Unique look at Ohlins DFV and Urge
09-22-2015, 12:10 PM
#11
Originally Posted by imc27' timestamp='1442472555' post='23749444
This review has been very timely. I too suffer from back problems, and am investigating ways to improve the low speed ride and make it a little more compliant without compromising handling.
The local authorities in the UK are all subject to stringent spending cuts, and these manifest themselves in cuts to their road repair budgets, among other economies.
Last weekend I collected a set of Ohlins suspension, and will be having it installed as soon as possible. I'll post an update with the results.
The local authorities in the UK are all subject to stringent spending cuts, and these manifest themselves in cuts to their road repair budgets, among other economies.
Last weekend I collected a set of Ohlins suspension, and will be having it installed as soon as possible. I'll post an update with the results.
Will do. I'm having them fitted on 6 October. I managed to buy them secondhand, but they've never been fitted, and are "as new".
10-06-2015, 09:05 AM
#12
Update: fitted today!
No incisive conclusions yet, because Autumn appears to have arrived here in the Southern part of England, which means rain and lots of it. However, the car feels less jittery and better damped at low speeds, and the primary ride is much improved. I had the rears biased towards soft by two clicks from Ohlins' standard setting, but given the weather I can't really say much else at the moment.
The forecast for the rest of the week is better, so I'll take it out and explore a bit more. Other than the Ohlins kit the suspension is standard, and first impressions are encouraging.
No incisive conclusions yet, because Autumn appears to have arrived here in the Southern part of England, which means rain and lots of it. However, the car feels less jittery and better damped at low speeds, and the primary ride is much improved. I had the rears biased towards soft by two clicks from Ohlins' standard setting, but given the weather I can't really say much else at the moment.
The forecast for the rest of the week is better, so I'll take it out and explore a bit more. Other than the Ohlins kit the suspension is standard, and first impressions are encouraging.
10-06-2015, 11:34 AM
#13
I just installed my DFV's and also felt like my spine was being rattled out of my body. I'm going to reset the preloads tonight as I think I screwed them up and try running a few clicks from soft like you recommended to see if it improves my daily driving ride quality.
These things are beasts in the canyons on 12/14 from stiff but I can't deal with that on a regular basis!
Updates to come.
These things are beasts in the canyons on 12/14 from stiff but I can't deal with that on a regular basis!
Updates to come.
10-09-2015, 11:18 AM
#15
An update. I've had the Ohlins kit on for a few days, and have used the car in the dry yesterday and today. With the standard suspension my back would have felt uncomfortable over the same journeys, but this evening I feel fine.
A poor road surface is a poor road surface, and there is no suspension that you could fit to an S2000 which will provide the same levels of ride comfort that you will achieve from a car which is heavier, and less focussed.
You will always feel the road imperfections, and the car will always react to them. It's how the car reacts which is the important thing.
I found the standard suspension on my 2005 S2000 to lack refinement, in that it was jittery and crashy - it felt harsh and slightly under-developed, as though the design focussed on handling at the expense of ride. These two objectives aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Plenty of other manufacturers have achieved both.
The Ohlins units still transmit the road imperfections, but they seem to absorb them differently - without knowing the actual damping rates of the standard setup, my guess is that the rears in particular have stiffer bump rates than the Ohlins, which I currently have set at 3 clicks softer than the recommended setting at the rear and 2 clicks softer at the front. Like I said, the roads around my part of Hampshire haven't had a great deal of money spent on them in recent years, and it's easy to stiffen them up if necessary, at least at the front - the rears are a bit less user-friendly.
