kw coilovers.......why

[badgolfibad]

why are people so obsesed with kw coilovers you own golf gti`s not racecars? i thought about them i can find better things to do for 3+ grand my theory? you want better handaling, springs get good ones maybe lower the ride height ,swaybars, bushes these will make a hell of a ride. also theres other brands out there the only reason why kw`s are so expensive is marketing and the usless features for the everyday driver, dont just think by spending 3k on suspention on your golf that its going to make it a high performing suspention system.

[WABIT]

u just stepped into deep water myfriend :)

wabit

[gpk_gti]

I dont think its fair to degrade someone because they have decided to KW their suspension.everyone is different and its their own decision as to what mods are right for them.As for the comment that golf gti's are not "racecars",they can be ,when they are modified correctly.
personally ,I find it a bit stirring and just waiting for a retaliatory comment to make it into a online brawl,ill leave it to another mod to decide.

good luck.

[The_Hawk]

From everything I have seen, heard and read KW are a fantastic suspension setup with adjustments for lots of things. Does the average person on the street need them?? Hell no! But are we talking about the average man on the street here? I don't think so.

Personally I am in the process of importing a set of Coilovers from German Car Performance in Germany which do no feture dampening adjustment and all for the princly sum of AU$950 landed and at my door. Considering it would cost me that to source a decent set of lowered springs and shocks in Australia I thought I would give them a bash since I like the idea of being able adjust the height if needed. (and for $950 I thought it was a good buy).

Consider that just about any upgraded part falls into the same category anyway. For example I would love a set of Porsche Turbo Twists on my car. Including the required adaptors/spacers they will most likely end up over $2,000. Do I NEED to spend that on wheels? No. Will they perform any better than my 16" VW wheels? No. Do I want them anyway? HELL YES!

There are lots of KW fanboi's in these here forums and for good reason. They make for a good setup, but as has been said, it's not something for everyone and their are alternatives like what I'm getting. I have no doubt KW's can and do provide a better system than I am buying, but it's not something I think I will use at this stage.

[Golf Houso]

Hahaha I completely agree with the first and the third comment!

It seems I'm not the only one puzzled by people spending thousands on equipment and a suspension set up that will never ever be used to its original purpose, track racing. Why have massive levels of functionality and adaptability but never use it? Its a bloody waste

I'm almost certain its a "keeping up with the Jonses" phenomenon more than anything else when it comes to the elusive KW's. I reckon theres like... 2 people on the entire forum who actually use them for their original purpose. Or do anything but wind up or down the ride height :confused:.

[99gti]

Well here goes.

Why I spent 2.5k on suspension and bushes.

It sticks like $%!t to a babys bum. I would have happily spent another $500 more considering how well they handle. Note I have done other mods to my suspension such as sway abrs and harder bushes.

Do I utilize it to it's full potential on the roads - hell no! But the difference it makes even for everyday driving is worth every cent in my books. The Mk4 is a fat bastard of a car and previously it handled very ordinary. I love my KW's!

Have you been for a spin in a car with coilovers yet? If not I'm more than happy to take you for a spin.

By the way - I've got no probs with this post and if i hadn't been in a car with coilovers I would have probably said the same thing as you. It's a fair wack of coin but in my opinion, it's money well spent.

[peedman]

Yeah kw's are certaintly nice to ride in tho. Saying that i wont be spending that much on coils hopefully the 800-1300 mark depending on my mood. The thing i want is height adjustablity and smooth ride and good shocks are around the 800 for all four why not spend a lil more to get coils? Thats my theory anyhow.

[Mischa]

think of it this way. why would you spend 45k on a car and be unhappy with its ride when you could spend an extra 2 or 3k and have a suspension system that suits your driving habits in every way. they're not just for track racing, which is why they're adjustable in many ways. people spend so much money on useless ****, i think 3 grand on making your car perform like a ferrari is hardly money thrown away, especially since its not hurting anybody to do it.

