I cannot speak of the ST XTA suspension but I can speak at length of the V3.
I had an older Focus Model and wanted better performance on Twisties and the track.
I went for the V3 because of the flexibility and build quality.
The product from KW is of high quality and will not corrode.
The car was completely changed, however, the factory settings for the shocks were too brutal for current roads.
Before I got an alignment, I had to corner balance it and reduce some of the settings on the front as well as rear.

Handling was beyond anything that was intended for the standard Focus platform.
The car pointed where you turned and there was almost zero twitch on high braking.
What I liked about the V3 was the spring rates.
They were stiff enough to hit bumps on tracks but also comfortable enough for daily driving.

I did have a drawback with the suspension. I developed a clanking noise on the rear because the top hats from the Standard Focus were not the best.

I am sure this will not be the case for the RS though.

 

V3's all day long.....the ST line from KW isn't the greatest, i've had 2 bad experiences with them, firstly the ST's will corrode in 2-3 years, the rear ST shocks have to much dampening, and most importantly the ST's are not wet filled they are cartridges (lower cost).

Yes the V3's are $800 more but if you plan on keeping the car for a few years they are so worth it. Not to sway you, but have you looked at the H&R street coilovers? Monotube dampers with stainless bodies for $1200.

 

Can't say anything about the V3's, but a local to me had the ST XTA's and decided to take them off and go back to stock. @mullick

 

I had the ST XTA on my car for about 2,000 miles.

I did some adjustments 3 different times and couldn't get them to ride as smooth as OEM. They didn't inspire confidence in the corners by being very easily upset by bumps. It could have been my inexperience with suspension tuning but it was very frustrating. I'll likely go with the KW DDC coilovers and some camber plates eventually.

 

I had the ST XTA on my car for about 2,000 miles.
I did some adjustments 3 different times and couldn't get them to ride as smooth as OEM. They didn't inspire confidence in the corners by being very easily upset by bumps. It could have been my inexperience with suspension tuning but it was very frustrating. I'll likely go with the KW DDC coilovers and some camber plates eventually.

@mullick
wait a little and I may be able to give feedback about the KW DDC I already spoke to ford about them
because what you describe there "easily upset" is my current experience with summer wheels (forged with PSS) like I told Ford the car is simply dangerous now, it jumped more than once on basic highway bumps, as in I lost steering on the front wheels..not cool at all :/
now I just realized thx to a UK forum post that I didn't have that with the winter wheels (I loved my 18" OZ ultraleggera & Michelin PA4) so I will have to check and maybe bring the car to Ford for a check if something isn't breaking or broken
I will update in a few days

 

I've had the ST XTA's on my car for about 6 or 7 months, daily driven - love em. Way better damping than stock, highly recommend. The only thing I will say is that they sit pretty low, I've got mine at max height at the rear so if you're only looking for a moderate drop they won't be for you. Surprised no one else has had anything good to say about the ST's. Dampers are the same as KW, just not stainless.

I have the damping adjusted at 5 clicks from full soft on both front and rear, never felt the need to change em.

As an FYI, when I did mine KW V3's were sold out everywhere, didn't want to wait so I just went with the ST's. Had the V3's been available probably would've bought those instead as I'd prefer stainless.

 

It all depends on your application and level of experience. If you're relatively new to suspension tuning and planning to just "set it and forget it", I would got with the STs. Having the single adjustment make it a lot easier to tune the suspension compared to a 2-way, which can get you some funky handling and can get pretty frustrating (ask me how I know). If you know what you are doing or are prepared to learn and mess around/test, go with the V3's, they are great "bang-for-buck" 2-way dampers.

 

Have any of you with the ST XTA's done a track day? If so how did the hold up? Stayed steady, softened, etc?

 

track rat @romemedrano has em I believe

 

Actually I'd suggest considering the KW Clubsport. I strongly believe that if you're spending the effort to get coilovers then a 2 way system (KW3 or KW CLUBSPORT) is the way to go. Yes it will take a little more setup effort, but they offer a very wide range of adjustability. The Clubsports have linear springs vs progressive springs on the KW3. They also have a wide range of spring rate choices and good damping characteristics. For the money I feel they are a very good street/track setup, and we'll made so they last.

 

First question.... Are Clubsports even available for the RS? I was just on the KW website and they don't list Clubsports for the RS, so there's that issue to start with. Clubsports don't have the lifetime warranty where the V3's do. I had V3's and then Clubsports for my FRS. If you're a track day (NASA/SCCA Time Attack) racer where you are doing track work every weekend, the Clubsports may be for you. For auto-x and daily driving, too much money with little benefit. If spring rates are what is holding you back that can be changed. Clubsports are awesome dampers without a doubt. But IMO not worth it for the average enthusiast.

I bought the V3's for my RS and other than the rear ride height range being a bit too low for my preference, the kit is great. Great range of adjustment with a real ability to significantly change the handling of the car for track/autocross work and typical KW build quality. When turned down to a few clicks above full soft they ride much better than stock.

 

The club sport range is available for the RS. I had a chat with KW as I was annoyed at them for offering 3 way on M cars and only 2 way on the RS.

The CS rep said that the reason the RS does not have an official 3 way suspension is the TUV.

The 2 way is road legal and the 3 way is not for our model. Having said that the 2 way club sport will cost me 2500 EUR without the cancelling modules. Once I factor those in, around 350 euros I then need to have them installed and corner balanced.

Total price for all 3500 EUR.


The V3 is a cheaper alternative for a package that is more competitive than stock. The DDC kit From KW is close to the V3 but quite far from the Clubsport.

Best in mind that for both V3 and CS there is no one size fits all. The suspension set up depends greatly on the track and event you take part in.

This means you need to remove the wheels every damn time to adjust properly.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

I will be doing around 7 to 8 rack days this year and the rest is street driving with 3 to 4 autocross added. I feel the KW are too expensive for my budget because of the limited amount of track/autocross days so that is why I am looking at the ST XTA and Fortune Auto 510.

 

I bought the St XDA and will be installing them before the next track day. I will report back.

 

ST XDA owners. What setting and ride height have you used?

 

Mid damper setting rear, 4 from stiffest dampening front. Ride height is constantly changing as I use it to tune. But I’m roughly 1/3rd on an inch lower than stock up front and about an inch lower out back atm.

 

I’m late to this thread. Sorry.

I’ve had ST XDAs on my car for 6 months. They ride way way better for daily use, freeway flying, staight line rips, etc.

But they leave a little on the table when compared to the factory setup as far as fast direction changes and such.

IMO it has to do with the helper spring that keeps the real spring preloaded. It’s easy to reproduce this odd spring rate change just by swerving left to right aggressively. It literally feels like what it really is, the inside front corner of the car is lifting off the main spring. While the helper spring keeps the main spring inline, it’s really noticeable when the weight crushes the helper spring again.

It’s the same with the kw kit for our car. Or any German spec coilovers as the EU laws don’t allow threaded coilover lower mounts.

 

Installed ST XTA coil overs today. Car sets really low. I will be adjusting that soon. Set rebound at 9 as a start and camber plate at -2.