[nitehawk]

I finally had a chance to get my KW Street Comfort coilovers installed. It’s been a looong time coming Thanks to DefactoM6 for answering all my questions early on.

WHY KW STREET COMFORT?

I’ve waited a long time to decide on a setup that was going to be right for me. Swapping suspensions isn’t practical/cheap so I wanted it done right the first time. My car is a DD and I’ve been looking for the ultimate street setup I could enjoy year round. I know the V series are really popular on the forums, mainly for their ability to maintain decent ride quality around town while allowing for significant lowering. However, load transfer is not as predictable/intuitive with progressive springs; I understand it leaves more to be desired during hard driving. The KW Street Comfort setup with linear springs (286/572 lb/in) allows for a more direct driving feel that I was looking for (kw clubsports use linear springs too…in fact, they have the exact same rear springs). The spring rates with the 1:2 front/rear ratio work well for our platform and this is one of the few “off the shelf” setups to offer this. Getting dampers that are matched (ie. valved) for a specific spring rate is also key.

Some additional background…
I should mention that I had initially bought these coilovers for my original e92 335i. It had:

o M3 sway bars: front & rear
o M3 front control arms: tension strut, wishbone link
o M3 subframe bushings
o Wavetrac LSD
o Megan Racing toe arms

Sadly, I lost that car in an accident last December, yet I couldn’t walk away from this platform. So these coils along with M3 front arms went on my recently acquired e92 335i Everything else remains stock at the moment.

INSTALL/SETUP:

My coilovers were ordered via Sonic Tuning; both Pat/Jose are great and I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again. Install wise, it's not much different than the V series. I set the front damping to 8 (from stiffest) and rears at 9 (kw recommends 9 all around). I also installed Powerflex rear shock mounts (street 10mm), since the stock ones are known to deflect and wear easily. Up front, I stayed with the stock strut mounts, mainly because I felt camber plates would be overkill for my needs and I didn’t want any added NVH. I did remove the alignment pins for extra camber. The M3 front control arms were added just before my alignment. Here are some pics (wish I had taken more) including my alignment results after 700 miles (I requested M3 toe specs):









Ride height (ground to fender):
Below is a comparison of the original ride height on the stock sport suspension and my new ride height on the KW suspension. The front was lowered by 3/4” while the rears only 1/8”. One reason I like the Street Comforts is that they allow you to maintain a decent ride height, a must for my needs. For those wondering, wheels are 19” SF-71’s with 245/35 FR and 275/30 Conti DW tires.

Stock:
Front: 26.5” Rear: 25.75”
KW:
Front: 25.75” Rear: 25.62”

Stock:


After KW Install:




IMPRESSIONS:

Handling:
This kit delivers. The biggest issue I had with the stock suspension is that it felt too soft/under-dampened once you replace the run flats with conventional tires. M3 bits alone are not the solution. There was also too much pitch/roll in stock form. The Street Comforts remedy this problem; car is now much more responsive over uneven pavement. It no longer bounces around multiple times over undulating surfaces. Cornering response is more predictable and body roll is also much improved.

That being said, the ride is not as flat as my previous 335i with M3 roll bars. I will re-add the M3 front sway bar. As for the rear M3 sway, I felt that it took away too much grip from the back in my experience. The people who warned about this have a point. While it’s fun to swing out the rear all the time, I have decided to keep the rear sway stock this time around.

Steering feel with the S/Cs combined with m3 front control arms is superb. That mushy plowing feel is gone; I would attribute this mainly to the M3 arms, due to the added negative camber and stiffer bushings. You feel a more direct connection to the road with a better on center feel and turn in response. Road imperfections are also felt more but nothing I’d complain about. Don’t skimp out on the M3 front control arms. It also works well in conjunction with Active Steering; there were no codes or weird issues for me upon install.

The rear end still needs some work since the coilovers do not fix the squirmish feel on hard accel. The soft rear subframe / control arm bushings are the main culprits here. My previous 335i tracked nice and straight with no drama. I miss that buttoned down feeling and will rectify it next year come spring.

Ride Comfort:
These coilovers really live up to their name “street comfort.” Even though they use springs that are significantly stiffer than stock, the ride is actually MORE comfortable (assuming you have non-runflats). My original setup with all M3 bits felt harsher in comparison. It soaks up the little bumps way better than stock and again, that under-dampened feel is gone. It could honestly pass as an OEM setup.

PROBLEMS/DOWNSIDES:

I have over 1000 miles on this suspension now and there are no abnormal clunks or noises whatsoever. I really don’t have any complaints. I highly recommend this for a DD/street setup. If you’re tracking your car, you may want something stiffer.

WHAT’S NEXT?

