KW Variant 3?
 

are the kw variant 3's a true coilover? ive read somewhere where they called them a strut/spring suspension which lead me to think otherwise.

umm...all coilovers are technically a strut and spring suspension. Yes, they are coilovers, you might be confused because the rear struts are separated from the springs...

doesnt the front suspension setup have a spring/strut design, along with another spring in between the double wishbones?

You mean McPherson coils? we have em in the front... rear is independent - a lot of companies make front and back mcp coils...

I have the KW v2's on my 335i and it is more than enough. Almost overkill even for the track. V3 would be for someone who competes on the track 5 out of 7 days. The K\W are about as good as it gets IMO. I even switched fom the Bilstein for the KW.

Thats not accurate. V3's are still street/track. The Clubsports are for the track.

KW Coilovers are absolutely a true coilover system. The Variant 3 System is a really good system, there are many racing teams out there utilizing this system on their race cars but also i know of many enthusiasts out there running them on their own daily drivers. If gives the car a pretty good ride quality and is adjustable to handle when you want to really turn i up a couple knotches. We just installed a set of Variant 3's onto a 370Z at our BBQ at Amplified Motorsport today. I'm sure he'll post up later on a review. Awesome stuff though!

-Steven @ Amplified

I can't wait to get them installed!!!

I have them installed and set right in the middle and the ride is great. These with sways really help the car turn better and have gotten rid of some of that unsettled feeling the car had when cornering over a rough surface. The car feels more settled with them.

Yup, these are amazing. Has the same ride feel going in a straight line as stock in terms of ride compliance, but much more stable and settled during turns. It also feels like body roll has been reduced too. Only had them on for about a week now though, I'll get a better feel for them as I get more driving time with them.

I've done development and testing with KW on several cars in the past. The KW's are simply proven and effective. Parts for them can be purchased easily and if they needed to be re-built, it can be done right here in the USofA!

I've run the KW's on my Time Attack car for the last 3 years. They are more comfortable on the street than stock, and extremely stable at high speeds and varying surfaces.

I'd be happy to help anyone get a set as we are KW dealers here!

Scott

i dont understand how a suspension can be more comfortable than the other, and still provide superior handling. usually to get a good handling car, the suspension needs to be stiffer than stock to provide that improved handling, therefore sacrificing ride quality. it almost seems impossible to me to get a softer feeling suspension to handle better than the other.

It uses a progressive spring that is initially compliant for a decent ride then as you put increasing pressure on it, it starts to stiffen up more.

Does anyone know if a Roberuta cup kit is compatible w/ the kw's?

intresting. so overall the handling capabilities of the kw's are better than the stock suspension?

Way better. The largest difference I noticed was in multiple turns. It does a great job of suppressing body roll tendency compared to stock. Or it just seems to produce less lateral force in turning. Kinda had to describe.

do you still retain the double wishbone suspension up front with the kw coilovers?

. They are basically the same set up as the OE. Just added better shocks with dampening adjustment capabilities and progressive springs with adjustable purch for height adjustability.

I know the OE 370z suspension is already great out of the box, but impovement on top notch suspension upgrades like KW, JIC etc.. only improves the suspension for better handling without sacrificing daily driving comfort.

Dean, have your KW'S settled? when are you coming in for your free height adjustment:tup:

Dunno if it's settled yet or not. But I figure I should come in for the camber arms and alignment pretty soon before I destroy my tires. Please PM me the price for alignment and camber arms.
I also have to figure out when I can get a ride back from there. Its gotta be a thursday/friday, but this is probably when your shop is completely filled. I dunno, let me know what works for you Lou.

OE's are not coilovers though correct? therefore the setup has to be somewhat different.

I'm trying to decide between theses and the BC ER's

I had KW Variant 3 on my SRT4. I even took the time to have them corner balanced. Very nice setup with a lifetime warranty to the original original owners too.

Different spring rates were readily available within months of release for the SRT4s.

stock suspension is not a coilover suspension, correct??

^ Correct.

does the nismo edition 370z have a coilover suspension?

Its the same as the sport 370. However - front is McP coils and the rear has independent shock / spring.

macpherson is a worse setup than double wishbone, so why would they downgrade it? thats what the 350z was, macpherson , and the 370z upgraded to double wishbone.

Well..."Technically" it is as the coil springs are mounted over the shocks in an assembly. "coilover" has come to mean adjustable in today's suspension jargon.
In the back, the oem or replacement can no way be called coilovers as they are separate parts yet the terminology continues for Performance/adjustable components..

^ This is why I was a little hesitant to answer...

so then the stock suspension setup is the exact same setup as the kw's?

^ The only thing similar is where the parts go. The front is a coilover, the rears are technically separate, but like Modshack said, thats all just suspension jargon.

ok, from what you guys just said is that the stock 370z suspension IS in fact a coilover suspension. i really could care less whether or not they are adjustable, coilover describes the configuration of the suspenison, coil spring over strut, not whether they are adjustable. so therefore if the stock 370z suspension is a coilover, it has to be a very similar setup to the KW's, correct? only difference is the KW's are better quality and adjustable. but as far as configuration goes they are the exact same. also, is the 350z stock suspension a coilover suspension like the 370z?

ahh

ahh what? did you read this forum? one guy is saying one thing, then the other says another, then changes his mind and says something else. first the stock suspension is a coilover like the kw's, but now its nothing like the kw's. lol, am i missing something?

why dont you search instead? howstuffworks should give you all the info u need.

wont tell me whether the kw coilovers have the exact same setup as the stock 370z suspension, or whether the 350z has stock coilovers also.

If your are not going to track the car or compete in Autocross just get lowering springs if you want to drop the ride height.

A good quality set of coilovers will allow you to dial in camber, spring rates, ride height, and dampening.

Most cars don't come stock with coilovers.

I guess "visually" they might look the same, but they are no where near the same! Ride on some KW's and you'll know what I mean.

You need camber arms with the 370 to adjust camber. The coilovers won't do it for you, other than increase the negative camber as you lower it.

does the 350z come stock with a coilover suspension design like the 370z?