DIY How To: Remove and Replace Suspension with KW V3 Coilovers on Mach-E

[edido]

I live in the SF bay area, just recently bought a 2023 CA Route 1. Does anyone have recommendations for a reputable shop that would install these coilovers? Hopefully a shop that has worked on Mach-E suspension before because it sounds like from what others have said, that there are some places where the aftermarket suspension could do damage if not set up right.

Also, since these could cause an issue with manufacturer warranty, would it be more prudent for me to perform the mod after my bumper-to-bumper warranty expires?

Edit: clarity

Hi,
I installed KW and Steeda sway bars here:
Life's Good Racing! & Street Performance
(925) 243-9270
https://maps.app.goo.gl/wr2oZWUf3DoQJgLu8?g_st=ic

A friend of mine also installed there.

Chris, the manager, is super nice.

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[edido]

Hi,

Can more people please share their rebound and bump settings? Please also share your experience.

I tried multiple settings, and to be honest I don't feel any difference. The reason I tried different settings is because I am still not happy with the drive quality. It's still bumpy and unpleasant drive no matter what settings I tried.

 

[21st Century Pony]

I finally found a weekend to install the KW coilover. From reading this awesome posts (without it I wouldn't have the courage to DIY), I was able to start on the rear suspension and remove the spring and shock. It sounds like a pain to make rear adjustments so I'm trying to preset rebound and bump as best as I can , but can't quite figure out the settings. When I got the rear shocks, the compression dials between the two were different - one was set to 0 and the other on 3, so must've been accidently moved. So can some explain the numbers in the dials. They go from 0 to 5, but I noticed people are setting to 9 and 11. I plan to presset to @Conisseurr settings of 11 for compression and 9 for rebound. So does that mean the dial shows a number that is the offset from the factory settings? In other words, if factory setting for rear compression was 8, and I want 11, the dial settings should be at 3??? Confused?? Some goes with the rebound settings. How do I know the current settings when I use the dial that came in the box. Seems like if I wanted to change the rear rebound setting, I would have to completely remove the shock to make the adjustment (which is at the top, under neat the top hat mount). Would be a PITA, so defintely wanna try to set it once if possible. Thanks all for the quick reply....

BLUF: it is in the English part of the book that came with the KW shocks.

 

[21st Century Pony]

BLUF: it is in the English part of the book that came with the KW shocks.

If your KW set lost its plastic case where the setup book is, let me know and I'll get mine from the car.

 

[ghamuser]

I pulled up the OPs installation guide. So I think I got it. Am I then correct that adjusting the top rebound setting of the shock requires complete removal of the shock??

 

[21st Century Pony]

I pulled up the OPs installation guide. So I think I got it. Am I then correct that adjusting the top rebound setting of the shock requires complete removal of the shock??

I think I did it with the shock in place. It's been three months though... You can back the dial to ZERO and then feel each click as you slowly increase the count, if memory serves me right.

 

[ghamuser]

On the rear shock bottom dial setting (The bump/compression setting), I get 12 clicks which is consistent w/ the instruction manual. However, the top piston shaft setting (The rebound setting) has 20 to 21 clicks. The instructions manual says it should have 16 clicks. I confirmed this on the two rear shocks that I received. Is that everyone's experience? If so, do I start from 0 and go up to the desire setting or do I go start from the hardest/firmest setting and dial it back?

 

[21st Century Pony]

On the rear shock bottom dial setting (The bump/compression setting), I get 12 clicks which is consistent w/ the instruction manual. However, the top piston shaft setting (The rebound setting) has 20 to 21 clicks. The instructions manual says it should have 16 clicks. I confirmed this on the two rear shocks that I received. Is that everyone's experience? If so, do I start from 0 and go up to the desire setting or do I go start from the hardest/firmest setting and dial it back?

I'd go from ZERO, up.

 

[21st Century Pony]

On the rear shock bottom dial setting (The bump/compression setting), I get 12 clicks which is consistent w/ the instruction manual. However, the top piston shaft setting (The rebound setting) has 20 to 21 clicks. The instructions manual says it should have 16 clicks. I confirmed this on the two rear shocks that I received. Is that everyone's experience? If so, do I start from 0 and go up to the desire setting or do I go start from the hardest/firmest setting and dial it back?

I'd go from ZERO, up.

 

[ghamuser]

OK, finally got around to installing KW V3 suspension in fronts and rears. Thanks to the OP, followed his instructions and others feedback to get it done. I don't want to get into the installation procedures as they are well documented here. This post specifically relates to the bump and rebound settings. I called KW to clarify and here's what I found.

The rebound effective settings range is 0-16 whereas the bump/compression's effective range is 0-12. I had 20 to 21 clicks on the rebound settings and not 16. KW tech support stated any clicks past 16 has no effect on the valve itself, as it is "opened" all the way. To begin the valve adjustments, you must start by turning the wheel dial to it's hardest/firmest settings. The readings on the dial should show "0". From there you back off/dial back (anti-clockwise) to the desired number of clicks. The higher the number of clicks, the softer it gets. According to the manual, the KWs came with factory settings based on the number of clicks open versus a numbering system that I believe we have previously shared on this thread :

Stated Manual settings:
Fronts -Rebound 9 clicks open, Bump 7 clicks open.
Rears-Rebound 8 clicks open, Bump 6 clicks open.

