I have been through several different types of suspension set-ups over the years. I used to be of the mindset, why spend money on coilovers when you can buy springs for a fraction of the cost and achieve a modest drop and stiffening of the ride. As I started going to car shows and perusing the forums I saw more and more cars that achieved a 'perfect' stance with paper thin wheel gaps and camber/stiffness/rideheight control. I thought that stuff was all cool but much to expensive for my goals.
From coil springs I moved on to an adjustable spring set-up, I was able to achieve the stance I was looking for and for a modest cost but soon came to realize that it was at the expense of ride comfort and my struts. The car had an unnatural bouncy feeling and I would actually say handling was degraded and my struts eventually gave out.
So I decided to finally splurge for a set of true coilovers. I went with KW's entry level
Variant 3 system for my E92 M3. What a difference these made, the car was still very comfortable to drive but had a much more 'sporty' feel. Plus I was able to adjust the ride height at my whim which I really liked.
Then I started getting into a more 'track day' oriented mindset. The large coil design of the V3s took up a lot of real estate inside the wheel well that could have been used for a wider rim/tire set-up. Additionally to run an aggressive wheel in the front you also need camber control in order to tuck the wheel and provide a greater contact patch during hard cornering. So I sold the V3s and picked up a set of
KW Clubsports! The upgrade from V3 to CS was just as dramatic as the upgrade from springs to V3. The CS system does not retain any part of the stock strut tower and ultimately mates to the vehicle without any rubber buffer which leads to a very tactile feedback and increased responsiveness.
Naturally, the search for a suspension system for the F80 was as short as a phone call to Ilia@IND to order the new and improved KW Clubsport 3-way for the F8X! I have yet to receive them but am so excited I decided to take some of iNDs photos and post them up in anticipation of delivery!
UPDATE:
Just received them in the mail and right off the bat I noticed how much bigger the box was compared to the E92 system, this is due to the external reservoirs on each of the struts. They were very well protected and arrived without any damage despite FedEx obviously tossing the box around a bit. I need my car so I can put them on ASAP!
Installed!
