KW Variant 3 Coilover Review: 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII

After purchasing my relatively stock Evo last November, I found that the overall ride quality and height of the car left a lot to be desired. The car was equipped with a set of lowering springs paired with the factory struts, and though the Evo is plenty capable in stock form, I wanted a suspension setup that I could utilize for daily driving and occasional track duty while allowing me to dial in the car’s ride height.

Needless to say, I was immediately drawn to the offerings available for the chassis from KW Suspensions. When you think of high-end coilovers with a great track record (pun intended) and exceptional ride quality, KW is usually one of the first to come to mind. Regardless of whether you drive an American, German, or Japanese car, KW offers a wide range of setups to fit your specific need and budget.

Knowing that my Evo is going to see hundreds of street miles each week on the way to and from the office, I chose to go with the KW Variant 3 for my application. The Variant 3 is a great option for someone that drives their car frequently on the street and wants to be able to adjust their ride height, but also wants to be able to hit the track or an autocross event on the weekend from time to time. The great thing about the V3s is that they allow independent adjustment of rebound and compression, allowing you to maintain a comfortable ride for everyday cruising and turn it up a notch at the track with the twist of a knob or two.

After a short wait, my coilovers arrived from the warehouse in California. Upon opening the box, I was immediately impressed with the quality and presentation of the materials. It’s clear that no corners are cut with packaging or the construction of the suspension itself. A small plastic KW case was included that housed the tools required for adjustment of the coilovers, instructions, and a few stickers- always a pleasant surprise!









One thing to note about the KW Variant 3 coilovers for the Evo VIII/IX application is that they do not include top hats/strut mounts. This allows the user to decide if they would like to reuse their factory components or opt for aftermarket top hats with more adjustability. I chose to go with a pair of Cusco pillow ball top hats for the front and brand new OEM top hat components for the rear. Utilizing the factory top hats is a part of the secret to a comfortable ride, but I chose the Cusco mounts up front for their added camber adjustment- not to mention the fact that they look great under the hood! With the Evo VIII chassis continuing to age, I figured that replacing all of the rear suspension mount components while I had things apart would be a good idea.





Installation of the coilovers was really straightforward, and I was able to complete the task in my garage with hand tools. One thing I noticed while installing the front suspension is that KW includes their own eccentric bolt setup for the top bolt on the front coilovers, allowing for a bit more camber adjustment than the factory bolt does. Pretty nice touch!







After about 2.5 hours, I had the car back on the ground. This meant it was time for my least favorite part of an install like this- adjusting the ride height. The coilovers were set pretty high initially, so I brought them down quite a bit. The front can go about 3-4 turns lower and the rear can go a substantial amount lower if desired, but I chose to keep things at a street-friendly height.

I was extremely impressed with the way height is adjusted on the KWs. I actually didn't even need the included adjustment wrench- the lower collar turned so smoothly and easily that I was able to do it by hand! A welcome change from any of the previous coilovers I have owned. The collars have a tiny grub screw in them to tighten after adjustments are made to ensure your settings stay where you want them. This setup should really help to prevent those pesky frozen collars that have plagued me with previous setups.









I chose the KW's for their handling capabilities, so I was content with a more sensible ride height this time around. My previous S13 build looked great, but it really wasn't possible to drive the car aggressively through corners with the ride height and wheels specs I chose for it. I'm happy I changed things up a bit with this car so that I can still enjoy spirited driving without having any rubbing or alignment issues.

I decided to leave the compression and rebound settings as they were set from the factory based on KW's recommendation for the Evo, and they seem to be set up pretty well all around. The ride is definitely firm, but it isn’t extremely harsh or rough. There isn't any bounciness over bumps like I was used to with lower end coilovers on my S13, which is a really nice change. I would probably attribute some of this to the included helper springs. The car stays on track and compliant through rough roads, and feels a bit flatter when cornering than it was with the previous lowering spring setup.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the way the car looks and drives after installing the KW Variant 3 coilovers. I’m looking forward to getting out to some track events this summer to see what they can really do!