It appears when folks on this thread are sharing settings, I'm assuming this:

Example: If I wanted Front Bump set to 10. Bump's effective range is 0-12, therefore, I would set the dial (starting at the firmest setting) 2 clicks open (12-2=10) effectively achieving a setting of 10.

I'm hoping folks who've installed KWs can confirm whether this is how you calculated values relating to firmness.

Please chime in, if I'm totally off on my assumption or even partially.

PS. I will post ride comfort results after tweaking settings and riding them for a few weeks.

 

[21st Century Pony]

OK, finally got around to installing KW V3 suspension in fronts and rears. Thanks to the OP, followed his instructions and others feedback to get it done. I don't want to get into the installation procedures as they are well documented here. This post specifically relates to the bump and rebound settings. I called KW to clarify and here's what I found.

The rebound effective settings range is 0-16 whereas the bump/compression's effective range is 0-12. I had 20 to 21 clicks on the rebound settings and not 16. KW tech support stated any clicks past 16 has no effect on the valve itself, as it is "opened" all the way. To begin the valve adjustments, you must start by turning the wheel dial to it's hardest/firmest settings. The readings on the dial should show "0". From there you back off/dial back (anti-clockwise) to the desired number of clicks. The higher the number of clicks, the softer it gets. According to the manual, the KWs came with factory settings based on the number of clicks open versus a numbering system that I believe we have previously shared on this thread :

Stated Manual settings:
Fronts -Rebound 9 clicks open, Bump 7 clicks open.
Rears-Rebound 8 clicks open, Bump 6 clicks open.

It appears when folks on this thread are sharing settings, I'm assuming this:

Example: If I wanted Front Bump set to 10. Bump's effective range is 0-12, therefore, I would set the dial (starting at the firmest setting) 2 clicks open (12-2=10) effectively achieving a setting of 10.

I'm hoping folks who've installed KWs can confirm whether this is how you calculated values relating to firmness.

Please chime in, if I'm totally off on my assumption or even partially.

PS. I will post ride comfort results after tweaking settings and riding them for a few weeks.

It's been a half year... I'll have to check.

FYI - I recently was under my car. I have both the KW coilovers and the Steeda sway bars installed (Steeda bars 1st).

I was adjusting my rear KW spring tension to max allowable (1 inch) as per KW instructions. Originally, I had them at mid-range.

I wanted to get just a bit of height in the rear to make the car's a bit more "front down, butt up". I also had a weird noise back there, on occasion when accelerating or cornering hard.

See the attached pic. Found the source of the noise... the rear Steeda bar was hitting the protective flange of a main body bolt. Note the flattened protective lip where the Steeda bar was hitting. Same hitting of same spots on both left and right sides.

Sonce my spring height adjustment to full height, no more noise.

Hope this helps someone out there.

 

[markboris]

Martin, I also had that same noise and posted a photo similar to yours on the rear Steeda sway bar thread. It happened after I lowered the car with the H&R springs. I wanted to keep the springs so I replaced the OEM end links with adjustable ones and made them about 3/4" longer and now have no more noise.

 

[sleightofhand]

It's been a half year... I'll have to check.

FYI - I recently was under my car. I have both the KW coilovers and the Steeda sway bars installed (Steeda bars 1st).

I was adjusting my rear KW spring tension to max allowable (1 inch) as per KW instructions. Originally, I had them at mid-range.

I wanted to get just a bit of height in the rear to make the car's a bit more "front down, butt up". I also had a weird noise back there, on occasion when accelerating or cornering hard.

See the attached pic. Found the source of the noise... the rear Steeda bar was hitting the protective flange of a main body bolt. Note the flattened protective lip where the Steeda bar was hitting. Same hitting of same spots on both left and right sides.

Sonce my spring height adjustment to full height, no more noise.

Hope this helps someone out there.

You've stated that you set the springs back to OEM height. What's the height of your car now from the ground to wheel well?

 

[21st Century Pony]

You've stated that you set the springs back to OEM height. What's the height of your car now from the ground to wheel well?

I set my springs to max allowable KW instructions height on this adjustment. Since the springs aren't OEM, I couldn't set them to "OEM height".

I now have almost 47k miles on the car, so whatever needed to settle, has settled ;-) I just measured today for you, from the center of the axle "hubcaps" to the topmost inner wheel fender's edge. I have punch-marked my little pony axle hubcap centers last December for this consistency in this measurement.

Front left and front right measurements today are 15.5 inches. Left rear is also 15.5 inches. Right rear is at 15.75 inches but I wonder whether the suspension there needed to settle after a turn or "sumpin' ".

Hope these are useful.

 

[sleightofhand]

Thanks a bunch for measuring. What size are you tires?

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