A4_Mation (Dave@ETA)

i need to reset my KW Var2's to a good height and rebound setting, im bouncing all over the place and the front wheels rub on deep turns. Any suggestions? i don't wanna remove my suspension anymore!

RKA

At 1.75 turns from full soft, I found it was a bit too firm.

Depending on your tastes, I would settle at 1.5 turns from full soft, or 1.75 turns from full soft.

Height...depends on your wheels and tires...but a 1-1.5 finger gap all around should not leave you rubbing. Raise is a bit and see if that helps.

Catfish

Installed on Christmas day, I set the rebound dampening 7/8 of one full turn to the right [clockwise] after having turned the fully compressed piston rod counterclockwise to full stop. I have all four corners set to 26", measured from the ground straight up to the bottom of the fender well and aligned with the center of the wheel. No rubbing so far, the heaviest load to date has been with the driver and one front passenger, estimate about 340 lbs. I have 18" wheels, so that has a definite affect on the ride comfort. Suspension wise there is no harshness in either the compression or rebound, no bouncing and cornering is very good. I also have Neuspeed front and rear sway bars, rear is 19mm and set on soft. I have the LLTEK upper front suspension tower brace installed too. I don't track or drag my car, but I'm a terror on clear on and off ramps.

A4_Mation (Dave@ETA)

there is no other way to adjust other then taking it off the car? its such a pain in the ***, do i need any special tools to adjust the rebound?

RKA

You'll need spring compressors and all, since you have to disassemble everything before you can make the change.

For the rear shocks you can do something like this <img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/2062/rear_adjuster.jpg"> so you can effect changes very easily.

For the front shocks, it's a PITA. You'll need an allen wrench, and you'll have to compress the piston and turn to make the change. Best bet is to go back to full soft (as your reference point), then reset to the new setting.

Catfish

I'm guessing that your pic shows a slot which was cut in the rear suspension strut mounting bracket to allow an adjustment. On my rear KW's, the shock piston must be fully compressed to allow the cams of the adjusting nut to engage in the recesses of the foot valve assembly. To accomplish this, the shock's upper bushing had to be screwed off of the piston and then both the dust cover and bump rubber removed from the piston as well. I adjusted both rear shocks prior to mounting, so I used the two upper bushing lock nuts [each rear shock has one] threaded on the piston and tightened against each other to create a "wrenching point" which would allow me to turn the piston once compressed and engaged. The front shock piston had a hex recess in the top of the shaft which allowed the use of a hex wrench. On my coilovers, both front and rear, adjustment to the rebound dampening can only be made with the shock completely removed from the car, spring removed, and both the dust cover and bump rubber removed.

Here's some additional rebound setting advice. KW Suspensions recommends one full turn from full soft. David from Pro-Imports recommended 1/2 - 3/4 turn from full hard. Gjaime likes his suspension hard and set his 1 1/2 turns from full soft. I believe JustDave had his set at one full turn from full soft, and later went to 3/4 turn.

RKA

you're right about the rear shock adjustments. I had a brainfart...I paid someone else to do the install on the V2's.

JustDave and I had these discussions back when he and I were fiddling with these kits. IIRC, he eventually settled around 1.5 turns from full soft. He may have added more. (sorry, I got a little confused about what you said, so I added that for clarity)

As for what KW recommends...that's horsesh!t. When my installer (PES) put them in at 1.25 turns, and I complained that it had a bit of bounce, we consulted KW (HPA), and they recommended 1.75 turns. That's what we went with on round 2. I could certainly see how some people would love this setting for autocross and track...but for daily driving, it followed the road a little too closely for me. Note, I had a 1.8T...I wouldn't be surprised if 1.75 was a good sweet spot for the 2.8 cars.

Catfish

one other thing about setting the rebound. Once you've turned the piston the amount you've decided, pull the piston straight up vertically at least 1 centimeter without turning in order to disengage the adjusting mechanism.

Quattro G

Wow - I know this is an old post but now i have the same issue. How do you unscrew the bushing without the shaft spinning? The bushing you mention - is that the top part of the shock with the eye mount? (I didn't think taking the cap with the four dimples on it off the top of the shock housing would be a good idea, but the bushing doesn't look like it can be unscrewed without some special procedure).

bnr32_coupe

vice grip the shaft then try unscrewing it?