[Golf Houso]

Yes 99, your right, but at the same time its very hard to quantify the difference. Investing 2k into a car thats worth over 20 isn't a bad thing, and even less of a bad thing on a car thats worth 25k more.

BUT the main point here is, there's still a large number of people get them for the sake of it, w00t I can lower then car! Keep in mind chopped springs are a much cheaper and effective alternative. And not unnecessarily for any other reason but to brag. I have to agree with badgolfiebad that this forum is very very KW oriented, too much so. I'm pretty sure hawk is like the 2nd person on this to get coilovers that aren't KW's...

[99gti]

George, Frankee, Andrew, Tim.... help!!!!

All of the above have different brands of coilovers and that's all the names I could think up in 2 seconds.

Do buy coilovers if you want your car to handle and sit at a nice height (that you like). This isn't limited to KW's - KW's are just easy to get here...

Don't buy coilovers if you just want to drop it on it's ass. An afternoon with an angel grinder can accomplish this (cringes at thought).

[Mrk_Mickey]

It also depends on the percentage of 3 grand in people's budgets, ie someone earning 2k spending money a year to someone earning 15k spending money a year.

I don't know much about suspension upgrades or the brands yet, but I know for sure that I couldn't afford 3 grand, let alone justify spending that much on suspension.
BUT, if I were earning more money and had more sway possible in my decisions, I'd probably consider these KW's! They sound amazing!

99gti, wanna take me for a spin? hehehe...

[Golf Houso]

Don't buy coilovers if you just want to drop it on it's ass. An afternoon with an angel grinder can accomplish this (cringes at thought).

But alot of people do thats the issue!

anyways, i'd personally like to see how your car handles since i'm considering a mk4 gti in the near future anyway...

then maybe i'd shut up about it :D

[99gti]

It also depends on the percentage of 3 grand in people's budgets, ie someone earning 2k spending money a year to someone earning 15k spending money a year.

I don't know much about suspension upgrades or the brands yet, but I know for sure that I couldn't afford 3 grand, let alone justify spending that much on suspension.
BUT, if I were earning more money and had more sway possible in my decisions, I'd probably consider these KW's! They sound amazing!

99gti, wanna take me for a spin? hehehe...

No probs mate - I work and live not far from you. Give me a yell (not now - on the budys!!!)

[Mrk_Mickey]

Dude, sweeeeeeett...Hey Branko you should come too! Maybe if you're thinking of a Mk4 in near future, you could take me for a spin in yours with your springs so i could see how they go and maybe buy them off you when you come to selling yours (since i'm so ass-tight:D)

[99gti]

But alot of people do thats the issue!


I know of only Steve, Snowy, Pieere, Matt and myself who have them. As far as I know most of us had lowering springs at some point and got rid of them to get coilovers for their added handling capabilities. They are not for show but they are purely for go. I'd like to think our members have enough rocks in their head that if they wanted a show stopping car they wouldn't just spend that kind of money on something they were not going to take advantage of. Coilovers are not toys and are an item of great desire by enthusiasts for the added value they give in terms of handling.

I'm no race car driver but purchasing these has me busting at the seems to goto a track day to really put them to the test.

I have NOT been able to push them to their full potential, and i doubt I would be able to for quite some time to come either as I'm not an experienced driver when it comes to track work.


anyways, i'd personally like to see how your car handles since i'm considering a mk4 gti in the near future anyway...

then maybe i'd shut up about it :D

NP's mate - just let me know. When we finally get a GTG rolling I'll take you for a squirt.

[gpk_gti]

id hate to explain to my insurance company or the rta inspection station how my springs were chopped in the event something happened. knock on wood!

there are numerous brands with variiety of price.IMO ppl modify their car on the amount of money they can afford.I would happily spend 3k on suspension for a car valued 25k+,as for spending 3k on a car that is valued less than 10k,I would not do that.

As I said before,if your initial question is why ppl spend 3k+ on suspension,THAT IS A PERSONAL DECISION,if you are asking why KW is plugged alot on our forum,well maybe they are good value for money or are top quality,I dont know,ask the ppl that are plugging.

