Project STurdteen: Installing KW Clubsport Coilovers

Many of you have been keeping along with Project STurdteen’s progress and have been watching this ugly duckling transform into the beautiful, regal swan that she was always intended to become. In the last article, we overviewed some of the sweet Parts Shop Max suspension that we were planning on putting onto the S13.

Before diving into that installation of those parts, let’s take some time to look at what other suspension upgrades will be addressed. With the renowned suspension engineer, Sensei Kojima around, there’s no doubt that the best of the best will be going into this build. STurdteen’s primary focus is to become a demo car and to be a grassroots-level competitive and reliable drift car. The car will see the streets on occasion, but it will mostly be track dedicated. Choosing the appropriate suspension is imperative. This is the exact reason why we decided to go with KW Suspension Clubsport coilovers.

 

The KW Clubsports are incredible. The corrosion resistant stainless steel bodies, double adjustable damping, and sealed pillow ball mounts work together for ultimate functionality.

The stainless bodies prevent the stainless steel reinforced thermoplastic spring seat from getting corroded and stuck. This is a problem nearly all coilovers eventually have. The pillowball mount eliminates the stock squishy rubber mounts. This makes every bit of wheel movement controlled by the damper giving more ride control and less tire shock. Consequently, his equates to more grip.

 

These coilovers showcased a gas charged double adjustable twin tube damper, which have some characteristics of a monotube. Being able to adjust both compression and rebound damping is great for this project so that we can fine-tune the suspension settings for any track layout!

By having the compression and rebound damping adjustable independently, the KW Clubsport allows the driver to finely adjust the shocks to the track and changing track conditions. This is critical in drifting.

 

KW makes other coilovers that are intended for track and street use such as the Variant III, but the Clubsports have a couple of more features that make them more friendly for track in for this car. These coilovers have stiffer valving and spring rates as well.

In this case, we will be running an 8kg spring in the front and a 6kg spring in the rear. These spring rates have been proven to work well in most conditions and have been run in Formula D with a lot of success on the current FD tracks on the circuit.

The front Clubsports have a camber plate with an oversized stainless spherical bearing that is sealed with a rubber dustboot. This should prove to be much more durable than the typical camber plate with an open bearing.

 

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