KW Suspensions Deep Dive
The very quiet town of Fichtenberg Germany is by all accounts your typical small German community. The town’s name translates to “Spruce Mountain” referring to the evergreen-like trees seen throughout the hills. Surrounded by this beautiful country side and tucked away from the world, you’d be hard pressed to realize that this is the center where some of the most dedicated suspension engineers on the planet do their work. This is KW Suspensions.
Brothers Jürgen and Klaus Wohlfarth on the race track in the mid 90’s back when KW-Tuning was their own aftermarket performance shop.
Lets Go Racing!
KW Suspensions started with the most humble aspirations. Klaus Wohlfarth, KWs founder and from whom KW gets its name, was just a driving enthusiast like you and me. Klaus and his brother Jürgen funded their automotive passion through a a small aftermarket parts shop and office space under the name “KW Tuning”, and were regulars to local track events. It was on the race track where Klaus Wohlfarth met Klaus Frank, a fellow enthusiast with an uncanny ability to feel and sort out a cars road handling characteristics. The two quickly became friends and indeed business partners as Klaus Frank was soon hired as KWs Chief Engineer. Starting with a team of only four people with a small office and a hand full of tables, Klaus Wohlfarth and Klaus Frank started on their dream to change the world.
In the mid 90’s, the brothers Wohlfarth modified suspension systems to further their racing dreams. Often times becoming frustrated as no single manufacture provided all the features and benefits they demanded from their track experience. They partnered with the best, learned from the best, and continued making improvements to the status quo, eventually buying out many of the key internal parts and valves used by the larger big OEMs such as Koni. KW felt no-one offered the kind of adjustable coilover suspension system that they themselves would want to use. The obvious solution: if it doesn’t exist yet… make it yourself.
If you build it…
KW’s first big success story: The TUV Approved Height Adjustable Spring
As their devotion to motorsport perfection grew, so did their aspirations. KW Suspensions size of operations continued to expand, from a single 75 square meter office space just selling performance parts, to a larger 150 square meter building dedicated to coilover construction and testing. From here their ground breaking Height Adjustable Springs and V1 Coilover line gained traction in the enthusiast market. As the first officially approved complete suspension system by the TUV in 1995, KWs reputation for top level engineering and build quality had been vindicated. Being TUV approved meant their suspension kits were of a high enough quality and safety standard that they could be marketed and sold to the public for general automotive use.
While originally going with Koni shock bodies and modifying them to function better in different vehicles, KWs drive for suspension perfection continued on to the point where internal valves and piston designs were changed and tweaked on a regular basis. While this kind of extensive modification and repurposing soured the relationship between Koni and KW, it was the birth of KWs own in-house shock and coilover manufacturing. In KWs eyes, you learn from the best, then you become the best.
Setting Down Roots
In a mere 5 years from Klaus Wohlfarths humble beginnings selling performance parts, by 1997 groundbreaking began on what would become the world-wide headquarters for KW Suspensions manufacturing, R&D, and technical support/race prep. This initially massive 1050 square meter manufacturing plant and administration building marked just the beginning of the massive success and growth KW would experience in the years to follow.
KW’s name now firmly established, and large production and testing facility ready; the KW Suspensions Racing Team stuck their foot back into the door of professional in-house motorsport development.
KW also sponsored the Prodrive KW Honda Accord for Germanys Super Touring Car Championship
Competing in the still very new German DTC series (German Touring-Car Cup), KW raced with two of their company owned DC2 Integras as well as a sponsored Accord team, as a way to dynamically showcase and test their suspension and engineering experience. DTC racing represents the pinnacle of production car professional racing, limiting the amount of custom fabrication and chassis development found in higher tier motorsports such as DTM. This gauntlet was the perfect test bed for KW Suspensions club-sport and competition line. It proved not only the durability of KWs products, but also the deep motorsport dedication they have to continually develop, tweak, and perfect a suspensions design throughout the racing season. One year later in 2000, KW had gone from the in-house underdog to principle suspension partner and technical advisors for race teams across Germany and around the world
To become the best, you need to be the best
Since then, for almost two decades, KW has continued to push the limits of suspension development all without sacrificing materials or build quality. Countless teams have won due to the continued product development and track support KW has become famous for. Be it winning a 24hr endurance race at the Nurburgring, becoming the OEM supplier for many high performance automotive brands, or simply offering the best drop-in coilover solution for your aging E30 BMW; KW has delivered on all fronts. Everything is still built by hand without having materials outsourced through a private label. Just as KW built their original prototype systems in 1995, the same level of precision, testing, and a true sense of craftsmanship holds true to this day.