[No457 Snowy]

For me personally, the best decision has always been to consider everything and then get the very best I could reasonably afford.

When it came to suspension that was KW. :)

Snowy.

[peedman]

Houso u gotta get over the fact that a car is not an investment. Spending 3k on a $25,000 car or spending 3k on a $5000 car doesnt make a difference to an enthusiast provided the money is well spent. KW's are well spent. They are a bloody great coilover set, locally supplied what more can i say?

[gpk_gti]

ill explain something else so its a bit more clear.

I have had many cars,all lowered.in my early days,we did the "chop" just out of necesity as I didnt have any spare spuds.then I started doing the " kmac" thing.then I upgraded to a branded springs and shocks.
every step I found handled much better than before.
Then I bought a new vr6.I asked the dealer to lower it and they installed KING springs.I thought it handled good untill I took a drive in a COILOVERED vr6.WOWOW what a difference in handling! I bought a set straight away and the difference was NIGHT AND DAY.

so the moral of the story is,to find out if its right for you,drive the same car with coilovers fitted and see if you can notice the difference.The value is instantly noticeable!!!
dont be one of those ppl that bag something that they cant afford,if thats the case,just say so.. I cant afford dub20v's r32 seats but that doesnt make me want to bag them.... get it????

[the scotsman]

But are KW's better than all other coilovers? What about Koni's? What levels of KW's do people have on their cars? Ah good old questions...

[Mischa]

this thread seems silly i think everybody including the op knows exactly the point in using coilovers

[vwthunder]

Expensive, they are cheap, you try to find good coilovers for around $2000

I priced Koni's here and they were about $1000 more

I could never seem to get the car at the right height, been through about 3 pairs of springs trying to do this

[badgolfibad]

im not saying kw are bad or a waste of money im saying make up your own mind have a look what different coilovers if you want them, dont just sraight away jump to kw because a lot of people in the forum have them! dont just think throwing money at things will offer the best solution.

[99gti]

Expensive, they are cheap, you try to find good coilovers for around $2000

I priced Koni's here and they were about $1000 more

I could never seem to get the car at the right height, been through about 3 pairs of springs trying to do this

Amen - go quote billestin PS9's!!!

Weitecs are also fairly good value for the money. When I did my research they cost a fair bit more to rebuild but the upfront cost was a few hundred less than the KW's.

[Jarred]

I think alot of people go for KW's cause of the good rap they get from people on the forum. Thier value for money and performance. Most people just get coilovers, and aren't rich enough to go buy a few pairs and try them out.

Most of the people who have coilovers are on (predominately) street cars. And when someone recommends you something, and four other people recommend the same thing, it must be alright product then...?

Sure there may be cheaper, sure there are better, but KW seem to get the middle ground well...

[WABIT]

kw's seem to be the street racer's choice... correct

than why the discussion?

wabit

[99gti]

Sure there may be cheaper, sure there are better, but KW seem to get the middle ground well...

Couldn't have put it better myself!

[Golf Houso]

I'm still struggling to justify more than a month's pay on a set of coilovers. Sorry I can't do it :( Mickey, the worst thing you could do as a student is become a slave to your car, something goes wrong and your paying for it for months, skipping lunches and the things you want. Sort out everything mechanically first and then go forth from there. Never let your car's financial requirements dictate your life, I learnt my lesson before.

I'd very much like to see how your golf performs 99 at the next meet :) and compare it with my experience with other golfs.

Oh and Gpk, we're not bagging things we can't afford lol, I can afford a 300hp+ 1.8T swap for my MK3 if I wanted, doesn't mean I'm doing it.

This isn't an issue about affordability but choice and sensibility and making an adequate decision for you, like badgolfiebad said don't just throw money at it.

I very much doubt the majority of people who purchased expensive coilover suspension either have the expertise or the experience in the matter and came to an informed descision as you did, but more often than not just purchased them based on the sticker price and the hype generated by them. If you had them in mind, fantastic and now your happy with them, thats the right decision, but very few people are purchasing and installing the product on its original merits or pure functionality of the equipment.

