KW Clubsport Coilovers
Like a lot of the people on this forum, I wanted to modify my suspension, not only for the aesthetic benefits, but also for the performance benefits. Even though my ZCP suspension was almost half an inch lower than its non-ZCP counterparts, the wheel gap in my opinion was still pretty large - especially in the front. There were a lot of competing interests that factored into my decision - ride quality, "bounciness", handling improvement, adjustability/customizability, keeping/losing EDC, and of course cost. Initially i toyed with the idea of going with the RDsport springs - I loved the ride height, and of course I would get to keep my EDC, and it was relatively inexpensive. But it didn't take much convincing to sway me over to a clubsport coilover set up - their high degree of customizability, their vastly improved handling, and the fact that they weren't plagued by the bouciness of springs more than made up for the large difference in price and the fact that I would be losing my EDC.
Well, I waited patiently for the Ohlin clubsport set up - more than a year, actually. But there's only so long you can chase after a ghost. Instead, I decided to pull the trigger on KW Clubsports.
Thoughts & Impressions -
Obvious points aside, the clubsports offer a
spectacular performance and handling improvement over the ZCP suspension. The car rides like its on nails now. A feeling of absolute sure-footedness and security now pervades. The difference is drastic and instantly noticeable.
But what surprised me most was the ride comfort. Truth be told, I had mentally prepared myself for a painfully firm ride, something bordering on impractical. And while the ride is definitely firmer than with EDC set to comfort, it was surprisingly practical and surprisingly comfortable. I would liken the ride now to something between "normal" and "sport"on EDC. Its firm, and you feel the road bumps, no doubt, but its very liveable - at least to me. (I'm sure there might be some family men out there, with children, who will disagree with me on how 'liveable' the ride is).
Settings -
For those curious about my settings: I initially started with the factory recommended settings, but then after finding that a little bit too stiff, I decided to try, forum member, JAJ's recommended settings. (See
HERE). His setting, in my opinion, were on-point, and more than liveable for day to day driving, without any performance sacrifice, (in fact JAJ is of the opinion that his performance has improved under these settings). The settings are as follows:
Compression - exactly half-way between full-hard and full-soft
Rebound - 11 clicks from full-hard.
If anyone has any setting recommendations, or want to share their experiences with differing settings, I'd love to hear them.
Finally -
A major thank you to
Long Tran and LTBMW for all their hard-work and customer service in installing my clubsports on the
day of their huge meet. LTBMW definitely knows suspension, and the art of perfecting ride-stance.
All that remains now is a performance alignment to get my camber right (the front wheels have a significant amount of camber now as a result of the drop). If anyone has a recommendation for a good performance alignment shop in Orange County, California, please let me know.
THE INSTALL
Bump Dial
Clubsport Coilover
Clubsports side-by-side with OEM shocks & springs
BEFORE & AFTER SHOTS
BEFORE
AFTER
REAR WHEEL - BEFORE
REAR WHEEL- AFTER
FRONT WHEEL- BEFORE
FRONT WHEEL - AFTER
STANCE - BEFORE
STANCE - AFTER
Hope you guys like. I'll be updating the thread with higher quality pics when I get a chance to put the car in front of a real photographer. Again, I invite everyone's suggestions regarding stance, rebound and compression settings, as well as spacers and fitment.... as well as good shops in the orange county area for peformance alignment.
- esquire