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KW V-3's

BTW EVERYBODY....Happy Thanksgiving !
 
thanks for that informative post! Most important thing is the car feels neutral and safe....:smile:
 
Exactly John...!
Its not how fast we go, it's how long we go fast :-)

thanks for that informative post! Most important thing is the car feels neutral and safe....:smile:
 
As you well know it's a combination of other things as well such as sway bars, rake, ride height, tires, etc, etc...

Currently I'm running the trophy sway bar upfront and the Zinardi bar in the rear. Have CT front camber bushings installed as well and set at 2.5 negative in front and 2.25 the rear. Tires are wearing even and tire temps are right at 200 across the board. Ride height is set higher than most to clear the 275x35x18 and 315x30x18's I'm running. 5-1/4". Right now my rake is at 1/4 inch, which I'm about to lower to 1/8" on Billy's continuing advise. Also running NT-01's.

I have tried the 457/457 they came with. Front end was too weak, I was killing my front fenders and I hate oversteer :-).Tried 557/457, front end was still too weak for my liking. Changed to 657/457. This balanced the car out very well. I moved up to 857/457 and the front end felt numb and started to push too much. Went through a series of Sway Bar adjustments, Compression and Rebound adjustments but still didn't like the way it felt. I dropped back down to 657/457 for the time being and it became neutral again and very well balanced. I may try 757/457 here soon. Have the 757's sitting here, just haven't put them on yet.

I running 2 clicks from full stiff on the front and 4 on the rear for compression and Rebound is set at 3 front and 5 rear at this point.

As Billy has explained to me.
More rebound = less roll, quicker response, but less grip.
More compression = better response, bumpier.

So at this point I'm just concentrating on Compression, Rebound, Rake and Tire Pressures getting them to all work together.

Have the last NASA-AZ event of the season coming up and I'm leading the UMS TA unlimited class by 35 points with the last event being a double points event so now is not the time to experiment again or try and fix something thats working.

Best lap times so far for me have been the 657/457 combination by over 2 seconds over anything else I've tried so far on the 6 tracks I've been on with the KW's this year.
We all feel something different with our individual style of driving, so what works for me may not work for someone else, as you also know :-)

Are these pounds/inch? Why does everything end in 57? I wonder why billy recommended 1000/600 to me. Maybe because of the dampers?
 
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Arrived Yesterday from Santa Coz.
A perfect transaction.I've been reading the instructions - and learning settings - they came set exactly as the instructions called for them to be set [for an NSX]. If all goes well, I'll install and drive them Monday. They seem to be very well made.
_DSC2848.jpg
 
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I’ve installed the KW V3’s from Coz and the results are way beyond my expectations. <O:pI’ve driven the stock suspension for 8 years. With KW at factory recommended settings, it’s smoother on the highway and corners like it is on rails, with virtually no body roll – I have the R-Front sway bar on order.

I also noticed something new: I used to feel that the back end just followed the car around in a corner, now it grabs like a pivot point.

Couple points on install –<O:p</O:p
1) On rear, use wood [ I used a long maul handle] to wedge the suspension down so that the old shock pops up [ not sideways towards the boot ]. This makes removal easy.<O:p</O:p
2) Order all new OEM nuts – these should be replaced.* [*edit: the manual actually says "..replace if the nuts move freely on the bolt ..." .. it should take .7 [point seven] foot pounds of torque to turn self lock nylon nuts on bolt].<O:p</O:p
3) I replaced end links with non-compliant links.<O:p</O:p
4) I’ve re-checked torque after the break in period.<O:p</O:p
<O:p
It takes miles and miles for the suspension to settle in – about 150 for me – hit some RR tracks to help it along.<O:p</O:p

<O:p
Here are photos – While I was at it, I installed front brake ducts and cut down front and rear brake shields. I referenced Jeff A’s NSX Driver DIY article on brake ducts and suspension for this project. At the front end of the 2” brake duct is a 22.5 degree <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">PVC street</st1:address></st1:Street> elbow and the side by the front caliper is a 90 degree street elbow cut on a chop saw. They are attached with silicon to the hose and have 2 holes drilled through them so the “tie-down” goes through the bottom. I have not tested them at speed yet I’ll do the rears next. Photo two is with shield installed.
Just say yes to plasti-dip.


1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg6.jpg7.jpg8.jpg
 
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Great news !
Wait until you really get them dialed in, you'll like them even more !
 
Coz: If these are the factory settings:

Front Rebound 9
Front Compression 3
Rear Rebound 7
Rear Compression 6


What would you suggest I test next, as a gradual move more towards a track setting?
I am on Dunlap Direnza Z1 and will likely be on the Z2's in a few months.
I have not seen this particular conversation on Prime, yet.
 
I would start off by reducing the Rebound.
You want it staying on the ground by not skipping over bumps or hard braking.

More Compression
1. Better Response
2. Bumpier

More Rebound
1. Less Roll
2. Quicker Response
3. Less grip

On most tracks I run mine at:
Front 2 Comp, 4 Rear Comp
Front 3 Reb, 5 Rear Reb.