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Raw metal in… Go-fast parts out
KW Suspensions end-to-end production line is truly a sight to behold. A perfect in-sync symphony of both the worlds most advanced CNC automated machines and skilled hand-made craftsmanship. Unlike many competitors who are continuously outsourcing the production, KW is continuously ‘in-sourcing’ as much of the entire process as they can.
Raw billet aluminum bars and Stainless-Steel tubing mark the beginning of all KW Coilover systems. The advantage of this is that KW is able to manufacture any of their legacy (or prototype) coilover systems on demand and brand new. Have a old BMW 2002 that needs some V1’s? KW can actually produce a new set today in 2018 and send it straight to your door step.
Quality Control is Life
KW uses a unique trapezoidal fine thread on all their adjusters. This prevents dirt and grim from binding the spring perch.
This type of manufacturing flexibility is a real strong point for KW Suspensions research and development team and just over all quality control. If flaws are found in a batch of coilovers, the error can be corrected immediately and the source of failure found. Other ‘manufactures’ might not realize a problem until receiving a shipment of some 1000 coilovers from overseas, by then it is too late. Throughout the entire process, components are checked, dynoed, and re-checked. It is an amazing feat but it pays off. Nothing leaves this facility faulty, broken, or out-of-spec. Period.
This level of hands on care and true devotion to the quality of a product line is rarely seen, and is amazingly comforting from a customers stand point. While you may pay a slight premium for receiving the KW badge on your suspension system, the quality and care speaks for itself in justifying the price difference.
Every KW Shock is fully dyno tested before being boxed
Innovate or Die
KW Suspensions is one of those companies that truly cares about manufacturing a product that doesn’t just work, but is truly the best they can manufacture. Take for example the threads on the shock bodies themselves. Not only are they cut from high quality stainless steel that prevents rust and corrosion from damaging your system, the angle of their proprietary trapezoidal threads actually prevents dirt and grim from getting between the threads causing them to bind.
KWs unique Polyamide/Steel Hybrid spring collar
Thinking this was not good enough, KW went the added step of redesigning the spring perch from anodized aluminum, to a hard polyamide composite material with internal steel reinforcement. This change is actually critical as Aluminum and Stainless Steel will corrode each other on contact, especially after repeated height adjustment and thread wear/tear. This polyamide composite material provided a stronger alternative which is also immune to the effects of road grime, salt corrosion, and simply extends the service life of your coilover system.
KWs unique advantage has always been to offer high quality suspensions to obscure or forgotten vehicles
Built-To-Order
Running your entire component supply chain in-house has some other interesting advantages. Not only can old coilover sets be re-manufactured brand new at any time, but new technological advances and updates can be added to these older vehicles as well. For example, while Ron was at KWs R&D department, he was able to see V3 coilovers for BMW E30s which feature cast-in spindles. Sometimes older vehicles have awkward or ‘unique’ ways to mounting their OEM Spring and Strut combinations, limiting the amount of aftermarket support that is given to them.
Since KW is able to manufacture kits on demand, they can produce sets in very low quantities for these hard to work with vehicles and provide a quality coilover solution for them. Companies who outsource and work in bulk simply do not have this kind of flexibility to test, fabricate, and bring a new product out to market. No need to wait for parts to arrive over seas; KW can design, test, and manufacture all their components in house which speeds up the prototype phase of a project immensely. What might take several years to innovate otherwise, can be done in a matter of weeks or months, truly impressive.