[OMGMK4]

Point take in whats been said from all sides...should i be careful in what im about to say Hell NO...How much valve does one put their ride. Is it in $$$ or comfort knowing your on rails going into a set of decent corners..do I have to be on the track ... maybe maybe not but it does give me a choice one day when. Why do little boys eat worms cause they can..... why do big vw boys put coilovers in cause they can just a much! Did i want swaybars in the way if i was too low no......did i want all the possible under & oversteer probably not. Ive just had a set of KW's put in...probably the best move I have made... for me to be honest they are comfort plus. They have settled in very nicley. I needed to replace what I had ( it was like a had a set of C#@%Ks in socks) and for a fraction more than standard stuff well the answer was Coilovers. Is it "Fashion" to go KW's... well we are driving German based cars. KW's I guess are pretty new here and may yet need to be established as a name sure there are a lot of brands out there but arent some of those made by KW or even moulded off them.
Its healthly every so often to question why someone does certain things ..just as those that do those thing just as much should have the ability to stop and ask themselves "for the sake of what did i go & do that?" & be humble enough to answer ones self with why they did. Is it about the money or should i have bought the wife a new ring (she recently got one)? HMMM .... Hey all thanks for being so open & honest with your thoughts.

[Tim]

if youre gonna do something. You do it properly. Otherwise youre gonna end up doing it twice anyways :)

[evorobin]

KW are a great product. Are they offered at a competitive price in Australia. You make your minds up :?:

edited to say I run Weitec (made by KW). Not considered as flash as KW maybe but half the price...

[badgolfibad]

well omgmk4 you put it nicley mate its good to hear others opinions on the matter, I think it is a very interesting subject thanks for imput. for my mk4 im going to d as much reaserch as possible for the shockies/springs/coilovers what ever the brand i will embark which product gives maximum performance for the dollar, i guess peoples opinions do matter but at the same time you cant soley rely on it escpecialy for that kind of cash. to new golfers thinking about kw coilovers im not saying there crap or a waste but im advising that you take your time find out a product which suits you and your style race/track/street/safety peoples opinions matter! but dont get dragged in by the hype of a particular item, when very few golfers on this forum know the features of kw springs other than just lowering and raising ride height. all im saying is know your gear, know what you want!

[Valver.]

You're right: the majority of people don't know much about suspension technology, that's why they buy a factory-tuned suspension strut, with matched springs for their model, like KW. That is the point in buying such a product. No-one here is speccing their daily driver with Proflex or DMS 50mm struts as they don't know how to set them up (and moreover, don't need to know).

If there is hype surrounding a product, it's because it's a good product. It ain't rocket science, and there's no point in making it so, as there's not a single person on this forum with enough knowledge and experience to direct someone to the right product.

Big up KW ;)

[99gti]

So perhaps badgolfibad your original question could have been worded better as the original post came accross more as a statement.

Perhaps asking what other brands are available and what price range do they fall in? What features do they offer and what's involved with re-building them? Are they available localy? What kind of waranty do they come with?

These are the questions you need to ask to help you make an informed decision on what suspension setup you would like within your budget.

These are the question I asked and that's what brought me to the conclusion of the KW V2's. If it brings you to a similar conclusion then I also recommend checking out the Weitec's (I can't remember the model number but had identical features to the V2's) as they were similarly priced.

My decision became the V2's after doing my research I spoke with my mechanic down in Melbourne and told him my options. To put it simply, if something went wrong with the V2's it was going to be alot easier to source parts for those than it would have been for the Weitecs. Paying the little extra in this case represented value for money to me to have that reassurance.

[99gti]

No-one here is speccing their daily driver with Proflex or DMS 50mm struts as they don't know how to set them up (and moreover, don't need to know).

And I guess this goes to stay that anything that is adjustable will only ever be as good as the adjuster...

