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kW v3 coilovers

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veilside85
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kW v3 coilovers

Post by veilside85 » Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:04 am

Beedub wrote:
veilside85 wrote:
monaco_blue wrote:Yes, still on stock alloys and Conti SportContacts, fairly fresh on all 4 corners. Prior to fitting the V3s the car was a little scary - wheel spin at 70mph in the rain is a bit sphincter clenching when it's unexpected. The V3s helped and then the proper geo (road focused rather than maximum corning grip) helped a bunch more and the car feels much more consistent and stable. Until it gets real bumpy and then the suspension (on its current settings) feels overwhelmed by what's being thrown at it. Just out for a hoon this morning and under power the traction light flashes on a bumpy straight section of B road. My V10 M5 handles that without getting its knickers in even the slightest of twists.


I do like that the Z4M has to be "worked" to be driven at speed - I've no problem with that and rather enjoy it. But a bit more composure when the road isn't billiard-table smooth would be nice. The ride and composure of the Cayman GT4 are astonishingly good considering its capabilities.
Like you mentioned I use to be able to light the tyres up on stock suspension with the v3's it has so much more traction.

Has any one fitted kW arbs ??
they didn't ofer ARB when i got my CS dampers, has that changed now?
Pretty sure I had seen them on ca automotive website,could be wrong tho.
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veilside85
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Post by veilside85 » Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:30 am

I am indeed wrong.is it the h&r route everyone goes for arbs?

They do them for the e46 m3
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Post by pHilli0 » Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:02 pm

Just ordered my set of KW V3s. Can't wait :thumbsup:
2006 Z4 ///M Coupe || Schrick CSL Cams | Eventuri | Brembo 6/4 & Pagid RS-29s | KW V3s | H&R ABRs | Stromung | ARC-8s | Corbeau Revolution | OEM Strut | ZHP | Stubby | CDV | RTAB | Evolve Map ||
http://www.phillynchracing.com/index.php/blog/

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kW v3 coilovers

Post by veilside85 » Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:07 pm

Happy days :driving:
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Post by monaco_blue » Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:51 pm

pHilli0 wrote:Just ordered my set of KW V3s. Can't wait :thumbsup:
You may find references to needing 10mm wheel spacers at the front. I run standard wheels and tyres and didn't need the spacers - there's more than enough clearance.

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Post by pHilli0 » Sat Jul 09, 2016 2:24 pm

I can't decide if I need to spend £500+ on a set of top mounts for my KW V3s, or just do without. I know they offer caster adjustment and camber, and look lovely. But I am not at the track every weekend so I am torn between having them because they complete the suspension or spending the money on a set of H&R ARBs instead.
Can I use my stock mounts on the V3s?
Can proper adjustable mounts be easily fitted later if I do decide to go that way?
2006 Z4 ///M Coupe || Schrick CSL Cams | Eventuri | Brembo 6/4 & Pagid RS-29s | KW V3s | H&R ABRs | Stromung | ARC-8s | Corbeau Revolution | OEM Strut | ZHP | Stubby | CDV | RTAB | Evolve Map ||
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Post by monaco_blue » Mon Jul 11, 2016 8:53 am

The V3s come with their own front top mounts pre-installed.

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Post by pHilli0 » Mon Jul 11, 2016 9:06 am

monaco_blue wrote:The V3s come with their own front top mounts pre-installed.
Do they allow for camber and caster adjustment?
2006 Z4 ///M Coupe || Schrick CSL Cams | Eventuri | Brembo 6/4 & Pagid RS-29s | KW V3s | H&R ABRs | Stromung | ARC-8s | Corbeau Revolution | OEM Strut | ZHP | Stubby | CDV | RTAB | Evolve Map ||
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Post by GuidoK » Mon Jul 11, 2016 4:09 pm

The V3's are ment to work with the stock style top mounts, as seen in the instruction manual:
http://docs.kwsuspension.de/ea-KWGFwEA-h68620034.pdf
Its all there :wink:

So if you want camber/caster adjustment you still need to get the kw mounts (or other top mounts). Thats why the clubsports are roughly £450 more expensive, those mounts are included.
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Post by pHilli0 » Mon Jul 11, 2016 6:38 pm

GuidoK wrote:The V3's are ment to work with the stock style top mounts, as seen in the instruction manual:
http://docs.kwsuspension.de/ea-KWGFwEA-h68620034.pdf
Its all there :wink:

