Hi everyone. I'm picking up my 69k mi AP1 tomorrow. Super stoked for the long drive home.

It's in great condition with some mild upgrades from the previous owner: AP2 wheels, Koyorad, OEM thermostat/fan switch, CR brakes. I have the opportunity to purchase brand new Ohlins DFVs and have them installed at a reputable shop with adjustments & alignment for ~$2,500. I've done research and I wouldn't consider any alternatives. I'd keep them 10k/8k for now and have them tune to manufacturer-recommended settings.

The question is: Do I drive it with stock suspension and get used to it as-is, or get this done and never look back?

I'd be using it for mostly street driving, eventually tracking and maybe AutoX (and yes, I know this would bump me up a class). Most resources point to the stock suspension being more than capable. But I figure "why not?" if I can drive home with the stocks in the trunk.

Any input is appreciated.

 

Hi just recently installed Ohlin's on my ap2 with 49000 miles . my honest take away after 1500 miles is save your money they are good but
for the street stock shocks are more well rounded . Again they are good but not 2500$ good unless you need shocks , I didn't
just wanted them and after the fact still think OEM shocks are more compliant in all situations EXCEPT FOR TRACK USE then they
excel .Just an honest review .others will argue but keep your money and save it ..

 

Well...yeah. That's why the car came with the stock system and not Ohlins with 10K/8K springs.

It seems kinda obvious that the car is gonna be LESS well rounded on the street after installing an aftermarket performance part, no?

Like...you wouldn't assume that an aftermarket exhaust would be quieter and more refined than stock...right? That's not why you buy it. You buy it because you wanna trade well roundedness or refinement for something else.

If you're buying Ohlins or any other system for the right reasons, they will do what you want.

OP...I usually do recommend that people drive the car stock first. But that's if you're after some sort of data point. You're not. So...toss on the Ohlins.

Tune the car and your driving around them. Pretend that its how the car came. The only one who may care that you didn't start at stock shocks is you. So you can just tell you to not hassle with you about that.

 

Up to you end of day,oem is good, though they had to tweek set up through its production.So Its not one size fits all !

 

Personally, I wouldn't make the change until I have a baseline of what I'm changing. You might as well drive on the stock suspension for a couple of weeks to know what exactly you're "upgrading" to. Just my personal preference.

 

Learn the car before you decided to change anything. Very few can drive this wonderful car to its potential. Make small changes to see how it affects the handling characteristics. More seat time is the best learning tool you can. Just enjoy the time behind the wheel. Autocross will teach you the lower speed quick characteristics and the track will teach the high speed characteristics. But learn the car that way and not on a public road.

 

Öhlins perform exceptionally well on the track. Over a fairly technical lap (1 minute and 40 seconds), they reduce lap times by 3 seconds, which is massive. However, on the road, I found them less comfortable than the OEM suspension, though they do provide greater confidence when driving at pace. If you do not intend to use your vehicle on the track, I would not recommend investing in them.