[KI11Z]

well well! ive only jus seen this thread! geeeez, too me I think this thread is a waste? we dont need another dad to give us life lessons? or do we? if I wanna skip lunch and not go out to save precious pennies for my car then im sure as hell gunna, and i do.

Yes $3000 is a lot of money too anyone i think! and for that reason im sure people do their research? be it lotsa research or a lil. Kw's are getting a lot of hype not only on here but from all over europe, purely because of 1. they're cheap! 2. they're a quality product and 3. they come in V1 V2 and V3. if you dont want all the wanky damper and or rebound adjustment get the V1's?! they're little over a $1000 im pretty sure?! . . . I own a mk3 VR6 and will be a tracker, after pricing up all sorts of kits available it is very hard too pass up on the kw's! even though I like to go against the grain . . .

In short form, for a quality product for cheaper than an equivilant quality product, why wouldnt you go the cheaper?! end of story . . . :confused:

[No457 Snowy]

Something I've noticed in this thread is a lot of reference to the "hype" surrounding KW's. To me "hype" is generated by spin-doctors or sales media, but what we are seeing with the KW product is real world, everyday customer feedback from amongst our own ranks.

When you spend $2000 - $3000 on a product for your car I think all of us on here expect (and rightly so) quite a lot performance/improvement/enjoyment from that item. My point here is that the volume of positive feedback recorded on forums like this about the KW's is actually more than "hype" and that needs to be recognised when you are researching your options.

As has been pointed out, quite a few people on this forum have outlayed substantial sums of money on KW's and I don't recall a single one of them being dissappointed or feeling let down with the results delivered, in fact every one of these people (to my knowledge anyway) have had their expectations greatly exceeded after laying down the cash.

That is not people just being sheep.
That is not "hype".

That is a pretty good indication of a product that "walks the walk".


Snowy.

[velly_16v_cab]

i dont have KW's but i am running FK Koni Sport Coilover on my cab.

why, well i use the cab as a track car, i wanted to beable to stiffen and change the ride hight.
day to day use i have it set to soft (well, its still pretty stiff!) and low
track, firm her up a raise the car a bit.

best money ive sent, tried and test at the nurburgring :cool:

[Tim]

Something I've noticed in this thread is a lot of reference to the "hype" surrounding KW's. To me "hype" is generated by spin-doctors or sales media, but what we are seeing with the KW product is real world, everyday customer feedback from amongst our own ranks.

When you spend $2000 - $3000 on a product for your car I think all of us on here expect (and rightly so) quite a lot performance/improvement/enjoyment from that item. My point here is that the volume of positive feedback recorded on forums like this about the KW's is actually more than "hype" and that needs to be recognised when you are researching your options.

As has been pointed out, quite a few people on this forum have outlayed substantial sums of money on KW's and I don't recall a single one of them being dissappointed or feeling let down with the results delivered, in fact every one of these people (to my knowledge anyway) have had their expectations greatly exceeded after laying down the cash.

That is not people just being sheep.
That is not "hype".

That is a pretty good indication of a product that "walks the walk".


Snowy.



this is a good point. when people are unhappy with a product they are quick to turn to the internet and tell everyone how bad it is! never heard anyone say a bad word about KWs other than "i cant justify the expense"

[DubSteve]

Well after reading this thread all 4 pages, 38 posts... What a waste of 25 mins can you give me it back!

I purchased a set of V2s and as I have said many times, I went and tested koni, bilstein and KW suspension in mk3 vr6s aswell!

After testing each one, looking at how much it would cost to rebuild them and the overall positives and negatives I found that the KWs for what I payed for I couldn't say no!

Yeah sure everyone says KWs are the in thing but they are happy campers aren't they? Its like saying if I buy X chip and put it on my car that I love it, and I'm sure that 50 other people are going to say the same thing, but there might be another 50 people that will say Y chip is just as good!

