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      04-26-2012, 05:08 PM   #1
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KW Sleeve Over Kit - Track Performance.

Hi All-

I just tracked the car at New Jersey Motorsports Park and current set-up is a set of square BBS CHs and the KW Sleeve Over Kit (dropped one finger gap in front).

Many people have asked how these perform on the track and I can confirm - GREAT .

The car felt very squat / planted, was not unpredictable or shifty, and did not make any squeaks or sounds. I pushed the car very hard (at least IMO) and in addition I had my instructor drive the car too and asked him to judge it based on other stock / modded M3s he's driven. He said it was perfect, good turn-in, and felt very planted / stable. He was impressed when I told him they were only Sleeve Overs (he thought Coils for sure).

I'm sure coils are better, as they'd have to be, but having the ability to have EDC for daily driving + track the car all-in-one, this set-up is perfect for my purposes.

Hope that helps people thinking about the KW S/O for their car.
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      04-26-2012, 06:05 PM   #2
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      04-26-2012, 11:14 PM   #3
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great to hear. im planning on doing the sleeves soon. I deffinitely want to keep the EDC. the only thing that worries me is the dreded bouncy ride that putting springs on only does. do you have this experience or does it ride stiff. My last car had Eibach progressive springs and Tokico blue shocks and it was way bouncy-especially going through a dip on the freeway.... something i want to avoid . Thanks a bunch

Dan-
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      04-27-2012, 04:47 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DansM View Post
great to hear. im planning on doing the sleeves soon. I deffinitely want to keep the EDC. the only thing that worries me is the dreded bouncy ride that putting springs on only does. do you have this experience or does it ride stiff. My last car had Eibach progressive springs and Tokico blue shocks and it was way bouncy-especially going through a dip on the freeway.... something i want to avoid . Thanks a bunch

Dan-
The car feels fine during dips and avoidance situations. The springs are actually able to take smaller bumps in the road better as they are progressive, but large / sharp bumps on the road will be rougher. Comfort Mode feels like Normal, Normal Mode is Sport, Sport is "Super Sport".

To be clear, this suspension isn't as 100% carefree comfortable as a stock suspension. If you want that, Eibach is probably your best bet, I heard it's exactly like stock except with a small drop.

I've read elsewhere Eibachs are simply softer as well and the ride height is only a minimal amount. If you search, I think there are a couple people who went from Eibach to KWs or H&Rs.
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      04-27-2012, 09:49 AM   #5
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great to read your review on this kit, I haven't tracked my car since I installed the KW sleeve over kit on my car and was waiting for someone to review it, thanks for posting it!
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      04-27-2012, 10:01 AM   #6
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I've done a good bit of searching. It seems there are negative reviews about all springs most people go from H&R to Eibach and they say its a huge improvement. some people say Eibach still has a bouncy ride in some situations.

I havent heard anything negative about Dinan other than their price. And KW sleeve too few people have I feel.
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      04-27-2012, 09:43 PM   #7
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Interesting read...I have been considering a suspension setup, but was thinking that the Sleeve Kit may not be enough performance oriented for a track day. Decisions decisions.....
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      04-28-2012, 09:17 PM   #8
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i hear you. ive been reading as well and it seems the worst thing to do is to lower the car.... however the best route to take is either the Eibachs because of its limited drop and progressive spring rate. KW sleeve is probably the next best thing because you can adjust the ride hieght and retain a stock feel with EDC off. I wouildnt mind a touch stiffer with the EDC on sport. the ability to utilize EDC is also great so you can enjoy a smoother ride. for more aggressive ride simply turn the EDC on full sport and you got a stiffer ride while be lowered. How low can the KW sleeve kit go front and rear?
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      04-28-2012, 09:23 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SROC5 View Post
The car feels fine during dips and avoidance situations. The springs are actually able to take smaller bumps in the road better as they are progressive, but large / sharp bumps on the road will be rougher. Comfort Mode feels like Normal, Normal Mode is Sport, Sport is "Super Sport".

To be clear, this suspension isn't as 100% carefree comfortable as a stock suspension. If you want that, Eibach is probably your best bet, I heard it's exactly like stock except with a small drop.

