,
We split the difference. Justin made the adjustment to split the difference on the front camber settings.Our next event was the July 5th Wisconsin Autocrossers Inc event (aka WAI). Time to put the new alignment and ride height to the test.
We had left the damper setting the same from the previous event which from what we have compared to other as significantly softer than many other folks running the KW’s. Initially we had started with an indirect recommendation from Myles at RaceComp Engineering on damper settings and had adjusted to suit the car from there. It works as a great starting point.
- >turn all settings to full stiff.
- front compression- back off 7 clicks from full stiff.
- front rebound-back off 10 clicks from full stiff
- rear compression – back off 8 clicks from full stiff.
- rear rebound- back off 7 clicks from full stiff.
- from there I advise you to drive the car in many scenarios BEFORE you make any more changes.
- NEVER, NEVER ,NEVER make more than one change at a time. ( you will never know what change made the difference you liked or disliked).
- Rebound is on TOP and compression is on the bottom.
- Remember as you upgrade your suspension things like rear control arms and rear subframe bushings that will effect these settings so dont be surprised if things feel different after certain changes.
July 5th came, Lance and I had hoped for another good showing, and a good showing it was.Lance took the overall win and I followed behind with a 4th place finish. this had been the best showing locally for the car this season. The car felt awesome as it moved through the course with a smooth balance. It transitioned with ease, everything with the car's suspension was on task working in harmony with one another. Honestly it was almost like the car had found a rhythm. some of the locals that were on course approached us with comments on the car's prowess on course. My favorite comment was “It looked as if it was bending around the cones”. In all it gave a good impression that we were on the right track with the car's setup and where we were headed. The KW’s in fact were superior. The 2014 SCCA Solo National Championships weren’t far off, less than 2 months away.
Fast forward to September: Upon our arrival at the Aeropark in Lincoln, NE home of the SCCA Solo National Championship we decided it would be best to go hit up the test course to do some final fine tuning. Within a few runs we got the car dialed in, all it took was a little increase in the compression and rebound on our setup for the concrete surface. We felt very confident in our suspension setup with the V3’s.
The KW’s showed they could get it done with Lance taking the 3rd spot and myself in 12th trophy spot out of a record setting STX field of 67 drivers.
Lance having confirmed his 3rd place trophy spot at the 2014 SCCA Solo National Championship.
I will confess that going to a double adjustable coilover is a daunting task when it comes to tuning the ride and handling. The KW V3 suspension package is however an excellent option for those who want year round performance in a package you won’t have to worry about during the changing seasons. They were very easy to dial in to our liking and still provided the ability to be driven on the street daily. We spent 17 hours in the car driving to and from Nebraska and had no complaints of the ride quality (it rode better than the OEM equipment). We look forward to 2015 season to dial in the KW’s further to optimize their performance further.
All in all with the KW V3’s you can not beat the quality, performance and reliability for the money.
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