One of our KW Coilover contest winners just finished with the installation of his Variant 2 coilovers on his Mazda 3. KW manufacturers the V2 coilover system for the Mazda 3 which features adjustable ride height and single adjustable dampening. This is a great coilover for the street and occasional autocross or track days. As a FWD turbo car, the Mazda 3 is a great tuner platform to hit the track and make some power. In addition to the KW coilovers, supporting suspension mods such as sway bars, chassis braces, and strut tower bars can really turn this car into a handling machine. The car owner also did the installation himself and wrote a great review on the product. You can view some of the install pictures below.
From Jonathan – When I first open up the box everything looked to be quality built which is to be expected especially from KW which is designed and made in Germany. Everything is packaged perfectly and tightly and included various foam and cardboard to keep the parts in place. Well onto the install. Everything was straightforward while the only issue encountered was a modification of the rear top shock mount. We needed to drill out the hole in order to fit the KW V2’s. Pictures of how much material was needed to be drilled out is in my gallery on VividRacing.com. If this wasn’t needed or if KW included their own mount it would have been a perfect install. I know a few coilover companies out there that includes their own rear top mount for the Mazda3.
Onto the adjusting procedures, it took a while to read the German translated to English instructions but once we got it it was really easy. I have it set at 50% on both front a rear for now. The ride quality is great and while it is marginally firmer than the pro-kit I previously had, the handling improvement is amazing! I can take turns on the on-ramps at a much faster speed than the pro-kits. I feel more confident in taking turns going at a higher speed, and even hitting small bumps in the streets than the pro-kit. I expected the ride to be stiffer but even at 50% it is amazingly comfortable. I have the height adjusted to about a finger width wheel gap evenly from the front to rear. The rebound adjustment for the front is easily accessible while the rear will require taking the shocks out or accessing it by removing the carpet inside the trunk. Ride height is easily adjustable for both front and rear.
View all his Installation Photos Here.
