DeanClevername

I posted the below review on page 3 of an old thread that was revived, but I figure it is worth its own post for future search-ability. I'm really impressed with this suspension, I'm surprised it hasn't been adopted as widely among 996s as it has on other Porsches, not to mention BMWs, Hondas, Mazdas etc.

*******

I installed Ohlins Road and Track on my 2003 996 C2 in January 2017. My car is DD-ed from from downtown DC to Bethesda over godawful roads and I have 13 autocross events on them so far in 2017. I've been meaning to write something up as I think these are pretty under represented in the 996 camp. If anyone is in the area and would like to experience them in person, PM me.

My impressions on the street: DC has horrendous roads. Especially the section of my commute through Rock Creek Park where the pavement is an utter disgrace. Honestly I could probably barely get through some sections on a road bike. With that in mind, dampers set to 12, they are far more comfortable than my original stock suspension. I've never felt the need to set them softer than 12 (see setting note below), even driving on worn Direzza Zii* or RE71R. I actually run them stiffer at 10 or 11 when I swap to my daily tires which are the new Conti ExtremeContact Sports.

The springs are very stiff (something like 340lbs front, 680 rear) but you'd never guess as such when the dampers are set anywhere close to soft-ish. The base suspension was under-sprung and over-damped, but IMHO these are just perfect. Even on street settings you immediately notice the disappearance of the stock pitch/dive under braking/acceleration and much of the body roll. As you would expect turn-in is much sharper and the car feel much more settled at any speed. There's really little need for upgraded sway bars on the street with this suspension.

Long road trips are a breeze, expansion joint harshness becomes more a function of your tires than the suspension. Sometimes I instinctively brace for what I expect is going to be a big impact, but the DFV rounds off these big impacts extremely well. My street wheels are 18" in stock size and are quite lightweight, so this no doubt adds to the lack of harshness I experience on the road. I'm sure 19" or heavy wheels would adversely impact the suspension ability to work, just as it would the stock suspension.

Autocross: I began the season setting the dampers to 7 or 6, but now I'm regularly running as stiff as 4. I like that there is only 1 **** to mess with, I'm not really a setup guy. I like to get the car in the ballpark and work on my driving. The increased body control has made this a seriously fast car now. The car feels every bit as sharp and responsive as you'd expect from coilovers with spring rates like these. Im actually surprised how much earlier I can get on the gas on corner exit as weight transfer to the rear is better controlled and the car wont plow out as badly with early throttle application.

The rest of my suspension is stock including sway bars (I prefer the OFAT method), so this has some effects at autox. With the dampers at 6+ the car transitions just as mildly to oversteer as before. In stock form it was shocking how cuddly the car was at the limit, how catchable oversteer was, and how well the car responded to a little lift mid-corner. None of this changes with settings at 6+. However given my stock roll bars I was looking for a little more control in transitions, so I pushed up to 4. The car feels nicely sharp at 4. There is probably a slight traction disadvantage on less than ideal pavement when running this stiff, but the car responds so beautifully that it is worth it. I managed to take FTD in my lowly 996 at a PCA autox against some seriously fast cars. I was blown away. There is a down side to running this stiff however, as the car does become a bit less forgiving. When the rear breaks, it breaks fast and you have to be much more exact with your corrections. Stiffer sways would allow me to run a little softer without losing the responsiveness in transitions. It's a little thing and might be down to my alignment or something, but it's worth noting.

Even running stiff, the DFV does a great job soaking up bumps. At at an on-track autocross I was able to get pretty aggressive on the curbs and the car just soaked it up. Often I drive home with the shocks still set to stiff (and with lower autox tire pressures) because Im too hot and tired to bother resetting them. The car works great on the freeway still, only really getting harsh over the broken pavement on DC surface streets.

My only regret is not installing these earlier. List price has come down to about $2500 and you can find them even cheaper with a little effort. At that cost and for a dual purpose car, it's a no brainer.

I do occasionally hear a ping from of spring binding, but it is very rare.

