This a question for the ones that own an R56S and have installed KW Variant coilovers, or for ones that know first hand things about them. Regarding the KW brand, i want to ask a few things...
1. what are the differences between the Variant 1,2 and 3 models?
2. is it possible to make alterations in height or stiffness in those KW models without lifting the car?
3. what other options/brands did you have in mind before purchasing the Variant model?
4. in real life what differences will i see between the stock suspension and the one that KW Variant3 offers?

 

I'm looking into V3's because I do a lot of track driving. Do you plan to track or just looking for an all around good street coil? Speed Hunters wrote a good Q&A for their coils here that you can take a look at. A good alternative, for a street coil, is ST as they're manufactured by KW and the difference is the KW stainless steal housing and the ST galvanized steel. KW also offers a much better warranty, lifetime, vs. ST being a 5 year limited warranty to original purchaser. For direct specifics on each one that KW lists:

V1

The ideal system for customers wishing to rely on the experience of KW's engineers to set the damper setting, yet determine their own degree of lowering. In extensive driving tests their engineers have set the dampers for the best balance between sporty driving, comfort and safety. The user is then free to decide the best height setting for their use and preference.

• Optimally pre-set
• Sporty harmonious damping technology
• Stainless steel technology "inox-line"
• Individually height-adjustable
• Lowering range approved by the German Technical Control Board (TÜV)
• Fully finished complete solutions
• High-quality component parts for long durability

V2

This system intended for the experienced driver who does not only wish to determine the individual lowering of his vehicle, but also wishes to carry out setup adjustments. The adjustable rebound damper allows adjusting the pitch and roll behavior of the vehicle and therefore the driving pleasure can be adapted to the own requirements.

• Damping technology with individually adjustable rebound
• "inox-line" stainless steel technology
• Individually height adjustable
• Adjustment parameters approved by the German Technical Control Board (TÜV)
• Fully finished complete solution
• High-quality components for long durability
• Comprehensive documentation for easy use

V3

State-of-the-art technology from motor sports for more performance on the road. The separate and independently adjustable rebound- and compression damping allows for an individual suspension setup for different uses and preferences. The unique patented system with its two-stage valves allows a rebound damping adjustment (comfort) and a compression adjustment (driving dynamics) in the low-speed range while the high-speed range which controls the driving safety, is fixed.

• Damping technology with individually adjustable rebound- and compression technology
• "inox-line" stainless steel technology
• Individually height adjustable
• Adjustment parameters approved by the German Technical Control Board (TÜV)
• High-quality components for long durability
• Infinitely variable rebound damping adjustment
• 14-way adjustable compression damping
• Unique, individually working damping force adjustment
• Comprehensive documentation for easy use

 

I guess im more interested in having an all around good street coil than one for a track. Note that where i live the roads are pretty bumpy! So i was thinking, can i get a KWv3, and adjust its bumpiness for the track and then when im back on my daily driving (in the bumpy roads) change the setting accordingly? Will it work that way?

Also what exactly is "bodyroll"?

 

The KW V3's might be a little overkill for a daily street coil, in my honest opinion. If you can afford them and would prefer to go that route, then by all means do it. They're great quality coils, but will you ever use them to their fullest potential? Probably not. That being said, if you want the ability to have as much adjustment as possible, they'd be a good choice especially for ride comfort. Honestly, I run right now a coil that only allows adjustable dampening. I can either put it to the softest setting, allowing for a less bumpy ride or the stiffest setting, allowing for a more aggressive/stiff ride. I run this coil for the street and the track. I definitely use them to their fullest ability, which is why I am looking to upgrade to a much more aggressive track coil set up. Do some research on the ST coils. They have the best bang for your buck ST X Coilover and the ST XTA Coilover kits. Can read up on them HERE. Again, they're great quality (manufactured by KW) and do very well (have installed these on high horsepower builds). Otherwise, if you're wanting to stick with KW, maybe look into the V1 or V2's HERE as they will be plenty for your driving needs. This is all speaking from personal experience and preference of course.

Body roll - I like to describe it like this. Let's say you're standing up straight and a friend semi-aggressively pushes you in the opposite direction in which you're standing and you try your best to stay upright, but you struggle to stay in your original position. So, when your car is accelerating around a corner and it's flexing aggressively away from the corner, not allowing you to stay planted throughout, that is body roll. Basically, it's just the car leaning/rolling to one side. Kind of like slop. Hope this makes sense, haha. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Thanx for the brief explanation! Let me ask regarding a thought of mine. Im interested that a coilover gives me comfort, car lowering (around 15mm) and acceptable (not track) performance on the road. Can this be achieved by the KWv3 and the ST coils? Or is it safe to say that with 15mm lowering you cannot have comfort?

