  • call source in Oregon. They have Bilstiens that they valve for the particular chassis, They worked for the old Monaco years ago. Really good people to work with
    Calvin 89 Monaco
  • OP, you should have 4 shocks in the front. 2 in front of the front axle and 2 behind it. You should be able to see them from the wheel well. Your rr8r roadmaster chassis will have 8 total shocks. I put on the bilstein comfort shocks and am happy. Had the Koni adjustables in the front and I like the bilstein comforts better. I heard good feedback on the Koni FSD shocks but do not have experience with those.
  • A number of folks speak highly of Road King but they are very expensive. I recently put a set of Koni SP3 adjustable shocks on the front of my CC and I am very pleased with them. Since your coach uses 2 shocks per wheel, you may be able to use Koni FSD which are self adjusting.

    I spoke directly to Koni in Kentucky and found them to be very helpful selecting their best shock for my coach.