Anyone Running KW Sleeve Over Kit?

[bigbrian]

So after 4 weeks my KW Sleeve Over Kit arrived and it's installed on my 2013 M6 F12. I at a bit puzzled (and a bit disappointed) the rear of the car didn't drop more than it did.

With the collar all the way down on all 4 corners fender-to-ground measures 27 1/4" (front) and 27 1/2" (rear). The original measurements were 28 3/4" (front) and 27 3/4" (rear).

That equates to a maximum drop of 1 1/2" (front) and 1/4" (rear).

KW advertises a 1.2" drop all around. I am not sure why I am so short changed on the rear. I had my BMW dealership install the sleeve over kit and I even pulled off my rear tires today to check it out -- everything looks to be installed correctly.

I am going to send KW an email but I was wondering if anyone else has this kit installed and what measurements they achieved with the kit.

[EuroKar]

Lucky you got yours.
I have been waiting 6 weeks now and KW still has no answer to how long the back order is.
Dinan released a kit for the F10 M5, hopefully the kit for M6 is almost done.

[Twitch Massacre]

I really want to get your feedback on this guys. It sucks that you are having issues already. I was hoping this was a good solution as I'm looking to replace my H&R Springs with something a bit more comfortable. I am definitely not going back to stock height but I would like to find a drop solution which is less harsh on the ride quality.

[Say When]

I am getting mine installed tomorrow. I will let know guys know my feelings after a couple days of driving around with them. Stay tuned.

[bigbrian]

The ride quality on the KWs is surprisingly good. The best way to explain the difference is there is the rebound feels tighter/shorter and it's tad stiffer.

I messed with the front height a little bit ago and I got the overall stance to look pretty good. I have the rear fender-to-ground about 3/16" higher than the front fender-to-ground so the car has a very slight rake which looks pretty damn good.

I would like it a bit lower (front and rear) but then again I am a picky ass. I am now wondering if I measured incorrectly when it was stock. Reason being my original measurements show the front fender-to-ground being a whole inch more than the rear -- seems weird.

If anyone is running stock springs and can measure the fender-to-ground front and rear please let me know what you get.

Brian

[Twitch Massacre]

Originally Posted by bigbrian

The ride quality on the KWs is surprisingly good. The best way to explain the difference is there is the rebound feels tighter/shorter and it's tad stiffer.

I messed with the front height a little bit ago and I got the overall stance to look pretty good. I have the rear fender-to-ground about 3/16" higher than the front fender-to-ground so the car has a very slight rake which looks pretty damn good.

I would like it a bit lower (front and rear) but then again I am a picky ass. I am now wondering if I measured incorrectly when it was stock. Reason being my original measurements show the front fender-to-ground being a whole inch more than the rear -- seems weird.

If anyone is running stock springs and can measure the fender-to-ground front and rear please let me know what you get.

Brian

You mind sharing a picture? Would love to see the stance.

[bigbrian]

Originally Posted by Twitch Massacre

You mind sharing a picture? Would love to see the stance.

It's dark out now... I will snap one tomorrow morning and post it here.

[M6-Coupe]

Originally Posted by bigbrian

The ride quality on the KWs is surprisingly good. The best way to explain the difference is there is the rebound feels tighter/shorter and it's tad stiffer.

I messed with the front height a little bit ago and I got the overall stance to look pretty good. I have the rear fender-to-ground about 3/16" higher than the front fender-to-ground so the car has a very slight rake which looks pretty damn good.

I would like it a bit lower (front and rear) but then again I am a picky ass. I am now wondering if I measured incorrectly when it was stock. Reason being my original measurements show the front fender-to-ground being a whole inch more than the rear -- seems weird.

If anyone is running stock springs and can measure the fender-to-ground front and rear please let me know what you get.

Brian

Brian my car is stock. show me exactly what you want to measure and I will do it for you

[bigbrian]

Originally Posted by M6-Coupe

Brian my car is stock. show me exactly what you want to measure and I will do it for you

Please measure the distance from the ground to the fender as shown in the picture below. It should be somewhere between 27 3/4" - 28 3/4".

Thanks man!

[M6-Coupe]

Originally Posted by bigbrian

Please measure the distance from the ground to the fender as shown in the picture below. It should be somewhere between 27 3/4" - 28 3/4".

Thanks man!

Brian, I measured all 4 fenders. It's interesting that all are the same (front and rear) and are 27 3/4"
BTW, I have 343/ 20" rims and tires are almost %80

[bigbrian]

Originally Posted by M6-Coupe

Brian, I measured all 4 fenders. It's interesting that all are the same (front and rear) and are 27 3/4"
BTW, I have 343/ 20" rims and tires are almost %80

Thanks for taking the time to measure it. I really appreciate it man!

I had a feeling I measured the front or back incorrectly before it was dropped. I have the same wheels so mine (stock) should measure the same as yours.

So that means if it's 27 3/4" stock the KW sleeve over kit doesn't really lower it 1.2" as advertised. The lowest I can get it (and this is on front only) is 27 1/4" which isn't much of a drop (only 1/2") from stock. I know they will settle a bit over time but I doubt they are going to settle another 3/4".

Well shiaaat... This is a bummer.

Brian

[Twitch Massacre]

Brian, the first is a picture of my car right after it was lowered on H&R springs (before it settled). The last two are more recent pictures of my car after 1000+ miles on H&R springs. These springs are advertised to drop the car by 1 inch front and rear. In theory the KWs should drop even lower than that (although I wouldn't go any lower myself, slammed doesn't suit my taste). Are you positive you are measuring your drop correctly. Perhaps it would be better to measure the distance of the gap between the top of the tire and the apex of wheel arch and compare vs stock?

