Track coilovers

For absolute clarity the picture of mine was taken when I got them brand new in April 22 and had first fitted them, I hadn't even turned a wheel on them at that point :lol:

Below is what the first set looked like when I took them off after 9 years, 50k miles or so and 3 owners, some of whom clearly skimped on maintenance and cleaning...! The beady-eyed amongst you will note one of the dampers is seized solid with the helper spring compressed, explaining why it was a ridiculously firm ride before I replaced them!

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Then it’s Beedub who puts us all to shame!

They’re very corroded. Here’s my leaking rear at 35k miles and 7 years showing some corrosion of the spring despite the liberal application of an aerosol of oil from the damper!

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BMWZ4MC said:
Then it’s Beedub who puts us all to shame!

They’re very corroded. Here’s my leaking rear at 35k miles and 7 years showing some corrosion of the spring despite the liberal application of an aerosol of oil from the damper!
:lol: self-preserving dampers, whatever next?!
 
Coilover covers, after spraying the dampers and springs with ACF-50, will keep them tip top. Or the fronts at least as obviously the rear springs are exposed.
 
plenty said:
Coilover covers, after spraying the dampers and springs with ACF-50, will keep them tip top. Or the fronts at least as obviously the rear springs are exposed.

I'm running true coilovers at the rear as well - mine got properly cleaned of and doused in ACF-50 before winter hibernation.

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I was planning on fitting coilover socks (I have a set waiting to go on), but speaking with Martin @ MS Motorsport he said they're not a good idea as they trap moisture/condensation.

I figure they're useful for short periods of use in winter, and in combination with regular ACF-50 applications, but will probably get them on and report back in due course !
 
Should be ok as long as you give them a good coating of ACF-50 first. If you cover them dry and drive for long periods in the wet without removing them then yes, they'll accelerate corrosion.

The covers are easy to detach and refit so it's a simple job to top up the ACF-50 with the car on stands.
 
Wow, the roads over there are tough on bling parts..

Those look nice Ed :) :thumbsup:

You running the OEM lower rear control arm?
 
Vanne said:
Wow, the roads over there are tough on bling parts..

Those look nice Ed :) :thumbsup:

You running the OEM lower rear control arm?

Yes indeed, an adjustable one is on the list but I'm happy with the balance for now :)
 
BMWZ4MC said:
Then it’s Beedub who puts us all to shame!

They’re very corroded. Here’s my leaking rear at 35k miles and 7 years showing some corrosion of the spring despite the liberal application of an aerosol of oil from the damper!

87E77CF7-3135-4541-B670-BAE8F722538E.jpeg

I've got a set of those rear ones with jack all miles on em (3 track days)looking for a good home, excellent nick minus the bumpstops.
 
Thanks for the offer. I replaced both rears when I found the leak. I’ll get the original KWs rebuilt at some point, but for now, they’re in a box in the corner of my garage with dozens of other car parts that I’m keeping just in case!
 
Current pics of my car in hibernation shows the quality of KW are great, my kit is several years old by now.
The faff adjustment is made a lot easier by making a small lid for rear left bump adjust.

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Argenta said:
Current pics of my car in hibernation shows the quality of KW are great, my kit is several years old by now.
The faff adjustment is made a lot easier by making a small lid for rear left bump adjust.

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2022-07-03-14-59-22_2ea3364c-5178-4b77-a429-e464de92565c.jpeg
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Are yours V3? As shown in the picture of my leaking rear shock, the rebound adjustment at the top of the Clubsports is a thumb wheel with detents (not via an Allen key as shown in your picture). It’s much easier to adjust through the wheel arch and can be done with the wheel in situ if the car is jacked up.
Your front spring looks like it’s lost some paint, much like my rear springs.
 
The fronts have the std rubber noise-cancelling "hoses", apart from spots of dirt. The rear bumps are adjusted without jacking & gettin the hands dirty. :) The rebound at the reservoirs.
KW V3 yes, I believe from around 2014.
 
beanie said:
That’s a neat solution :thumbsup:
Trouble is that kw changed the design I guess around 2015, so the ones you buy now have the bump adjuster at the top of the damper in the wheel well so you need to jack the car up to get to it. No biggy, but it is not as easy as you might hope.
 
TomK said:
beanie said:
That’s a neat solution :thumbsup:
Trouble is that kw changed the design I guess around 2015, so the ones you buy now have the bump adjuster at the top of the damper in the wheel well so you need to jack the car up to get to it. No biggy, but it is not as easy as you might hope.
They changed it even longer ago than that - when I bought mine in 2013, the rear suspension rebound adjustment was already at the top of the damper within the wheel arch. I bought a pair of new rear dampers in 2020 to replace the leaking damper and found that KW had moved from an Allen key type adjustment to a numbered thumb wheel for bump at the bottom of the shock. My front shocks (again from 2013) adjust top and bottom with an Allen key type coupling.

I don’t find it too much of an inconvenience jacking up the car to adjust the suspension, especially since I most often make adjustments when swapping to my track wheels and tyres. That said, it’s a simple and effective solution for adjustment with the original design.
 
I’ll pitch in with my pics…. :thumbsup:

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KW are a glorious thing - I had some in the past on an old car and the quality was superb! It was only the faff of adjustment that put me off for the Z… :(

Great to see so many options for our cars! 8)
 
Nice Mikey 8)
I wish I had compression adjustment like that on the front dampers of the KWs. Instead i have to try and fumble around to insert a 1mm allen key at the bottom of the damper, I mean who came up with that idea and thought it's a good one? :x
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what's more annoying is they do a sensible adjuster just not for this series of dampers :thumbsdown:
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