The suspension problems never end

[SpeedThrills]

Hey guys, haven't posted in a while. Let my VIP membership lapse again as well, will have to fix that...

So, I've recently been hunting down some suspension issues and long story short, today while having my shop pull out my driver front CS adjustable strut to install a new tophat it was discovered that the strut is totally blown. No oil, collar is beat to shit, piston can be fully depressed into the body and won't rebound, RIP. This is the second strut/shock to go out of this set in around 30,000 miles with zero track use. I've already had the passenger rear warranty replaced. As many have pointed out the CS warranty kind of sucks and I'm seeing why now, and paying for it. Rears seem to still be good, I'm looking at some Koni's for the front.

Am I going to have any real issues running Koni's up front with my CS's in the rear for the time being? I know Koni yellows are the go-to for us but I'm not looking to go super aggressive and I'm considering the 'special active red' option. Anyone have any experience with those?

There is still the possibility that CS comes through and makes it make sense for me to just replace the blown strut and call it a day but i'm a little hesitant to put any more money into their suspension parts as so far, they have been a poor investment. No hate on CS at all, the service is always great and my exhaust and HPFP internals have held up well, but this killing me and my wallet. Haven't enjoyed driving my car for weeks and I'm paying to repeatedly have things taken apart and put back together.

p.s. running HR springs with a 1.25'' drop. Roads get pretty bad up here in NH during the winter but still pretty shocked (pun intended) that I've had such premature failure with this setup.

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[MSMS3]

Consider Bilstein B8 struts. Lots of us run them. B6 for stock springs, B8 for lowered. They hold up well and are firm but still compliant. I put over 100,000 miles on them daily driven, 30 mile commute each way, every day, all sorts of road conditions.

I’ve had to replace strut bearings and top hats several times, but the Bilsteins just kept going like new.

[SpeedThrills]

Thanks for that response, thats great to know. Yeah the tophats on these will be a victim to seemingly whichever system we go with but I've found it to be an acceptable sacrifice. The longevity of the struts and shocks is definitely important to me so I appreciate you sharing your experience. I'll definitely be looking in those.

[SpeedThrills]

So wanted to update this-

Incredibly, with my warranty over a year expired, CS sent me an email, one day after I reached out to them, informing me they've shipped out a new strut free of charge. Their customer service certainly has to be applauded. Not thrilled to be having the issue in the first place obviously but I'd be hard pressed to be any more satisfied with the resolution.

When I do need to replace my whole set i'll be taking a hard look at the Bilsteins but for now looks like I can stick with Corksport.