Anyone using KW V3 on s14?

[s14arlok]

Hey guys i have a 1998 s14 with rb25 and i got kw v3 on it, the SPRING rate is:

Front: 6k 340
Rear: 4k 260

So i did a tons of research and a see a lot of people using different spring rates with rb25 so need some opinions on what spring rate i should go with. A want a balance of street and drift car and i don't wanna damage my v3's just increasing the compression ratio of the shocks.

BC Racing Coilovers uses 8k front and 6k rear for a r33 gts
D2 Racing uses 12k front and 7k rear
some others guys uses 10k front and 8k rear
other guys uses 13k front and 7k rear
and i found a dude thats running 12k front and 6k rear

Thanks

[Philipio]

Call KW. You're one of the few 240 owners that actually has quality suspension. Don't try to compare it to any cheap, crappy coilovers with ridiculously high spring rates and over-damped struts. That just so happens to be the majority of this forum, so I wouldn't take anyone's advice. Again, I reiterate, call KW.

[SX APPEAL]

This^

God I wish I could have found some V3's for a decent price when I was shopping for coils. If you ever want to sell them, hit me up

[asoomal]

They don't make 'em for people running Z32 uprights

I wanna get KW so bad, I even e-mailed them and asking them if they could, didn't even wanna bother

[s14arlok]

Call KW. You're one of the few 240 owners that actually has quality suspension. Don't try to compare it to any cheap, crappy coilovers with ridiculously high spring rates and over-damped struts. That just so happens to be the majority of this forum, so I wouldn't take anyone's advice. Again, I reiterate, call KW.

i did what u said, i called them and i think im going with Swift spring 9k front and 7k back due to the heavier motor. What u think?

Thanks

[s14arlok]

This^

God I wish I could have found some V3's for a decent price when I was shopping for coils. If you ever want to sell them, hit me up

I bought from a guy 5 hours away from me, the shocks had 10 miles on it, so new.. i paid like $1400 for it.. but ill have to spend more $350 to buy new springs because i got the heavier motor.. =[

[Razi]

Ditto what Philipio said.

[SX APPEAL]

Wow I'm jealous, if I could have found KW's for $1400 I would have jumped all over them. I paid $1375 for my Fortune Auto's with Swift springs, 9K/7K actually. Wouldn't want to trade would ya?

[s14arlok]

haha, in the end was not that cheap, i just bought a set of 4 swift springs for $350 9k/7k.. so $1400+350=1750 =[.. dude im broke right now =[

[SX APPEAL]

Well damn and blast!... LOL but if you come across anyone else with S14 KW suspension that might like a change of pace, give them my info. I'd be willing to make such a person a handsome trade on my custom, track valved, zero miles, swift spring equipped Fortune Auto coils.

[voiddweller]

Bringing this back...

How are the V3's holding up? I'd love to hear some long term impressions.

Thanks!

[s14arlok]

Only 5k miles on them. Ehh. Still working, harsh ride. I wont buy kw again. I would just buy a fortune auto 500 or something with less adjustments. Something around $1200. And kw said that you can't lower them as much as we want. And i dont even slam my car.

[voiddweller]

Thanks for the update.

Is the initial impact the harshness? Have you thought about reinstalling the KW springs to smooth it out?

[Silvia_Ks_90]

Hey man, I've been running V3's since last season and they are a dream compared to everything else I've owned or ridden in. Quality wise, everything is well put together and can handle our Canadian climate. As well, they come with a lifetime warranty.

[s14arlok]

I don't wanna go back to the oem kw springs because its too soft.. 6kg front and 4kg rear.. im using swifts 9kg/7kg.

I can't go too soft because im running a rb25 motor, its heavier and if i use the oem springs i could damage my shocks.

The problem is that if you read the manual carefully you will see that you can't lower the car a lot. You can damage the shocks if you do.

[voiddweller]

Hey man, I've been running V3's since last season and they are a dream compared to everything else I've owned or ridden in. Quality wise, everything is well put together and can handle our Canadian climate. As well, they come with a lifetime warranty.

Thanks for the feedback. Just out of curiosity, what are your current settings for compression and rebound? I was looking at your pics. What camber plates are you running? Do they allow caster? Any need to cut the shock tower?

I don't wanna go back to the oem kw springs because its too soft.. 6kg front and 4kg rear.. im using swifts 9kg/7kg.

I can't go too soft because im running a rb25 motor, its heavier and if i use the oem springs i could damage my shocks.

True for the front but 7kg for the rear seems really high. The RB is only ~2kg heavier, right? Have you spoken with KW after the install? What lengths did you go with on the Swifts for front and rear? Depending on the answer, perhaps 8kg front and leaving the rears at 4kg may smooth things out? I believe KW configured the setup with an OEM configuration, so that includes a lot of extra weight (OEM battery, AC compressor, condenser, etc...) up front that many replace or remove. If you're running no AC and a light battery, that's getting close to 1kg.

The problem is that if you read the manual carefully you will see that you can't lower the car a lot. You can damage the shocks if you do.

Yep, it's definitely not a lot compared to other brands and going too low may blow a shock. I'm looking at the manual right now and it recommends adjusting the wheel height in the front so the center of the hub is 330-360mm from the bottom of the outer wing/fender, so that's around a 1.2" drop.

[s14arlok]

Hey voiddweller, yea i guess you are right! i will wait for your setup first and then i will try the same to see the diferrence. I have no ac and battery is relocated to the trunk. Do you think should i go back to the oem kw springs ow use swifts 9kg front and kw oem 4kg in the rear?

Im curious to see the Silvia_Ks_90 compression/rebound setup as well..

[voiddweller]

...Do you think should i go back to the oem kw springs ow use swifts 9kg front and kw oem 4kg in the rear? Im curious to see the Silvia_Ks_90 compression/rebound setup as well..

Take a look at your Swifts (also on sales invoice or box) and it should have the specs on the coil springs. Post back with exact specs. I'm sure the ID is 60mm for the front, but I really want to know the length. Front should be 6" or 7". Rear should be 9".

BTW - 7kg in the rear seems like it's way too harsh for a street setup with these dampers. A really smooth track...maybe....For comparison, the KW Clubsports are valved more aggressively and they are 8kg front and 5kg rear. Since you have ~1kg more up front, I can see a slight increase in the front springs, but not the rear.

[s14arlok]

True!

Okay i will check! Thanks again man!

[voiddweller]

What's the latest?

I installed 6" Swift 8kg springs up front and left the rear at 4kg on my V3's. Also added ES bushings to the OEM sway bars. Height is less than 2 finger gap from tyres to fender. Looks good and the ride is smooth!

In addition to daily driving, I went to two HPDE's: Road Atlanta and Sebring. No major issues. The left front wheel rubbed the liner a bit so I had to relocate the wiring and hood release cable higher in the wing. An instructor drove the car and said it handled like his E36 M3.