KW Suspension's New Hydraulic Lift System :: Need Help

[415banker]

I just found out about the KW HLS (Hydraulic Lift System) a few weeks ago, and man...I've always wanted the concept of hydraulics with my car without messing with my car's driving and suspension integrity. I currently am running the KW V2 applicable with my stock auto leveling. Now that KW has this...wanted to know if anyone here has tried it on their cars? And if you are local, do you mind if I can do a test drive? I'm seriously considering this purchase...

And for those who aren't familiar with what I'm talking about...Here's a point of reference:

http://us.kwsuspension.de/us/kw_hls.php

"Helping lowered vehicles to avoid road clearance difficulties

The HLS provides additional road clearance for lowered vehicles. When expanded, a range of up to 45 mm of lift is produced, thereby helping sport cars avoid road clearance difficulties such as speed bumps, road construction, etc. KW HLS is available as vehicle specific solution or individual conversion kit depending on the car model.

HLS is available in two different versions: HLS 2 which is fi tted to the front axle and HLS 4 which can be attached to the front and rear axle and allows lifting the entire vehicle. The hydraulic cylinder unit is located on the coilover body between spring perch and spring. The advantage of a hydraulic system is that there is no compression (motion) of the extended cylinder unit (resulting in no unwanted additional suspension movement) while driving.

* Allows cars with low ground clearance to clear obstacles more easily
* Available as complete kit including KW coilover kit or as conversion kit
* Can be activated from inside the vehicle via a LED position control switch or
by an optional remote, thereby eliminating any need for interior wiring.
* Can be activated while driving (up to 80 km/h)
* Fast lifting – maximum lift occurs within 4- 5 seconds when using HLS 2
* High-quality cylinder unit with durable aluminium construction
* Sealed unit for corrosion and dirt resistance"

[hinrichs]

all i know is i would love to have this, except the price is almost double what i paid for my v2s just to add that system..i think i read over 3500 for it

[nght&day]

I already saw this and asked around about it since i was interested. Everyone gave me the same reply, "for the price just go with bags"

[Split]

I already saw this and asked around about it since i was interested. Everyone gave me the same reply, "for the price just go with bags"

same here

[andrew@openroad]

for the price and the quality, bags are a better solution.

[610EURO]

i saw this in PBMW. its had me wanting it ever since . but that price tag is unreasonable.

im going to try and make a much cheaper HLS kit to fit my car. bieng a machinist comes in handy sometimes

[OCKlasse]

Well, the biggest benefits to a hydraulic setup as opposed to a bag setup would be the following:

1. clearance issues
2. since oil does not compress, with the HLS kit, you are riding 100% on coilover suspension

The biggest issues with the HLS system are:

1. price
2. for our definition of low, many applications would require one to get shorter springs in order to achieve his height of preference

Now, for those of you who are really jiving for a setup like this but dislike the negatives, keep the faith alive! More options are coming!

[herrakani]

As it would be cool to sometimes get up while being low, why the hell not fabricate a complete hydopneumatic suspension then instead of coilovers.

[OCKlasse]

As it would be cool to sometimes get up while being low, why the hell not fabricate a complete hydopneumatic suspension then instead of coilovers.

Well, there already are those options.

This other system would be used for performance purposes. It allows for a coilover ride with on-the-fly height adjustability. Although the amount of travel is significantly reduced, and the drop is limited to the coilover's threading, it is just another option for the market.

Now one can make hydro-pneumatic setups drive anywhere from stiff to soft. People don't utilize this option enough.

[herrakani]

One of my homies did this system which had adjustable valves and nitrogen charged balloons for shocks and all this robotics shit. Nothing like these regular lowriders with their pumps and dumps but all industrial adjustable valves and it took the hydraulic pressure from the power steering pump. It was really cool to drive bc he could make a '60 oldsmobile handle like a go-kart.

[southpaw]

An E46 guy from the Phillipines has done his.

He went from Airrunners to these. pretty sick, but not low enough..