Suspension OHLINS installed on the R56 !!
#1
OHLINS installed on the R56 !!
Recently installed the Ohlins DFV Road and Track coilovers (BMS MI20): http://www.roadandtrackbyohlins.com/...ts/bms-mi20-4/
These are really, really, really good.
I installed them with the springs that came with the set up: F400/R285, 2.5 ID, linear rates.
Added Vorshlag camber plates and a 25.5 mm Hotchkis hollow rear sway.
Running Enkei Racing PF01 17x7 et38 with 215/45/17 Hankook R-S3
Lowered the car about 1 inch, and after some testing, set the rear bar to the middle position to help with the softer rear springs.
Here is the beauty of this set up: the adjustablility and great Ohlins valving. At full stiff (1st position on adjuster front and rear) with the rear sway bar in the middle position and 2.75 of negative camber up front, the car is race car stiff, grips like crazy, and rotates well. Adjust to 15 clicks from full stiff and it is a street car dream, and still tons of grip.
I will have it at the track in February, so it should be fun to dial it in, and confirm my initial impressions. I have driven many Koni set ups, TC Kline DA, Ledas, Bilsteins and various lowering spring combos, but these Ohlins are my absolute favorite, they are so versatile and well valved.
The ideal for track would be a stiffer spring in the rear allowing less rear bar, but the street comfort is so good with 285 spring when the shocks are dialed down. This spring combo is not as much a detriment as one would think because of the fantastic shock control and adjustability. Plus, at anytime, one can put a set of 400 lb springs on the rear with ease if wanted.
I found a shock dyno from a MX5 (see attached picture) with an earlier version of the Ohlins DFV. I have also seen some shock dynos from the Rx-7 version and they are just as good. The R56 Ohlins adjustability "feels" just like the MX5 Ohlins shock dyno reads, so I would expect them to be similar. Ok, onto the pictures:
These are really, really, really good.
I installed them with the springs that came with the set up: F400/R285, 2.5 ID, linear rates.
Added Vorshlag camber plates and a 25.5 mm Hotchkis hollow rear sway.
Running Enkei Racing PF01 17x7 et38 with 215/45/17 Hankook R-S3
Lowered the car about 1 inch, and after some testing, set the rear bar to the middle position to help with the softer rear springs.
Here is the beauty of this set up: the adjustablility and great Ohlins valving. At full stiff (1st position on adjuster front and rear) with the rear sway bar in the middle position and 2.75 of negative camber up front, the car is race car stiff, grips like crazy, and rotates well. Adjust to 15 clicks from full stiff and it is a street car dream, and still tons of grip.
I will have it at the track in February, so it should be fun to dial it in, and confirm my initial impressions. I have driven many Koni set ups, TC Kline DA, Ledas, Bilsteins and various lowering spring combos, but these Ohlins are my absolute favorite, they are so versatile and well valved.
The ideal for track would be a stiffer spring in the rear allowing less rear bar, but the street comfort is so good with 285 spring when the shocks are dialed down. This spring combo is not as much a detriment as one would think because of the fantastic shock control and adjustability. Plus, at anytime, one can put a set of 400 lb springs on the rear with ease if wanted.
I found a shock dyno from a MX5 (see attached picture) with an earlier version of the Ohlins DFV. I have also seen some shock dynos from the Rx-7 version and they are just as good. The R56 Ohlins adjustability "feels" just like the MX5 Ohlins shock dyno reads, so I would expect them to be similar. Ok, onto the pictures:
Last edited by ficcion; 02-29-2012 at 07:09 PM.
The following 2 users liked this post by ficcion:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022),
mountainhorse (03-23-2019)
#2
The following 2 users liked this post by ficcion:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022),
mountainhorse (03-23-2019)
#4
The following 2 users liked this post by ficcion:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022),
mountainhorse (03-23-2019)
#5
#6
If I can ask...having recently just gone the cheap (Megan) coilover route but not having installed them yet since I got them as part of a deal with a friend...
What did this whole setup cost you? Or more accurately, you got some kind of a deal, what's normal cost on that ohlins setup?
What did this whole setup cost you? Or more accurately, you got some kind of a deal, what's normal cost on that ohlins setup?
Last edited by ficcion; 01-28-2012 at 08:05 AM.
The following 2 users liked this post by ficcion:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022),
mountainhorse (03-23-2019)
#8
The following users liked this post:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022)
#9
The following 2 users liked this post by ficcion:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022),
mountainhorse (03-23-2019)
#10
#11
Bought them here: http://performanceshock.com/
They just dropped shipped them straight from Ohlins USA. The R56 version is not even listed on the Performance Shock website, so best to call them.
