KW Variant 3 - Installed on 2019 GTI

[lplim]

Hi all,

I recently installed KW V3 on my 2019 GTI, coming from H&R Sport Springs; what a world of a difference. The suspension dampens road imperfections quite well, and I'm starting to have some love back for the car.

I wanted to ask; is anyone here running a similar suspension configuration? What settings have you found that works well on the V3's to make it handle a lot better? I am finding that the stock settings feel very close to stock GTI suspension. I want to decrease understeer/body roll without making the driving sensation jarring from too much stiffness. I am also set on KW's lowest suggested ride height.

Thanks.

 

[-DK-]

My advice is worth what you paid for it but here’s my take;
Sway bars should be the primary suspension component for controlling body roll. Coil overs will do this to a degree, but their primary function is to deal with cancelling frequencies from road imperfections etc. I have KW V1s and H&R 26mm / 24mm sway bars. The coil overs themselves helped keep the cars composure but the sway bars really added the flat cornering and grip in the twisties. The V1s are pretty softly sprung so this seems to be a great compromise for me in terms of civility and performance.
I know this does not directly answer you question regarding the settings but it’s good for thought.

 

[2LEEGIT]

^ this. Settings will vary from driver to driver, car height, weight, sway bar(s), tire compounds, road surface, conditions…etc. There’s not one setting do it all deal. Sometimes, the more you learned, the more you’re confused.

 

[mike-y]

echoing what was said above, but in a very general sense, springs will control how much the car rolls and leans, where as the dampers (dampeners?) will control how fast it lets this happen. Just changing the dampening settings on the coilovers won't drastically reduce body roll, but they may make it feel more controllable and firm. If you want to significantly reduce body roll, you have to either increase the spring rate or increase the size of the swaybars (or a combination of both).

of course, this does not apply as much for active dampers, which use sorcery and magic to better control body motions.