R35 GT-R Coilover Install: KW V3 Guide (2009-2021)

Installing coilovers on an R35 Nissan GT-R is not a normal coilover job. The 2009–2021 GT-R leaves the factory on Bilstein DampTronic electronically controlled dampers with three driver-selectable modes (Comfort, Normal, and R), so the moment you unbolt those dampers the car’s control unit starts looking for hardware that is no longer there. The KW Coilover Kit V3 for the Nissan GT-R (R35) is the kit we install most often at NLP Performance in Tampa, FL — and this guide walks through the full job, including the one part most first-time buyers forget.

What the KW V3 Changes on an R35 GT-R

The KW Variant 3 replaces the GT-R’s factory Bilstein DampTronic dampers with a fully threaded, height-adjustable coilover that separates rebound and compression damping into two independent circuits. On the OE setup, the driver picks one of three preset modes and a solenoid restricts internal oil flow to change damping. On the V3, you set rebound and compression yourself, per corner, and they stay where you put them.

This matters on the R35 specifically because of what the car weighs and how it puts power down. A 2009 GT-R left the factory at roughly 3,836 lbs with 478 hp and 434 lb-ft from the 3.8L VR38DETT twin-turbo V6. By 2013 that was 542 hp / 463 lb-ft, and 2017-and-later cars make 562 hp / 467 lb-ft while weighing about 3,935 lbs (the NISMO makes 592 hp / 481 lb-ft). That is a heavy, all-wheel-drive, rear-transaxle car making supercar power. Body control — not just ride height — is the reason to move to a dedicated coilover.

Before You Start: The EDC Problem Every R35 Owner Hits

Yes, you will get a dashboard warning after installing coilovers on an R35 GT-R unless you also install an electronic damping cancellation module. This is the single most common mistake we see. The GT-R’s control unit continuously monitors the DampTronic dampers; remove them and the car stores trouble codes and throws a suspension warning that will not clear on its own.

The KW Electronic Damping Cancellation Kit (68510173) solves this properly. It shuts down the factory damper regulation while preventing the error messages, and KW is explicit that the control unit’s other functions remain completely intact — it is not a resistor hack that blinds the module. Note the SKU gotcha: KW sells the V3 for the R35 both as a standalone kit (35285006) and as a bundle (35285008) that includes the cancellation kit. Confirm which one you are buying before the car is on the lift.

How to Install KW V3 Coilovers on an R35 GT-R: Step by Step

Installing KW V3 coilovers on a Nissan GT-R R35 is a full-day job that ends at an alignment rack, not in the driveway. The GT-R uses a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, and every fastener you touch is a torque-critical chassis fastener. Torque every bolt to the values in the Nissan factory service manual for your model year — do not guess, and do not reuse a published number from a different generation.

Step 1: Set the coilovers to a baseline height on the bench

Assemble and set your target ride height before the struts go in the car. Set all four to a conservative starting point — roughly the middle of the range (about 15 mm front, 20 mm rear of drop) — because you will be fine-tuning on the ground later and nobody wants to pull a strut twice.

Step 2: Support the car and remove the OE DampTronic dampers

Lift the GT-R on a proper 4-post or 2-post with the correct pinch-weld pucks, then unload the suspension before releasing any strut hardware. Disconnect the DampTronic electrical connector at each corner as you go and route the harness so it will not chafe once the coilover is in place.

Step 3: Install the KW V3 struts, front then rear

Fit the coilovers with the rebound adjuster accessible and the compression adjuster on the bottom valve clear of the lower arm and any brake or ABS lines. Leave the lower control-arm bolts snug but not final-torqued until the suspension is loaded at ride height — final-torquing a bushing at full droop preloads it and will bind the suspension.

Step 4: Plug in the electronic damping cancellation kit

Install the KW cancellation module (68510173) into the factory damper harness. Clear any stored codes, then cycle the ignition and confirm the suspension warning is gone before the car comes off the lift. Do this now — chasing it after the alignment means a second trip.