Once you set the rebound you really should have to mess with it much.
Adjusting the F/R compression just depends on the kind of track your running, tight, short vs long and high speeds and how the set up is behaving as to turn in, mid corner and corner exit.
 
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Hi Coz
if youre going to track them as well as drive on the road on a regular basis what spring rates would you suggest?
 
I run 757/517.
Its a compromise track/street.
Its quite a bit stiffer than your running now at 357/357.
Takes other suspension pieces to make this work.
Is the rest of your suspension stock ?
 
Coz:

I'm going to bang around for another week before I get an alignment - I am happy with height but could I drop a half inch or [how much] more before I get into trouble?

Questions #2, regarding the post directly above, what are the appx. spring rates for the KW's?
Thanks.
 
The V3's you have are 357/357
Front fender and bumper clearance will dictate how low you want to go :-)
 
I run 757/517.
Its a compromise track/street.
Its quite a bit stiffer than your running now at 357/357.
Takes other suspension pieces to make this work.
Is the rest of your suspension stock ?

Coz, the setup is 357/357 i have all non compliance on the car with heavier sways (Dali track bars up front and street/track rear) and i have Titanium Daves lower camber adjustment kit (not installed yet).The car handles great now when i can get the correct tyres for the front which is not always easy here but does need a heavier spring but i didnt want to over spring the KW's. So i wanted to know should i just go heavier in the front to a 457? or go heavier alround to a 657 fr and 457 rear? without going to your extreme setup.
 
OK....
Depends on your power output. I run the 517's on the rear now so the car doesn't squat as much under acceleration. I was running 657/457 before changing to 757/517. I'm also putting 565 hp to the rear wheels.
I gave Nick Frenzi my 657's. Nick had the same situation going on as you do and jumped up to 657's on the front and left the 357's on the rear and loves it.
I'll see if he will jump in and give you his impression for his set up.
 
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OK....
Depends on your power output. I run the 517's on the rear now so the car doesn't squat as much under acceleration. I was running 657/457 before changing to 757/517. I'm also putting 565 hp to the rear wheels.
I gave Nick Frenzi my 657's. Nick had the same situation going on as you do and jumped up to 657's on the front and left the 357's on the rear and loves it.
I'll see if he will jump in and give you his impression for his set up.

Happy to help here boys...

The V3's (as noted) come balanced with 357/357 setup. In my humble opinion and experience going stiffer upfront really helps lock in the front end steering and grip nicely. I ran the 357, then the 457, and now the 657's up front, leaving the 357s standard in the rear. I swear by the 657/357 setup for a street/track car, and by that I mean 20% street / 80% track.

I have my settings as such:

STREET

Front Rebound: 5 clicks from full stiff
Rear Rebound: 6 clicks from full stiff


TRACK
Front Rebound: 3 clicks from full stiff
Rear Rebound: 4 clicks from full stiff

For both street and track I use these compression settings:
Front Compression: 2 clicks from full stiff

Rear Compression: 4 clicks from full stiff

Now, other things beyond the KW's that affect my experience that you should consider when relating "your" setup to "my" setup: I have all of the STMPO bars. I am running the Dali "Track" front sway and the OEM rear. I have most (but not all) of Titaniumdave's goodies including end links, toe links, front clamps and rear beam bushings. I run the NA2 OEM 16/17 wheels with Kumho XS tires.

Hope this is helpful...
 
Thanks Nick.
 
hey guys more than helpful exactly what i wanted, to the point and precise looks like my setup but i have 17-18 wheel combo and waiting on the Z11 from Dunlop but otherwise similar if not the same gear underneath.
Coz i only run with 265rwHp not anywhere near your out put I may get some more out of her with a new link ECU system but still not enough to make her squat in the rear like yours
so mate please pm me so we can try and sort something out for my fronts for when i install the camber kit from Ti Dave in a month or so.
Cheers
Cam
 
Done Cam...
 
Guys I just need to vouch for Coz here. He has been very helpful as my go to man for KW customer support. I installed the v3 this weekend and am thrilled with them so far- I used Billy's recommendations for the settings and they were very similar to my type R suspension which is what I wanted to achieve. It was a tad bouncy so I backed off the front compression/rebound two clicks quickly thereafter as I used 457/357 springs instead of factory. Now being able to fine tune these to your liking is great too, and you learn a lot and can change your car from street to track in a snap.
 
Thanks brother, glad I could help you through things.
It was my pleasure !

Guys I just need to vouch for Coz here. He has been very helpful as my go to man for KW customer support. I installed the v3 this weekend and am thrilled with them so far- I used Billy's recommendations for the settings and they were very similar to my type R suspension which is what I wanted to achieve. It was a tad bouncy so I backed off the front compression/rebound two clicks quickly thereafter as I used 457/357 springs instead of factory. Now being able to fine tune these to your liking is great too, and you learn a lot and can change your car from street to track in a snap.

- - - Updated - - -

LOL....Thank God !
Thanks Regan !

+1 for Coz.

They don't make them like they use to. Coz that is. Not the suspension systems ;)
 
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