Just been doing a lot of research into these, heard very good reviews both on here and MINI2 that they are a good coilover, the damper is soft for road use.
But... they are prone to failing, and can be dangerous on the track.
I don want to base my view on the Variant 1s just on the fact that one person's coilovers failed, when other peoples are fine.
So if you could just let me know how yours are, what mileage you have done on them and how they are faring up?
Thanks
George

 

~50k miles
~3 years
frequent visits @ the nürburgring Nordschleife ( and other fun places )

working fine

didnt hear anything about them failing much :scratch_head:
and they are pretty wide spread around here

 

Great news, these Variant 1s ye?

Do yours have the helper spring at the front?

 

no, i have the old version ( 1 big cone like spring ) works fine but i am limited to about ~2° camber ( im using slightly modified "Mini Challenge" camber plates ) because the spring is so wide ( any more and it touches the body -_- )
but 2° is enough an the road anyway

 

Ok, I thought the newer ones came without the helper spring as there was an issue with the coilovers with the helper spring rubbing the inside of peoples wheels.

I'm pretty much sold on the KW V1s now

 

They are perfect for a street-only MINI:

*Exact same stroke as stock front and rear for similar handling and ride quality to stock
*Shorter bodies by ~1.6" means the spring preload can be setup so the car sits 1.6" lower than stock and maintains exact same compression to rebound stroke ratio as stock [a good thing]
*non-aggressive spring rates maintains comfortable ride quality
*polished stainless steel damper bodies offer good longevity and look pretty
*no complicated setup and no damper adjustment to mess up
*a good value and not expensive

Highly recommended for daily-driven street-only MINI.

 

Fantastic, thanks :D