#13
So I went to the track this weekend to put the Ohlins to the test:
Set the front and rear adjusters at position #1, full stiff. Sway bar was in middle position. Running 2.75 negative camber up front and about 2.0 in the rear, I always start the shocks at full stiff and work from there.
Ran first 20 min session and car was incredibly loose at the rear end with cold tires. Put it sideways three or four times, and brought it back in line, with no major issue. As the tires got some temp it started sticking pretty well, but the back end was still feeling on the verge of letting go. So it was clear in what adjustment direction I needed to go...reached under the car and soften the rear shocks by two positions.
Second 20 min session was perfect. Car was settled in the high speed stuff and composed in the slow speed tight turns. Rotation was plenty for the track and putting power down did not seem to suffer with the slightly softer rear settings.
I ran the rest of the day with these settings. And the car was superb!
The overall "feel" of these Ohlins is something special. I was trail braking aggressively on certain parts of the track, and the overall control was smooth and composed. There were no rough transitions as I threw the car around. Very composed overall.
That said, it is still a short wheel based, front wheel drive car, so it is not like they magically turn it into a mid engine dedicated track toy nor a BMW 7 series as far as ride comfort goes, but for what they are, I don't think there is anything better out there currently.
When the time came to go home, I simply reached under the car and put both front and rear back to the #15 postion, turned on the AC, sat radio and drove home in comfort. The whole Ohlins "road and track" marketing actually lives up to it's name, very cool.
Set the front and rear adjusters at position #1, full stiff. Sway bar was in middle position. Running 2.75 negative camber up front and about 2.0 in the rear, I always start the shocks at full stiff and work from there.
Ran first 20 min session and car was incredibly loose at the rear end with cold tires. Put it sideways three or four times, and brought it back in line, with no major issue. As the tires got some temp it started sticking pretty well, but the back end was still feeling on the verge of letting go. So it was clear in what adjustment direction I needed to go...reached under the car and soften the rear shocks by two positions.
Second 20 min session was perfect. Car was settled in the high speed stuff and composed in the slow speed tight turns. Rotation was plenty for the track and putting power down did not seem to suffer with the slightly softer rear settings.
I ran the rest of the day with these settings. And the car was superb!
The overall "feel" of these Ohlins is something special. I was trail braking aggressively on certain parts of the track, and the overall control was smooth and composed. There were no rough transitions as I threw the car around. Very composed overall.
That said, it is still a short wheel based, front wheel drive car, so it is not like they magically turn it into a mid engine dedicated track toy nor a BMW 7 series as far as ride comfort goes, but for what they are, I don't think there is anything better out there currently.
When the time came to go home, I simply reached under the car and put both front and rear back to the #15 postion, turned on the AC, sat radio and drove home in comfort. The whole Ohlins "road and track" marketing actually lives up to it's name, very cool.
Last edited by ficcion; 02-27-2012 at 09:36 PM.
The following 2 users liked this post by ficcion:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022),
mountainhorse (02-17-2020)
#14
Great write up, thanks for sharing.
I'm about to purchase this set up as well and wanted to look into seeing if anyone else has had experience with them yet.
It looks like the Ohlins come disassembled which kinda bummed me out because I wanted to install everything myself. But having a actual professional who works on race cars all day is probably worth the extra money then having me pay more to fix my mistakes :P
Ficcion, did you have the car corner balanced as well? How are you weights set-up? Are you aiming for a 60% front/ 40% rear weight bias? I've read that that's ideal for FWD but wanted to see what you guys think. Also I'm assuming your running 0 toe front and rear as well?
Cheers and grats.
I'm about to purchase this set up as well and wanted to look into seeing if anyone else has had experience with them yet.
It looks like the Ohlins come disassembled which kinda bummed me out because I wanted to install everything myself. But having a actual professional who works on race cars all day is probably worth the extra money then having me pay more to fix my mistakes :P
Ficcion, did you have the car corner balanced as well? How are you weights set-up? Are you aiming for a 60% front/ 40% rear weight bias? I've read that that's ideal for FWD but wanted to see what you guys think. Also I'm assuming your running 0 toe front and rear as well?
Cheers and grats.
#15
Great write up, thanks for sharing.
I'm about to purchase this set up as well and wanted to look into seeing if anyone else has had experience with them yet.
It looks like the Ohlins come disassembled which kinda bummed me out because I wanted to install everything myself. But having a actual professional who works on race cars all day is probably worth the extra money then having me pay more to fix my mistakes :P
Ficcion, did you have the car corner balanced as well? How are you weights set-up? Are you aiming for a 60% front/ 40% rear weight bias? I've read that that's ideal for FWD but wanted to see what you guys think. Also I'm assuming your running 0 toe front and rear as well?
