Installed/Review: KW Coil Sleeve Kit

[Hollywood Hogan]

As some of you may know, KW has just offered a new product, the KW Coil Sleeve Kit http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=502621. This kit basically consist of height adjustable coil sleeves and bump stops, much like the Ground Control Coil kit.

I purchased the KW's from Sonic MS in Mountain View and had them install the coils yesterday. The coils are height adjustable up to 1.2" in the front and 0.5" in the rear (I believe the rear can go even lower).

The install took a few hours and as always, Sonic MS did an awesome job I wouldn't go anywhere else to get my suspension done. My initial reaction to the KW coils was how comfortable this suspension was! The car feels slightly stiffer than stock on all 3 edc modes (comfort, reg, sport). The steering wheels feels stiffer as well which is a huge plus in my book.

The roads in San Francisco are pretty bad. I am happy to say that the KW coils paired with the OEM EDC struts are very compliant with the rough roads and definitely handle better around turns. So far I am very very happy with the KW's.

If you are looking for a new spring/coil kit that retains your OEM EDC functionality which isn't bone jarring on your daily drive, I would highly recommend the KW coil kit. Sure the KWV3's are nice but I didn't want to spend $3000 and lose my EDC. I wanted something comfortable which also improved the handling and my M3 and I got that with the KW coil sleeve kit.

The following pictures show the stance of the car at the current moment, about 1-1.5 finger gap all around. The rears can go even a bit further and the fronts can go even lower as well. Contact Sonic MS if you want a great deal on a great suspension

[GOLFFRR]

awesome i am also looking into this set up due to the high price for kw3. congrats on the set up looks very good

[Green-Eggs]

Glad to hear you are happy with it. KW makes great products.

Saw your car getting worked on while I was there in the white M3.

[klammer]

Does it have camber plates? Looks like a nice option.

[Hollywood Hogan]

Originally Posted by Green-Eggs

Glad to hear you are happy with it. KW makes great products.

Saw your car getting worked on while I was there in the white M3.

Was your M3 the white with red wheels? If so, your car is BADASS

Originally Posted by klammer

Does it have camber plates? Looks like a nice option.

No camber plates unfortunately, that probably accounts for the price difference between the KW's and Ground Controls.

[Hollywood Hogan]

Just a quick update, I drove the car around all day today with my girl and she did not mention anything about the car being more rough nor did I notice too much of a difference as far as the car being "stiffer". I'm enjoying the same level of comfort with the added advantages of better handling and a better looking stance!

[mastek]

What is the price difference? MSRP

[Cal@Sonic MS]

Thanks for your honest review and your support

Here are some quick pictures we'd like to share of the KW S/O kit.













Here you can see the new reinforced bump stops and rubber shock dust boots.




Pics at stock height





Pics after KW S/O kit (unsettled, with approximately 15mm more lowering adjustment on the perches F/R)

[ADV.1 Matt]

Great writeup! I'm always amazed at how compliant the KW setups are over stock.

[Hollywood Hogan]

Originally Posted by mastek

What is the price difference? MSRP

If you mean the difference b/w the KWV3's and the KW coil sleeves, the price difference it is quite significant. Contact Cal@sonicMS and im sure he will give you a great price

Originally Posted by Cal@Sonic MS

Thanks for your honest review and your support

Thanks again for your assistance Cal. I'll be back for the pulley and other mods

[mastek]

Originally Posted by Hollywood Hogan

If you mean the difference b/w the KWV3's and the KW coil sleeves, the price difference it is quite significant. Contact Cal@sonicMS and im sure he will give you a great price

No - i meant the diff between this and the GC kit you mentioned earlier.
It would be nice if you posted the MSRP price of this kit as part of your review.
It helps people determine value vs. Performance.
You would not be breaking any forum rules - and you would be helping the community with "info"
You dont have to post the "special" price you got - just the Manuf. Suggested Retail

Thanks

[Cal@Sonic MS]

Originally Posted by mastek

No - i meant the diff between this and the GC kit you mentioned earlier.
It would be nice if you posted the MSRP price of this kit as part of your review.
It helps people determine value vs. Performance.
You would not be breaking any forum rules - and you would be helping the community with "info"
You dont have to post the "special" price you got - just the Manuf. Suggested Retail

Thanks

MSRP for the KW S/O kit is $895.00, for more info - feel free to check out vendors section or shoot me a PM

[Hollywood Hogan]

MSRP on the Ground Controls are $995.00, I believe

[StrifeM3]

Im curious how much lower these can go in the rear? I have the Rd sport springs which have 0.7 in the rear 1.0 in the front. Definately look great, just need to know how low it can go on the rear.

[Cal@Sonic MS]

Originally Posted by StrifeM3

Im curious how much lower these can go in the rear? I have the Rd sport springs which have 0.7 in the rear 1.0 in the front. Definately look great, just need to know how low it can go on the rear.

As stated above, we had approximately another 15mm or 0.5 inch of adjustability on the spring perch for front and rear. Also, please note that after the springs have settled in, it should drop another 5mm or so.

[Fsarc]

Is an alignment needed or recommended after the install?

Install and car look great!

[Cal@Sonic MS]

Originally Posted by Fsarc

Is an alignment needed or recommended after the install?

Install and car look great!

Yes, an alignment is recommended after the springs have settled in, we recommend waiting about 500 miles or so before performing a four wheel alignment.

[mastek]

Originally Posted by Hollywood Hogan

MSRP on the Ground Controls are $995.00, I believe

No - the GC C/O Kit is $899 MSRP and comes with Camber Plates
Even if it was $995 - the $100 extra for the camber plates would be well worth it.

So there is no price difference between this kit and the GC Kit.

KW makes some great stuff - not sure this kit is made by KW or put together by their North American Distributor with KW parts ...but it would be nice if it came with Camber Plates.

What are the spring rates?
Are there spring rate choices?

[Hollywood Hogan]

^^ thanks for the correction. I've loved KW ever since I had KWV2's on my 335i. I couldn't be happier with the KW coil sleeves so far. As far as the spring rates go, I don't believe KW reveals rates for these coils but I am not certain of that.

[z00m]

Don't want to blah blah, but OEM shocks will went away soon on that ride hight and they already are not functioning properly. Maybe it will be ok for longer time, but don't go lower

[Hollywood Hogan]

^^ I'm sure most of us who have gone with springs or coil sleeve kits have considered this and weighed the pros/cons (current cost savings v. longevity of OEM struts)

[Green-Eggs]

Kit is made by KW GMBH & shipped from Germany