I was finally able to swap out my old FK Streetlines for some rebuilt KW V3 coils this past weekend. Spent a good chunk of Saturday wrenching with a buddy at a local DIY bay/tool rental place. Didn't really take any pics during the install, I just get too focused (would make a terrible vlogger/YouTuber). Didn't have to deal with any rust or seizing whatsoever -- the front strut bodies just slipped right out of the hub after spreading it apart with the strut spreader. I slathered the KW strut bodies in anti-seize for good measure.
Only one thing wrong with these coils, and one install complaint. The thing wrong is the set screw thread on the RF spring perch is a bit done. I'm gonna go back in soon to tap for the next largest set screw. The annoying thing was the rear spring perches are poorly designed, imo. The actual perch is the only component with ridges for an adjustment wrench, while the threaded body has nowhere to grip. Even with the pressure of the installed spring, the whole assembly would spin while trying to adjust the perch. I ended up having to counterhold the threaded body with a universal oil filter wrench to be able to adjust height.
Here's what I'm talking about.
The hilarious bit was finding out that my toe was
horribly off. Y'all, it was so bad, I was running massive toe out and it took all my concentration just to stay in my lane. As I didn't touch the tie rods at all, it must've all come from the SuperPro ball joints. I assumed I had them angled a bit without realizing. Drove home, parked it, didn't move it til it was time to head to the alignment shop. Probably took a month off the tires
Here's the before/after of the toe.
Here's the one photo of the day, which my buddy took. I had the car on the rack to adjust the preload on the sway bars.
Overall impressions are night and day. Yet again, proving that you get what you pay for. My old FKs were horribly bouncy over almost any road feature. Turns out the rear shocks were actually a bit gone, but the coils have felt this way since day one. I bought the car with them installed and they had about 5-8k miles on them at that point.
The KWs are so fucking GOOD. They tackle everything in stride! The car is super predictable now. I dialed in KW's suggested bound/rebound settings before install. Rebound feels perfect, as the car settles very quickly after any sort of imperfection. I think I may have to soften up the bound a bit, as there's a good jolt when going over quick/sharp features, like road seams, lane divider pucks or pot holes.
Overall, very very pleased with this set. The car is finally starting to feel like a cohesive thing. Next big performance mod will be brakes. I'm in the process of collecting parts for a Golf R brake upgrade.