Review: KW V3 coilover ... GTI

[Jester_Fu]

Mario R32 has the stock manual gear selector that felt a bit more direct than the short shifters I've used on the R32 in the past.

Care to ellaborate?

IMO, you certainly need more force with the OEM once it's moving to keep gear selection and make sharp changes. The short shift kits - well mine, anyway - is a basic cast of the OEM part with a larger countermass on the outside of the mechanism and extra holes on the counterpoint to the mass allowing you to shorten the shift. There's no modification to the gear change leaver inside the car or to the linkages to the gearbox etc. I did change the the tension on the cable when i installed to help smooth the change out from the OEM. I guess that might make it feel more disconnected... in a Honda kind of way - i.e. it just seems to work now.

 

[goldn]

i run the V2's.
they are excellent IMO.

 

[WhiteJames]

Jester_Fu,

I agree that some clarification is required. The OEM gear selector conveys a bit greater information that the R32 has selected the chosen gear, purposely so, making it easier for drivers of all skill & experience levels, which would be a OEM requirement (like factory induced undesteer).

The HPA is more direct in that the throw between gears is short, but the extra weight of countermass tends to blunt the notchy OEM feeling, leaving you guessing at times if the right gear has been selected. It takes a bit of skill & practice with the short shift to be fully confident when making hurried changes. For a non-manual driver such as myself, the OEM is easier feel your way around. A bit more care has to be taken with the short shifter, until fully acquinted with it.

On a side note Jester, have to get your opinion on my new setup. Good for you to feel difference that a ride height change makes front to rear. Ride height setup front to rear is probably a bit more race car like than I anticipated, but under braking it is so stable now - At first Mario R32 thought there was a problem with the brakes due to absence of dive when really leaning on the brakes ... could be a negative in wet conditions with less suspension compliance.

Cheers
WJ

 

[G-rig]

Sounds like you went for a nice drive WJ, and from what i gather you're suitably impressed with the KW V3. Your car sounds well composed on the roads now. Not many complaints on them to date, if any.

About the short shifter, i'd never go back to OEM after having it in. It makes the car a lot sportier and satisfying (less boring) and does help changing gears faster, even with normal driving in traffic if so desired. The change down from 3rd to 2nd is always awkward in a standard H box, and i find this is made a lot easier with shorter throws. Will never match the speed of the DSG but that's another story. At least Jester may agree with me on this occasion that it's a very worthwhile, and one of the cheaper mods.

Also i think if Mario32 wanted a CAI and exhaust then that's his choice..

 

[amrjon]

... understeer city with the front too soft relative to rear;

stiffening the front will create more understeer won't it?

 

[WhiteJames]

Can't wait to read Jester_Fu's opinion re: KW V3

Sexy ... and the R32 is not a bad bit of kit either.
With a bit of time, Jester_Fu will will make his thoughts known re: KW V3.
In the mean while, check out these pics ...

 

[WhiteJames]

Sexy

KW V3 -v- HPA KW SHS coming your way ...

 

[J_u_l_e_s]

Looks good, but the photos are too small! What'd you do with your old suspension James?

 

[WhiteJames]

Old suspension been spoken for by another forum member.

Still trying to work out how to blow up Jester_Fu's pics.

Cheers
WJ

 

[ApexTwin]

KW V3 -v- HPA KW SHS coming your way ...

I'll go out on a limb and say that you will prefer the KW's. :lol:

 

[WhiteJames]

stiffening the front will create more understeer won't it?

Yes and no.
Its been a while since I read up on my suspension tech; but my understanding from both tech articles and a variety of different setups on MKV Golfs is that the rear can be stiffened up to a degree to aid turn-in and change the chassis dynamic from under steer to neutral. In the case of adding a rear sway bar that is very stiff and keeping the stock front bar a mismatch occurs in the following way:

Take for example your GTI is making a spirited right turn.

The chassis leans to the left side, this causes the stiff rear bar to transfer the load laterally across itself to the right unloaded inside rear wheel, helping push the inside unloaded right wheel down onto the ground and create some yaw slip. This is great for initial turn pre-apex. Once apex is very near, the stiff rear sway bar does not allow any body roll in the rear part of the vehicle. The dynamic energy of the weight transfer has to find another outlet, the path of least resistance. The dynamic energy is tranferred diagonally across the GTI to the outer front loaded wheel (front left in this example as we are turning right ... remember). The energy on the front wheel causes it to roll into positive camber, so much so that the tyre & wheel on the outside loaded front left rolls on it outer edge, with the inner part of the tyre lifting off the ground. The effective tyre grip is reduced from a 225mm tyre to someting like a 175mm tyre. In addition, the positive induced camber of the outside left loaded wheel also causing the inside right unloaded wheel to roll into negative camber, also failing to ultise the full width of the 225 tyre. In extreme cases, the whole inner front right wheel could lift off the ground. In this case you would only have 1/2 a tyre of grip (outside loaded tyre with positive camber) as available grip near the apex of the turn. In other words, the rear is stiff and doesn't roll; the front end rocks like a boat, onto the most outer edge of the outside front loaded tyre. Problem is: when you get on the power at the apex of the turn to hammer out of a corner, all you get is understeer as front tyres are not utilising their full tread (remember the outside goes into positive camber rolling the tyre outwards; inside tyre falls into negative camber, rolling inwards). The front end slips away from you under power from apex and beyond. Add a stiffer front anti-roll bar, so when the dynamic force is transferred from the rear diagonally across the GTI to the outer front wheel, the stiffer front bar keeps both the outside tyre from falling into positive camber, and the innder unloaded tyre from falling into negative camber - in other words, both tyres are kept flat on the ground, increasing grip levels when powering out of the turn from apex and beyond. That is why Eibach & H&R have big front bars and smaller rear bars (both adjustable). On sharp hairpin turns, every Golf I have seen with a rear sway bar only has always run wide on corner exit. Similar thing with Mario's R32 if pushed beyond 7/10ths. A very heavy rear bar also has the propensity to get the rear end very light, as the lateral forces side to side, can cause both rear wheels to get light, causing a spin out (aka Peugot 205GTI). So its not as simple as beefing up the rear bar to the biggest size you can find. Clear as mud?

In the last 3 days, I've been fortunate enough to either drive or ride in 3 differnt type of R32:

Ray's R32: OEM suspension + f&r H&R sway bars (soft/hard) + Haldex.
Jester_Fu's R32: HPA KW SHS + OEM sway bars + Haldex.
Mario's R32: OEM suspension + neuspeed rear sway bar only.

All 3 handle & ride differently.

Cheers
WJ

 

[WhiteJames]

Try again with the pics

Third time lucky.

 

[WhiteJames]

Sexy

May have to start a poll: Which is sexier ... R32 or GTI?

 

[WhiteJames]

Okay the Huffs may be heavy ... Heavy but Sexy.

Thanks lord Jester_Fu has a half decent camera.

 

[G-rig]

Did you get any settlement on the back WJ? The rear looks lower than the front, in terms of wheel gap so wouldn't be surprise if it has to come up 10mm (mine did the same).