The adjustments are made as follows:
Compression (Bump) Force
This is adjusted at the bottom of the strut body and can be completed
on both axles by jacking-up the car (no need to remove the wheel).
Rebound Force
This is adjusted at the top of the piston rod.
On the front axle this is easy, you simply remove the rubber dustcap
from the centre of the top mount (located on each side of the engine
bay) and adjust using the wheel provided.
On the rear axle, it's more difficult as there is no access through
the floor. It is possible to adjust the units inplace (but you really
need access to a ramp) and the operation is blind.
The following will give you more information on the general adjustment procedure.
Setup Procedure KW 2-way Coilover
Our 2-way adjustable shock absorber is based on
a twin tube damping system. Depending on the sealing and the adjusting
system it may be without pressure or under a pressure of 3 to 8 bars.
The compression (bump) forces can be adjusted on our patented 2way bottom
valve.
Hardness adjustment in rebound can be made on the end of the piston
rod with a setting wheel.
Compression (Bump)
Bump forces can be set on the bottom of the strut body. Inside the adjusting
slot you will see a spindle with 4 holes. With a small pin, the adjusting
knob can be turned quarter per quarter (smaller steps are possible).
The adjustment must be started from the fully closed valve position
(max. hard).
Fully closed means turning clockwise. The adjustment range
is 2 turns. Always make a written record the starting position i.e.
4 x ¼ turns to fully closed = 1 turn open.
Even when often adjusting the valves, you must always reset from the
fully closed position to avoid mismatching the dampers on one axle.
Bump forces, especially on low damper speeds, have great influence on
handling and driving behaviour.
Principle rules are: hard low speed bump will made the axle stable (less
over steer on the rear, for example) or on the front a more precise
steering response. But to much low speed will decrease grip!
Depending on the construction of our compression valve the hardness
of the adjustment has no influence when driving over hard bumps, or
for example when hitting kerbs on the racetrack
Rebound
In most cases, rebound adjustment can be made on the end of the piston
rod with a setting wheel. In some mounting situations it must be done
with a small screwdriver from the top (Audi A4) or in a slot like the
bump valve.
The adjustment must be done beginning from the max. Hard (closed) side
of the valve. And also here, closing means turning clockwise. The adjustment
range is 3 ½ revolutions.
Main rebound adjusting principles:
Low rebound provides a comfortable ride at low speeds, but decreases
stability at higher speeds, especially on the front. Also, too much
rebound will cost grip.
Depending on the conception of the car, the rebound setting for the
rear axle must be seen from different views.
Rear and four wheel driven cars: Will be driven in most cases with low
rebound. However, when equipped with very hard springs, more forces
are required.
Front driven cars: on street driven cars it will be seldom necessary to adjust with high forces. If somebody wishes his car to oversteer, very high rebound on the rear may be necessary.