Interesting KW Variant 3 problem

[g00se]

So for about a week (when i began to notice it) my s14 has been feeling odd, the steering and handling have been a little off and i have been getting more vibration through the steering wheel.

So today i jacked my car up and discovered this little surprise

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/g00ses/kw1.jpg

Springs look close together?

take a 1/4 turn and find this

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/g00ses/kw4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/g00ses/kw3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/g00ses/kw2.jpg

:eek3d:

A little background, installed the variant 3s about 8 months ago. Never tracked, not lowered to the maximum, pretty much my daily. Also city streets in my neighborhood are pretty decent without enormous potholes.

This didn't happen on the much cheaper Ksports that was ridden on for the last 5 years. I felt that if i should upgrade the car i should make the upgrade worthwhile hence the variant 3s..

Anyone else have a spring shear on them?

Kind of disappointed now :bash:

[matts13vert]

Damn dude what a bummer I would be quite upset if the same happened to me. Hows the warranty on those?

[Matej]

If you bought them new, they should send you a replacement spring. Even if you did not buy them new they still may, since such a major defect reflects poorly on KW, and as a respected brand I would think they will want to protect their reputation and make you happy.

Although this makes for a good excuse to upgrade to Swift Springs.

[tricky_ab]

If you bought them new, they should send you a replacement spring. Even if you did not buy them new they still may, since such a major defect reflects poorly on KW, and as a respected brand I would think they will want to protect their reputation and make you happy.

Although this makes for a good excuse to upgrade to Swift Springs.

This man speaks the truth!

[ayuaddict]

Although this makes for a good excuse to upgrade to Swift Springs.

Also agreed.

shit is like magic.

[zooopreme]

Damn, that sucks. You should get on that Swift Spring upgrade haha

[R33E8]

I dunno if upgrading to Swifts would be such a great idea.. Aren't the KW Variant springs progressive to help with comfort? Also, can you seriously feel the difference when switching to Swift springs? The comparison on their website doesn't look like it's enough to make a noticeable difference in a street car... I would only make the switch to Swift if they came with the suspension or if I was racing competitively and needed every little advantage.. Yes, the Swifts are better but would it be worth it?

To me, 500lb/in springs would feel the same regardless of brand on a street car (as long as they are somewhere around 500lb/in and linear)..

I've never been in a car with Swift springs so these are just my third person views.. If someone has experienced a noticeable difference on the street after swapping to Swift springs (of the same spring rate the coilovers came with) I would like to know..

[ayuaddict]

I've never been in a car with Swift springs so these are just my third person views.. If someone has experienced a noticeable difference on the street after swapping to Swift springs (of the same spring rate the coilovers came with) I would like to know..

I coincidentally stumbled across a set of Swifts at an Up Garage in the exact spring rates that i needed. Tossed them on my S30, and it made a noticeable difference - much much more than I expected from just switching out springs.

Since then I have purchased swift springs for every set of coilovers I own.


To me, 500lb/in springs would feel the same regardless of brand on a street car (as long as they are somewhere around 500lb/in and linear)..

That's the main selling point actually, a quick google search yielded this article.

Swift Springs USA (http://www.swiftsprings.com/advantage.html)

Their linear springs are actually, well, linear.

[lflkajfj12123]

SWIFT Springs!

[g00se]

If you bought them new, they should send you a replacement spring. Even if you did not buy them new they still may, since such a major defect reflects poorly on KW, and as a respected brand I would think they will want to protect their reputation and make you happy.

Although this makes for a good excuse to upgrade to Swift Springs.

Yes they were purchased new from Intense Power which wasnt the greatest online ordering experience. I dont have the original receipt and seriously doubt that Intense would be able to provide me with one. So i am not sure how a warranty replacement will work ( called and emailed KW this morning anyways and left a voice mail )

I might just go with the Swift spring idea, a lot of Evo guys seem to love it too.
But I am looking at this application chart ( http://www.swiftsprings.com/file/metric.pdf ) and am not sure what i want.
I believe stock KW spring rates are 7/5. Should i go with the more popular 8/6 or 9/7? (will it achieve better balance and grip from moving up 1-2 kg or just increase stiffness and harshness)

[ayuaddict]

In my experience, Swift springs tend to provide a smoother ride. They feel as though they are much more responsive to smaller bumps/unevenness in the road, so they shouldn't feel harsher even if you went with "heavier" springs.

And from what I understand, the rule of thumb is that you can go +/- 2kg/mm on most dampers without risk of damage.

[!Zar!]

Swift, or if you want to save money go with Hypercoil.

[ManoNegra]

I dunno if upgrading to Swifts would be such a great idea.. Aren't the KW Variant springs progressive to help with comfort? Also, can you seriously feel the difference when switching to Swift springs? The comparison on their website doesn't look like it's enough to make a noticeable difference in a street car... I would only make the switch to Swift if they came with the suspension or if I was racing competitively and needed every little advantage.. Yes, the Swifts are better but would it be worth it?


same diameter on spring usually means linear
and you see the helper spring above the main springs?
those are usually a lower rate to help with every day driving
on coilovers with linear springs

Swift, or if you want to save money go with Hypercoil.

ditto

[g00se]

Update. KW sent me the springs overnight!

I received fantastic customer service which should be commended!
But now I think I have another problem..

I do realize that some shocks operate differently than each other but I am going under the assumption that at max height ( position A ) if you compress it ( to position B ) the shock itself with no spring should return to position A correct?

Well mine doesn't, it just sits at position B without rebounding to position A. Does this = a blown shock or does the KW shock just dampen the oscillation from the spring?

[icedsole]

your shiz is blowwwnwnwnwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn son

also should have bought swift. i can vouch for their amazingness

[ManoNegra]

Update. KW sent me the springs overnight!

I received fantastic customer service which should be commended!
But now I think I have another problem..

I do realize that some shocks operate differently than each other but I am going under the assumption that at max height ( position A ) if you compress it ( to position B ) the shock itself with no spring should return to position A correct?

Well mine doesn't, it just sits at position B without rebounding to position A. Does this = a blown shock or does the KW shock just dampen the oscillation from the spring?

No, that's how shocks usually work
hard to compress and very slow to return
if you can compress and pull them back somewhat easily
then yes, they're blown
(or if they make squishy sounds when you compress them, or leak)

[G5SR20240]

It's called having a proper valved rebound, variant 3's have the ability to adjust dampening and rebound. With the rebound set you can adjust how quick the car is to resume at its original position. So it's not blown which is a common assumption with kw's and konis

[jr_ss]

My KWs do the exact same thing... You can push them in without them returning to the normal position and I only have 2k miles on them. It's not an issue.

[!Zar!]

Why do you expect them to come back up if there is no spring to push them back to said position?

[ayuaddict]

Well the majority of dampers do that.