As my other posts have said, I track my MC40 but also daily drive it during the winter. I really want to be able to run a more aggressive setup in the summer, but Utah's harsh winters don't allow for it year round. I'm looking for a coilover that can go back to stock, or almost stock height and that ride as nicely as stock. I've looked at springs and FSD's but I'm really looking for the adjustability of nice coilovers. I've read through some other threads and found that KW Variant 2's are the recommended coilovers around these forums, so I was wondering if they fit my probably impossible requirements. I'm not looking to sell the car anytime soon (or ever) but I have a tight(ish) budget. However I know the importance of spending extra for quality. The Variant 2's fit my budget nicely. P.S. You guys were right about my motor mounts. I just turned up the radio and got over it. :biggrin5:
I have the WMW / TSW KW V2's and like them I live in PA and we have hard Winters and our roads suck. You can wind up the coil overs without any issue and run in the snow. For the price point they are a good deal and well made. Are they JRZ ? No. I got mine from WMW click this link and you can read all about them. Coilovers - Way Motor Works The only difference between the V1's, V2 & V3's is on the V2 & V3 you can make adjustments to the shock on the V1 you cannot. On the V2 you have single dampening and rebound adjustment. On the V2 you get dual dampening and rebound adjustment for those MINI enthusiasts who want to lower their ride and dramatically increase handling performance for hard core auto-cross and track. All the height adjustments are the same and come with the same springs. After a year or two I replaced the KW V2 springs and helper springs because they were a little soft for my wants. I replaced the springs with a nice set of Swift springs with a front rate 400 lbs. and with a rear rate 450 lbs. (about a $500 upgrade)
Nope, unless you take a really hard corner fast and it covered with bumps. I have been running the KW V2's at the Dragon for the past 5 years now with no issues.
Awesome. So if I do go through with these, what else do I need to buy in addition? This is my first time doing any suspension modding and I want to make sure I don't miss out on small things. What are camber plates for? Adjusting camber?
Depending on your wheels you may need spacers. I put 12 MM in the front to clear my 215's on 17's from the front springs and 5 mm in the rear just to move the tire out a little. If you are going to track your car get a good set of camber plates and be done with them. Don't go cheap or they wont last worth a damn. Here is a link to the Vorshlags $439.00: Vorshlag Camber Plates - Way Motor Works You may also want to replace your Lower Control Arm (LCA) bushings if you are still on stock ones with a fresh set of PollyFlex ones. (Way sells them also) Oh I hope you have a rear anti-sway bar if one you will need one along with some adjustable lower control arms. Link H-Sport Rear Camber Links - Way Motor Works One more thing when it all done you will need a good alignment. $$ Hope I did not scare you with all that but if you want to do it you may as well go all the way and do it once the right way. Plus you did not give me a $$ limit and I love to spend others money since I have done all this to my car already and then some. :lol::ihih:
I kinda figured I would end up with the control arm sway bar combo later on down the road... didn't know it was a necessity if I'm running these KWs, so thank you. Speaking of tires and spacers, if I have the R90s, is it possible to go up to 215 tires? I have 205s on now but I think I want to go wider when I finally run off the all seasons I have now.
215/45R17 work great on R90's Ditto everything else Dave said. You may also want adjustable end links while you're at it. All four corners. Allows you to adjust the preload of the swaybar as you take the height up and down. Swaybar works best when it's horizontal / unloaded at rest.
Yup that's what I have for my Winter beater wheels, R90's with 215's. My Summer wheels are Enkei PF01's with 215's
Coilovers aren't for everyone, between the small amount of extra maintenance and the ride, that can be enough to turn some off on running coilovers on a DD. That said; there is nothing wrong with coilovers, just some find them stiff and "rattly". My advice would be to try and ride with or drive a club members car with coilovers, before you drop a chunk of change only to find out you don't like it. If you decide to go coil/spring setup instead, you'll need to run Koni yellows, not the FSDs, as the FSDs don't cooperate with lowering coils. While my car is a daily, with a now yearly Dragon trip, I run Koni yellows and H-Sport lowering coils, with bigger sway bars front/rear, H-Sport rear camber links, and dang near Powerflex everything. The ride is superb, and it handles great for what it is.
^^ Yup, Coil overs are a BIG step when you include everything else you need to do. The biggest part is the budget and not to cut any corners on quality. If you buy a good quality set up and maybe add a set of Swift Springs the ride is night and day different. If you end up with a "stiff" and "rattly" set up something was not done right during the install.