[nicks3]

Any thoughts for my 335d?

[michaelthepsycho]

Eibach. Even though the damper is made by KW. Cheaper too. Being a fan of Formula One gives me a little bias.

[SV Concepts III]

I prefer KW, I loved my V2s and it's a very well regarded upgrade on these forums. I don't think you can go wrong with Eibach but I prefer KW.

[Gavin@MMW]

Both are great set ups, but I think the KW offers more options for height range. KW also has a lifetime warranty when installed by a shop.

[nicks3]

I didn't know kw made the eibach dampers.

What is the difference between kw v2 and v3 (what is compression and rebound) and is the damper adjusting worth having? Are the eibach dampers hard. I don't want the ride to be too hard.

[Gavin@MMW]

Originally Posted by nicks3

I didn't know kw made the eibach dampers.

What is the difference between kw v2 and v3 (what is compression and rebound) and is the damper adjusting worth having? Are the eibach dampers hard. I don't want the ride to be too hard.

Coils are naturally stiffer then other setups, I would get the KWv2, they offer damping and height adjustability and can be set to your desired level of softness.

the V3 is a waste unless your tracking the car.

Let me know if you need any help, ive got a special on KW at the moment

[nicks3]

So with v2 I can adjust stiffness? What extra dies v3 offer?

I was concerned with kw as I have heard of problems with noises from the springs?????

Are kw good?

[Gavin@MMW]

Yes you can adjust stiffness with the V2, the V3 offers camber adjustments which are not needed unless your tracking the car.

KW's are loud if you install them wrong, otherwise they are awesome and come with a lifetime warranty!

So make sure your installer knows to but things right side up, and there will be no issues

[nicks3]

Can the damper stiffness be adjusted with dampers on the car?

[ModBargains.com]

The answer is simple, you get what you pay for when it comes to vehicle suspension. As such a crucial component of your vehicle, suspension is definitely something you do not want to cheap out on. KW is known for their reinforced and durable suspension components. KW's coilovers have been carefully crafted and designed by studying the flaws of competitors and improving on them. In addition KW coilovers can go lower than just about any other brand and allow you to set your car to a "slammed look", "sporty look", or anywhere in between. In the unfortunate event that anything should happen to your coilovers, KW's warranty backs all their products from manufacturer's defect.

The KW V2 system is intended for the experienced driver who requires to not only determine the individual lowering of their vehicle, but adjust the damper setting to fine tune the system to their needs. The adjustable rebound damper allows adjustment of the pitch and roll behavior of the vehicle, adapting it to one‘s own driving preferences. You will have the ability to adjust the height of your vehicle as well as adjust the rebound damping.

Rebound adjustment, with the exception of specified vehicles, can be performed with the kit installed via an adjustment spindle on the end of the piston rod. 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.

The KW V3 is state-of-the-art technology for the skilled and experienced driver. The separate and independent compression and rebound damping options allow a truly individual driving set-up. These unique systems with the 3 individually adjustable components, allows for adjustment of the compression of the damper in the low-speed range, while the high speed set-up, so decisive for driving comfort, has been preset by the engineers at KW. You'll be able to adjust the height as well as both rebound and compression settings.

The compression characteristics are adjusted utilizing a new, patented valve at the lower end of the damper casing. The number of pre-installable parameters available for this valve allow for settings for just about any application required. The unique low-speed pressure adjustment is the decisive feature of this technology. In this absorption area the handling of the vehicle is greatly influenced. An increase in the damping force supports the vehicle even during compression, thereby preventing pitch, roll and notably improving cornering behavior.

In association with independent adjustable rebound absorption the experienced driver has all the parameters required for effective suspension tuning.

I'll shoot you over a PM with more details in regards to these two kits!

- Alan

[nicks3]

I don't need too many options, I simply want to be able to adjust ride stiffness and height. Will v2 do this? What extra adjustment does the v3 give?

[ModBargains.com]

Originally Posted by nicks3

I don't need too many options, I simply want to be able to adjust ride stiffness and height. Will v2 do this? What extra adjustment does the v3 give?