I've read elsewhere Eibachs are simply softer as well and the ride height is only a minimal amount. If you search, I think there are a couple people who went from Eibach to KWs or H&Rs.
great info. i dont mind a bit stiffer. as long as a can retain EDC and change it to be a little softer to more aggressive as i please. how low can this kit go and how low do you have it?
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      04-29-2012, 06:55 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DansM View Post
great info. i dont mind a bit stiffer. as long as a can retain EDC and change it to be a little softer to more aggressive as i please. how low can this kit go and how low do you have it?
Close to 2 inches in front (after settling) and .8 in the rear. Net net, it's lower than anyone should really go.

I also like the adjustability because when winter is around I will raise the car a touch for clearance and drop in my winter OEM 18s.

During my research I read many reviews on all set-ups. It's quite subjective what a "harsh ride" constitutes. I know two people (same car, HR set-up, and one hates it and the other loves it, and the car feels fine to me

If I were you, read all the "Stickies" about suspension and make a decision based on your own objectives. No matter what you read, Springs will wear out your stock dampers sooner than stock springs - you'll see this explained in a sticky. The cost to replace stock EDC dampers is close to $2,000.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HREM3 View Post
I've done a good bit of searching. It seems there are negative reviews about all springs most people go from H&R to Eibach and they say its a huge improvement. some people say Eibach still has a bouncy ride in some situations.

I havent heard anything negative about Dinan other than their price. And KW sleeve too few people have I feel.
I think less people have KW Sleeves due to price. If goal is not to adjust height, probably fine going with normal springs (Eibach, H&Rs). I've had very positive KW experiences with other cars, so I'm just going with what I know.

Dinan I considered, but price is too steep and the drop is not aggressive enough (.5 inch). I'm sure the quality is top shelf.
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      05-01-2012, 04:22 PM   #11
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I drove these on track a couple of weeks ago at Thunderhill Raceway. I haven't driven my car on track with the stock suspension before so I don't have a reference point.

In street driving, the KW sleeve over has less body roll and it feels like a slightly higher spring rate over stock. As mentioned above and in my short review before ( http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=638732 ), on small bumps it feels softer than the stock suspension. On larger bumps it is harsher - most likely due to the progressive nature of the spring set up. My car is set at the max sleeve-over height. An Dinan-like ride height to maintain shock travel.

On track, the car feels pretty controlled. I set the EDC to Sport setting. Body roll is apparent but more confidence inspiring once the car settles into a corner. Transitions from side-to-side is a bit uncommunicative and there is a slight vagueness in cornering transitions. I feel the stock shocks need faster rebound to react to the road surfaces and maintain contact ground at track speeds. I think any stock set up suspension has the same kind of feeling. Not very direct like a coilover set up. It kinda comes as no surprise... what would you expect by just changing springs?

Overall, I felt it is okay.. definitely not like a coilover set up. It is stock-like performance with a slightly higher spring rate. It's a good step if you want a lower ride height, maintain ride quality and a slight increase in performance/decreased body roll. I will say the Sleeve-over is VERY WELL MATCHED for stock dampeners. KW did do some research into maintaining stock-like feel. But it is definitely lacking if you are used to coilover suspension.

Here is one of my laps. The car is 100% stock other than the sleeve-over kit. DSC is off. I am driving pretty conservatively because I had a female friend in the car...

Last edited by Z K; 05-01-2012 at 05:56 PM..
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      05-01-2012, 07:15 PM   #12
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love my kw s/o kit!! LA roads can be rough but handles great!!
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      03-23-2017, 06:08 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SROC5 View Post
Hi All-

I just tracked the car at New Jersey Motorsports Park and current set-up is a set of square BBS CHs and the KW Sleeve Over Kit (dropped one finger gap in front).

Many people have asked how these perform on the track and I can confirm - GREAT .

The car felt very squat / planted, was not unpredictable or shifty, and did not make any squeaks or sounds. I pushed the car very hard (at least IMO) and in addition I had my instructor drive the car too and asked him to judge it based on other stock / modded M3s he's driven. He said it was perfect, good turn-in, and felt very planted / stable. He was impressed when I told him they were only Sleeve Overs (he thought Coils for sure).

I'm sure coils are better, as they'd have to be, but having the ability to have EDC for daily driving + track the car all-in-one, this set-up is perfect for my purposes.

