KW HAS or BMW M HAS?

[Paul SR]

Has anyone had these fitted to their cars and which one would you recommend?

[MarkG_M5Comp]

I have the BMW HAS which preserves the BMW warranty perfectly.

Some will say they are identical kits; I doubt that very much but also the BMW kit is 100% type tested and TUV approved for the car.

Coil-overs are of course ultimately better.

[Paul SR]

Originally Posted by MarkG_M3CP

I have the BMW HAS which preserves the BMW warranty perfectly.

Some will say they are identical kits; I doubt that very much but also the BMW kit is 100% type tested and TUV approved for the car.

Coil-overs are of course ultimately better.

So you recommend HAS over just H&R , ACS springs? I thought the BMW HAS was made by KW?

[MarkG_M5Comp]

I liked the idea of adjustability as I'm going to have the car corner balanced; this excluded Eibach and ACS (I had ACS on a previous car and they seemed good).

The BMW kit retains warranty and can be bought at a much more reasonable £950 ish with some negotiation.

The KW kit is cheaper since it's after market but therefore it would need to be fitted elsewhere and BMW will wash their hands of suspension issues potentially.

I've seen no hard evidence other than people's speculation that the KW and BMW kits are the same. Even if KW or Eibach make the springs, again I have seen nothing to confirm they are the same specification. This probably doesn't matter a jot anyway.

As I've said, for me it came down to warranty. This and the adjustability lead me to BMW HAS - on a £73k car it made no sense to me to save a couple of hundred quid when an OEM option was available.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by Paul SR

So you recommend HAS over just H&R , ACS springs? I thought the BMW HAS was made by KW?

Made by KW to BMW specs rather than the generic offering from KW plus you keep your warranty which is important if you get EDC issues.

ACS are a good alternative as they provide a warranty and will stand by their product if you have issues.

[Paul SR]

Originally Posted by MarkG_M3CP

I liked the idea of adjustability as I'm going to have the car corner balanced; this excluded Eibach and ACS (I had ACS on a previous car and they seemed good).

The BMW kit retains warranty and can be bought at a much more reasonable £950 ish with some negotiation.

The KW kit is cheaper since it's after market but therefore it would need to be fitted elsewhere and BMW will wash their hands of suspension issues potentially.

I've seen no hard evidence other than people's speculation that the KW and BMW kits are the same. Even if KW or Eibach make the springs, again I have seen nothing to confirm they are the same specification. This probably doesn't matter a jot anyway.

As I've said, for me it came down to warranty. This and the adjustability lead me to BMW HAS - on a £73k car it made no sense to me to save a couple of hundred quid when an OEM option was available.

BMW HAS - is fitting on top of the price mentioned above?

What is corner balancing?

[Paul SR]

So if I have the kit or springs to lower the ride height would I need to have the geometry set up?

Would need to add spacers as well?

[MarkG_M5Comp]

If you only want the springs for aesthetics - just go for Eibachs as they're the cheapest (£300 ish fitted I guess).

BMW HAS kit with fitting and full KDS wheel alignment cost be around £1,500.

Corner balancing includes adjustment of the weight distribution so you get best possible handling. This is only possible of course with an adjustable kit like HAS or coilovers.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by Paul SR

So if I have the kit or springs to lower the ride height would I need to have the geometry set up?

Would need to add spacers as well?

Yes if you lower the ride height you'll need an alignment, you don't need to add spacers.

The MP HAS kit is not cheap for essentially what is a set of height adjustable springs but it transformed the handling of my car. (my invoice was £1850 supply/fit/kds/istep flash)

It's gone from being a bit of a handful at times to being a bit of weapon that I can trust especially combined with the later istep level which altered the engine dynamics giving a more progressive torque delivery.

But if you just want the lowered looks and already have a newer model then you can look to ACS or fit the KW HAS as a compromise.

[Simon H]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Yes if you lower the ride height you'll need an alignment, you don't need to add spacers.

The MP HAS kit is not cheap for essentially what is a set of height adjustable springs but it transformed the handling of my car. (my invoice was £1850 supply/fit/kds/istep flash)

It's gone from being a bit of a handful at times to being a bit of weapon that I can trust especially combined with the later istep level which altered the engine dynamics giving a more progressive torque delivery.

But if you just want the lowered looks and already have a newer model then you can look to ACS or fit the KW HAS as a compromise.