Ohlins' user guide suggests the following settings (0 being stiffest, 20 being softest)

track use: 0-7 clicks
winding road: 5-10 clicks
street: 10-20

If you're nearby DC and want a ride to see for yourself, just LMK

MoeMonney

Did you change your bushings or drop Links?

Spyerx

These are really good dampers for the $. I had them on my GT3 for 3 years with lots of track time. They are very compliant but very controlled. I've driven and ridden in all sorts of setups with different dampers and I really like Ohlins the best. I've KW club sport on my 964 and they are pretty good, not as compliant though, even compared to my GT3RS which I have Ohlins TTX on now and WAY higher spring rates.

For clarity on the clicks: You always start from a fully closed position (so the **** is fully clockwise, then back it to the first detent). Then count the clicks. So 6 = 6 from fully closed position.

DeanClevername

I should have added adj drop links when the coilovers went on, but I didn't. I somehow managed to get corner balanced with zero preload on the sway bars with the stock drop links... But I'm considering myself lucky and will be swapping them out in the near future. Even before I upgrade sways.

My bushings were ok at the time and I was planning on upgrading front LCAs, and probably rear UCAs and toe links this winter so I thought it made sense to wait. Plus I wanted to see how harsh the Ohlins would be by themselves before I decided on rubber or poly bushings.

MoeMonney

How much did you lower your car?

todcp

The simple reason more people don't use them is cost. Over $2,500 is the best I have seen.

Another bigger reason for me....Ouch.
Recommended Service Intervals;
Racing:Every 10 hours of operation. Maximum 20 hours of operation without service and oil change.
Regular street use: Every 30 000 km (18,600 miles)

MoeMonney

There are several vendors on eBay that sell them for $2,375. My next purchase.

DeanClevername

I was very conservative, only went roughly as low as the ROW M030. Needed to be sure I could get in/out of our absurdly sloped underground garage here in DC without scraping.

$2500 is now the list price, cheaper is easy to find. Right on par or cheaper than PSS10 or KW V1 while delivering a better result (my subjective opinion).

The service interval did strike me as quite low. But after speaking with Ohlins, it seemed clear this is intended to keep them operating in their optimal range, avoiding any fall-off that a shock will naturally have. I don't expect these will leak or degrade in performance any faster than the Bilsteins or any monotube. Time will tell on that front, I'll update if I still have the car when I cross that bridge.

Silk

Great to hear you are satisfied and happy ... The Ohlins Road&Track are indeed a nice piece of craftmanship. I am still surprised with their versatility. Smooth when needed. Sharp when necessary!

dblvanos

I appreciate the follow up.

I have been considering these for my car. I live in WV and the roads are similar to what you have in DC.

bornrich

Where are the adjuster on the front? I have PSS9s and mine are a pain to get to with a jack (on the bottom of the strut).

Audidude

Great review thanks.
You mentioned the ExtremeContact Contis - these are the only Contis available in the stock 18inch size (285/30, 225/40) - how have you found them?

DeanClevername

The adjuster is on the bottom of the strut, but I've found it easy to reach (blindly) from behind if I turn the wheel to full lock. A bit annoying to turn from lock to lock just to adjust the fronts, but you get used to it. Another thing that takes getting used to is the fact that the strut is inverted, so you need to turn the shock asj **** the opposite way you would think. Sounds simple, but sometimes working out which way you need to turn it is like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time.


So far I really like the new ECS. I daily-ed Zii* for the year prior and they obviously don't feel as sharp as those, but I've been really surprised by how much grip they have. They defn make the steering feel pretty light, but I think the feedback is still pretty good. I think they'd be fun to run at something noncompetitive like a DE.

They seem quiet and smooth compared to my RE71R autocross tires, but that's an extreme comparison. I had super sports on the car in 19" for a brief time the first year I had the car, but that's a hazy memory now and I can't really make an accurate direct comparison. For long trips and backroads at 7/10 they feel crisp and responsive, not a wooly mess like the DW were.

Ultimately I'd rather have the PS4S as it's supposed to be a better in nearly every respect, but it's not available in our stock sizes yet.

dporto

^Not a bad price at all when you consider they come with top mounts...

MoeMonney

From what ive read you have to use the factory top mounts.