Don't forget a coilovers you can't compare to a spring and shock combo its a completely different feeling. I know someone with another vr6 who put a coilover set in his car and he loves it not KWs but they are still ****in awesome and he loves them, to me they feel just as great as the KWs. I like to take my car through the odd run through the twisties and I can honestly say that my coilovers what a difference they make compared to my previous setup!

If you want to go low go and buy weitecs, I have heard that they go nice and low alot lower than the KWs. Also for the fact that I know two other mk3 guys in sydney running koni coilovers and they love them!

[WABIT]

i think ausgolfer's the KING of coilovers just ask him

wabit

[FknDubbin]

Damn i just found this thread!

I have KW V2's and i love the ride and the adjustability. Theres no sales hype either. Have you ever seen a KW ad on TV?? This is all word of mouth. Big deal if we all like KW. Its opinion. I heard good things about KW from Fuzion and Al Walker. I did my research and bout them. Told Neil how good they are, now hes running the. Our cars, our money... Another reason i bought them is the after sales support offered by Dragan. I highly recommend him. Always had time to answer my questions and even rang me up as i was fitting them to ask me how things were going. Its little things like that, that brings business.

[No457 Snowy]

Another reason i bought them is the after sales support offered by Dragan. I highly recommend him. Always had time to answer my questions and even rang me up as i was fitting them to ask me how things were going. Its little things like that, that brings business.

Totally agree, Dragan is a top bloke, another important reason people choose to go with KW. He will go out of his way to make sure you are happy with the product and service. Several times I have chatted with him at car shows and he always remembers who you are and puts aside time to talk cars, suspension, whatever.

In comparison the VW dealer I bought my new car from, can't remember my name or who I am from service to service.


Snowy.

[Spyda]

Are coilovers necessary...?


Let me ask you this.... is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? NO! but i do it anyway coz its sterile and I like the taste.

This is a stupid topic, is anything realy necessary? Why do we hunt for 3door Mk1's? why do we drive VW when there are so many cheaper and easyer alternatives. Same reason we drink and eat chocolate and buy coilovers...coz its good ****!

I dunno where im goin with this but bottom line is....who cares, free country.

[FknDubbin]

Are coilovers necessary...?


Let me ask you this.... is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? NO! but i do it anyway coz its sterile and I like the taste.

This is a stupid topic, is anything realy necessary? Why do we hunt for 3door Mk1's? why do we drive VW when there are so many cheaper and easyer alternatives. Same reason we drink and eat chocolate and buy coilovers...coz its good ****!

I dunno where im goin with this but bottom line is....who cares, free country.

Spot on. You dont wanna spend cash on coilovers? Dont....

[gpk_gti]

Are coilovers necessary...?


Let me ask you this.... is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? NO! but i do it anyway coz its sterile and I like the taste.

This is a stupid topic, is anything realy necessary? Why do we hunt for 3door Mk1's? why do we drive VW when there are so many cheaper and easyer alternatives. Same reason we drink and eat chocolate and buy coilovers...coz its good ****!

I dunno where im goin with this but bottom line is....who cares, free country.

exactly my thoughts................................

[DubSteve]

Are coilovers necessary...?


Let me ask you this.... is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? NO! but i do it anyway coz its sterile and I like the taste.

This is a stupid topic, is anything realy necessary? Why do we hunt for 3door Mk1's? why do we drive VW when there are so many cheaper and easyer alternatives. Same reason we drink and eat chocolate and buy coilovers...coz its good ****!

I dunno where im goin with this but bottom line is....who cares, free country.

Damm straight!!!!


is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? NO! but i do it anyway coz its sterile and I like the taste.

You drink your own urine :confused:;)j:

[99gti]

Perhaps coilovers are for perveyors of fine automobile accesories...

[Bubu]

I personally wouldnt even call a set of $2k coilovers "racing" suspension. I think they are more so made for street use with occasional open/track day. Either that or they are a poor mans' racing coils.

Racing coilovers used in many forms of professional motorsport cost upward of $5K per corner, not $2-3K for set of four. The coilsovers most people buy for their road cars are also designed for the road use not just for racing.

