Well, I can't really decide which one I'd rather go with. I intend to track my car on the weekends and such, and have decided on one of the 2 coilovers for my car;


The KW Variant 3 coilovers
or

The HKS Hipermax III coilovers (nonsport, I think it'd be too stiff for DDing)


What do you guys think would be the better choice, since both are around the same price and both are targeted at about the same marketq

 

hks hipermax

 

Have you used them? Whats your reasoning

 

i got the first gen hipermax much better construction than that of other companies.

 

I think the user Andy@performance has had both coilovers on his car, so his insight might be useful.

I don't have experience with the Hipermax IIIs, but if I were to choose, I'd go with the KWs. You might also consider the Bilstein PSS9s.

I'm not sure which one offers the best track performance, but for the road, you really can't go wrong with any of them.

 

The KW v3 is on a completely different level quality wise to the HKS. The valving on the dampeners is actually matched to the spring rates. I have not heard one review of the v3 that was not positively glowing.

 

i would not get the hks non sport if you plan to track.

get the kw v3. (i have kw v2)

 

V3

 

I've been reading quite a bit about that. I've also read about a couple corners have been blown, or leak, or need a rebuild.

The HKS coilovers worry me because they are both 7kg springrate, I had that in my RSX and it was much too soft for the track.

One thing that bugs me, is how low the KWs go. For my RSX, I would lower the front to about 1.9" down and the rear to 2.1", then raise it back up after I was done (Just a quick jack, remove the wheel, and use the spanner wrenches to adjust). The KWs say they only go to around 1.5, and after looking I think I'd want to be right around 1.8" in the rear and 2" in the rear for track usage. What do you guys think about this?

 

Why I would not touch the KW

1. Wide rate spread progressive rear springs ( I can overlook the front progressive springs because the spread is mild and they can't coil bind at any point in travel). It matters when tracking or when driven aggresively and in this case we are talking about little spread, it's a 300lbs differance. The HKS III does not have this issue since it uses linear springs.

2. Low pressure twin tube construction. Why? Hysteresis, a independent dyno is needed to deny, most all twin tube's are generally automatically guilty of this however. The HKS isn't likely to suffer from this issue because of it's high pressure monotube contruction since most monotube dampers tend to suffer very little to no Hysteresis. See, "pressure balancing" at the following link http://www.roehrigengineering.com/ca...s.php?pageid=3

3. Extream cost to replace parts should any warranty claim be rejected. HKS might have the same issue, can't really say. Though asking the question about service as in shop services, might not be a answer yuu want to hear on either brand.



KW coilovers Variant's 1,2&3
low pressure twintube construction,
V1=non adjustable dampning,
V2=adjustable rebound damping,
V3=separate adjustability for compression damping AND rebound damping .
Spring rates Front 485lbs to 525Lbs Rear: 240Lbs to 548Lbs (progressive springs)
Min and Max ride height Front: -.8”/-1.5” Rear: -.8”/-1.5”

HKS III (Monotube construction, adjustable damping, full length height adjustment separate from spring preload
Spring rates 504/504
Min and Max ride height Front: 0 to -1.6” Rear: 0 to -1.9”

HKS III Sport (Monotube conscrution, adjustable damping, sport valving, full length height adjustment separate from spring preload
Spring rates 616/672
Min and Max ride height Front: 0 to -1.7” Rear: 0 to -1.4”

Another product I would recommend to the OP

Cusco Zero 2 (Full-length adjustment and height adjustment separate from spring preload, monotube, adjustable damping)
Spring rates 560/392
Min and Max ride height range Front: 0 to 1.2” Rear: 0 to -1”

Here is what Hysteris looks like on a shock dyno, notice it's not the normal plot that companies want you to see. Notice that the different traces are not laid a top one another, only at the beginning and end of the graph. Also notice that the issue occurs more in compression then rebound. Sorry, but a lot of detail is lost from pvp file as seen in shock 6.2 to JPG and I really tried to prevent that.



Here's that plot that they want you to see.

