The rear ride height as set by KW at the factory was perfect. Right in the middle of the suggested spec in the KW instructions.
The rear ride height looks perfect, low, and mean!
The front was also in the middle of the KW spec but due to the wheel opening shape in the fender, the front looked higher than the rear even though it was not. We lowered the front a little more from the KW factory setting but it was still higher than the KW recommended minimum. If you are doing the installation, never set a car lower than the KW minimal spec as listed in the instructions, your handling will suffer.
The ZL1 looks great lowered with the KW Clubsports!
When going for a test ride we were very impressed with the performance of the Clubsports over the OEM Magneride. The ride was firm but still smoother and controlled with no float. This might have been because the Magneride’s controller was programmed to give an annoyingly plush ride when not being driven hard.
We ran the car hard on curvey roads, on the highway, and the potholed streets around MotoIQ HQ and were impressed with the ride, body motion control, and the ability to soak up all sorts of bumps. We did not feel like we had to deviate from the KW recommended base settings.
In hard cornering, the car had improved balance with less understeer, less body roll, and better transient response. Nosedive under braking and squat under acceleration was also improved. Without the computer constantly changing the suspension response, we felt that the handling was more predictable as well.
We were super impressed with the improvement of the car’s handling and are looking forward to some track action. The KW’s great level of adjustability will also allow tuning to accommodate true R-Compound tires and other changes a track car may experience. We give KW’s 5th generation Clubsports a strong recommendation if you are in the market for some very high-performance suspension or just want to lower your Camaro the right way.
Souces
KW Suspension
4 comments
Didn’t see anything about trimming bumpstops. Did the KWs come with new ones?
I always think the name ‘pillow ball’ is misleading. I have no idea why it’s called that. If anything, it should be called ‘hard ball.’
Yes, they have MCU bumpstops.
I would have loved to see some comparative DDC vs v3/clubsport vs stock testing… I get that these are personal cars, and products bought for a purpose.
But still to have an electronic system replaced with an equal but aftermarket electronic system interests me greatly. Not to mention the tuning aspect that is possible with these.
Clubsports are preferable to DDC when it comes to more serious performance. DDC is more like a sports/comfort kind of damper.