I can't tell you what a win/win situation it is installing these coilovers. The ride is better, the handling is better, the car looks better.
The only drawback was a slight gain in weight, very small, but the BMW OEM suspension is cast aluminum and quite light. The total difference is about 6.6 pounds total.
With the car jacked up, the front ride height can be adjusted without removing the wheels (just turn the wheels). The Variant 3 kit has adjustable ride height, compression, and rebound. Compression adjustment can be found at the bottom of the strut, rebound is adjusted at the top of the rod. The adjustments can be measured by a series of clicks. Go
here to find out more about adjustment.
The KW kit just exudes quality. No fitment issues whatsoever, everything fit perfectly. The stainless steel assembly resists corrosion, see
here. These guys did their homework, this is the only way I would lower my car. Do yourself a favor, don't just buy springs to drop your car.
The rear perch is set to the lowest setting in the "after" pictures. The front still has about 1/2" of lowering left. I kind of like it right now as I haven't had trouble with curbs yet and the car will have a rake if the front sits too low. If I want to drop the front a bit more, I just need to jack up the front and I can get to the ride height adjustment.
Thanks to my friends at Supreme Power, Vorsteiner, and KW.
So the install goes something like this.
You have to take apart the trunk to get at the top of the struts for the rear.
Jack the car up and remove the wheels. This is what the rear looks like.
Loosen the two bolts, remove the spring. Remove the nut from the top strut and the strut should come out. Install spring with perches on top and strut. (I know, I'm leaving out some pictures or details but if you don't know, you might not want to try this).
Here are those two bolts. That black plastic collar around the bottom of the strut is where you can adjust the compression.
Ok, this is what the original front assembly looks like
You need to pop the cover off of top of the strut in the engine compartment.
Compress spring, remove top.
This is what it looks like with the assembly removed.
You need to compress the KW assembly to attach the top. Then install.
I wouldn't recommend you install this without having really good resources at your disposal. Like a lift, spring compressor, good tools, etc. $300 for an experienced installer is money well spent.
OEM rear weight 9.35 pounds (OEM perch not shown but it weighs about 1 pound) vs KW rear 10.95 pounds with perch.
OEM front weight 7.2 pounds KW front 8.9 pounds
Before
This is after