 

You can make the same argument about HKS III vs the KW, it goes both way's. Both products have been positively reviewed and different in a number of very important ways.

All coilovers claim to have the allure of having valving that matches the spring rates they are sold with.

 

Andy had the RS and not the III. And since his KW3's IIRC are still for sale, might be difficult for him to remain unbiased.

Since he mention's track time, I would not recommend the Pss9.

 

I have the kw v3 and so far only drive it on teh street and its amazing. Smooth and comfortably while giving very nice grip in teh canyons.

 

Thanks Gsedan35, I appreciate the data you posted.

I did not know that the spread could be so crazy on the KWs, I figured that it would indeed be a slight spread, but nowhere near 300lbs.

I was originally looking at the Cusco Zero2's but I quickly dismissed them as their ride height adjustment was not what I was looking for in track usage. Basically, I have no problem getting an alignment done at my friends shop before I make runs on the track, and then again after I'm done, so big drops (still above the flat point on the suspension) usually help.

Barring the HKS or KWs (or even Cusco) what coilovers would you recommend over all of them? I don't mind price.

Oh and one question, do the Cusco 02's really only have an inch of play with them?


Thanks guys

 

u should just buy my zeal function x
https://my350z.com/forum/suspension/...uber-deal.html

i'd take the hks over the kw's any day.
i'd not recommend progessive rates at all if you do intend to track the car.

but then again, if your going to track the car, both the suspensions you listed are a bit on the soft side in my experience. i previously had the hks hypermax 2's with 9/9 rates and it was meh for the track, but far less capable compared to my zeals.

if you want a track suspension, i think the ability of being able to re-valve and rebuild the coilovers is also a plus, im not sure weather kw or hks offers that within the US, but Zeal/Endless USA is just down here in so cal.

 

I've had both and it really boils down to what you are using the car for. The KW V3 is awesome, with a doubt one of the nicest coilovers I've driven on. I currently have the Hipermax III and ride comfort is very comparable between the two but I would have to say that the V3's are definitely a superior coilover. Both of these coilovers have limitations depending on what you are using them for but if your car is a daily driver, I'd opt for the Hipermax III for the cheaper price tag. I doubt a street driven car would even use the full capabilities of the V3 so there really is no point. Or you can get the KW V2. The one thing I do really like about the Hipermax III is that it is shock body adjustable to gain the most accurate corner balancing without effecting the spring rate and piston stroke.

 

Stance GR+. I got mine from THMotorsports for a great price and they are very high quality. Spring rates are 12k front/11k rear which is perfect for our cars.

btw, the Cusco's transfer way too much roll stiffness to the fronts and I think you have some misinformation about the HKS coilovers - they are 9k all around, not 7k.

 

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-susp...on-review.html
I really can't say anything about racing aspect but I hope that helps for DD

 

Yeah, I read that, and have read quite abit about the KWs as well. figured I'd bug people who knew.

 

Thats what I don't like about sponcership deals here. Once accepted we can't seperate the desire to pay back the sponcer from honest comments about the products perfomance or overall worth.


Ohlins PCV and DVF coilovers uses the exact same spring rate as the Cusco coilovers do, 560/392. Truechoice Phase IV coilovers, which were R&D'd by Unitech racing, the same outfit that did Performance Nissan's Grand Am car, which IIRC was the most successfull Grand Am team of all using the 350Z, the they used, 525/425. Yet, no one can tell anyone else what the right spring rates to use are or what the right front to rear rate bias is. Generally lower rear rates are used vs the front rates to give the car more traction out of the hole. Another thing to consider is the fact that the oem suspension has a design reason to justify the lower rear rates, a large amount of anti dive and anti squat in it's geometry. My own rate testing aggree's with Ohlins and Unitech, I did not find higher rear rates productive, at least not with a POS oem VLSD out back or with all the oem suspension bushings in place. Once again however, doesn't mean I can tell anyone else thier front to rear bias is wrong. All text book principles also demand they be verified with actuall testing by the end user.