Which coilovers - H&R or KW?

[oxfordpaul 0]

Hi,

 

Looked on here for info on KW coilovers but can't find anything. I'm on the brink of ordering either H&R or KW type 1 which is fixed damping but adjustable ride height. I'm looking for the softest ride as near to original as possible and only really want coilies to lower the car. I had T/A Konis with H&R springs before but they weren't quite low enough and mine rattled on the rears! Any advice welcome and what about FK ones, are they as good as KW?

[Supercharged 2]

I think G-werks can supply either of the above...

[oxfordpaul 0]

Yes that's who I'm getting them off, along with some BBS wheels and possibly a Magnex or Supersprint exhaust. My car is costing me a fortune at the mo but it'll be worth it in the end....

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The H&R fixed damper kit has 180lb springs at the front and 70lb helper springs. See if you can find out what the KW spring rate is (and the H&R's) in comparison to the stock springs if you can.

 

Spring rate doesn't paint the whole picture tho. You need both the dampers and springs to work in harmony or you'll get bounciness.

 

I'm the same as you, prefer something a little milder than the norm.

 

I find the H&Rs to be very good overall, perhaps a fraction stiff over some surfaces, but much better than the Koni/H&R combo. Where the H&R coils score is in the massive Bilstein gas dampers. Can't fault their performance at all.

 

It's also worth noting that if neither of the above are to your satisfaction, Eibach do both a damper rebuild service (inc custom revalving) and custom springs. Neither are horribly expensive and I've found Eibach to be an excellent company to deal with.

[oxfordpaul 0]

Thanks Kev, I'm glad u say much better than the Koni/H&R setup because that was a bit hard for me and I had the shocks on the softest setting. The KW's are quite a bit cheaper than H&R's. Anyone got KW's?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Sadly no one is running the KWs on here (that I know of) but they have got an excellent reputation across other forums, especially MK4s. I nearly bought some KW V3s but other plans have got in the way, so they're taking a back seat for the time being.

 

Did you cut the bumpstops down enough with the Koni/H&Rs? If you don't that really screws up the ride quality. Coillies have them built in so you don't need to worry about that. The H&R's are internal.

 

There is plenty you can do with coillies of any brand, so I think you'll be fine whichever you choose.

[oxfordpaul 0]

I doubt if the garage would have done that - they just fit them and probably wouldn't know. I'm still in touch with the guy that bought it so I'll let him know! I wonder why no-one buys KW's, are they just badly marketed for Rado's?

[big_chris1981 0]

im quite tempted by the kw's.

 

the variant 2's are apparently very good, but a tad too expensive for me.

 

im torn between the budget option of weitecs and the more expensive variant 1 kw's.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Dunno why no one runs them...... trouble is, off the top of my head, you have this lot to choose from:-

 

KW, H&R, AST, GAZ, FK, Koni, Weitec, Spax, Leda, Bilstein, Avo, SPR, AK, Tein, Ohlins, TRD and many, many more. So which do you choose?

 

I personally think custom is the way to go, it's the only way to get exactly what you want. Costs more though unfortunately.

[HVB G60 0]

Over here in Holland quite a lot of people run KW coilovers, for one part because there were some interesting offers on them in the past. But they actually are quite good. Not much H&R over here.

 

I run the KW var1 myself and I'm very satisfied with it. The combination between the springrate and the dampers is good. Although I must admit that the right is rather hard. Not at all what I would describe as "near original". Var2 at its smoothest setting is said to be not much smoother than the var1...

 

Stay away from FK. That's all I have to say as far as that goes.

 

There is a groupbuy on the Dutch forum for AST coilovers. Maybe that's an interesting option also? These guys have been involved with racing for over 30 years. They're offering a 22mm kit (like most other dampers on the market) or a 45mm rod.

 

However, if you're looking for a coilover that does preserve the comfortable ride, than have a look at the Bilstein PSS9. It doesn't go that low (only -5cm or so), but you can adjust the dampingsettings to your own liking, from rather smooth to rather harsh.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Thanks for the feedback HVB G60!

 

Yes, AST are VERY good coilovers.....I would be interested in a Group Buy as they are over £800 for a Corrado over here.

 

PSS9 Bilsteins are a bit hard for my liking! The regular PSS or H&Rs are more comfort biased.

[PhatVR6 0]

I'm going to be on the look out for coilovers at inters. Hopefully I'll find someone who can sell me the KW setup I want. if not, then it looks like I'll be saving up for a custom LEDA or OHLINS setup.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

With you on the Ledas. Phoned them last summer and the spec I wanted would cost over £2000 and take 4-5 weeks to make. Double adjustable with remote oil resevoirs. Didn't really have that kind of cash at the time.

 

They will make them exactly how you want them though.

[Supercharged 2]

OHLINS - Hmmm... might be worth looking into Kev (this is what my Dad has on his GS and there is a dealer in stowmarket but not sure if he supplies car stuff too..)

[Supercharged 2]

OHLINS - Hmmm... might be worth looking into Kev (this is what my Dad has on his GS and there is a dealer in stowmarket but not sure if he supplies car stuff too..)

[PhatVR6 0]

that's my problem, not many places will do a vr6 syncro specific kit.

 

and not many people will sell me seperates either

 

I'm also considering going for TT wishbones, rack and hubs up front too, so i may even need TT/R32 fitment fronts and syncro rears. But I haven'te tried the 4 motion struts yet so see if the length is going to be a mile off or not.

 

also, i know nothing about spring weights, so maybe I should really build the whole car, then have it weighed properly, then get the suspension to suit.?

[Mike Edwards 0]

I used to have the H&R setup on my VR6.

 

Above 60mph it was great, but at lower speeds while the damping seemed good, the spings felt too stiff.

 

I asked H&R what springs I would need to fit to have the same spring-rate as their lowering springs for the VR6. Based on thier answer, it seems the spring rate of the coilovers is 105% stiffer at the front and ~100% stiffer at the back than the standard suspension.

 

That said, I'm considereing going back to coilovers from my current Koni?H&R setup.

 

Might try Koni t/a coilovers this time as the prices seem to have come down quite a bit of late, and the service centre in Frimley seem happy to modify them as required too.