KW V1 owners please

[510135]

I think i am going to purchase a set of coilovers . I am almost 100% certain on the V1's as I have no desire at all to take the car on the track. I am purely going for stance and a bit firmer ride. Do many of you guys regret buying the V1 and not the V2? On one of my previous Jap cars I had 'race spec' coilovers and they were unbearable and once installed I didn't once play with the settings, so i doubt I would be touching the dampers etc. Any advice would be appreciated.

cheers

[micha3l]

I got the v2's, and I've never adjusted them since the start, but in saying that I'm not on the standard settings.

I reckon it's worthwhile going the v2's, so you can adjust to you're liking and leave it at that, you have no choice with v1's.

I actually wish I got the v3's

[RaihaX]

Got the v1 and I never had the desire to change the damper setting like what you got with the v2.

[sbce90]

Pretty sure Jeef Beef is happy with his V1s, but I'll wait for him to chime in although it may be a while as hes gone o/seas.

[Unkie]

Also depends on how much firmness you have in mind. An extra $200-300 for the convenience of damping adjustability seemed reasonable to me.

Having said that I've got my V2 on the firmest setting and it's still considerably too soft for my liking. Everyone will have a very subjective and varied definition of "firm" and "comfort".

Try to find someone running KWs local to you and go for a spin, of that's a practical option to you.

[BMW86]

Originally Posted by Unkie

Also depends on how much firmness you have in mind. An extra $200-300 for the convenience of damping adjustability seemed reasonable to me.

Having said that I've got my V2 on the firmest setting and it's still considerably too soft for my liking. Everyone will have a very subjective and varied definition of "firm" and "comfort".

Try to find someone running KWs local to you and go for a spin, of that's a practical option to you.

Are you sure you have it on the stiffest settings? What settings for front and rear? I think I'm 7 front and 5 rears. I could probably take it up another +2 but I don't think I could handle it on the streets.

Nik I can take you for a spin man. I can play around with the settings once my carpet is removed from the boot when we put in our new LCI's.

[Unkie]

Hey Vinney, they are maxed out on the stiffest settings (all the way clockwise) front and back. Not sure of the actual spring rates though. KW says they can't quote one since they're progressive springs.

[BMW86]

Originally Posted by Unkie

Hey Vinney, they are maxed out on the stiffest settings (all the way clockwise) front and back. Not sure of the actual spring rates though. KW says they can't quote one since they're progressive springs.

What other suspension mods? Do you understeer at all? I didn't think my understeer was that bad until I tracked my car, and it's definitely there. I may go more stiff but I'm an old man and my back will hate me.

I know the stock settings have a difference of 2 between the front and rear. I would have thought you would need to keep this difference, which is why I went with 5 and 7. KW preset it to 6 and 8.

I'll be honest, if it wasn't so hard to access the top of the struts I would play around with the settings a lot more. I think I'll drill holes in the boot and seal it off with a cap for a clean look for easy access. Still not the best option as I plan to put a sub in the boot!

[TimMc]

From what I understand, the adjustments on the V2s are just for rebound. So winding them on full hard will have no effect on bump absorption.
My V2 springs certainly feel progressive. With a full load of passengers & luggage the ride is much firmer.

[Unkie]

You're right Tim in that V2 is only rebound adjustable without the compression variable (the latter being what would really make a difference here).

I haven't put this car on a track yet Vinney so really don't know how it'll go or where the balance sits, but around town it still pitches and rolls a fair bit more than I'd like. It it's certainly very livable and well within what I'd consider to be comfortable

[BMW86]

I think you're right Tim. So are you saying the settings don't affect the comfort? I may need to experiment more with the settings. After tracking the car I found that there wasn't much body roll and it felt quite flat in the corners. I was actually surprised looking over the video that even the 1M had more body roll than my 135i on KW's. The 135i's on stock suspension were the worst, I was surprised how much weight transfer there was, it was really noticeable. I still want to dial out the understeer for the track though. I know a lot has already been dialled out with the KW's, but I want to eliminate it for the track.

[alik01]

From talking to FJP135i, I know that he regrets getting the V1 over V2. I think a bit of adjustment for a few hundred extra is worth, just in case you did want to play with it.

