KW Clubsport - Is there a true rear coilover option?

[WhiteM3EMC]

As the title states, I'm wondering if anyone has found a C/S kit with a true rear coilover? I'm certain that I could call KW and work with them to get that done. This is making me want to consider the KW Competition

EDIT: Just received a response from KW, a true rear coilover Clubsport is not possible. Competitions it is!

[tsk94]

You can get the 'entry' level competitions from KW, with a rear coilover, for not much more then the Clubsports - but they have a few extra features that make it worth the upgrade.

[WhiteM3EMC]

Originally Posted by tsk94

You can get the 'entry' level competitions from KW, with a rear coilover, for not much more then the Clubsports - but they have a few extra features that make it worth the upgrade.

I was looking at the KW competition suspension for sure. I'm still on the fence about it. I'm not gonna buy until at least early next year, and I still feel the pull of the MCS suspension. Maybe its the BW guys pushing them on me.

[tsk94]

Originally Posted by WhiteM3EMC

I was looking at the KW competition suspension for sure. I'm still on the fence about it. I'm not gonna buy until at least early next year, and I still feel the pull of the MCS suspension. Maybe its the BW guys pushing them on me.

MCS makes good stuff no doubt. For me it was either MCS or the KW competitions I eventually ended up going with.

BW is a big dealer for MCS for BMW's, but they have ownership in MCS so of course they'll push their product

If you have questions with the KW competition line, let me know. I can also get you in contact with the product manager for the competition department in the US - I worked with him for my setup and it was great working with KW and the final product is top notch.

[WhiteM3EMC]

Originally Posted by tsk94

MCS makes good stuff no doubt. For me it was either MCS or the KW competitions I eventually ended up going with.

BW is a big dealer for MCS for BMW's, but they have ownership in MCS so of course they'll push their product

If you have questions with the KW competition line, let me know. I can also get you in contact with the product manager for the competition department in the US - I worked with him for my setup and it was great working with KW and the final product is top notch.

Good to know, I'll definitely be in touch when it comes time.

I completely agree with BW having a bias towards MCS. I have no doubts that, at the end of the day, I'd be pretty happy with either. But I'm the type of guy that like to buy things of a quality that I'll never feel the need to replace. Obviously, that has a limit, as I'm not looking to spend 10k on a set of coilovers.

I certainly believe that the KW Competitions would be more than enough for my needs, as all this car will ever see is TT; no plans to W2W race it.

The MCS 2WNR come in at a similar price point as the KW Competition, so its really between the 2 for me.

[amrazM]

nitron, intrax depends on what you wanna spend.

[SYT_Shadow]

I've had the 2 way JRZ and 3 sets of MCS so far. The MCS is pretty damn sweet, it's not easy to imagine something better. Head and shoulders over the JRZ I had at the same time.

If we were in Europe I'd suggest the KW Comp as it's extensively supported but in the US I say MCS as they're local.


A friend with an Ohlins R&T drove my MCS 2WNR and it blew their mind.

[WhiteM3EMC]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

I've had the 2 way JRZ and 3 sets of MCS so far. The MCS is pretty damn sweet, it's not easy to imagine something better. Head and shoulders over the JRZ I had at the same time.

If we were in Europe I'd suggest the KW Comp as it's extensively supported but in the US I say MCS as they're local.


A friend with an Ohlins R&T drove my MCS 2WNR and it blew their mind.

I've heard nothing but great things with the MCS setup. I'll likely take my time and go with that once the time comes. I spoke with someone that runs the KW on their M235i as required by rules, and if they could, they'd swap to MCS in a heartbeat.

[aus]

No concerns with running true rear coilovers on the E9x series?

.

[rhyary]

Originally Posted by aus

No concerns with running true rear coilovers on the E9x series?

.

There is a concern.
The true rear coil over need a welded cage to make it strong and stiff enough.

This is what I am told. While I don't know if this is true or not, there is a concern that needs to be investigated.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by aus

No concerns with running true rear coilovers on the E9x series?

.

My E90 is set up with a divorced rear setup as there is no cage or anything. But I have heard of people running full coilovers without reinforcements without issues

On my F80 I don't have specific reinforcements and run true coilover, however, the F80 has a significantly reinforced rear shelf and runs an eye to eye setup, so I have no concerns

[rhyary]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

A friend with an Ohlins R&T drove my MCS 2WNR and it blew their mind.

What exactly blew his mind?
Was he driving it in the track or public road?
Road was bumpy or smooth?
Was the car turning? or straight?

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by rhyary

What exactly blew his mind?
Was he driving it in the track or public road?
Road was bumpy or smooth?
Was the car turning? or straight?

The quality of the damping. Mountain roads, mostly bumpy

On the track a Ohlins R&T is not going to compare well vs a MCS with double the spring rate. The Ohlins is a street suspension than can be tracked, the MCS is the other way around.

What surprised me is how much my friend liked the MCS damping on the street even with spring rates no one would choose for a street oriented car

[rhyary]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

The quality of the damping. Mountain roads, mostly bumpy

On the track a Ohlins R&T is not going to compare well vs a MCS with double the spring rate. The Ohlins is a street suspension than can be tracked, the MCS is the other way around.

What surprised me is how much my friend liked the MCS damping on the street even with spring rates no one would choose for a street oriented car

Thank you.
Either way these are both premium solutions and I was curious to know what was that friend felt.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

The quality of the damping. Mountain roads, mostly bumpy

On the track a Ohlins R&T is not going to compare well vs a MCS with double the spring rate. The Ohlins is a street suspension than can be tracked, the MCS is the other way around.