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Welcome To The Next Level
KWs Street Performance and Street Comfort line of coilovers have one thing in common that is not the same for KWs Competition line. That is the term ‘street’. While the former kits are optimized to be both sporty and comfortable on even the harshest roads (be it through twin-tube shock valving or progressive spring rates to soak up bumps), KWs Clubsport and Competition line bring a whole new set of design challenges to the engineers at KW.
KW Competition coilovers offer a no-compermise custom suspension system. Built for one customer, you.
Large dampers, external reservoirs, stiffer linear springs with consistent feel, and custom tuned valving with up to 4 way adjustability. This is KW Suspensions at 110%, and is equally as impressive as their off-the-shelf line of street and performance systems. KW’s Clubsport line offers the first taste of their true motorsport heritage and understanding. Think of them as the motorsport aggressive cousin of KWs street tuned V3’s. Pillow-ball top mounts, upgraded internals, with linear springs and valving to match, and this is just the beginning of KWs intensive race and motorsport development program.
KWs in-house Race Development Team is available only to professional competition level customers.
When you want to be serious, KW is serious. KW has a dedicated full time team devoted to only professional race car development and research. Here you can find the good stuff. While Clubsports are glorified V3’s with race parts inside, KW Competition coilovers are full custom one-of-a-kind systems which are built specifically to your vehicles racing application. While the V1-V4’s and Clubsports offer perfectly balanced off-the-shelf setups, upgrading to KWs competition line gives you access to KWs motorsport team and support staff.
Membership has its advantages
Finish a race and think the ride was too firm? Talk to your KW Motorsport team and have those shocks re-valved. Swap in different fluid compounds or spring rates, anything is possible with KW Competition. Running a bespoke suspension geometry and layout for Formula-D? KW will manufacture a special coilover design to clear your frame and control arms with all the unique brackets you want. KWs support staff is ready on-hand whether over the phone, or in person via KWs track support vehicle.
Owners of KW Competition Coilovers have access to on-site Track support with KW engineers.
Yes you heard right, KW has their own small fleet of on-site suspension support vans. Each one of these fully customized support vehicles offers a miniaturized version of KWs race-development facilities on four wheels. Inside you’ll find work benches, vices, chests full of internal damper valve components, even a full shock dyno. Quite frankly, with the tools and skills, these guys could completely diagnose, disassemble, rebuild, and re-dyno your coilovers right there on the side of the race track.
Owning a set of Competition Coilovers has it perks. Like access to KWs race support van which frequents local track events
A Dream Fulfilled
When you take a moment to step back and see the big picture that is KW Suspensions, you realize just how impressive the entire operation is. If anything, the history of KW is really a success story of rags-to-riches. 25 years ago, two brothers are just noodling around on a race track for fun fueled by nothing but sweat, passion, and their determination to produce a product for themselves when no other company would. Now, KW is an internationally distributed and respected brand, and the go-to place for anyone serious about how their vehicle handles and performed both on and off the track.
From comfort to race car, KW has the coilover solution your looking for.
Trust can’t be bought, it is earned
Gear-heads love KW, race teams love KW, OEMs love KW, and frankly you should too. In a cut throat world filled with cheap knock offs and outsourced budget brands, KW represents the best qualities you’d expect to see from the world leader in suspension testing, design, and fabrication. If there is one thing KW as a brand represents it is trust. Trust in their quality control, trust in their suspension knowledge, trust in their motorsport heritage. Trust in KW.
If your interested in a set of KW coilovers for your own vehicle whether it be your daily drive for comfort or your clubsport race car, Modbargains has you covered. We have access to the entire KW line including the exclusive Competition line for all of your suspension needs. Feel free to give us a call at 714-582-3330, chat with a mod-expert on modbargains.com, or drop us a line at sales@modbargains.com We’re all enthusiasts just like you, here to give you the best advice on your next KW suspension purchase.