KW V3 Coilover ideal settings and setup process?

[ハチロク]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Yes. My current tires feel VERY weird over bumps now that I have stiffer suspension.

are you on stock wheels and tires? I have winter tires on now. I hope when I switch to my summer wheels and tires the feel will be much better.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by ハチロク

are you on stock wheels and tires? I have winter tires on now. I hope when I switch to my summer wheels and tires the feel will be much better.

YES. That will do it for sure.

Originally Posted by ハチロク

The rebound adjustment did way more to make the ride feel harsh. I think I'll take it back a click or two. Compression adjustment was a bit harder to feel. It comes across more to me in fast corners and a bit on turn in.

Also yes. For V3s (and our T2s) the compression adjustment affects mostly low and mid piston speed valving. High piston speeds (i.e. big bumps) on V3s when turned up are nice and digressive which is a good thing. So the compression adjustment doesn't have as much affect on comfort but it does have a solid effect on handling. Turned all the way up though yes you'll feel the increase in mid-speed.

Rebound affects the full range and you'll "feel" it more.

- Andrew

[DocWalt]

Originally Posted by ハチロク

are you on stock wheels and tires? I have winter tires on now. I hope when I switch to my summer wheels and tires the feel will be much better.

Winter tires here too

As RCE says, real tires will kill that weird effect.

[ハチロク]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Winter tires here too

As RCE says, real tires will kill that weird effect.

good news

[Tor]

Might be that 3-4 is a bit high for compression?

Here is a good guide to setting compression:

http://www.bimmerhaus.com/tech/shocktuningTN.html
Adjusting The COMPRESSION (Bump) Damping Control (Very Important to do this FIRST!)

Bump damping controls the unsprung weight of the vehicle (wheels, axles, etc.). It controls the upward movement of the suspension as when hitting a bump in the track. It should not be used to control the downward movement of the vehicle when it encounters dips. Also, it should not be used to control roll or bottoming.

Depending on the vehicle, the ideal bump setting can occur at any point within the adjustment range. This setting will be reached when "side-hop" or "walking" in a bumpy turn is minimal and the ride is not uncomfortably harsh. At any point other than this ideal setting, the "side-hopping" condition will be more pronounced and the ride may be too harsh.

STEP 1: Set all four dampers on minimum bump and minimum rebound settings.

STEP 2: Drive one or two laps to get the feel of the car. Note: When driving the car during the bump adjustment phase, disregard body lean or roll and concentrate solely on how the car feels over bumps. Also, try to notice if the car "walks" or "side-hops" on a rough turn.

STEP 3: Increase bump adjustment clockwise 3 clicks on all four dampers. Drive the car one or two laps. Repeat Step 3 until a point is reached where the car starts to feel hard over bumpy surfaces.

STEP 4: Back off the bump adjustment two clicks. The bump control is now set. Note: The back off point will probably be reached sooner on one end of the vehicle than the other. If this occurs, keep increasing the bump on the soft end until it, too, feels hard. Then back it off 2 clicks. The bump control is now set.

Adjusting the REBOUND Damping Control

Once you have found what you feel to be the best bump setting on all four wheels, you are now ready to proceed with adjusting the rebound. ....

[xxBrun0xx]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

YES. That will do it for sure.



Also yes. For V3s (and our T2s) the compression adjustment affects mostly low and mid piston speed valving. High piston speeds (i.e. big bumps) on V3s when turned up are nice and digressive which is a good thing. So the compression adjustment doesn't have as much affect on comfort but it does have a solid effect on handling. Turned all the way up though yes you'll feel the increase in mid-speed.

Rebound affects the full range and you'll "feel" it more.

- Andrew

Question: I've got kW v3s and have had them set per your recommended setup for about 6 months now. After a 600 mile drive over some particularly nasty pavement, I decided it was finally time to improve my Ride quality. I tried taking rebound per your recommendation one click, drive, repeat, but I couldn't tell a difference after 2 clicks from what you recommend. I decided to try go for max soft rebound front and rear -1 click (because kW didn't recommend running the car on the last click). After a drive, a lot of the small bumps I could feel with your recommended settings are completely gone. Car also feels about the same during cornering.

Why wouldn't you go max soft rebound? Is there any drawback to doing this? I've got the older, stiffer springs and the height is maxed out (about 1.25" lower than stock). Thanks!

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

Question: I've got kW v3s and have had them set per your recommended setup for about 6 months now. After a 600 mile drive over some particularly nasty pavement, I decided it was finally time to improve my Ride quality. I tried taking rebound per your recommendation one click, drive, repeat, but I couldn't tell a difference after 2 clicks from what you recommend. I decided to try go for max soft rebound front and rear -1 click (because kW didn't recommend running the car on the last click). After a drive, a lot of the small bumps I could feel with your recommended settings are completely gone. Car also feels about the same during cornering.

Why wouldn't you go max soft rebound? Is there any drawback to doing this? I've got the older, stiffer springs and the height is maxed out (about 1.25" lower than stock). Thanks!

Yeah for the street, absolutely you can turn down the rebound adjustment to help with ride quality. Some might find the ride bouncy over certain types of pavement on the highway though when it's all the way down.

The car will be a little slower to react on turn in and in transitions. It would be pretty noticeable on an autox course especially. Our recommended settings are always meant as a starting point and for those that don't want to touch settings ever. Everyone is going to have slightly different cars and tastes so yes experiment and keep notes!

- Andrew