What surprised me is how much my friend liked the MCS damping on the street even with spring rates no one would choose for a street oriented car

Yes, not an apples to apples comparison

Ohlins did just release a track kit slotted in the KW Clubsport price point. I haven't tested it but it looks promising.

Ohlins TTX is of course their true Motorsports level line. FWIW I have had 2 TTX kits on my personal car with zero issues and amazing results.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by slicer

Yes, not an apples to apples comparison

Ohlins did just release a track kit slotted in the KW Clubsport price point. I haven't tested it but it looks promising.

Ohlins TTX is of course their true Motorsports level line. FWIW I have had 2 TTX kits on my personal car with zero issues and amazing results.

For sure, that's why i prefaced it with not an apples to apples comparison

I'm pretty confident the ttx line is much more comparable

[Montaver]

I am that friend

MCS 2WNR were very impressive, astonishingly controlled over rough surfaces and totally confidence inspiring. Car felt tight and responsive with no slop at all. I was basically cursing the whole drive home that I didn't have them on my car

The spring rates on SYT_Shadow car are very high which is what made it even more impressive. At paddock speeds there was some bounce but that's to be expected when you have 800lbs (?) springs up front.

R&T dampers are very good too, and provide a lot of the same feeling at much lower price point. The jump from stock EDC to R&T is massive on the E9X IMO. The jump from R&T to MCS won't be as big on the street where there really are diminishing returns, but on the track I think the difference would be quite significant. Particularly as the springs on the R&T on the e9x are very soft (they are much stiffer on the f8x version).

Personally if my car was more track than street I wouldn't hesitate to get MCS over anything else. Particularly as the support here is very good, and you can fully tailor the setup to your taste.

[tsk94]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

I've had the 2 way JRZ and 3 sets of MCS so far. The MCS is pretty damn sweet, it's not easy to imagine something better. Head and shoulders over the JRZ I had at the same time.

If we were in Europe I'd suggest the KW Comp as it's extensively supported but in the US I say MCS as they're local.


A friend with an Ohlins R&T drove my MCS 2WNR and it blew their mind.

I had a good experience working with KW USA for my competition setup. They are relatively 'small' in the US on the motorsport side of things, but like you mentioned in Europe they are extensively used. Lots of manufacturers run KW competition setups on their factory built cars (GT4, GT3, GTE) and they have the product to back that up.

Some people mentioned the customizability of the MCS as being a bonus. You can customize a KW setup to your needs and price far more then anything MCS or JRZ offers - just thought to mention that.

They all make quality products though, at the end it seems to mostly come down to brand preference.

[WhiteM3EMC]

Originally Posted by Montaver

I am that friend

MCS 2WNR were very impressive, astonishingly controlled over rough surfaces and totally confidence inspiring. Car felt tight and responsive with no slop at all. I was basically cursing the whole drive home that I didn't have them on my car

The spring rates on SYT_Shadow car are very high which is what made it even more impressive. At paddock speeds there was some bounce but that's to be expected when you have 800lbs (?) springs up front.

R&T dampers are very good too, and provide a lot of the same feeling at much lower price point. The jump from stock EDC to R&T is massive on the E9X IMO. The jump from R&T to MCS won't be as big on the street where there really are diminishing returns, but on the track I think the difference would be quite significant. Particularly as the springs on the R&T on the e9x are very soft (they are much stiffer on the f8x version).

Personally if my car was more track than street I wouldn't hesitate to get MCS over anything else. Particularly as the support here is very good, and you can fully tailor the setup to your taste.

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

My E90 is set up with a divorced rear setup as there is no cage or anything. But I have heard of people running full coilovers without reinforcements without issues

On my F80 I don't have specific reinforcements and run true coilover, however, the F80 has a significantly reinforced rear shelf and runs an eye to eye setup, so I have no concerns

Originally Posted by rhyary

There is a concern.
The true rear coil over need a welded cage to make it strong and stiff enough.

This is what I am told. While I don't know if this is true or not, there is a concern that needs to be investigated.

We're building the cage for the car right now at my buddies house, and the rear shock towers are getting reinforced and tied into the cage to allow us to run true rear coilovers.

You hit it on the head, Montaver, this car is going to be 90% track, 10% street. I'd rather just spring for some quality track focused coilovers from the get go, because I know that I'll just end up getting them anyways if I got a lower priced set first. No sense in spending the money twice.

So, I'll be going from stock EDC and springs to MCS 2WNR next year lol. That'll be a fun jump.

Of note, I spoke with a BW tech rep, and he said that the performance benefit of true rear vs divorced setup is pretty small. Really only doing The true rear cuz the price is barely different, and the cage is going to be set up for it. Only cost us about a day of extra labor to reinforce them.

[Expressivedrives]

Originally Posted by rhyary

There is a concern.
The true rear coil over need a welded cage to make it strong and stiff enough.

This is what I am told. While I don't know if this is true or not, there is a concern that needs to be investigated.

True. E92 is not designed for rear coilover.

[aus]

Originally Posted by slicer

Yes, not an apples to apples comparison

Ohlins did just release a track kit slotted in the KW Clubsport price point. I haven't tested it but it looks promising.

Ohlins TTX is of course their true Motorsports level line. FWIW I have had 2 TTX kits on my personal car with zero issues and amazing results.

Can you tell us more about the new offerings?
I always felt Ohlins had a HUGE hole in their line up above the R&T and TTX.
Thanks!
.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by Expressivedrives

True. E92 is not designed for rear coilover.

Or the E30 M3, E36 M3, E46 M3 ... I don’t know much about the F80 M3.