KW Sleeve kit vs Dinan Stage 1

[CSanto]

Okay so title states it all. I'm looking for a more aggressive stance but nothing crazy as I live in NY.

My summer set-up is 19" P40s. 255/35/19 9" inch fronts +22 Offset
Rears are 295/30/19 10.5" +25 Offset

I have an 09 so no ZCP. My rears have 1 finger gap. So I'd only like to drop it MAX .5" in the rear. The front is about 2 fingers, so again probably .5" will do.

Whats overall better for performance and ride quality?

Thanks all.

[Mr.MichaelM3]

Deff go with the S/O kw kit. Im not to sure about the dinan. Are the adjustable?

[rjd598]

i would say go with the dinan because it sounds like exactly what you are looking for. cant say much on the kw. first two posts are giving you exact opposite advice hahahah

[Z K]

I have my KW adjusted to max ride height. It is about the same height as the Dinan setup. Rides good and less expensive than Dinan!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=638732

At max height:

[isugoo]

Originally Posted by Z K

I have my KW adjusted to max ride height. It is about the same height as the Dinan setup. Rides good and less expensive than Dinan!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=638732

At max height:

first time seeing kw s/o at the max height.
looks pretty good.
Dinan front seems tiny bit lower than KW and Dinan rear def. sits lower than your KW.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by isugoo

first time seeing kw s/o at the max height.
looks pretty good.
Dinan front seems tiny bit lower than KW and Dinan rear def. sits lower than your KW.

Yeah, the rear at max height is almost stock height for the rear of the M3. It only lowers it 0.25 inch. At max in front it is lowered 0.5 inch over stock.

Given the KW allows you to customize the height and is less pricey over the Dinan, it was a no brainer for me. The increased roll stiffness makes a difference too when cornering. Definitely less body roll and it tightens up the suspension which felt a bit vague in stock form.

[macavant]

Originally Posted by Z K

Rides good and less expensive than Dinan!

How is it with the streets of SF ? I'm in the BayArea Peninsula and contemplating on the same setup as yours. Wanted to see how it holds up in the city.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by macavant

How is it with the streets of SF ? I'm in the BayArea Peninsula and contemplating on the same setup as yours. Wanted to see how it holds up in the city.

I wrote a short review here:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=638732

It smooths out smaller bumps and larger bumps feel rougher. In the city, about 80% of the time, it feels the same as stock. The other 20% when you are going through rutted out potholed streets, it feels rougher and I have to drive slowly and crawl through it. Some steep driveways and ramps I have to take at an angle to not scrape. On the highway, it rides as stock does.

[Brainofjjj]

I have my KW sleeve kit sitting at about the lowest setting. I'll get some pics up sometime soon.
The car is stiffer, not extremely but noticeable for sure. I'm having to get GC camber plates now though to get my front evened out. I like the way the car sits but until i get my height and alignment figured out I can't give a good review.

[Richard@M-World]

KW's kit will ride very similar, if not identical to stock, because the spring rates are only slightly stiffer.

Dinan S1 will ride very similar as well based on personal experience.

Performance improvement for either kit will be marginal compared to stock.

[tlp]

KW Sleeve kit sitting in the middle of the adjusters. I call the drop "Performance Practical" with the ghetto setting on false.

[isugoo]

Originally Posted by tlp

KW Sleeve kit sitting in the middle of the adjusters. I call the drop "Performance Practical" with the ghetto setting on false.

you win.
do you now how much they dropped from the middle settings?

[PAKMAN]

Originally Posted by tlp

KW Sleeve kit sitting in the middle of the adjusters. I call the drop "Performance Practical" with the ghetto setting on false.

Thats middle for you???? man i have mine set on full low front and 3/4 low on rear and its about the same.

[tlp]

Originally Posted by PAKMAN

Thats middle for you???? man i have mine set on full low front and 3/4 low on rear and its about the same.

I noticed that if you don't hammer in the front sleeves thoroughly they can stop short on the sleeve. I kept making some sharpie marks on the strut to monitor the sleeve pounding process until I knew it would go no further.

Originally Posted by isugoo

you win.
do you now how much they dropped from the middle settings?

Sorry, I didn't take any measurements beforehand. I had stock ZCP previously.

This was the stock drop....

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by tlp

KW Sleeve kit sitting in the middle of the adjusters. I call the drop "Performance Practical" with the ghetto setting on false.

Looking good!!

[edu09]

mine is dropped about 70% on KW sleeve kit, it feels a bit stiffer but great handling, no bouncing at all, love this kit ( had to edit these crappy iphone pics)

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by edu09

mine is dropped about 70% on KW sleeve kit, it feels a bit stiffer but great handling, no bouncing at all, love this kit ( had to edit these crappy iphone pics)

Nice car!!

[CSanto]

I was just reading that someone with my spec wheels rub with the dinan suspension. It's probably due to the offset. It would be nice if I could leave the rear on max and get .25 and do .5 on the front. It would probably be the perfect stance for my car.

[chris s]

I think KW is a no-brainer over dinan b/c of the height adjustment and the lesser cost. Both seem to offer similar performance.

[Giccy]

Originally Posted by Richard@M-World

Performance improvement for either kit will be marginal compared to stock.

Seems like a lot of KW s/o users claim a noticeable performance improvement.

What am I missing? I'm considering the K/Ws as I'm looking for slightly lowered ride height, better handling but would like to keep my EDC.

I know coils are the best for performance but I'm no track superstar so I'm looking for the poor man's bargain.

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by Giccy Gic

Seems like a lot of KW s/o users claim a noticeable performance improvement.

What am I missing? I'm considering the K/Ws as I'm looking for slightly lowered ride height, better handling but would like to keep my EDC.

I know coils are the best for performance but I'm no track superstar so I'm looking for the poor man's bargain.

My issue is that based on KW's information, these are not meant to lower any further than a good set of springs will. This is why I'm not sold on them. So unless you plan on making tons of adjustments to utilize the "coilover" capability then I don't see the need to spend the extra cash. Just my opinion.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by THE TECH

My issue is that based on KW's information, these are not meant to lower any further than a good set of springs will. This is why I'm not sold on them. So unless you plan on making tons of adjustments to utilize the "coilover" capability then I don't see the need to spend the extra cash. Just my opinion.

The problem with lowering springs is they all lower the car too much if you are only looking for a slight lowering with a performance increase. The exception is the Dinan springs. There isn't anything out there until someone else makes a Dinan equivalent spring without the Dinan price. I don't count Eibach Pro Kit as their springs are too soft and not performance oriented.