The KW V2 will give you the ability to adjust the rebound damping characteristics which will allow for you to control the stiffness of your ride. The difference between the V2 and the V3 is that the V3 allows for you to adjust both the rebound and compression settings. The V3 is predominately for those who track their cars and need all the adjustments they can get! If you're planning to do mainly street driving I'd say that the V2's are more than enough to meet your needs!

- Alan

[nicks3]

Does rebound control stiffness then?

What is compression setting?

[nicks3]

I am going kw, just need to decide between v2 and v3. I want to adjust height and stiffness. Don't want to make a mistake going for o e over the other. Anyone gone v2 and can advise re stiffness adjustability?

Advice please!

[SV Concepts III]

Originally Posted by nicks3

I am going kw, just need to decide between v2 and v3. I want to adjust height and stiffness. Don't want to make a mistake going for o e over the other. Anyone gone v2 and can advise re stiffness adjustability?

Advice please!

Go with the V2 which has rebound and height adjustment. I only recommend V3 if you absolutely need the added compression adjustment for a track setup.

[ModBargains.com]

If you're not planing to go on the track the V3 is definitely overkill for everyday driving applications. The KW V2 is going to give you the ability to adjust both the height and rebound damping on the vehicle. Rebound damping controls pitch and roll (stiffness) of the vehicle, especially in the low speed damping range which directly influences handling and comfort.

[nicks3]

So rebound is stiffness. What is compression?

How do street comfort compare?

[ModBargains.com]

The KW Street comforts are esentailly the same product as the KW V2. You'll have the ability to adjust both the height of your vehicle as well as rebound damping. The main difference being that the KW Street Comforts have linear spring rates (VS progressive) in both the front and rear thus giving you a more comfortable ride.

Compression deals with the ability for the shock to "bounce back" and absorb the impact. In this absorption area the handling of the vehicle is greatly influenced. An increase in the damping force supports the vehicle even during compression, thereby preventing pitch, roll and notably improving cornering behavior. This is important especially for the track but isn't a vital part of everyday driving.

More importantly what are the goals you have for the car? Is it your everyday driver or do you occasionally go on the track or do some canyon runs? If you can answer that question that it'll be a much easier choice! Feel free to shoot me over a PM if you have any questions at all.

- Alan

[lastMleft]

I am intrested in the KW v2, how much?

[SV Concepts III]

Originally Posted by rider

I am intrested in the KW v2, how much?

Will send over a PM

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by nicks3

So rebound is stiffness. What is compression?

How do street comfort compare?

First of all, you are going to be offended by what I am going to say, so I am just going to say that first and get it out of the way. If you do not wish to be offended, skip what I have to say.






































Don't buy stuff that you don't understand.

If you don't understand what rebound or compression or how any of that stuff works, just buy a matched set of springs and dampers and be done with it. Really. If you have to ask "does rebound control stiffness? What is compression?" you will be much better served by NOT having to deal with any of that stuff, since if you don't know how to do it right they actually adversely affect handling.

Now that I got that out of the way. If you wish to learn what each component and adjustability does/means on a suspension, I'm about to go into one of my dissertations so pay attention. Or basically, if you're still fuming at this point, gloss over what I'm going to say here and buy whatever your favorite vendor recommends. I'm sure he'll be happy and frankly, I don't care if YOU are happy.

There's only one primary component that determines ride "stiffness." Actually two but I am only going to talk about one here. And that is SPRINGS. Springs actually determine the rate of movement of the suspension and that determines how "stiff" the car feels. You can put a set of wet noodles on the suspension, and you can adjust your shocks and struts to "full stiff" and frankly, all you're doing is slow down the movement of the wet noodles. STIFF springs make the car ride stiff, period. (the other thing is tire sidewall but we won't go into that).

How rebound and compression works, is that they control the speed and rate in which springs "rebound" and "compress." Just like what they mean. Pretty simple, right? Wrong. High compression settings (stiff in parlance) doesn't actually stiffen up the suspension, but prevents the springs from compressing rapidly or move at its natural rate. Same goes for rebound. They call them "dampers" for a reason, it damps and buffers the spring movement. And this is where it gets complicated. While a set of springs determine how stiff a car rides, the compression setting slows down the rate of compression, meaning that as you go over a bump, that spring isn't going to want to naturally compress if you have your compression setting set artificially high. The problem with compression setting, is that without the ability to adjust rebound as well, a high compression setting will result in the springs delaying the compression, but eventually when it does compress it will want to extend immediately (hence the rebound). This is the reason why you will see single adjustable dampers being sold with rebound adjustment only. Because you can sort of adjust rebound independent of compression and still get desired effect. Because in a corner, by preventing the INSIDE springs from rebounding, you in essence prevent a sudden mass shift and thus improve "handling" by keeping the springs from unloading and keep the chassis flat. Therefore higher rebound settings slows down the rate of weight transfer, allowing for better management of grip...But it doesn't actually stiffen the ride.

