KW Coilovers

Any KW Coilover vendors here? I'm looking to purchase the Variant 2's for my N/A 2007 Legacy.

Racecomp Engineering has their RCE Tarmac 1s which are based on the KW V2s. I believe they worked with KW to have them them revalved to their own specs and matched them with different springs. You'll generally find very positive feedback about the RCE T1 (disclamer: I installed them on my LGT a couple of years ago) but if you want, RCE probably has KW V2s as well.

got my V2s from circut motorsports on nasioc. best price I found

I ended up going with the RCE T1. Designed for our cars and Myles is a great guy to work with.

hows the ride with kw or rce t1?

Myles is great, RCE T1's are great. Close to stock comfort levels, but loads less dive/squat & quick dampening.

Myles is great, RCE T1's are great. Close to stock comfort levels, but loads less dive/squat & quick dampening.

squat = during acceleration, the weight of the car shifts to the rear and compresses the rear springs alot like a football lineman getting ready for the snap

 

dive = when you brake, the front end get alot lower because the weight of the car shifts forward and compresses the front springs.

 

better springs, especially the tarmacs, will decrease the amount of squat and dive you get during these situations

 

dampening/rebound control = when you go over lil & big bumps, the struts control how big of a bounce you get, and how fast the car bounces on your springs.

 

For example, if you go over a speed bump, the car weight compresses the springs. Right after that happens, the weight will want to go back up to normal height. Bad/dead coilovers/struts will bounce/oscillate up and down until they settle a couple seconds later. The tarmacs just go down, then up once.

 

Or imagine on a freeway, while going 75mph you go over a hump in the road which shoots you up in your seat. Cheaper coilovers will give you that floaty feeling because the dampers will keep the car glued to the road going down the hump while your body's momentum is still shot upwards to the sky. This is usually also followed by some bouncing as the dampers try to settle things down.

 

Good dampening is important for stability while driving high speeds on the tracks. Poor dampening can cause a car to feel twitchy at high speeds. Good dampening helps the car feel planted.

so when u say loads less on drive, squat, and damping are you saying its good or bad?

sorry for noob questions im trying to get some good info for future set up to coilovers.

less squat and less dive is good. Good coilovers will also help you get less sway/body roll.

 

I had BC coilovers 6k/8k for a long time, and they were more responsive but not as comfortable. The RCE's lose a bit of handling compared to the BC's, but the big improvement in comfort is worth it.

ok thanks. i rather have comfort over handling since i dont really track or drive too crazy. i have ions with stock blistines and its not the best comfy ride so maybe in the future ill go with RCEs which really i was think about KWs

RCE's are KW's modified for track use. If you want more comfort, stick with KW's. Either way you'll probly be very happy.

Myles is great, RCE T1's are great. Close to stock comfort levels, but loads less dive/squat & quick dampening.

 

I'm impressed with how they react when I hit a speed bump I'm not paying attention to. They take the load without rattling my car. I've had them for about 60,000 miles and until recently, they've been absolutely silent as well. They're still quiet, but I get a touch of squeek when they are cold. That's not a complaint, just an observation.

RCE's are KW's modified for track use. If you want more comfort, stick with KW's. Either way you'll probly be very happy.

As far as I am aware only the damping on the firmer end was modified so for normal day to day use the RCE damping should be the same as the KW.

 

I found the rears to be quite undersprung (I have RCE's) so put on a pair of Swift 9Kg springs and that sorted out the squatting nicely with a negligible difference to ride quality.

RCE's are not "track " coils.

 

They are set up for the LGT. Not a track LGT.

 

They are good for mild track use. But that is all. Myles has confirmed this. RCE's are KW's that are re-valved. They still can only handle a 550lb spring maximum, just like a KW V2.

 

RCE Tarmacs are great street coils. Very compliant and easily adjustable. Probably my favorite LGT street coil. They are also very good beginning track coils.

 

But for serious track duty an upgrade is required. Myles helped me with a custom AST set up using Swift springs.

I love my BC coilovers on my car. They are adjustable and can provide a pretty smooth ride if set up right. Mine are on the stiff side so they are a little bumpy. I don't track at all just a street car. I do 700+ miles a week with it though. Have had the coilovers on from 43,000 miles to the current 93,000 miles without a single issue.

I have put 30k miles on my T1s, absolutely love them.

Mindspin, did you lower yours more than they came lowered? I'm thinking about going down .5" lower in the front. Just wondering how the ride is.

No, I have had them at the "recommended" height that RCE sets them to prior to shipping.

 

I believe UncleMat messed around with his ride heights and come up with some numbers that evened out the front/rear wheel gap.

 

He posted it all in one of the threads RCE started that is located in the vendor forums.

Mindspin, did you lower yours more than they came lowered? I'm thinking about going down .5" lower in the front. Just wondering how the ride is.

 

I lowered the front 1/2". Had no problems with it. Never bottomed out. Looks great.

Exactly what i wanted to hear. Thanks, Wang Lung!

I also lowered the front on mine 1/2" from how RCE ships them out and they've been fine

Have any pictures i can see? Just curious how it looks. Thanks.

Have any pictures i can see? Just curious how it looks. Thanks.

 

2 quick pics

+1 for everything said. Had my KWv2 on my car for over a year now and probably the best modification to my car to date. Few road trips on it so far and it's just as comfortable as my stock Bilsteins.