[Andy STI]

I went with the middle spring rates - 400/350. Currently they are in the garage waiting for camber plates and top hats. Hopefully I will have reviews soon.

[ToddStratton]

As an early adopter of KW...(2-way competition model)

linear springs ("race" springs)
tremendous bump and rebound (esp rebound) adjustability
stainless steel
great customer service


Oh, and the performace, which is awesome.

Todd

[battlecat]

excellent feedback. PM was also recieved.

Narrowing it down now.
What's the difference between the RCE front camber plates and the whiteline maxC (materials, quality, ease of setting etc)?
There is a big difference in price.

Also if i bought the KW varient3, what would i use for the rear mounts. Just regular group N or do they also have to be modified?

[Slowwrx]

Just got back from Roebling road, I only ended up getting one day on them and it wasnt enough time to dial them in but I'm still 1 to 1.5 seconds faster per lap than the V3s.

These things are awesome and continue to impress.

1.2gs cornering on Neovas and those arent peak numbers, thats sustained.

Freaking awesome

Matt

[daishi]

Originally Posted by battlecat

excellent feedback. PM was also recieved.

Narrowing it down now.
What's the difference between the RCE front camber plates and the whiteline maxC (materials, quality, ease of setting etc)?
There is a big difference in price.

Also if i bought the KW varient3, what would i use for the rear mounts. Just regular group N or do they also have to be modified?

The RCE camber plates have an absolutely huge pillowball in them, which is what jacks up the cost for the units, but also will keep them ticking for a long long time. After pulling mine off after 14 months and giving them a wiping they looked and felt brand new. They also make almost zero noise unlike a lot of the other plates on the market. I don't have any first hand experience with the Whiteline units, but they do look very nice. You can flip the RCE plates to gain caster and camber, but you won't be able to get lots of either using that method.

[dsm02c]

I really need to add this to this thread... I have the whiteline 27-29 all the way around the car and have 7k springs in front and 8k in the rear. My car will still not oversteer unless I trail brake the car. I bought all of my suspension mods so that I would be able to induce oversteer and really bring the nose of the car around. While it is many times better than stock it is still unacceptable when entering a corner. I am thinking of decreasing my front sway to the 24-27 so I do not sacrafice rear grip in order to make my car rotate and or decreasing the front spring rate of my V3's. Just letting you know my experience at the track...

[Slowwrx]

Originally Posted by dsm02c

I really need to add this to this thread... I have the whiteline 27-29 all the way around the car and have 7k springs in front and 8k in the rear. My car will still not oversteer unless I trail brake the car. I bought all of my suspension mods so that I would be able to induce oversteer and really bring the nose of the car around. While it is many times better than stock it is still unacceptable when entering a corner. I am thinking of decreasing my front sway to the 24-27 so I do not sacrafice rear grip in order to make my car rotate and or decreasing the front spring rate of my V3's. Just letting you know my experience at the track...

What are youre alignment specs

[ZenBoy]

Originally Posted by Slowwrx

Yes I've had both on our One Lap of America Car.

The KWs are great coilovers, they ride better than stock and they handle really well, the damping range seems ok for their springs, I'm not sure if they would handle much more than the stock springs that come with the coil overs. They are a lot faster on track than stock shocks with springs. Well over 2 seconds faster at Roebling Road in GA.

Now the T2s....

Freaking awesome. I got the stiffest spring rate they offer and ride quality is still acceptable, they don't ride quite as nice as the V3s but what you give up in comfort you gain 10 times over in performance. The double locking collars are a plus and I belive Myles has eliminated the plastic upper spring perches. The damping range is huge on these things. Ill be able to tell you how much faster they are at the same track after this weekend.

If you are going to drive them on the street get the T2s with the softer spring rate, you will be very happy.

Matt

What "softer" spring rate do you recommend for street driving?

What should the RCE spring rate be if I want to duplicate the street ride quality of the KW v3?

[Slowwrx]

Originally Posted by sciolist

If you want adjustability and performance, skip the KWs and look at Zzyzx. They cost about twice as much and they work about five times as well.

Statements like this will get you in trouble.

What do you mean by 5 times as well?