So if you want camber/caster adjustment you still need to get the kw mounts (or other top mounts). Thats why the clubsports are roughly £450 more expensive, those mounts are included.
Ah OK I think I got it now. The V3s come with their own custom top mounts, but these do not offer caster and camber adj. If I want that I have to buy the KW clubsport mounts at around £450. Thanks everyone.
2006 Z4 ///M Coupe || Schrick CSL Cams | Eventuri | Brembo 6/4 & Pagid RS-29s | KW V3s | H&R ABRs | Stromung | ARC-8s | Corbeau Revolution | OEM Strut | ZHP | Stubby | CDV | RTAB | Evolve Map ||
http://www.phillynchracing.com/index.php/blog/

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Post by pHilli0 » Wed Aug 24, 2016 9:11 am

My KW V3s are now fitted, and are set to as follows
Front rebound: 12 (out of 16 clicks open)
Front bump: 10 (out of 12 clicks open)
Rear rebound: 10 (out of 16 clicks open)
Rear bump: 8 (out of 12 clicks open)

I am yet to get to a track, but on the road I can notice the difference, feels a lot better. One thing, the car feels a bit bouncy over uneven surfaces, reading up it looks like I need to reduce the rebound slightly. Should I do both front and back at once or individually?
2006 Z4 ///M Coupe || Schrick CSL Cams | Eventuri | Brembo 6/4 & Pagid RS-29s | KW V3s | H&R ABRs | Stromung | ARC-8s | Corbeau Revolution | OEM Strut | ZHP | Stubby | CDV | RTAB | Evolve Map ||
http://www.phillynchracing.com/index.php/blog/

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Post by monaco_blue » Wed Aug 24, 2016 12:16 pm

As they're so easy to change try running on the road with the compression set at 3 from full soft and the rebound 1 or 2 from full soft. The car will be transformed. The settings you're using means on a bumpy corner you'll be all but skipping from bump top to bump top.

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Post by BMWZ4MC » Wed Aug 24, 2016 5:51 pm

What Monaco-blue suggests is good advice for rubbish road surfaces in the UK. However, with soft settings, beware of high speed compressions such as the bottom of a high speed dip on an undulating country road. My bumper fangs can hit Tarmac under such loads with the suspension set to fairly soft.
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Post by pHilli0 » Wed Aug 24, 2016 7:27 pm

monaco_blue wrote:As they're so easy to change try running on the road with the compression set at 3 from full soft and the rebound 1 or 2 from full soft. The car will be transformed. The settings you're using means on a bumpy corner you'll be all but skipping from bump top to bump top.
Ok can i confirm the spec I need to try?
Front rebound: 12 (out of 16 clicks open)
Front bump: 10 (out of 12 clicks open)
Rear rebound: 12 (out of 16 clicks open)
Rear bump: 10 (out of 12 clicks open)

BMWZ4MC do you have any recommendations, I live in the country and I want the best for uneven fast country roads.
2006 Z4 ///M Coupe || Schrick CSL Cams | Eventuri | Brembo 6/4 & Pagid RS-29s | KW V3s | H&R ABRs | Stromung | ARC-8s | Corbeau Revolution | OEM Strut | ZHP | Stubby | CDV | RTAB | Evolve Map ||
http://www.phillynchracing.com/index.php/blog/

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Post by exdos » Wed Aug 24, 2016 8:35 pm

pHilli0 wrote:do you have any recommendations, I live in the country and I want the best for uneven fast country roads.
I also live in the country and do most of my driving on the twisties. I have KWV3 on my Z3MC and AC Schnitzer Racing suspension on my Z4MC so here's my findings.

For fast road set up you want the suspension to be able to cope with the worst surfaces you'll come across. I've found that on the roads, softer is better than firmer and when you get your set up correct your car will be awesome and give you loads of confidence. And, the ride will also be comfortable. As your starting point, set the front for both bump and rebound to half way from full soft. At the rear, set the bump to 5 from full soft and rebound to 4 from full soft. Give that a try and get used to the way the car feels, then progressively try increasing both the bump and rebound settings at the front, by one click at a time. If you do this, you'll find that you've suddenly gone too firm by one click, which you'll feel through your hands when you go over a noticeable bump in the road. When this happens, back off the bump setting by one click and see how that feels, if it now feels better, try backing off the rebound by one click also, and gauge this. You now know your front settings are somewhere near correct. Then just adjust the front settings to what you like best.

Once you've sorted the front settings, you do the same thing at the rear, by increasing bump and rebound by one click at a time, and keep testing the changes. When you feel that the ride is too firm, soften the rebound setting by one click first and see if that improves things, then try softening the bump by one click. If you go about setting up the suspension by making small changes at one end of the car only, you'll soon hone into the correct set up.

With regard to track set up, you'll find that your fast road settings will work well in the wet, but for the dry settings, because tracks are generally pretty smooth, you can go much nearer to full stiff on both bump and compression all round.

Hope this helps. :thumbsup:

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