Cheers and grats.
I'm about to purchase this set up as well and wanted to look into seeing if anyone else has had experience with them yet.
It looks like the Ohlins come disassembled which kinda bummed me out because I wanted to install everything myself. But having a actual professional who works on race cars all day is probably worth the extra money then having me pay more to fix my mistakes :P
Ficcion, did you have the car corner balanced as well? How are you weights set-up? Are you aiming for a 60% front/ 40% rear weight bias? I've read that that's ideal for FWD but wanted to see what you guys think. Also I'm assuming your running 0 toe front and rear as well?
Cheers and grats.
Did not corner balance, I do my own alignments, but I don't have scales. Car feels good so I am not too concerned at this point. Running zero toe as mentioned up front, and 1/16 "total toe in" in the rear, so real close to zero. For the track that rear setting is fine, and possibly gives slightly more rear high speed stability.
#16
The following users liked this post:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022)
#17
I just got to check these things out in person and wow they are some seriously nice hardware. My shop set my up with 1/16th rear toe but I could only get -.7 degrees of camber and man such a big difference. So after replacing the run flats I'll be picking those Ohlins :D, plus camber plates and rear lower control arms for more camber.
Cheers
Cheers
#18
any more thoughts on the Ohlins? I'm really thinking about upgrading to them to get a good ride and good handling
So I went to the track this weekend to put the Ohlins to the test:
The overall "feel" of these Ohlins is something special. I was trail braking aggressively on certain parts of the track, and the overall control was smooth and composed. There were no rough transitions as I threw the car around. Very composed overall.
That said, it is still a short wheel based, front wheel drive car, so it is not like they magically turn it into a mid engine dedicated track toy nor a BMW 7 series as far as ride comfort goes, but for what they are, I don't think there is anything better out there currently.
When the time came to go home, I simply reached under the car and put both front and rear back to the #15 postion, turned on the AC, sat radio and drove home in comfort. The whole Ohlins "road and track" marketing actually lives up to it's name, very cool.
The overall "feel" of these Ohlins is something special. I was trail braking aggressively on certain parts of the track, and the overall control was smooth and composed. There were no rough transitions as I threw the car around. Very composed overall.
That said, it is still a short wheel based, front wheel drive car, so it is not like they magically turn it into a mid engine dedicated track toy nor a BMW 7 series as far as ride comfort goes, but for what they are, I don't think there is anything better out there currently.
When the time came to go home, I simply reached under the car and put both front and rear back to the #15 postion, turned on the AC, sat radio and drove home in comfort. The whole Ohlins "road and track" marketing actually lives up to it's name, very cool.
#19
did you ever get the Olhins?
I want to pull the trigger on these but as I have very limited experience in
car suspension and there are no shops around here to help, I am hesitant to tackle this project. ( for anyone around , I will give you my Swift springs for helping me!)
car suspension and there are no shops around here to help, I am hesitant to tackle this project. ( for anyone around , I will give you my Swift springs for helping me!)
I just got to check these things out in person and wow they are some seriously nice hardware. My shop set my up with 1/16th rear toe but I could only get -.7 degrees of camber and man such a big difference. So after replacing the run flats I'll be picking those Ohlins :D, plus camber plates and rear lower control arms for more camber.
Cheers
Cheers
#20
#22
How do you like your set-up btw Mike? I was thinking of some TSW springs to hold me over and I'm willing to compromise comfort for handling.
Cheers
Josh
#23
I am pretty happy with my setup. I originally had the Cooper S Sport shocks and found the ride pretty stiff (I think that I could drive over a coin and tell if it was a quarter or a penny). I changed to a set of 'standard' cooper S shocks (and used WMW shorter bump stops) and the ride settled down a bit. I don't have any illusions about the ride of this car, it is definately 'sporty'. With the short wheelbase of these cars, and limited suspension travel, it is a compromise. I am happy with it.
I have a set of NM Alpha springs that I picked up, but I don't want to tear the suspension down again right now. It would be interesting to see the difference, but I don't want to end up with 5 sets of springs laying around....
Mike
I have a set of NM Alpha springs that I picked up, but I don't want to tear the suspension down again right now. It would be interesting to see the difference, but I don't want to end up with 5 sets of springs laying around....
Mike
#24
The following users liked this post:
930 Engineering (04-20-2022)
#25
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a set of Ohlins Do I have to get cam plates? I'd rather not bother. I'll take the little defection the stock pcs have ,maybe it would be easier on the shafts and seals