Hmmmmmm, Tony, Peter and Dave M have Leda and all of them have said they'd go for KW if they had their time again (admittedly Dave went M030, but I think that was a cost thing). Lots and lots of people have KW and to my knowledge every single one of them is delighted with it.
I am absolutely over the moon with mine. Picked it up from Promax on Friday, drove back in wet and dry but I am aware that with the KW V3 and the Weltmeister ARB`s there is probably less progressive breakaway so I took it steady.
Went out early this morning and gave it some stick on albeit familiar bends and roundabouts. Initial impressions are that with the current settings erring on the harder side it was more `jiggly` than my old Mo30 but driving it more the car was jiggly but the suspension was compliant IYKWIM. With the Mo30 the ride was quite firm but the wheels would crash and bump slightly on poor roads, nothing unsettling but the KW does seem to rebound better.
On smooth roads at v high speed *cough* (briefly) the suspension appears a bit hard as the car didnt settle as well as with the Mo30 with gentle bumps far more noticeable and the aerodynamics that gradually press it down like a giant hand being overcome. i`ll have to think about that one and see if softer settings help.
Regarding general running around it is superb. The lowering, toe and 1.5 degree camber means it doesnt self centre as it did so you have to plant it more in a straight line but it now corners so flat its fantastic. There is a slight progressive oversteer as it turns in (adjusting the W/meister ARB settings should dial this out) but unlike the Mo30 the car doesnt dip half as much and load the front outside wheel, it really is a `go-kart` feel.
The other fantastic aspect is that you can feed the power in as it oversteers, it then becomes more balanced but the best bit is that you can actually feel the rear wheels gripping/slipping and driving the car out of the turn. I`m convinced that as the car is more evenly balanced you can feed more power mid corner than before but that its now tyre limits and not progressive breakaway that I need to be mindful of.
Braking hard on a bend/roundabout approach is more settled too with less nose dive. Promax set the car up 10mm down at the front as this biases the weight slightly forward so I thought it might be more pronounced but its not. The car pulls up to a dead stop relatively level and a quick launch again appears to be without a great weight transfer.
I nearly forgot to mention the refurbished brakes (callipers rebuilt as required/Sebro perf discs/ATE blue fluid/braided hoses/Performance friction pads) Absolutely transformed from what I thought were good brakes. Awesome, superb. Having built/upgraded/driven a VX Westy and V8 G27 I was used to proper brakes. I thought the 951 brakes were good but assumed that the car was heavier and it was fast road equipped. Not any more. What can I say other than they are second only to my Westy with retardation. Now I find I brake too early as combined with the suspension it pulls up so quick with no sense of nose dive or drama, it just stops.
To all who hesitate go and try the Performance friction pads, you can hear the rotors and pads disappearing but it is worth it for the feeling of security.
The downside [&:] I had a chip in my windscreen for ages. Since I`ve had the new setup its now gradually cracking at about 12mm/30 miles [
] so the car is certainly seeing the difference in a harder set up, theres also a few creaks and groans from the back that are `flex` related. Front and rear strut braces are on my shopping list.
Also there is a slight groaning/moaning as you accelerate out of a r/h bend coming from the rear n/s. Its nothing rubbing that I can see but I`ll get Roger/Andy to check it out asap.
Sorry to enthuse so much. I`m sure there are better setups out there (and quicker drivers) but I am v v pleased.