Wills,
When you say istep level, what actually is that ?. Thinking of maybe going BMW HAS, if i buy another.

[Foretrees]

Originally Posted by Simon H

Wills,
When you say istep level, what actually is that ?. Thinking of maybe going BMW HAS, if i buy another.

Hello Simon, all good i hope

To add to this thread, I've been running KW HAS for almost 2 years, you know i did this soon after i picked up the car, no issues whatsoever, the BMW MP HAS kit was still in the pipeline at the time, both kits are made by KW and tbh they are identical other than the colour, its wether you have the appetite to go out side warranty on your suspension, having recently visited the dealers they compliment the stance.

Lakes run needed at some point

Regards
John

[Foretrees]

Quick picture of KW - HAS

[AD18]

Originally Posted by Foretrees

Quick picture of KW - HAS

Wow!! If that is yours, that is a stunning looking car!

[Simon H]

Originally Posted by Foretrees

Hello Simon, all good i hope

To add to this thread, I've been running KW HAS for almost 2 years, you know i did this soon after i picked up the car, no issues whatsoever, the BMW MP HAS kit was still in the pipeline at the time, both kits are made by KW and tbh they are identical other than the colour, its wether you have the appetite to go out side warranty on your suspension, having recently visited the dealers they compliment the stance.

Lakes run needed at some point

Regards
John

Hi John,
All good here thanks, hope the same goes for you ?. Have you had any issues with clearance with the HAS ?, Lakes run again would be great for a catch up. I popped up to Dereks last summer, after we had spoken last time, a great fellow. Hopefully see you soon

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by Simon H

Wills,
When you say istep level, what actually is that ?. Thinking of maybe going BMW HAS, if i buy another.

istep is the software that runs the car BMW have released many updates over the last 3-4 years for our cars, some give major changes some small changes, after installing the HAS kit you get an istep re-flash depending on the age of your car the changes could be dramatic or subtle.

[Simon H]

Originally Posted by Wills2

istep is the software that runs the car BMW have released many updates over the last 3-4 years for our cars, some give major changes some small changes, after installing the HAS kit you get an istep re-flash depending on the age of your car the changes could be dramatic or subtle.

Ok Wills,
Was aware of the software updates etc, but never known it by this description. So if the BMW HAS, was put onto a 2018 car, with the latest software, they wouldnt have to reflash, or is there a flash just for the HAS, would you know ?.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by Simon H

Ok Wills,
Was aware of the software updates etc, but never known it by this description. So if the BMW HAS, was put onto a 2018 car, with the latest software, they wouldnt have to reflash, or is there a flash just for the HAS, would you know ?.

The istep flash isn't for the HAS per se as that's not connected electronically to the car but it's part of the fitting instructions.

In older cars like mine it's transformative in a new 2018 car you'll already have one of the latest versions.

Look on the main forum for more info, huge thread running on it including all the versions.

[kerkiraios00]

M performance has

[SO17]

They may look identical but the spring rates differ. I queried the spring rates of the KW HAS and said that I have a MY 18 CP car and I like the ride quality as it is. It's a daily driver and all I really want to do is get rid of the wheel arch gaps. KW responded by stating 'Take the MP HAS'.

[Paul SR]

What about when the car is fully loaded with people and luggage - would there be potential issues with rubbing or bump stops? Also I have fitted the CS splitter so it sticks out a little more than the other splitter.

[moonluv810]

Originally Posted by SO17

They may look identical but the spring rates differ. I queried the spring rates of the KW HAS and said that I have a MY 18 CP car and I like the ride quality as it is. It's a daily driver and all I really want to do is get rid of the wheel arch gaps. KW responded by stating 'Take the MP HAS'.

Did they elaborate on why they suggested MP over their own product? Spring rates?

[SO17]

Originally Posted by moonluv810

Did they elaborate on why they suggested MP over their own product? Spring rates?

They gave me the rear spring rate in Newtons - 180 which I then ran through a convertor to lb/in, which came out a lot higher than OEM, but they couldn't provide the front spring rate as it's a progressive spring. Below is a quote:

Perfect for the OEM dampers to have a comfortable ride with your car on public roads and use your M as a commuter... Keep the MP HAS

From the rear spring rate and the quote, I concluded that the front springs are also a lot higher than the MP HAS