My Ohlins are reasonable on the street - but I’ve got solid end everything so it’s still harsh.

They are brilliant on track.

The Öhlins R/T*is made for those who want*trackworthiness but are unwilling to*compromise on*streetworthiness. The shock has a separate valve for absorption of quick compressions (bumps/smaller surface imperfections) in addition to the normal valve which controls constant compression (cornering). From what I gather, the Koni Frequency Selective Damping (FSD)*shocks have a similar technology.*

I have read countless reports of the Öhlins R/T having a more comfortable ride than the factory shocks/struts and springs on several platforms (mostly the E9x M3, but also S2K and others). I have also read several reports from those who have switched from more track oriented, more pricey coilover systems*and been much happier with the R/Ts for their*streetability while still being trackable. Those same folks usually said the R/T wasn’t necessarily a*great*performer on track, but was fine for a car which is used for 50% (or more) street driving and 50% (or less) track driving. They’re a bit too soft to be a dedicated track system, from what they say.*

The way I see it is: the*Öhlins R/T is the Pilot Super Sport (or, I guess Pilot Sport 4S now) of coilovers: mostly for a very sporty (yet comfortable)*street car, but (technically) capable*of track duty.*

I have not yet owned a set, though. I had planned to put them on my M3 after many months of reading reviews/threads on forums and asking people at car meets and such who had them what they thought about them and how they stacked up in comparison to relatively similar products. I was never overwhelmed by*the need to get them, however; the M3 was just fine for daily use and didn’t look bad at stock height. If I would’ve kept it instead of (or in addition to) getting this car, I would’ve gotten them because, at almost 80k miles, the suspension was due for a refresh anyway.*

To answer your question directly:*shocks (and all the parts of which most cars are comprised)*from the factory provide*the bare minimum performance*necessary to get the least of what the engineers and designers envisioned while being*competitive enough in the market to maximize returns on investments.*Öhlins is*an OEM manufacturer that develops*aftermarket solutions for those of us that are not satisfied with the bare minimum. Hence, the Öhlins R/T, which*satisfies the market segment that*wants very sporty driving dynamics without having back problems (a rapidly growing market segment).

Simply put,*the*R/T Dual Flow Valve (DFV) technology is the answer to why they can provide both better handling dynamics/road holding and more comfort simultaneously. The factory shocks don’t have that technology.*

I swapped out H&R street performance coilovers that was on the car with Ohlins R&T and happy with the ride and how it performed on the track. H&R had Tarret camber plate and quite noisy. The ride was and shock damping was poor. I also installed GT3 antiroll bars with stock shock mount and it is quite without any rattles or squeaks and at 9 from full soft on front and rear, it is firm but not uncomfortable in the DC metro area roads. I had it at 15 but it was too stiff on bumpy track surfaces.