Hope that helps people thinking about the KW S/O for their car.
Curious if you added adjustable end links and/or adjustable camber plates to obtain optimal alignment?
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      03-23-2017, 06:10 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris N
Quote:
Originally Posted by SROC5 View Post
Hi All-

I just tracked the car at New Jersey Motorsports Park and current set-up is a set of square BBS CHs and the KW Sleeve Over Kit (dropped one finger gap in front).

Many people have asked how these perform on the track and I can confirm - GREAT .

The car felt very squat / planted, was not unpredictable or shifty, and did not make any squeaks or sounds. I pushed the car very hard (at least IMO) and in addition I had my instructor drive the car too and asked him to judge it based on other stock / modded M3s he's driven. He said it was perfect, good turn-in, and felt very planted / stable. He was impressed when I told him they were only Sleeve Overs (he thought Coils for sure).

I'm sure coils are better, as they'd have to be, but having the ability to have EDC for daily driving + track the car all-in-one, this set-up is perfect for my purposes.

Hope that helps people thinking about the KW S/O for their car.
Curious if you added adjustable end links and/or adjustable camber plates to obtain optimal alignment?
none, but have to tell you that swift spec r springs were better on track than the kw sleeves.
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      03-23-2017, 07:10 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DansM View Post
i hear you. ive been reading as well and it seems the worst thing to do is to lower the car.... however the best route to take is either the Eibachs because of its limited drop and progressive spring rate. KW sleeve is probably the next best thing because you can adjust the ride hieght and retain a stock feel with EDC off. I wouildnt mind a touch stiffer with the EDC on sport. the ability to utilize EDC is also great so you can enjoy a smoother ride. for more aggressive ride simply turn the EDC on full sport and you got a stiffer ride while be lowered. How low can the KW sleeve kit go front and rear?
Low

This is with the KW HAS in the lowest setting
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      03-23-2017, 03:14 PM   #16
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Thanks for making this post OP, im glad to hear this. I was deciding between the KW HAS sleeve kit and Swift springs for my ZCP car to keep the EDC. I went with the Swifts cause I read they are better for tracking. But I am not happy with the drop, the rear doesn't even look like it dropped at all. Now I've been thinking to get the KW sleeve kit, but the since Im planning on doing track days with the car I was hesitating. Good to know that they can perform well on the track.
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      03-24-2017, 06:21 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRussia View Post
Thanks for making this post OP, im glad to hear this. I was deciding between the KW HAS sleeve kit and Swift springs for my ZCP car to keep the EDC. I went with the Swifts cause I read they are better for tracking. But I am not happy with the drop, the rear doesn't even look like it dropped at all. Now I've been thinking to get the KW sleeve kit, but the since Im planning on doing track days with the car I was hesitating. Good to know that they can perform well on the track.
Sleeves are great for getting the drop you want for sure, but got to say the swifts are pretty darn low, and any lower the car is not going to be practical to drive on the streets. For the rear, any lower the tires will tuck under the fender pretty much.
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      03-24-2017, 08:32 AM   #18
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My God.... That looks fantastic. I love the frozen color black wheel combo.
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      03-30-2017, 02:59 PM   #19
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+1

I find it very interesting how guys aren't happy with the Swift drop. Best drop compared to the other spring options in my opinion. I'm currently dropped on comp wheels with spacers 15/12 and I think the car looks great! Definitely lower than stock and compliments the spacers really well. I just ordered KW HAS, but only because I need to go lower for the new wheels I just ordered. If I were staying with stock, I wouldn't even consider changing them out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SROC5 View Post
Sleeves are great for getting the drop you want for sure, but got to say the swifts are pretty darn low, and any lower the car is not going to be practical to drive on the streets. For the rear, any lower the tires will tuck under the fender pretty much.
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      03-30-2017, 03:00 PM   #20
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What are your wheel specs?



Quote:
Originally Posted by FMLYSDN View Post
Low

This is with the KW HAS in the lowest setting
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      03-30-2017, 05:01 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simpleM3 View Post
What are your wheel specs?



Quote:
Originally Posted by FMLYSDN View Post
Low

This is with the KW HAS in the lowest setting
18 x 10 Square I believe the offset is 25 but I would have to check. It is pretty standard setup on the forum here. 275/35 all around
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      03-30-2017, 05:03 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris N View Post
My God.... That looks fantastic. I love the frozen color black wheel combo.
Thanks man
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