[TimMc]

Originally Posted by BMW86

I think you're right Tim. So are you saying the settings don't affect the comfort? I may need to experiment more with the settings. After tracking the car I found that there wasn't much body roll and it felt quite flat in the corners. I was actually surprised looking over the video that even the 1M had more body roll than my 135i on KW's. The 135i's on stock suspension were the worst, I was surprised how much weight transfer there was, it was really noticeable. I still want to dial out the understeer for the track though. I know a lot has already been dialled out with the KW's, but I want to eliminate it for the track.

I'm just typing from a theoretical point of view, but I'm not saying the settings don't affect comfort. They shouldn't affect bump absorption but you should be able to reduce any wallowing by absorbing the energy on the rebound strokes instead when you wind up the damping. Even if you have full adjustment available to you it's always safest to adjust rebound damping first anyway. I haven't played with my settings at all - but should.
I understand a little with regards to suspension tuning having played with it on my bikes over the years. I'm certainly no expert though. There are soooo many variables, including the fact that most of our systems don't have remote reservoirs & cooling. Our oil & gas will also heat up on the track and then become more viscous & flow more readily through the valves/shim stacks, further reducing damping...

[jerra-roo]

For those of you with the KW V2, did you buy from overseas or from the official Australian KW dealer network?

Also, the KW V2 has 2 different housing designs, “inox-line” and “basic”. What's the difference and which one is suitable for a 09 135i?

Thanks.

[510135]

Basic is non stainless casing , inox is stainless steel , designed for countries that have salty roads etc. although stainless is nicer to look at

[kmli5]

Originally Posted by jerra-roo

For those of you with the KW V2, did you buy from overseas or from the official Australian KW dealer network?

Also, the KW V2 has 2 different housing designs, “inox-line” and “basic”. What's the difference and which one is suitable for a 09 135i?

Thanks.

It is considerably cheaper to buy overseas, say from Germany, than to buy local. Saved over 15% compared with the best quote with fitting in Melbourne. For me it was Bilstein though.

[FJP135i]

Originally Posted by alik01

From talking to FJP135i, I know that he regrets getting the V1 over V2. I think a bit of adjustment for a few hundred extra is worth, just in case you did want to play with it.

Yep for sure!
Go v2 if you are going to run anything than stock wheels/tyres.
Or if you plan to run stock buy my v1s and i can go v2 lol

[Jeef Beef]

I'm on V1s. Never had the desire to change it - works great on the track too. I just know if I had V2s I'd always be thinking "is this really the best setting?" and then fiddle with it forever. Better to have something I don't have to worry about.

INOX is the way to go.

[BMW86]

This is straight from the KW Website.

KW Variant 2 inox-line – Perfect Street Performance http://www.kw-suspension.com/us/kw_variant_2.php

Sport Handling with adjustable rebound damping

This system intended for the experienced driver who does not only wish to determine the individual lowering of his vehicle, but also wishes to carry out setup adjustments. The adjustable rebound damper allows adjusting the pitch and roll behaviour of the vehicle and therefore the driving pleasure can be adapted to the own requirements.
Damping technology with individually adjustable rebound
inox-line* stainless steel technology
Individually height adjustable
Adjustment parameters approved by the German Technical Control Board (TÜV)
Fully finished complete solution
High-quality components for long durability
Comprehensive documentation for easy use

Rebound damping

The rebound adjustment can be installed via an adjustment spindle at the piston rod end, as far as it is vehicle-specifically possible.

The rebound damping primarily controls pitch and roll of the vehicle, especially in the low speed damping range which directly influences handling and comfort.

Therefore vehicle can be adjusted to the needs of the driver, making the ride variable from comfortable to sporty and stiff, both with improved road handling.



This compares zinc-plated to inox - http://www.kw-suspension.com/us/kw_inox_line.php

[pavo335]

which ones are you flogging Stu?

[_Ryan_]

Grab Bilsteins with a matched spring. circlip height adjustment sounds like it will meet your needs. Durable monotube is great for street.

Far nicer than a Tein ;-)