Were they worth the money? Yes. I bought the Ohlins second-hand, but unused at about 65% of new cost. The fact that they are rebuildable helps to justify the price, particularly if you intend to keep the car. The ride quality, especially on roads which are less than perfect, is improved. The car feels more sure-footed, and turn-in, particularly to medium and fast corners, although there is a slight initial hesitation (which may be tyre related), is more positive, and the car will hold the line better and will tolerate slight adjustments in the corner better if the need arises. My early impressions are that the damping is better controlled, as it should be given the price of the Ohlins kit. I may continue to experiment with damping adjustment and tyre pressures, particularly at the front, although the weather is becoming cooler, and this can lead one down a blind alley if one is trying to dial-out something like an initial hesitancy to turn-in.
A poor road surface is a poor road surface, and there is no suspension that you could fit to an S2000 which will provide the same levels of ride comfort that you will achieve from a car which is heavier, and less focussed.
You will always feel the road imperfections, and the car will always react to them. It's how the car reacts which is the important thing.
I found the standard suspension on my 2005 S2000 to lack refinement, in that it was jittery and crashy - it felt harsh and slightly under-developed, as though the design focussed on handling at the expense of ride. These two objectives aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Plenty of other manufacturers have achieved both.
The Ohlins units still transmit the road imperfections, but they seem to absorb them differently - without knowing the actual damping rates of the standard setup, my guess is that the rears in particular have stiffer bump rates than the Ohlins, which I currently have set at 3 clicks softer than the recommended setting at the rear and 2 clicks softer at the front. Like I said, the roads around my part of Hampshire haven't had a great deal of money spent on them in recent years, and it's easy to stiffen them up if necessary, at least at the front - the rears are a bit less user-friendly.
Were they worth the money? Yes. I bought the Ohlins second-hand, but unused at about 65% of new cost. The fact that they are rebuildable helps to justify the price, particularly if you intend to keep the car. The ride quality, especially on roads which are less than perfect, is improved. The car feels more sure-footed, and turn-in, particularly to medium and fast corners, although there is a slight initial hesitation (which may be tyre related), is more positive, and the car will hold the line better and will tolerate slight adjustments in the corner better if the need arises. My early impressions are that the damping is better controlled, as it should be given the price of the Ohlins kit. I may continue to experiment with damping adjustment and tyre pressures, particularly at the front, although the weather is becoming cooler, and this can lead one down a blind alley if one is trying to dial-out something like an initial hesitancy to turn-in.
10-10-2015, 12:10 PM
#16
This morning I decided to double check the settings on the dampers, to discover that they were 20 clicks from soft.
I re-set the rears to 7 clicks from soft and the fronts to 10. The result, on indifferent roads, was a much better ride, without compromising handling or cornering. The initial turn-in seemed more positive, which was an added bonus. As long as the car feels as good on faster, better surfaced roads I can feel satisfied that the conversion has provided what I was looking for.
I re-set the rears to 7 clicks from soft and the fronts to 10. The result, on indifferent roads, was a much better ride, without compromising handling or cornering. The initial turn-in seemed more positive, which was an added bonus. As long as the car feels as good on faster, better surfaced roads I can feel satisfied that the conversion has provided what I was looking for.
10-14-2015, 10:49 AM
#17
After about a week with the Ohlins I must say I am very impressed with them. I went and fiddled with the preload settings and ultimately just set them back to the recommended 2mm preload all around. I raised the ride height a bit to about 1.25 I think and then decided to crank the damping way low for the street. I seem to have found a sweet spot at 20/22 from stiff for my long commutes (OC -> Willow Springs).
On track though, I stiffened the dampers up almost to full stiff. I believe I was running them at 4/6 from stiff at Streets and still felt like I could've gone stiffer while keeping the wheels firmly planted to the ground. Overall these are great coilovers, but you do have to fiddle with them to get them dialed into your personal style (which is normal for all suspension!) Track Video
On track though, I stiffened the dampers up almost to full stiff. I believe I was running them at 4/6 from stiff at Streets and still felt like I could've gone stiffer while keeping the wheels firmly planted to the ground. Overall these are great coilovers, but you do have to fiddle with them to get them dialed into your personal style (which is normal for all suspension!) Track Video
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