KW suspension overhaul
05-09-2009, 11:43 AM
#1
Racer
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KW suspension overhaul
guys, if anyone is interested I started the first 993 article on my website
full checkover and install of KW var 3
lots more articles to come including a detail one that will hopefull be up there next week some time:
http://www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/
full checkover and install of KW var 3
lots more articles to come including a detail one that will hopefull be up there next week some time:
http://www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/
05-11-2009, 09:12 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Dis N Dat
The article was so well done...mentioned earlier. My neighbor and I installed his suspension...did it from intuition...sort of like the Pin Ball Wizard.
And Darin's mufflers, stage III, I am getting a set soon...want my stimulus package, you get yours yet? It will also help if wifey gets a job!!!!
And Darin's mufflers, stage III, I am getting a set soon...want my stimulus package, you get yours yet? It will also help if wifey gets a job!!!!
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08-20-2009, 04:59 PM
#8
Instructor
Great job Jackal.
I have just joined Rennlist and happen to have just mounted this very suspension to my car (did not do it myself but I was present throughout the process).
One thing that kind of left me a bit worried is the ride height that this KW V3 suspension allows. You actually mention in your article that “Regarding ride height, I made the KW's roughly the same length as the old Monroes before I put them on. As you can see, that means keeping the lower spring platforms pretty high”.
In our case we actually had to give the front struts the maximum length (A ≈ 70 mm) and by doing this we reached (just about) the front height of the RS (123 mm in my car; 124 mm in the RS).
And in order to maintain the right relationship between front and rear ride heights (17 mm) we had to set the rear struts at around the minimum length (A ≈ 20 mm).
Did you have the same issues?
What are your ride heights?
Many thanks and congrats again on your great website
.
I have just joined Rennlist and happen to have just mounted this very suspension to my car (did not do it myself but I was present throughout the process).
One thing that kind of left me a bit worried is the ride height that this KW V3 suspension allows. You actually mention in your article that “Regarding ride height, I made the KW's roughly the same length as the old Monroes before I put them on. As you can see, that means keeping the lower spring platforms pretty high”.
In our case we actually had to give the front struts the maximum length (A ≈ 70 mm) and by doing this we reached (just about) the front height of the RS (123 mm in my car; 124 mm in the RS).
And in order to maintain the right relationship between front and rear ride heights (17 mm) we had to set the rear struts at around the minimum length (A ≈ 20 mm).
Did you have the same issues?
What are your ride heights?
Many thanks and congrats again on your great website
.
08-22-2009, 08:28 AM
#10
Instructor
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Great website! I enjoyed reading it and the video of the Nürburgring chase. Looks like the Ringtaxi did a little extra drifting to scare the passengers.
WRT to the KW3 factory recommended setting being too hard: I had wondered, too, that they recommend setting the rebound almost to full hard.
WRT to the KW3 factory recommended setting being too hard: I had wondered, too, that they recommend setting the rebound almost to full hard.
08-22-2009, 11:08 AM
#11
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thanks guys for the kind comments
Nautilus, my car is at sport height (so a little higher than RS)
i found the KW fine for this and i can eaisly go higher or lower if i want
mind you, the fronts are quite high already and i reckon if i went RS height then yes, the platforms would be very near the top
let me know how you get on with your settings
i am finding that my car waves and darts around a bit too much.. 17" rims help it but i think ultimately the KW and RS geometry is too much for the poor UK roads
also the standard KW bump/rebound settinsg are crazy hard even for the cct quite possibly. I am running about 15 clicks of rebound now from fully hard.
Nautilus, my car is at sport height (so a little higher than RS)
i found the KW fine for this and i can eaisly go higher or lower if i want
mind you, the fronts are quite high already and i reckon if i went RS height then yes, the platforms would be very near the top
let me know how you get on with your settings
i am finding that my car waves and darts around a bit too much.. 17" rims help it but i think ultimately the KW and RS geometry is too much for the poor UK roads
also the standard KW bump/rebound settinsg are crazy hard even for the cct quite possibly. I am running about 15 clicks of rebound now from fully hard.
08-22-2009, 12:32 PM
#12
Bookmarked it.
Ken
Ken
08-22-2009, 04:59 PM
#15
Instructor
Nautilus, my car is at sport height (so a little higher than RS)
i found the KW fine for this and i can eaisly go higher or lower if i want
mind you, the fronts are quite high already and i reckon if i went RS height then yes, the platforms would be very near the top
let me know how you get on with your settings
i found the KW fine for this and i can eaisly go higher or lower if i want
mind you, the fronts are quite high already and i reckon if i went RS height then yes, the platforms would be very near the top
let me know how you get on with your settings
To be honest, I am struggling to understand how higher than RS ride heights can be achieved.
As I said, I gave the front struts almost A = 70 mm (a bit more than what the picture below shows) and according to KW install guidelines that is about the maximum you can go (although I guess the washer would allow you to go even further if you wanted to).
I have not actually driven the car much after the new suspension was installed (I know it sounds crazy but i have not had the time
). Thing is I wanted to do all this while I was on vacation because I wanted to oversee the installation personally and everything was finished just before I went back to work. Actually tomorrow will be the first time I can test the car on twisty roads and see how it goes...looking forward for that; I will report about how the car behaves...
Because the current ride height I am running, the geometry goes in a similar fashion:
Camber: 1º front and 1º20' rear
Toe 0º 70 + front and 0º40 + rear
(these are the most “conservative” settings possible given the ride heigth)
For the damper settings I am starting off with what KW recommends and I'll see how it goes.
Cheers.