KW V2 coilovers: Bmw135i review.

Sleeper135i

Member
So it’s been awhile since I posted anything, decided to keep my car a few more years and play with it a bit seeing as it recently came out of Motorplan.

I enjoy driving and wanted to eliminate the horrible handling of the stock bmw 135i suspension, I have never liked it and always thought of it a straight line car. So I ordered the KW V2 coilover set after doing a lot of research. The other option was the Ohlins R&T but I and got such a good deal on the KW’s.

This is not a track car. So not looking for fast times, my goal was to have a comfortable ride that can handle quick corners confidently. This car already has the front M3 control arms.

Enter the KW V2- the V2’s Have adjustable height and rebound settings, wanted the flexibility to adjust rebound if need be but no need for total adjustability like the V3’s offer.


Install was pretty straight forward, no issues. There is a full DIY video on how to do it if anyone is interested, so won’t go into too much detail here.

Front

Rear





How does it Ride.

Amazing!
It rides so much better than standard. The floaty side to side movement has been eliminated, it is stiff when it needs to be and soft when dealing with bumps and dips. It may be a little stiffer than standard but certainly not uncomfortable or hard. There is no vibration or harshness, just a very smooth ride. The car feels planted and have no issue in taking corners at high speed and stepping the rear out a little.

The car stays much more level now and handling has become so much more predictable, the weight transfer is not as abrupt, I can still feel the soft rear Sub frame bushings tho, those need to be changed next.
I left the settings as per KW recommended but may go a click softer front and back.

In all I am impressed with the results, I have let the springs settle and am going to corner balance the car (possibly overkill for this car) Also I am going to raise the ride height, at the moment it is sitting pretty low, but still clears speed bumps without issue. If more people sit in the car this may be a problem.
I would def recommend this mod. It makes such a great difference.

I will update when the car has been corner balanced to see how much of a difference it makes.
 

Fuzz@tinyNET

///Member
Official Advertiser
Nice one bro! Any pics of the side profile of the car?

Btw, is the 125i badge still on the car? :fencelook:


Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk
 

Sleeper135i

Member
Fuzz said:
Nice one bro! Any pics of the side profile of the car?

Btw, is the 125i badge still on the car? :fencelook:


Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

Thanks bru, I'll have to take some this weekend once its cleaned up.

haha yes sir, and its got 125i exhaust tips.:roflol:
 

boost3d

Honorary ///Member
Sleeper135i said:
Fuzz said:
Nice one bro! Any pics of the side profile of the car?

Btw, is the 125i badge still on the car? :fencelook:


Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

Thanks bru, I'll have to take some this weekend once its cleaned up.

haha yes sir, and its got 125i exhaust tips.:roflol:

:clapper: Nice review


i was suppose to get a used set for my e92, and then the deal fell through....:smashScreen:
 

sash

///Member
Sleeper135i said:
Fuzz said:
Nice one bro! Any pics of the side profile of the car?

Btw, is the 125i badge still on the car? :fencelook:


Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

Thanks bru, I'll have to take some this weekend once its cleaned up.

haha yes sir, and its got 125i exhaust tips.:roflol:

Naughty naughty..., lol

definitely been ages since you posted. welcome back.
 

Johnny135i

///Member
Great write-up and review:clapper:

It's good to see how these coilies have improved the ride & handling.

This is a mod I am considering in the near future as my AC Schnitzer springs are a great upgrade from the stock spring, but still aren't up to my high standards.the ACS ride is much improved but still feels a bit bouncy on bumpy roads and the suspension feels a bit one dimensional when really pushing the car through bumpy corners.

I'm considering these KW's or the similar BC suspension option.

Question: did you have th bought locally or did you import/order them yourself?
 

moranor@axis

///Member
Official Advertiser
Johnny135i said:
Great write-up and review:clapper:

It's good to see how these coilies have improved the ride & handling.

This is a mod I am considering in the near future as my AC Schnitzer springs are a great upgrade from the stock spring, but still aren't up to my high standards.the ACS ride is much improved but still feels a bit bouncy on bumpy roads and the suspension feels a bit one dimensional when really pushing the car through bumpy corners.

I'm considering these KW's or the similar BC suspension option.

Question: did you have th bought locally or did you import/order them yourself?

you need uprated dampers this would be a good option if you happy with your current ride hight...

I can supply the KW as well as other high end brands as well as uprated dampers from Koni or Bilstein when you are ready give me a shout and we can discuss options
 

Sleeper135i

Member
Got the Car corner weighted.

The Car drives like it is on rails. It has a ton more cornering grip now!
Honestly, it's the best upgrade I have done to the car yet. Better than adding more power, well... almost :rollsmile:





These are the numbers WITHOUT me in the car.
We were adjusting according to the numbers with me in it and half a tank of fuel.






Getting the rear balanced took a bit of time and still couldn't get them exactly weighted. This is as close as we could get and it's pretty decent, especially as it's a road car.
With me in.:
LF RF difference was 1kg w
LR- RR difference was <40kg.
Front- rear was around 48.9%




Johnny135i said:
Great write-up and review:clapper:

It's good to see how these coilies have improved the ride & handling.

This is a mod I am considering in the near future as my AC Schnitzer springs are a great upgrade from the stock spring, but still aren't up to my high standards.the ACS ride is much improved but still feels a bit bouncy on bumpy roads and the suspension feels a bit one dimensional when really pushing the car through bumpy corners.

I'm considering these KW's or the similar BC suspension option.

Question: did you have th bought locally or did you import/order them yourself?

Thanks, I seriously recommend you go for the coilovers. I looked at the Spring upgrades and different damper combos and decided on the coil over package, and get it corner weighted. it was the best decision.

Also get the Front M3 control arms, It takes away a lot of the loose play in the steering.

I prob didn't need the V2's the V1's would have been fine but the adjustability is there if I ever want it.

Ordered from the UK, took 5 weeks and cost about R20k landed to my door.
 
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