Do you think they are 5 seconds a lap faster at Road Atlanta, or 4 seconds or 2 seconds or .2 seconds.

I would say that its possible that they are in the .1 to .2 seconds faster range. How do you justify that to people that arent racing or people that arent racing for cash and prizes etc....

If you really want something "better" then buy 12K worth the Motons, Penskes, or Ohlins.

[BoostJunkie]

Gotta agree with Matt, the only things that really compare to the Tarmac 2's are the Ohlins Flags and ZZYZX, both of which cost substantially more. Beyond that of course are Moton, RS&SP, JRZ, etc, all of which are very very expensive. I'm not saying the Tarmac 2's are the best coilovers out there, but for the price you simply can't beat them. The Ohlins Sportlines are in the same class but do not offer as much adjustability. I love my Ohlins but the ability to adjust damping and rebound separately would be nice.

[AndrewSS]

^ Ok... well its the quantifying statement "2x the price but 5x the performance" part that is kinda objectionable... I hope we can agree that both the kw v3/rce t2 and the zzyzx are both good units, and there is no doubt why the zzyzx is great... the decision vs. the both should all depend on your uses and goals. And budget... for me, I just couldn't justify the extra $$$ for the zzyzx coilovers. Oh well, I guess I will be 5x slower?

[MaxSTi]

Originally Posted by RaceComp Engineering

I would recommend the 500/400 rates with camber plates and our rear motorsports Group N top. Ride quality is still very favorable, and those rates are enough to get you competitive and the track performance is nothing short of amazing. Soak up mid corner bumps without unsettling the car, and the car still stays flat.

Neither the V3's or the RCE's come with tops (surprising how many of our customers already had camber plates) but we offer a package deal if you are interested.

Also, Myles forgot to mention our RCE Coilovers use the upgraded KW "RACE" springs, which are a little lighter and use fewer coils then the standard KW spring. Also, we have an extra locking perch on each coilover as an extra precautionary measure.

Stretch's link goes into a lot of detail (who would of thought ) on progressive vs. linear. The V3's even at their stiffest progression are still pretty soft.


- Andrew

This thread is a keeper. My STi is 90% track/10% street, so almost dedicated track day/HPDE/TT use (this is what 2nd cars are for ). Anyway, I still do use Swifts on stock struts and Cusco camber plates. Usually run -2.7/-1.0 for Cal Spdwy, WSIR (nice, even tire temps with the pyro). Back to my question. Can I still keep the Cuscos to work with the RCE's? I don't care for street comfort, but the best set up for various track imperfections, off cambers, etc. What would the One Lap guys and RCE recommend as starting spring rates?

[Slowwrx]

Originally Posted by MaxSTi

This thread is a keeper. My STi is 90% track/10% street, so almost dedicated track day/HPDE/TT use (this is what 2nd cars are for ). Anyway, I still do use Swifts on stock struts and Cusco camber plates. Usually run -2.7/-1.0 for Cal Spdwy, WSIR (nice, even tire temps with the pyro). Back to my question. Can I still keep the Cuscos to work with the RCE's? I don't care for street comfort, but the best set up for various track imperfections, off cambers, etc. What would the One Lap guys and RCE recommend as starting spring rates?

I'm running the stiffest setup Myles offers, and I love it. They are awesome. My car gets used for TT mostly.

[RaceComp Engineering]

Originally Posted by MaxSTi

This thread is a keeper. My STi is 90% track/10% street, so almost dedicated track day/HPDE/TT use (this is what 2nd cars are for ). Anyway, I still do use Swifts on stock struts and Cusco camber plates. Usually run -2.7/-1.0 for Cal Spdwy, WSIR (nice, even tire temps with the pyro). Back to my question. Can I still keep the Cuscos to work with the RCE's? I don't care for street comfort, but the best set up for various track imperfections, off cambers, etc. What would the One Lap guys and RCE recommend as starting spring rates?

Yes, you can use your Cusco plates.

The 500/400 rates are our stiffest rates (for now) and will be perfect for you. Fantastic performance, and ride quality is great too. You can soak up those mid-corner bumps without upsetting the car. Very easily controlled, with a ton of grip.

- Andrew