[bigbrian]

Listed below are pics I snapped this morning. Ultimately I would like the car to sit 1/2" lower in the rear and I could adjust the front down another 1/4". I just cannot get the rear to drop anymore -- it's all the way down.

@Twitch - It looks like your ride sits lower than mine (in the rear for sure). I can drop mine down lower than yours in the front but then my rear sits too high and it looks funny (too much rake). I could measure as you describe but I think both ways (my way vs. your way) would accomplish the same thing in terms of variance from stock to dropped.

I sent an email over to my rep at BMW today as they installed the springs. I asked him to speak with the tech to see if he remembers something out of the ordinary on the rear install. I just can't help but to think something isn't right with the rear as the total drop is so minimal.

Here are some pics:

[lfc3153]

Is it because Twitch is starting with a CP car? I fancy some of these so I am very interested in the outcome of this. I will call the UK importer for KW and see what they say.

Cheers

[bigbrian]

I wouldn't think it would make a difference on CP vs. Non-CP car as you are essentially replacing the springs (on his) and the springs and perches (on mine). Unless they make different shocks for the CP version and the perches are placed differently -- which I seriously doubt.

KW Tech responded to my email today and wants me to take some measurements on the rear setup (need to yank off the wheels) which I will do when I get home tonight.

I will keep this thread alive with what I find out. The kit rides really good so I definitely won't be switching to another kit even if I cannot get this one to drop lower. Hopefully we (KW and I) can figure out what the deal is though.

Brian

[Twitch Massacre]

Originally Posted by lfc3153

Is it because Twitch is starting with a CP car? I fancy some of these so I am very interested in the outcome of this. I will call the UK importer for KW and see what they say.

Cheers

Starting with a CP shouldn't make that kind of difference. The suspension is a bit different in the CP but once you swap your stock coils with aftermarket the results should be the same. His drop should be max 1.2 inches on all corners and it really doesn't seem that way in the rear. I like the way his car is standing now, I'd only give it a slight more drop in the back but it is still important to find out why it's not achieving the advertised max drop of 1.2 all around. Brian keep us posted please.

[bigbrian]

Here is an update on the KW Sleeve Over kit on my M6...

So while the car was getting the downpipes and mid-pipes installed today the BMW tech checked out the KW kit installation (just to make sure he didn't miss something). What he found was that the rubber bump stops (which reside on the shock arm and are 1" in height) were bottomed out meaning the shock was literally sitting on the bump stop. This was causing the car to not lower to the advertised rate by KW.

The BMW tech said in the instructions it says it's suggested to "change the bumpstops" but the kit didn't come with new bumpstops so the tech left the old ones in place.

The ground-to-fender measures right at 26 3/4" which is 1" lower than what it measured stock. It's not quite 1.2" but it's close enough for me!

Brian

[Twitch Massacre]

Originally Posted by bigbrian

Here is an update on the KW Sleeve Over kit on my M6...

So while the car was getting the downpipes and mid-pipes installed today the BMW tech checked out the KW kit installation (just to make sure he didn't miss something). What he found was that the rubber bump stops (which reside on the shock arm and are 1" in height) were bottomed out meaning the shock was literally sitting on the bump stop. This was causing the car to not lower to the advertised rate by KW.

The BMW tech said in the instructions it says it's suggested to "change the bumpstops" but the kit didn't come with new bumpstops so the tech left the old ones in place.

The ground-to-fender measures right at 26 3/4" which is 1" lower than what it measured stock. It's not quite 1.2" but it's close enough for me!

Brian

Good to hear, 1" is exactly what I get from my H&R springs. How is the ride quality with the KWs so far?

[bigbrian]

Originally Posted by Twitch Massacre

Good to hear, 1" is exactly what I get from my H&R springs. How is the ride quality with the KWs so far?

Ride quality is good for a lowered car. The travel feels shorter (obviously), tighter, and it's a bit more bouncy -- but not a springy type of bounce. Overall I am really happy with the KW kit especially since I figured out the issue. The stance on the car is dead on how I want it.

Twitch - How do the H&Rs ride?

Brian

[Twitch Massacre]

Originally Posted by bigbrian

Ride quality is good for a lowered car. The travel feels shorter (obviously), tighter, and it's a bit more bouncy -- but not a springy type of bounce. Overall I am really happy with the KW kit especially since I figured out the issue. The stance on the car is dead on how I want it.

Twitch - How do the H&Rs ride?

Brian

On city roads the H&Rs run great, on the highway if you go over a bump at anything over 60mph it feels bouncy and springy as hell. I knew this prior to installing them but at the time these were the only options other than coilovers, so I'm really interested to see if the KW HAS ride any better as I would swap out my H&R springs for those if the ride quality improves. However, I wouldn't go back to stock height after seeing how good the car looks lowered, so it's either keep the H&Rs or try the KW HAS at this point.

[The_Phil]

Hi guys,

I've swichtched from H&Rs to KW sleeve over kit and all I could say it's much better in driving, especially in comfort and performance wise.
It's not as bouncy on high speeds (300 Km/h +) and very stable. I'm very glad to go this way and get a better performance over all.

The dealer lowers the car at the same high as my H&Rs with a tad more dropping in the rear to get a better traction.
I tested the whole setup for 1200 mls on my way to drivers heaven -> Passo Stelvio ;-) It's one of the world's best roads!

Here are a few pictures / videos from the trip and the dropping.

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video files - couldn't manage to embed them...







Best regards,
Phil

[C's Bimmer]

Did anyone have the Comp Package prior to installing the sleeve kit? I'm running KW V3's on the M5 and will need to make this decision too on the M6 GC.