XYZ Racing Super Sport Coilovers — Kia K5- OPTIMA (TYPE 1) 2010-2015

The first-generation K5/Optima sits in an awkward spot for anyone who actually enjoys driving it. The 2.0 and 2.4 GDI cars carry their weight high over the front axle, the factory dampers were specified for showroom comfort rather than body control, and the rear end tends to float on motorway expansion joints once the OE struts pass 60,000 miles. The XYZ Racing Super Sport coilover for the 2010-2015 Kia K5- Optima (type 1) is the sensible answer for owners who want the saloon to corner flat without turning every speed-bump into an event.

This is a fast-road kit with weekend track capability, not a stripped-out circuit tool. Ride height is adjustable across the full strut body, and the 36-way damping dial gives enough range to run a soft daily setting during the week and firm the car up for a Castle Combe sighting lap on Saturday.

What this coilover does for your 2010-2015 Kia K5- Optima

Drop the Optima onto the Super Sports and the first thing you notice is the front end finally responding to steering input rather than rolling onto the outside tyre. The 36-way damping adjustment is the key spec here – it lets you wind compression off for a coarse B-road and then add it back in for a fast sweeper, without ever needing to climb under the car. Ride height adjustment on the strut body (rather than spring-perch only) means corner weights stay sensible after you’ve dropped it, so the rear axle keeps its squat under throttle and the nose stops diving into roundabouts. For a 1,500kg front-wheel-drive saloon on long springs, that change in body control is the difference between a car you tolerate and a car you actually want to drive home the long way.

About the Super Sport coilover

The Super Sport is XYZ Racing’s road-biased damper, designed specifically to eliminate the harshness that comes from running a stiff coilover over a poorly-maintained UK back road. The damper body delivers 36 clicks of dampening adjustment from a single knob, giving the driver a usable spread from supple daily commute to a tied-down weekend setting. Ride height is independently adjustable, so the car can be corner-weighted without changing spring preload – a meaningful detail on a long-wheelbase saloon like the K5 where uneven weight distribution makes itself felt under braking. The intended brief is genuine dual-purpose: a car that copes with the school run on Monday and a club track day on Sunday, on the same set of dampers, without the owner having to compromise on either.

Fitment for the Kia K5- Optima (2010-2015)

This kit is built for the type 1 K5/Optima chassis (XYZ code KI02-1), covering the 2010-2015 model years. That spans the GDI petrol and hybrid variants of the first-generation saloon as sold in UK and European markets. Confirm your year and chassis code against the fitment data above before ordering.

What buyers also search for

• Kia Optima coilover upgrade for fast-road use
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• KI02-1 chassis coilover replacement for tired OE struts

Pick your spring rates and ride-height preference in the configurator below and build your Super Sport kit to spec.