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[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by Meister

As somebody said earlier on this forum, referring to both John Hennessey's superb pricing and the world-class performance of the KW Variant 2 coilovers - RUN, DON'T WALK to get a set of these on your ride. I'll second that, particularly if greatly improved handling and safety is anywhere in your priority list.

Teamed up with Hotchkis Sport anti-sways, these KWs are truly the ultimate suspension mod for the LX Hemis. The install was finished Thursday night, and I have since put approx. 700 demanding, highly-spirited, miles on them.

The performance results from the combination of the KWs and the Hotchkis bars are remarkable. The term CARVE now has clear and precise meaning. And gone completely is the nasty steering wheel kick all too common with our stock suspension and stock ContiSeals when encountering a bump with the suspension loaded.

They are the match, and more, of the SRT8 suspension - no little praise - a point demonstrated at both high speeds and in super-tight, gnarly, twisties. At traction limits in high G turns the car remains flat - I was unable to intentionally induce body roll.

Basic city manners are improved also. One killer speed bump near my residence was barely tolerable at 11 mph with my stock suspension. A test run at 15 mph with the KWs showed much less pitch and rebound, and was significantly more comfortable than with the stock suspension at 20% or so less speed. Transiting uneven surface heights and textures at an angle no longer requires steering wheel input to maintain course.

My settings:
Springs: Total drop: Rear 1 /1/4", Front 1 3/8.
Rake: 1/2"
Rebound damping: Front: 2 turns, Rear: 1 turn.
Alignment: I split the difference between Hennessey Performance recommendations for fastest lap time, and factory settings. Toe-in is zero.

On my car these settings are so near perfect that I'll not be changing anything anytime soon - I'll merely be enjoying the tremendous refinement to handling and responsiveness.

Meister,

That really was a fantastic write up.....I have mine set at 2.5 turns in the front and 1 turn in the back and am pretty happy. My drop is pretty aggresive (there is about 1/2" gap front and back)....I think I need to break down and get the sway bars.....