Step 5: Settle the suspension, then measure

Lower the car, roll it back and forth, and bounce each corner to let the springs and bushings seat. Measure ride height from the center of the wheel hub to the fender lip at all four corners — that method removes tire and wheel diameter from the equation. Adjust the threaded perches until all four corners read where you want them.

Ride Height, Corner Balance and Alignment

You must get a four-wheel alignment after installing coilovers on a GT-R — lowering the car changes camber and toe immediately, and an R35 with bad toe will eat a set of tires in a few thousand miles. Drive the car for a few days (at least 100 km / about 60 miles) before the final alignment so the springs and bushings fully settle; aligning a car that has not settled produces numbers that drift out within a week.

For reference, Nissan’s published Sports-setting front alignment for the R35 runs about −1 deg 55 min of camber (roughly −1.9 degrees) with about 6 degrees of caster and 1.2 mm of total toe-in; the rear sits near −1.4 to −1.7 degrees of camber. A lowered R35 will typically gain negative camber past those figures, and correcting the rear back into spec usually requires adjustable rear camber links — budget for them if you are going near the bottom of the V3’s range.

Corner balancing is worth doing on a car this heavy. With the driver’s weight simulated and the fuel level set, adjust the perches so the cross weights are as close to 50 percent as the chassis allows. On an AWD, rear-transaxle car like the GT-R, a badly cross-weighted chassis will turn in differently left versus right — and no amount of damping adjustment fixes that.

Dialing In the Damping: 16 Clicks Rebound, 12 Clicks Compression

The KW V3 adjusts rebound and compression independently, which is the whole point of buying it. Rebound (16 clicks, adjusted at the top of the damper) controls how quickly the suspension extends after compressing — it is what governs body control, float, and how settled the car feels over crests. Compression (12 clicks, adjusted at the bottom valve) controls the low-speed compression stroke — it is what governs how the car takes a bump, dive under braking, and squat.

Start from full soft on both and count clicks from there so you always know your baseline. Change one variable at a time, one to two clicks per change, and drive the same road between changes. Adjust rebound first until body motions settle, then use compression to tune bump absorption. If the car is skittish over mid-corner bumps, you have gone too stiff on compression — back it off before adding more rebound.

R35 GT-R Suspension Alternatives: What If You Want to Keep DampTronic?

If you want to keep the GT-R’s factory electronic damping and its Comfort / Normal / R modes, do not buy a full coilover — buy a height-adjustable spring or a spring-and-sway-bar package instead. These work with the OE Bilstein DampTronic dampers, which means no cancellation kit and no lost functionality. Here is how the R35 suspension options compare.

KW H.A.S. — the DampTronic-friendly drop

The KW H.A.S. (Height Adjustable Spring) kit lowers the R35 by 0 to 30 mm at both axles while keeping every factory damper and its electronics in place. Threaded adjusters let you set each corner to the millimeter, which is exactly what a spring-only kit normally cannot do. If your GT-R is a street car and you value the Comfort mode on Florida expansion joints, this is the smarter buy.

AST adjustable lowering springs

AST’s adjustable lowering springs are the other height-adjustable, damper-retaining route for the 2007-and-up R35, and they land about $460 under the KW H.A.S. They keep the factory Bilstein DampTronic dampers and the three drive modes intact, so no cancellation module is needed.

Add sway bars before you add spring rate

Sway bars are the cheapest real handling gain on an R35. The Eibach Anti-Roll-Kit pairs a 35 mm front bar with a 16 mm rear bar for $568 and does not change ride height at all, so nothing else about the car has to change. The Eibach Pro-Plus Kit bundles those bars with Pro-Kit springs that drop the car 0.8 in front and 0.5 in rear for $963 — the best value package on this list. The Whiteline front and rear sway bar kit is the alternative for 2009–2014 cars at $843.87.