kw v3 coilovers anyone use these all year round? I' am just studying up a little get a better suspension set up in the near future for my DD. just spirited driving haven't hit the track yet but it would be nice to have the adjustability. Any feed back would be great***********D
GTworks or koni's from what i've read seem to be a better pick for minnesota. especially for daily driving. our roads SUCK....and most coilovers were designed for the Japanese market where they don't deal with the conditions we do. also it seems coilovers don't handle the salt as well. I'll be picking up a set of koni's come spring i believe with some RCE black springs, maybe yellows, i haven't decided. i'm sure others can shine better light on this though!
Keep your stock assemblies and swap every winter. If you leave everything all assembled, it's actually pretty easy/quick to just swap the spring/strut assemblies. Just need to get a new alignment and you're good to go. Otherwise if you want less hassle, GTWorx or Koni's still provide great handling, great ride, and year-round usability. Just please, don't buy cheap coilovers if you're going for performance. I have RCE T2's on my sti (re-valved V3's) and I love them. I also rock a strut/spring combo on the DD. All depends on what you ultimately want!
Broken record time. I have the GTworx Bilstein set up with the yellow springs. I was on the pre-order list and one of the first to get the package. I absolutely love this setup. GTworx spent a lot of time working directly with Bilstein to get the damping curve right for the 08+ chassis. I run full seasons of autocross, a few of the NF events and a couple of stints at Brainerd. I do not believe you will find a better set up for the cost. (there are a few used sets popping up on NASIOC) They are non-adjustable so no need to worry, and the ride is pleasant enough to be used as a daily driver. I purchased an extra set of tophats for the Bilstein set up to be able to retain my full stock suspension set up. (stock tophats will work, STI are supposedly a little stiffer, Comp C makes a set with pre-set camber, I have gone to the fully adjustable RCE lowering tophats on mine -3.2 of camber) I swap the Bilstein set out for the stock set up for winter. There is no need to keep a performance suspension under the car for the winter. You will never be able to reach the grip levels that will make full use of a performance suspension. It usually takes me under 2 hours to fully swap the suspensions around, and I've never had any issues with alignments swapping back and forth. Some schools of thought think, the softer suspension will help keep better contact with the road, with the reduced grip factors. It will ultimately depend on your goal for the car. A "good" set of coilovers will be >$2000. You will then need to spend time getting the adjustments and settings correct for your application. I feel this gets to be a bit much for a DD that sees spirited driving and maybe a track day. I went with the lazy route, no adjustments, no development time to get it right. Couldn't be happier! P.S. If you are considering the KW3s take a look at the RCE Tarmac IIs. Race Comp takes the KWs and re-valves them specific for the Subarus. If I decide to go full coilover, this is my choice.
Thanks for the replys and the GTworxs seems to be the best option here in MN. no broken records but I get ya!!! But no one runs the KW V3 all year??
I'll be running my Isn coilovers all year. I'll be giving it a good rinse every Sunday Not worth it to be swapping back and fourth, not to mention a alignment every time unless you can do it yourself, but if you can't(like myself) it's not worth it. A new set every 2 years would be just as much or cheaper if you are paying to swap them every time. If you can do it yourself, sure.
Just mark where the upper strut bolt is positioned and put it right back the same. Alignment done. I have had my front end apart several times and have not aligned my car in 7 years. drives and wears straight as an arrow
I vote springs and shocks. I'm currently running JDM Spec B Rev A Bilstein with JDM Spec B Rev A springs. Its a little stiff but rides nice.
First, you would need 2 marks for the upper strut bolt, as the camber would be different for the coilovers vs the stock strut/spring. Second, there is more to an alignment adjustment that just camber. Toe, for example, is affected as you change camber settings. Camber is also affected by ride height. Just because your car drives straight and wears straight doesn't mean your alignment is perfect. Even though your tires are wearing "evenly" doesn't mean they are not wearing faster than they should. A proper alignment also does wonders for handling. Now, if you leave your suspension components the same and return your camber bolt to the same position and don't mess with lateral links, etc you should be fine for 7 years. (Jeff the alignment guy told me once that he hadn't aligned his own porsche is xx years...but components also probably have not changed.) But with potholes, etc, things move around even on the same, untouched, suspension equipment. Proper solution? I say get an alignment when you change suspension components, especially things like ride height, lateral links, etc. Jeff the alignment guy does great work for very, very, fair prices. Proper (cheaper) solution for those that switch suspension frequently? Firestone lifetime alignment...and make good friends with your alignment tech.
