It's whole and better than ever! Not gonna rehash my entire Bilstein suspension fiasco located here:
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...nsors+bilstein

First off, let me thank Justin at Rennsport One for hooking me up with a set of KW Variant 3 coilovers (in addition to some cosmetic bits which I hope are on the way).
And thanks to Ian, Josh and Robert at Evolution Motorsports for cranking out the install and alignment in one day as promised.

Ever since I've had the Bilstein Damptronics, it's been one headache after another. Hours, days, weeks wasted with the car in the shop and thousands of dollars in the toilet. I'm going to reserve my final opinions on this company pending them taking back the brand new but completely useless $700 shock I purchased.

More importantly, it was a mod that was meant to improve the performance and overall enjoyment of the car. It failed miserably on both counts. Having just returned from a roadtrip to Southern California, I found myself cursing, and dare I say it, HATE the car because it was just not fun to drive. Felt like I was riding on solid axles and wooden wheels. And while I'm sure they were correctly installed with those silly little washers, ever since dkbrent's catastrophic failures, I have always felt more than a bit uneasy, particularly with my wife in the car.

Enter KW's. Have to thank (or curse) Mike (GotBoost?) for his very wise words: chalk up the Bilsteins as a lesson (albeit an expensive one) and don't waste anymore time, money, and effort trying to fix them. Failed once, shame on Bilstein, failed twice, shame on me. Wasn't going for a third go around.
All I can say is.....wow. Perhaps some of my initial impressions are based on the fact that I've been riding on completely noncompliant shocks for the last 3 months, but the difference is night and day. The progressive V3 springs give an extremely comfortable ride. Combined with the RSS sways (installed the first time around), the car is now truly point-and-go with minimal/no body roll. And now with Sport Mode back, I once again have the improved throttle response which I've been without since the Bilsteins went on.

Kind of strange to have the little 'shock' button on the console nonfunctional, but to anyone contemplating this mod, you won't miss it.

Car in front of EVOMS fresh after the initial test drive with the KW's

 

Congrats. With your car running properly now, I'm sure you'll quickly put that frustrating episode behind you and re-fall in love with it.

 

I love a happy ending - congrats!

 

I'm happy for you Ed - you've been through a lot and you deserve the turbo in its pristine shape and function it's in today - congrats!

 

Good deal Ed. I am glad that your car is finally whole and the KW's are working out for ya. See you the next time you are out in Cali...

 

What settings are you using for the RSS sways and KW's? Is it the same as when you had the Bilsteins installed?

 

Already have. Thanks!

Danke!

Thanks Shawn. Such a relief. Have you decided on yours yet?

Certainly will. And thanks again, Mike!

Sways were left unchanged: soft front, med rear. Bilsteins are not adjustable, so can't make a direct comparison with the KW's.

 

Great news to hear your toy is now operating to complete sastifaction Enjoy!

I wouldn't have thought there would have been so much difference between the ride of the kw's and the bilsteins but there you go. Thats great info to know. The Bilsteins were always a pretty bone shatering ride for wife and recreational street work (imo). So KW's are as comfy as stock but with the sharper handling?

 

what are your settings on the kw? Maybe i'll sell my setup and go with kw3..

 

The KW's are out for now because of funds so I'm looking at sways and alignment. Maybe the sways were all I needed to begin with. I think I got to a point where my eyes were bigger than my stomach regarding suspension mods.

 

You'd be surprised at how much a good set of sway bars can transform the way your car drives, even on the stock suspension. Are you currently on stock suspension?

 

I am glad this all came together for you Ed. I watched our new shop foreman, Robert Borham perform the final setup on your car last night with our Beissbarth laser alignment machine. He is one of the best when it comes to the final suspension setup on late model P cars. The difference between a good alignment and one done by Robert is like night and day. I hope you enjoy it

 

Not just your opinion. Bilsteins are crap. I can't comment on a 100% stock suspension as I bought my TT with H&R springs already installed. Certainly more comfortable than that setup and without the 'jitteriness' of the springs on a stock suspension. I'm very eager to take it out on the twisties. Never had a lot of confidence with either the springs or Bilsteins, but I have a feeling these will be a lot different.

I honestly couldn't tell you GT2 ride height or thereabouts. Stiffer in the rear, softer up front. I may lower the height a bit in the future. With the ride quality as it is now, I think I could safely do that without sacrificing much in the way of comfort.

Understood. But just do what I do and live beyond your means As Tom said, sways will probably make a world of difference by themselves.

Thanks again, Ian. And thank Josh and Robert again for me. Now with the suspension finally in order, I need to work on some cosmetic bits and finally some power upgrades. Let me know about the paint shop and dyno tuning as we discussed.