I want to finish what I started a long time ago with the e9x suspension! After the winter season, I will tackle the rest of the upgrades:
o M3 front sway
o M3 rear subframe bushings
o M3 rear control arms (guide rods, wishbone links)
o Megan Racing toe arms
o Powerflex differential bushings
o LSD

Happy modding

[Volasko]

Looks like someone took their car to Kevin! Great writeup!

[cvc 22349a]

Amen
Nice write up

[nikitino25]

When you say you will be getting M3 rear control arms (guide rods, wishbone links) are you also getting the M3 camber arms and did you have them before?

[cvc 22349a]

Originally Posted by nikitino25

When you say you will be getting M3 rear control arms (guide rods, wishbone links) are you also getting the M3 camber arms and did you have them before?

The rear shocks won't mount to the M3 camber arms

[jjellyneck]

Great review and good point to get those shock mounts!

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by nikitino25

When you say you will be getting M3 rear control arms (guide rods, wishbone links) are you also getting the M3 camber arms and did you have them before?

Nope, camber arms will remain stock. As cvc mentioned, m3 camber arms don't fit the shocks. I don't think that piece is as critical as the rest of other rear bits anyway.

[cvc 22349a]

During my morning commute on shitty Bay Area highways and roads I was reminded of how well this suspension absorbs bumps w/o unsettling the car v. my previous sport spring/strut combos. No signature strut explosions over sharp impacts and the car remains settled over the surface irregularities. Street Comfort is a fitting name for this suspension.

[335dM]

I'm getting Ohlins road and track
With m3 bits and LSD for my 335d

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by cvc 22349a

During my morning commute on shitty Bay Area highways and roads I was reminded of how well this suspension absorbs bumps w/o unsettling the car v. my previous sport spring/strut combos. No signature strut explosions over sharp impacts and the car remains settled over the surface irregularities. Street Comfort is a fitting name for this suspension.

It truly is an underrated setup Hard to believe not many ppl have it

[marcvtec]

My next mod.
Nice op

[Evilarexeven]

Do you have room to go lower?

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by Evilarexeven

Do you have room to go lower?

There's definitely room to go lower. However, I wouldn't recommend going lower than 1" over stock. I understand it can cause the front to feel twitchy or unsettled.

[nitehawk]

Update: reaching 2200 miles on this setup, the fronts have settled a bit. They are 1/8" over 25.5" as compared to the 25.75" it was set to. Rears have remained the same, so both front/rear are the same height now.

[D's Bimmer]

Great write up. I am looking at doing the same setup for my e90. The KW Street Comforts look like one of the best complete kits for a dd.

Are you still happy with everything?

Could you PM me where you had them installed as I am in the Toronto area as well. Was Sonic the best price?

Thanks,

D

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

Great write up. I am looking at doing the same setup for my e90. The KW Street Comforts look like one of the best complete kits for a dd.

Are you still happy with everything?

Could you PM me where you had them installed as I am in the Toronto area as well. Was Sonic the best price?

Thanks,

D

Hey, yes I'm still very satisfied with the setup. Only issue is that I find the front is a little too low for everyday street use. Especially now in the winter, some extra clearance would be nice clearing snowbanks and getting in/out of driveways and parking lots and not scraping the bottom of the bumper.

The fronts settled 1/4" after install so I need to have them raised back to at least 25.75" ground to fender

Ps. check your pm box, I msg'd you the info few months back

[nitehawk]

Its been a long winter...

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

Hey, yes I'm still very satisfied with the setup. Only issue is that I find the front is a little too low for everyday street use. Especially now in the winter, some extra clearance would be nice clearing snowbanks and getting in/out of driveways and parking lots and not scraping the bottom of the bumper.

The fronts settled 1/4" after install so I need to have them raised back to at least 25.75" ground to fender

Ps. check your pm box, I msg'd you the info few months back

Thanks for the feedback. I assume you can raise up the front end for winter driving. It is an extra cost each winter and spring but such is life. I can't seem to find your PM, if you could resend it I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks again,

D

[Jrmend8]

Great write up. Where did you end up purchasing all the parts from? I'm looking for a good lowered stance responsive setup with improved handling for my 2007 335i Coupe.

[Ninpo1]

Excellent write-up! Thanks so much for the review. I am wanting KW V1s or 2s. I've ridden in KW V3 on the Nürburgring and it was an incredible ride!

Enjoy the KW Street Comforts!!!

[cvc 22349a]

nitehawk: You mentioned doing powerflex differential bushings after Winter on your list of What's Next. Would you please comment on NVH when you install those? Have you considered a E93 15mm rear roll bar when doing all that rear end work?

[keeedle]

Thanks so much for the review! I bought both front and rear M3 control arms set after reading this. And also KW street comfort too. I love them! I am glad I found this review.