So why do they call the settings "soft" and "firm?" Soft and firm is but a by-product of how the settings affect the springs natural rate. When you set a high rebound by preventing the springs to release immediately, the spring still has all that energy stored up and will want to release it eventually. Meaning the coils stay compressed, and any additional force acting upon it will be faced with additional resistance to further compression. Therefore the suspension may feels "stiffer" or "firmer" because the springs already have impact force stored up in the compressed coils. The suspension doesn't necessarily ride softer or firmer. Again, the springs and spring rates determine that.

Compression, on the other hand, has the opposite effect. It DOES have the ability to prevent the springs from compressing. So a lower compression setting will allow the springs to immediately compress when going over bumps (that's why it's often call "bump" too), or keep the springs from compressing when it goes over bumps. A high compression setting can often create the illusion that the suspension is more "firm" because the springs aren't naturally compressing. So in the "language" of handling, in a corner high compression settings allow the suspension to consistently apply more force resisting the spring compression and thus keeps the wheels on the ground, since at the end of the suspension compression cycle it's going to want to rebound (and here's another reason why you will see single adjustable systems mainly apply rebound settings, not compression settings)

There are other areas of damper tuning that I will get into here, but it probably wont interest you anyway since it involves suspension with the ability to tune for high speed compression and low speed compression. High speed compression controls the wheel's movement when going over big bumps, meaning the suspension will be moving at a high rate of speed up and down. Low speed compression controls how the suspension behaves while being compressed slowly, like in a corner where weight is being shifted to the outside wheels. You tune high speed compression for surface bumpy-ness (bumpier surfaces, lower high speed compression, smoother surfaces, higher high speed compression), and you tune low speed compression to spring rate and track transition...if there's more long sweepers on the track, you'd want higher low speed compression, if there's more quick switchbacks and esses, you'd want lower low speed compression (this is a murky area for me too so I may have to check in with my elders on this). But this is all purely academic since the vast majority of you probably won't need a system with high speed and low speed compression adjustability.

So you ask if rebound makes the suspension stiffer? No it doesn't. What it actually does, and I'll give you a real world example, is when you go over a bump, the suspension is going to compress, and it's going to get to a point where it doesn't compress anymore and release the energy stored in the coils. When that happens, a high rebound rate will cause the springs to release slowly...The end result is when your car's full weight comes back down on the springs after the bump, it's going to settle back onto a set of springs well into its range of travel, or it's going to try and compress a set of springs that are attempting to expand (since it wasn't able to expand quickly due to the high rebound setting). Bam. Double whammy. The two forces act upon itself in the suspension and creates the sensation that the suspension is rock solid because all that energy that should have been absorbed and released is now rebounding back in the same direction of the new impact force.

So if you're still reading at this point, my best advice to you is, call up your favorite vendor, and tell them you have no idea how rebound and compression affect your ride and its handling characteristics. You want their best recommendation for a matched set of springs and shocks, something like a sportier, shorter spring that's progressive, and a set of dampers that will take the shorter piston travel well without having to worry too much about rebound or compression settings. And if your vendor is pretty freakin' cool like some of mine, they'll actually put your dampers on a set of shock dyno and re-valve the shocks to your specific spring rate (or a compromise of valving values to suit your driving style with progressive springs). Or just call up the same vendors and say, hey, just send me your most expensive coil over with remote reservoirs and 3 way damper adjustability and I'll figure it out later. That's what I'd do.

[ModBargains.com]

Originally Posted by rider

I am intrested in the KW v2, how much?

I can't shoot you over a PM due to your low post count so shoot me over an email at Alan************.com and I'll get you a great deal!

- Alan