David in LA

It's wireless remote.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u92ucshOEVw

Wilder

Very cool! When I do it over again, I'll take KW over Bilstein and definately consider the hydraulic system.

cgfen

why?
please speak to this point.

don't you know that this goes against the conventional wisdom , drink-the-coolaid thinking that bilstein pssX are the best solution?
<note tongue in cheek please>

personally, i'm looking for a solution where i can adjust ride height and not pay extra for the 9 or 10 choice clicky click click option.

thanks Louis.

Craig

travanx

Their R&D guy was mentioning how KW was better than Cross and Bilstein. Also mentioned how Moton was going after a completely different market than everyone else. The cars and companies that KW develops for are very impressive. I wish I got a chance to see how a 993 with the cross or pss9/10 setup felt, but I drove around LA today and the coilovers ate up the terrible terrible streets in Downtown.

The hydraulic lift thing I saw was a big pump unit, a circuit board and 2 collars that replace the helper springs. Look at spending around $2500 on it. They made it sound like it could be adjusted to work on any car.

bb993tt

I just came back from living in the UK for the past 3+ years. Among the GT3 and RS crowds there, KW was certainly considered "the" brand to have if you tracked your street car on a regular basis. I saw KW stickers on cars at every track I drove there. A lot of these people had the Manthey setup, which is the V3 revalved by them, much the same as RUF revalves pss9's and then puts their name on them. I suspect these may have been a little softer than regular V3's, since Manthey is based at the 'ring and caters to vehicles that are extensively driven there. Driving the 'ring is very popular with UK track rats.

Wilder

Craig, I think travanx and bb993tt have mostly answered the question. I've never driven a 993 with KWs but I've had PSS9s, HDs and OE RoW M030 in my cars. Between not being overly impressed with the older-technology Bilsteins and hearing/reading information from various sources that parallels the above regarding KWs, I would choose KW before Bilstein. KW is not as established as Bilstein but their technology appears to be superior.

travanx

louis j,
I didn't realize KW has only been around for 10 years and about 5 years in the States. That probably says a lot compared to the other established brands. I was told they develop coilovers for a ton of big aftermarket tuner companies. One of which are the mercedez black cars. My mouth dropped after hearing that one. There were probably more impressive cars/shops, but Black in my mind is like the top of the top.

JM993

[QUOTE=travanx;5814547]Their R&D guy was mentioning how KW was better than Cross and Bilstein. Also mentioned how Moton was going after a completely different market than everyone else. The cars and companies that KW develops for are very impressive. I wish I got a chance to see how a 993 with the cross or pss9/10 setup felt, but I drove around LA today and the coilovers ate up the terrible terrible streets in Downtown.QUOTE]

Thanks for the info so far. Would it be accurate to say the KWs generally soak up road irregularities like expansion joints and other small bumps? One of the major complaints I have with my Bilsteins is that the car crashes on the aforementioned road irregularities as it has too much compression dampening. This leads to the car stepping out in bumpy turns. I'm looking for a set of coilovers that provide better compliance on less-than-perfect roads.

TIA,

David in LA

FYI the KW variant 3 are three way adjustable (height, damping, compression) whereas the variant 2 which I currently have are only two way adjustable. Both work very well on Hong Kong roads which unfortunately are even worse IMHO than those in LA (trucks and heavy duty vehicles are allowed on almost all streets incl residential and really tear up the roads)

Wilder

travanx: Joe's complaint is probably the most pertinent aside from the fact that adjustability settings are a bit of a joke. It would be great if you ever have the opportunity to do so, for you to take a drive in a 993 with PSS9s and post your impressions in comparison to your KWs. And yes, to sum it up, Bilstein has been around for a long time so it's what people know and buy while KW seems to be a newer entrant with better technology for the same price that is just being discovered. Looks like Bilstein has some catching up to do.

travanx

I am up to compare between my car and pss9/10 if someone wants to meet up. The car for sure handles well as I was driving around downtown LA, to be specific Vernon just out of curiosity. Vernon is the hub of truck shipments for LA, so not only are the streets all destroyed there are random train tracks all over the place. I was surprised at how smooth the car was for how destroyed the roads were.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hi Louis,

This is a great thread that may prove useful to everyone.

I'm not sure its fair to compare the KW Variant 3's to the older PSS-9's since those particular shocks are discontinued and the PSS-10's are really much improved. FAR superior adjusters, better valving, and a wider spread of damping helps level the playing field,...

Given the two products differences in both design and adjustments, its worth making all the efforts to make fair and impartial comparisons in ride quality and handling, especially given the subjective nature of such personal impressions.

Personally, I'm looking forward to doing same as I see some potential particularly if the KW product exhibits the same level as durability and customer support as Bilstein.

travanx

i have mine adjusted to the settings recommended to start out with in the manual. i am curious now, should the front or rear be more stiff? My RSX setup was opposite of the Integra setup. So I am unsure of the way the 993 gets set up. I think tomorrow I will go and take some pictures of the car in different locations.

I am not working right now and until I find another job I figure I will use this time to mess around with the car. =) So if anyone in the LA area does want to compare let me know. I am pretty free during the weekdays. As I am very curious how the bilsteins or anything else feel.

herman maire

Great write up.

Does anybody know IF its possible to change the spring rates if you happened to want a stiffer ride?

jdistefa

A hint is that guys will often run slightly stiffer springs in the rear (i.e. using turbo springs) to reduce understeer. So, adjusting your compression settings can help in this respect. Rebound is a trickier animal since it will depend on your track/road surface, spring rates, and preferences re. front/rear weight transfer, brake bias, yadda yadda. In summary, the best way is to play a little, but adjust one variable at a time. Don't go adjusting compression/rebound/sway/tire pressures at the same time or you'll go crazy .

Steve's website has some useful guidelines:
http://www.rennsportsystems.com/1-e.html