Project Autocross BRZ: Finding More Grip with KW Clubsports
It has been some time since we last saw the MotoIQ Project Autocross Subaru BRZ.
Over the winter months here in the Midwest it gets really cold, our roads turn to asphalt crater fields and those of us who like to keep our cars free from rust allow them to hibernate for winter.
During this time we plan for the next season acquiring parts and pieces that will allow us to attempt to become even more competitive. During our latest off season there was much discussion on what would allow this project to take another step forward.
Suspension Guru Extraordinaire Magic Mike Kojima and I had numerous discussions on what changes should be made to the BRZ going into 2016. Some of those changes included alternate alignment settings, corner weight adjustments and a spring rate change. During this time we found out that our good friends at KW Suspension had some great ideas in mind for the Subaru BRZ that would set the foundation for the 2016 season.
Our old V3s which have performed well for over a year.Having had the KW suspension V3 on the car for the last year plus it really became apparent how important it is to purchase quality parts when it comes to your dampers. Using a damper that you can feel the difference with the turn of the dial and allows for the fine tuning of the chassis makes a big difference when winning and losing comes down to thousandths of a second. KW designs these coilovers with a stainless steel body built for longevity that doesn’t rust, coupled with the composite/ stainless spring perch which allows for a hassle free adjustment of the ride height at any given time. When the KW clubsport 3 way adjustable coilovers arrived I could not have been more excited to get them on the car. (Though when they arrived in January I was stuck waiting for the snow to melt.)
Allow us to introduce the KW Clubsport 3 way adjustable suspension.The KW Clubsport 3 way adjustable suspension is a significant upgrade over the KW V3 double adjustable suspension. This suspension arrived equipped with the 6k springs for the front dampers and 7k springs for the rear. This is a great starting point for most drivers. Deciding on spring rates is always tough as you will make a sacrifice somewhere no matter what you choose. Making the decision to change the rate to a 7k spring for the front and rear was based off of the previous KW V3 suspension in which we had swapped the front and rear spring rate on running a 7k front spring and a 6k rear spring. Last season the car ran into a weight transfer issue once corner balanced that in long sweeping corners under acceleration it would fall into an understeer situation. A quick remedy at the time was to add more rake to the car changing the balance. This season it was decided that a small increase from the 6K rear spring to a 7k spring rate in the rear would cure this problem.
KW Clubsport 3 way rear vs KW V3 rear illustrates the gain in the actual travel by the Clubsport damper due to the rear top hat design and the change of the adjustment point to the attached canister.