 

You're welcome! When you lower a MINI, you'll need to take into consideration rear adjustable control arms as it'll drastically change the camber of your wheels. This can result in some bad tire wear, but can be avoided with a good set of adjustable control arms. I'd look into the Hotchkis arms HERE as they enable a camber Adjustable from 0 to -4 degrees. With coil overs and with how much lowering you go with you will be sacrificing some sort of comfort. The V1's, V2's, and V3's, ST X, and ST XTA all have a lowering point of front: 1.2-2.2 inches rear: 1.2-2.2 inches. I cannot speak from experience about the ride quality in a MINI with the V3's, but from what I have seen with people who want similar things out of a coil for a daily ride feel that you're describing, they're a good alternative as the ride quality and cornering improve measurably. You can really dial in the damping characteristic you want for a daily use. Although they're a great track coil, they do make much more aggressive track coils such as the clubsports, which would definitely sacrifice ride comfort on a daily bases. So, to answer your question, yes there are a lot of people out there who use the KW V3's to improve ride quality for a daily street coil. They'll definitely be better than the ST's in your case.

 

Couple quick questions.
1. What kind of control arms are the best to buy?
-with the negative camber, that will decrease understeer won't it?
2. I plan on building my r56 for the track, what coilovers would be recommended? I would really prefer adjustable.

 

I'd recommend the Hotchkis adjustable control arms HERE. The KW V3'S or Clubsports are a good track coil and so are Ohlins, but those are more on the expensive side. I'd go with the Ohlins though if you plan to build it as a track car. There are also a lot of other variable options. Doing a coil/spring set up like Fortune Auto with Swift springs. Stuff like that. Some other options listed in this other NAM thread here. If you're wanting something that is good for the street and track and is more economically priced, there are plenty of options as well. I've run on a lot of different set ups and even have done the economically priced set up on the track, but I complimented it well with some serious suspension/bushings upgrades.

 

Let me try to keep this simple.
KW V1 only have ride height adjustment and have progressive springs
KW V2 have ride height adj, and rebound adjustment with progressive springs
KW V3 have ride height adj, rebound and compression adj, and progressive springs

Now That is all the standard KW coilovers. Here at WMW we only offer our TSW spec setup in the KW V2 and KW V3 coilovers. What makes them different is we use a smaller 60mm linear spring setup that was custom done by the old TSW company and real MINI testing was done to make a matched setup so it is much better than the off the shelf KWs. This not only rides better because the spring is always the same rate, but also way more predictable.

So for what you are doing I would just suggest our TSW Spec KW V2 as that will have our custom setup and rebound adjustment. The smaller springs also give you more clearance for tires and camber.
http://www.waymotorworks.com/kw-vari...r55-56-57.html

The KW V3s are nice for since you just want for street use save the money as you won't need the compression adj, and will make getting it right for what you want harder. These would be more of a track setup
http://www.waymotorworks.com/kw-vari...r55-56-57.html

No matter what coilovers you get you should always jack the car up and take the weight off the suspension to adjust the spring perches. When you do it with the weight on the car you are more likely to damage the threads, and it's harder to do.

For rear control arms we only use the Hsport rear links in our shop as they have been the most reliable and quiet of all the brands
http://www.waymotorworks.com/h-sport...ber-links.html

Please feel free to call us with any questions as we can go over way more in detail as we've set up all the brands.

 

Regarding the rear control arms.
1. Are the ones used for my R56S the same in length with the ones used for the JCW mini?
2. After how much of lowering will i need to fit in rear adjustable control arms?

 

Any lowering you do to your MINI you'll want to invest in adjustable control arms.

 

Yes the JCW and S use the same control arms.

Doesn't matter how much you lower it you need adj control arms, heck I like to put them on stock ride height cars just to get the alignment right and save tire wear.

 

If both the R56S and the R56 JCW share the same control arms then how can the JCW be lowered more than the S. Something doesn't fit in here!

 

There is no difference in ride height between a stock R56S and JCW unless the following has been fitted ...

R56 JCW Sport Suspension (MF Review)

 

you mean R56S right?
...and if that suspension is fitted there are different rear control arms?

 

Yes R56S. The JCW Sports Suspension utilizes stock rear control arms.

 

Yes the Factory JCW and Cooper S have the same ride heights and use the same control arms.
But even when you install the JCW dealer suspension kit or a GP which is lowered they still use the same stock control arm. Heck my GP had over -2deg rear camber stock and apparently MINI is ok with that. I don't like that and don't recommend that so like on my GP I installed Hsport rear control arms and took camber out. So that is what I would recommend customers to do.

 

How can this be? I mean its very strange that bmw would let such a thing! Wouldn't the tires wear out with -2deg rear camber difference? Are you certain about this?

 

Oh I'm 100% certain. Just look at the rear tires on all MINIs you'll see they all wear the inside edge.

 

You mean not all minis but specifically the JCW with the dealer suspension kit and the GP. They are the ones lowered, correct?

 

No I mean ALL MINIs. They all eat the insides of the rear tires, and lowered MINIs eat them much faster.

 

What are the results when comparing the KWv3 with the equivalent Ohlins suspension? (i believe its the Ohlins Road and Track?)

 

Better than the ST's in what case?

 

V3's on my R60 and love them

 

I hate to bump an old thread, but do the KW V1s get low/stance?