Coilover Rankings and Reviews for under $2000
08-20-2011 | 10:08 AM
#32
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,376
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08-23-2011 | 07:56 AM
#34
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,526
Likes: 1
From: Savannah, GA, USA
Originally Posted by robinson' timestamp='1313790008' post='20895593
I've said this many times, this report as a un-scientific as it could possibly get. It's good for miss information, that's about it.
08-23-2011 | 07:04 PM
#35
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 352
Likes: 0
From: Ashburn, VA
Friday is the day for me.
I've got a set of KWs in my garage and they get installed Friday along with my wideband. Going with the UK alignment specs and plan on setting the ride height at the top of the recommended range to keep as much stroke as possible.
I'll post pics and a review after I get a few miles on them.
I've got a set of KWs in my garage and they get installed Friday along with my wideband. Going with the UK alignment specs and plan on setting the ride height at the top of the recommended range to keep as much stroke as possible.
I'll post pics and a review after I get a few miles on them.
08-24-2011 | 06:34 AM
#37
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 61
Likes: 2
From: O'Fallon, MO
I put on a D2 RS system on my dd MY00 a couple of weeks ago. I am overall very pleased with them. I am running 18 inch staggered OZ rims and was looking primarily for some control over the ride height. I don't track the car, but would consider myself a "spirited driver". 
The install wasn't difficult, but the supplied manual was in broken English and was hard to figure out at times. The manual actually has the sentence Adjusting the height of the car has to adjust from the "B" to change the length of the coilovers and has to tie up the "C" to avoid the strange noise.. That one took me a while to figure out. LOL.
As for the coilovers, they are of high quality and I personally like the purple/black color scheme. Nice, but not over the top for a 40 year old grown-up type. I have a pretty tight budget for my S2K and these coilovers offered quite a bit of flexibility of adjustment for about $900. 36 step dampening adjustment and the ability to adjust height without messing with your spring preload. The down side is, of course, that in order to adjust the height correctly, you have to take off the wheels, remove the lower bolt on each coilover, spin the base to the new height, and reassemble. Kind of a pain, but once it is set correctly you are good.
Ride goes from so-soft-its-almost-bouncy to pretty damn stiff depending on dampening setting. I am running somewhere in the middle as I hit some pretty good bumps at 75 on the way to work. Handling feels more aggressive than my stock suspension, but that was admittedly almost 12 years old. Very little body roll through the turns and I was able to easily get a single finger width of wheel well gap. If this was a track car, I would probably have gone with the KWv3's based on all the good reviews, but for a dd and for well under $1K, I think the D2 setup really fit my needs.
The install wasn't difficult, but the supplied manual was in broken English and was hard to figure out at times. The manual actually has the sentence Adjusting the height of the car has to adjust from the "B" to change the length of the coilovers and has to tie up the "C" to avoid the strange noise.. That one took me a while to figure out. LOL.
As for the coilovers, they are of high quality and I personally like the purple/black color scheme. Nice, but not over the top for a 40 year old grown-up type. I have a pretty tight budget for my S2K and these coilovers offered quite a bit of flexibility of adjustment for about $900. 36 step dampening adjustment and the ability to adjust height without messing with your spring preload. The down side is, of course, that in order to adjust the height correctly, you have to take off the wheels, remove the lower bolt on each coilover, spin the base to the new height, and reassemble. Kind of a pain, but once it is set correctly you are good.
Ride goes from so-soft-its-almost-bouncy to pretty damn stiff depending on dampening setting. I am running somewhere in the middle as I hit some pretty good bumps at 75 on the way to work. Handling feels more aggressive than my stock suspension, but that was admittedly almost 12 years old. Very little body roll through the turns and I was able to easily get a single finger width of wheel well gap. If this was a track car, I would probably have gone with the KWv3's based on all the good reviews, but for a dd and for well under $1K, I think the D2 setup really fit my needs.
08-28-2011 | 07:05 AM
#38
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 352
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From: Ashburn, VA
I just got my KW V3s installed Friday. Have not had too much time to drive on them with Irene coming up the coast, but I'm really happy with them from my initial impressions.
Compression is set 3 sweeps from stiff all around, and rebound is 9 clicks from stiff all around.
Ride is very much like stock at these settings. You can feel that it's a tad bit firmer, but really well controlled. I've hit a few corners and there is less body roll, and tracks flat. I also had it aligned using the UK specs, and this seems to work well on the street. I'll have to update when I get more miles on this setup, but seems good so far.
Going to have it corner balanced in a week or two...and recheck the alighment.
********
Compression is set 3 sweeps from stiff all around, and rebound is 9 clicks from stiff all around.
Ride is very much like stock at these settings. You can feel that it's a tad bit firmer, but really well controlled. I've hit a few corners and there is less body roll, and tracks flat. I also had it aligned using the UK specs, and this seems to work well on the street. I'll have to update when I get more miles on this setup, but seems good so far.
Going to have it corner balanced in a week or two...and recheck the alighment.
********
09-01-2011 | 05:44 PM
#40
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 352
Likes: 0
From: Ashburn, VA
Ok....Been almost a week on this set-up.
I have left the bump and rebound on the same settings as my earlier post and found this to be a very good comprimise for the street. I should also point out that I'm on Goodyear Eagle GT tires, and they are Z rated all season tire.
The ride is very compliant on regular pavement. Small bumps are no more noticeable than with the stock set-up. Sharp bumps are firm, but not harsh. I've not been on pavement that is rippled or concrete roads yet. There is minimal body roll and I'm easily going through corners carrying more speed than I was stock.
I'm dropped only 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch and I think this is just right for me.
The KW's and the UK spec alignment work very well together and is a very easy to live with for a DD.
I have left the bump and rebound on the same settings as my earlier post and found this to be a very good comprimise for the street. I should also point out that I'm on Goodyear Eagle GT tires, and they are Z rated all season tire.
The ride is very compliant on regular pavement. Small bumps are no more noticeable than with the stock set-up. Sharp bumps are firm, but not harsh. I've not been on pavement that is rippled or concrete roads yet. There is minimal body roll and I'm easily going through corners carrying more speed than I was stock.
I'm dropped only 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch and I think this is just right for me.
The KW's and the UK spec alignment work very well together and is a very easy to live with for a DD.