Kw variant 3

[garyalanlane]

What sort of labour charges am I looking at to have the Kw variant 3 coilovers fitted including the torsion bars re-indexed and what else would need replacing, ie bushes etc and does any one know of any good fitters in the Herts or cambs area. I have an 89 turbo with the Mo30 kit. Thanks Gary

 

[Big Dave]

Flippin heck.
How longs a piece of string.????
How is anybody to know , just what bushes "might" need replacing on your car. When we cant see it.
This topic has been done to death recently...
Not wanting to seem "flippant" but try doing a search + im sure itl come up with a HUGE amount of info...

Basic replacements.
Fuel lines [corrosion].
Brake lines.[ corrosion]...
There are about 10 bushes in total on the rear T tube / axle...Any number of these will need doing..
Poss handbrake cables, 2 off...
About a full days work in removing the rear beam, re-indexing it + replacing it. THEN sorting out the geo...
Not a cheap job...
Just ask 996dom, hes just been through this procedure + he was warned , about possible costs...

 

[Suffolk944]

From memory when I was looking into fitting KW's to my previous car around 18 months ago, the quoted fitted price was around an additional £800 over the price of the suspension units themselves.

 

[garyalanlane]

Ok had a good read but lets just say I needed every thing doing all bushes fuel lines etc etc would it be more than 3k including all parts. Sorry for being dumb but I'm just trying to see what I can afford and could any one recommend a good fitter in my area. (Herts Cambs) Thanks

 

[wibble]

[FONT=Arial"]You can try RPM Cheddington on the border of Herts and ask Ollie.

 

[sawood12]

You're looking at circa 10Mh to drop the axle, re-index the bars and put it all back together again for someone who knows what they're doing. Parts that need replacing on the way, if any, will be simply be substituted for parts removed. You'll then need an alignment on top of that. As a rough rule of thumb the cost of the KW kit is roughly half of the total cost. When I had mine done the items that needed replacement were various nuts and bolts including the driveshaft bolts, the rear brake disk dust plates and a run of a rear brake line. My axle mounts were OK.

 

[garyalanlane]

Cheers guys thanks for the help. Kw club here I come

 

[MarkK]

Just had KW Variant 2s fitted to my Pug 205 gti[8D],(i was that pleased with them on my red turbo)the rear dampers of the Pugs' kit have a Koni label on them...,whats the link between the two companies????

 

[Peter Empson]

ORIGINAL: wibble

You can try RPM Cheddington on the border of Herts and ask Ollie.

Would definately second this, they seem to fit quite a few of them, they know their 944's and did a superb job of re installing my Leda kit.

 

[Hilux]

Just had KW Variant 2s fitted to my Pug 205 gti[8D],

Hi Mark

(sorry all - thread hijack for 2 minutes [])

How have you got on with them? Chalk and cheese or just noticeable? I ask as I`ve got KWV3/Wm ARB`s on my 951and it's superb (chalk and cheese)

I`ve got FK (height adjustable only) on my Mk 1 Golf track car and wondered about paying the extra (again) for KW and its settings options as the car is now so light.

 

[944Turbo]

I heard that Koni build the dampers for KW.
Tony

 

[idwoodvale]

I'd be very interested in some testament from KW v3 users as I'm hoping to have the funds to go down this route with my car.

 

[MarkK]

Paul (Hilux) I only had standard suspension on the Pug before, so the KWs are a big step forward from the o.e gear,car has much better traction(i had been considering a LSD) and makes the road tyres Michelin exaltos work so much better(i had been thinking of junking the road tyres for some Toyos), although we have set the rears a bit too hard though... Want to try it on a trackday now though (Getting car ready for a trip to the ring in June with Pug sport club[]!)

Tony- I hadn't heard that before i was suprised when i saw the sticker

(Back to the original thread now -sorry)
On my not so standard 944 turbo i kept reading on here that KW v3 was so much better than M030 period Koni equipment (i had 968 gear on mine),so following all the positive comments went for it and havn't looked back,did 200 miles on Wednesday up to Yorkshire, Limo like sports suspension that is stiff when you turn in,all the positive talk was true,its not cheap stuff but will transform any 944 it is fitted to,you can fly over uneven bumpy country roads (at speed limits of course) the suspension soaks it all up yet there is little or no roll....!?
They were right its good stuff,you wouldn't be dissapointed,Promax supplied and fitted mine they are in Milton keynes,did a first class job as usual.

 

[sawood12]

I will mirror what Mark has said. The beauty of KW, that as far as I can tell no other passive suspension kit can offer, period, is that on the road it provides a compliant ride, far more compliant that the spring rates should provide, but is stiff when it needs to be - you can really really push into a bend and the suspension just keeps on working. I have stock ARB's and the body roll is kept under control so well that I have now scrubbed plans to upgrade the ARB's. You cannot tell the transition between the different damping rates it just happens seamlessly. If you are looking for a more track dedicated car then i'm sure some of the other aftermarket options are as effective - however probably require a tad more effort and time to tune because they don't have that flexibility the KW's have. I'd say that KWv3's greatest strength is their all round flexibility. If you want something more focussed and specific, even though KW will run with the best of them the gap is significantly narrowed.

They are expensive relative to other kits, but the quality is far better than anything i've seen (stainless steel construction). And relatively speaking I don't think they are that expensive. You can spend alot more on a mountain bike which would only really last a couple of years.

 

[idwoodvale]

Enough for me... hope to join the club as soon as I have the car back on the road.

 

[ronald smith]

Hi Ian,
Just dropped my S2 off at RPM with Darren and Ollie for kw3 they will fit it for the cost of the KW3 about £1300
the only extra is a full 4 wheel alignment about £250. This is going to be set up as fast road use.
Will be collecting it from them next weekend so will report on difference as some damaged roads to come
home on- which should show if its as good as claimed.
Will report next week.
Cheers
Ron

 

[pauly]

ORIGINAL: ronald smith

Hi Ian,
Just dropped my S2 off at RPM with Darren and Ollie for kw3 they will fit it for the cost of the KW3 about £1300
the only extra is a full 4 wheel alignment about £250. This is going to be set up as fast road use.
Will be collecting it from them next weekend so will report on difference as some damaged roads to come
home on- which should show if its as good as claimed.
Will report next week.
Cheers
Ron

Put up a pic when you get it home, I'd be interested in what height the rear sits at.

 

[Big Dave]

Ron
Ill put my hat on it that itl need re-indexing to look + perform correctly....
You know as we spoke on TIPEC...[][]

 

[idwoodvale]

Sounds interesting.

I was under the impression that the rear would need reindexing though. Does the KW istelf not need some setting up once installed, given the adjustability?

 

[Big Dave]

ORIGINAL: idwoodvale

Sounds interesting.

I was under the impression that the rear would need reindexing though. Does the KW istelf not need some setting up once installed, given the adjustability?

Yes + Yes...
But to get used to the kit, its good to first drive the car with everything set to soft...

BUT to adjust the rebound,on the rears,,,[ top adjuster on the rears] you HAVE to remove the shocks from the car..[][][]..There is NO way of accessing the adjuster..
Its THE only downfall of the KW kit...
Other than that its GREAT....[][][][][][][][][][]