[The_Hawk]

Let me ask you this.... is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? NO! but i do it anyway coz its sterile and I like the taste.


You wouldn't know a cunning plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again".

Ahh Blackadder, is there anything he can't do?

[Spyda]

You wouldn't know a cunning plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again".

Ahh Blackadder, is there anything he can't do?


HAHA "The Black vegitable" is a gun. If you have 2 beans and you add another bean, what do you get?.................... uhhhh some beans.

The urine quote was from Dodgeball though. j:

Just to stay on topic, I want coilovers.

[The_Hawk]

The urine quote was from Dodgeball though. j:

Just to stay on topic, I want coilovers.

Thats right, now that you say that I remember :P

Ahhh... and my coilovers are still "in transit"...

[shami]

Damn i just found this thread!

I have KW V2's and i love the ride and the adjustability. Theres no sales hype either. Have you ever seen a KW ad on TV?? This is all word of mouth. Big deal if we all like KW. Its opinion. I heard good things about KW from Fuzion and Al Walker. I did my research and bout them. Told Neil how good they are, now hes running the. Our cars, our money... Another reason i bought them is the after sales support offered by Dragan. I highly recommend him. Always had time to answer my questions and even rang me up as i was fitting them to ask me how things were going. Its little things like that, that brings business.

Amen...my sentiments exactly

[Blitzen]

well omgmk4 you put it nicley mate its good to hear others opinions on the matter, I think it is a very interesting subject thanks for imput. for my mk4 im going to d as much reaserch as possible for the shockies/springs/coilovers what ever the brand i will embark which product gives maximum performance for the dollar, i guess peoples opinions do matter but at the same time you cant soley rely on it escpecialy for that kind of cash. to new golfers thinking about kw coilovers im not saying there crap or a waste but im advising that you take your time find out a product which suits you and your style race/track/street/safety peoples opinions matter! but dont get dragged in by the hype of a particular item, when very few golfers on this forum know the features of kw springs other than just lowering and raising ride height. all im saying is know your gear, know what you want!

Mate, at the end of the day, whatever brand of coil overs, or any product for your car for that matter that you have decided to buy, its your hard earned Iraq money that you are spending.

Don't rubbish something that you may not entirely know about. Who cares whether other Golfer may or may not know all the features of their own respective brands of coil overs. Its their money. Its just like the whole ECU flash debate. If you want it, buy it.

I have done my research on coil overs, but have decided on Eibach springs only(and yes, I did my research on them too).

You could put in a set of ASLAV front struts in your Golf, but be warned, they do bend easily

[The_Hawk]

Ahhh this thread... I forgot about this one.

My nice shiny new coilovers finally arrived:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2008/03/IMG_5822-1.jpg

and were installed:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2008/02/IMG_6928-1.jpg

They are fixed rate units, but at AU$950 landed, they are a bit of a bargain.

Handling has been much improved with the strut brace, control arm poly bushes and new heavy duty rubber top mounts for the coils.

Ride is a little stiff, but then I still need to do a side by side comparison with a set of KW V2's to see just how much difference there is. Reality is that the ride is about what I was expecting and if it were any softer it would simply bottom out everytime you hit a dip in the road.

In summary I have been very happy with my coil overs performance and price. Considering I have paid about about 65% less than what a set of KW V2's would have cost in Australia.

Since then I have been tlaking to someone else who is considering some coils and has come prices. Seems there are fixed rate Bilsteins available at about the $AU1,500 point, a "know brand name".

What is interesting is that Venom Motorsport in the UK, which is one of the very big parts places, sells lots of Supersport branded coilovers at a whopping 299 pounds or about AU$650. They are definately a entry level product there is no question about that, but the feedback I have heard is that they are very good. Sure they don't have the name and sure they don't have all the adjustments, but at the end of the day as long as they work.

Looking at the KW's from Venom and the prices look like this: V1's ~AU$1500, V2's ~AU$1900.

The old addage 'you get what you pay for' isn't always true. In lots of cases your paying for a sticker or a badge attached to the product your buying. While I don't have any hard evidence, I would love to have an indenpendant test done on the KW's and the Supersports to see just how much difference there is between them considering one if more than double the price of the other.

[fuzion]

nice info/write up on them!

you have to remember though, KW is in Australia so you have aussie based support nationwide and that alone is a big difference incase anything goes wrong! it comes down to quality/durability and the support thats given if you want a product to last regardless of brand you DO pay for what you get and we all know that!

FK's are also entry level and you can also get those quite cheap, but also saying that your able to get Weitecs V1's from about $1500 inc gst in Australia too which are much better then fks, much better then supersports and ARE from the KW Factory itself.

you should jump into steves vr6 sometime to see the comparison on ride, i think he has the v2s as well so least then you can compare it to yours. however it'd take a few weeks for yours to bed in and you'll also prob drop almost half an inch once it does so when you start scrubbing a bit in a month you'll know why lol

imo, i would sick to the brands with support here, H&R from TCCA, KW/Weitec from InMotive [Dragan] and Neuspeed if Ian from Rennenhaus can give you the support? (not sure if hes doing suspension sorry)

[The_Hawk]

It has been about a month since they were installed and yes they have settled a litte more, in fact that photo is a few weeks after they were first installed.

They will need to be wound up a few turns. While they are still fine for driving round there is one speed hump [that I drive over] they now bottom out on [which they didnt' when first installed].

I took the car round Wakefield last week and everything worked very well. Gotta say I am pretty happy.
As for support, yes, normally I'm the first person to say it better to not save a few $$ and know you have a propper Australian released product with the support to back it up. But then there is always a point where the savings are big enough to justify the risk.
Consider of all the people that have bought something locally for the support, how many have needed the support. The reality is if that number is high, then you should be asking why do all these people need support??

I do intend to go for a spin in Steve's car when I next get a chance. I think both our opinions of each others setup will be very interesting.

[Oneofthegreats]

My thought's

I can safely say that I've been in a number of different car's with various branded & big branded named coilover's & I'll say that these are at the top of my list.

KW, Bilstein, Koni & H&R, which are all on par with each other.

Superior build quality using high quality material's + long service life, ride comfort, adjustability & support.

There's an old saying "You only get what you pay for" & this fit's the bill.

[h100vw]

What is interesting is that Venom Motorsport in the UK, which is one of the very big parts places,

Funnily enough, Richard doesn't have a big place at all. Great what a big website and 2 page adverts can do for you credibility isn't it!!

His prices are excellent though.

Gavin

[The_Hawk]

Maybe I should phrase that as popular. ;)

[kryten2001]

Any Mk5 owners out there running coilovers that can comment? (particularly GTI owners?)

I'm sure the increased performance from KWs would show up on older cars with dodgier standard suspension, but how do they compare on a newer GTI?

Cheers.

[tinto]

Not a GTI, but I have KW V3 in my GT Sport, which has (albeit with softer dampers) the same suspension as a GTI.
They're tuned up very stiff right now for a couple of events.
Handling is night and day compared to stock. body roll is more or less eliminated. sits flat under hard acceleration and braking, and turn in is significantly sharper.

Right now they're probably a bit too stiff for everyday 'comfort' but winding off some of that will bring them back to 'sporty' feel without bruising your kidneys.

We're in the same neighbourhood - PM me and you can have a spin.

[Greg Roles]

If these coilovers are a "waste of money" "that will never be used", then what the heck are all the 'SUV' four wheel drives on our bitumen roads??

[Preen59]

If these coilovers are a "waste of money" "that will never be used", then what the heck are all the 'SUV' four wheel drives on our bitumen roads??

Bahahahahahahahaha! That's my new sig.. So very, very, VERY true!

[White Fang]

Heya,

Thought this review between KW V3, HPA KW SHS, and the Eibach Sports /w Koni FSD Shocks set up might be of some help:
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70889

Enjoy! :driver: