ohlins
02-28-2014, 10:09 AM
#46
Race Car
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Looking forward to a report from Barber this weekend. My set is being revalved for heavier rates before being shipped. Good to hear it's still plenty stiff though, that's important for stickier tires.
Spent a couple of hours on the phone with Jeff over a couple of conversations and he had some great input on all of the hype around remote canisters and 3 ways. Helped make the decision easier.
Spent a couple of hours on the phone with Jeff over a couple of conversations and he had some great input on all of the hype around remote canisters and 3 ways. Helped make the decision easier.
02-28-2014, 08:17 PM
#47
Rennlist Member
550/700, you're right on springs, they used the stock perches. Springs are H&R.
Wheels are Fikse Profil 10 9" front 12" rear with slightly more aggressive than stock offsets.
Wheels are Fikse Profil 10 9" front 12" rear with slightly more aggressive than stock offsets.
The kit comes with 515/800# springs. I kept the same rates, just switched to Swift springs. Highly unlikely that your shop used 60mm ID springs, because that would have required them to use different spring perches, but find out what your shop used.
Your BBS wheels probably just have better inner clearance and have a different offset than my CCW C14's. John (CCW) is pretty aggressive on wheel fitments.
Your BBS wheels probably just have better inner clearance and have a different offset than my CCW C14's. John (CCW) is pretty aggressive on wheel fitments.
03-01-2014, 01:20 AM
#48
What are the OEM spring rates?
03-01-2014, 09:12 AM
#49
Rennlist Member
03-03-2014, 12:10 PM
#51
Rennlist Member
Looking forward to a report from Barber this weekend. My set is being revalved for heavier rates before being shipped. Good to hear it's still plenty stiff though, that's important for stickier tires.
Spent a couple of hours on the phone with Jeff over a couple of conversations and he had some great input on all of the hype around remote canisters and 3 ways. Helped make the decision easier.
Spent a couple of hours on the phone with Jeff over a couple of conversations and he had some great input on all of the hype around remote canisters and 3 ways. Helped make the decision easier.
So....Ohlins DFV. Simply put, they are the real deal. The improvement from the stock shocks is huge, and the control of the spring rates is impressive. Ohlins touts the "science of compliance", and now I get it. On the street, they certainly felt ALOT more stiff/firm than my previous setup, on the track, at first they felt almost soft, but then you realize it's just great motion control, valving, and the DFV working, as the pitch and roll were much less than before.....I had to recalibrate my butt and brain.
The DFV works, I purposely put it on curbs, even ones I didn't need to be on, just to see, and it's a huge improvement. Soaks them up. Curbing at T7, T10, T11, T12....all handled without issue. On curbs where you want to use them to gain grip, it works really well. Obviously you have to find the correct shock setting still, but the DFV works in conjunction beautifully. The big bump/dip tracking out from T5 is another great illustration of how well it works, normally my car skips through there, not anymore, just hunkers down and goes.
Also, the slight downhill, bumpy brake zones heading into T1 and T5 always caused lots of ABS, but now, the car is much more controlled in those sections, and while the ABS does still kick in, it's not nearly as much, allowing you to be much more consistent in those brake zones, which helped tremendously on entry, especially in T1. Lots more mechanical grip coming out of T5, I could get to flat in 2nd gear quite early, and would only get oversteer if I pinched the exit too much, or sometimes slight oversteer right towards the track out curbing since you are wound way up in 2nd gear. That was impressive, and I was able to gap cars all day long there. The shocks are consistent lap after lap, which makes it so much easier for you to be consistent lap after lap.
Ohlins were set to 3 front, 5 rear initially (0 being the firmest). For Barber, which is smooth, this was perfect right out of the box. Great balance, neutral. After the first day, I stiffened up both ends by 1 click, and it was too much, and immediately noticeable as the car was sliding around too much and lost a lot of grip. I like that 1 click makes an appreciable change, so you don't need to take big swings in setup. This also proves to me that they can easily handle 25% more spring rate (or stickier tires) without issue. For NT01's, driving at their max slip angle, this was about as stiff as you can go without the tires going away too quickly, and the car simply not being hooked up.
Typically as new tires wear in, the rear gains grip, so I can see perhaps softening the front by 1 click to gain more front bite, if needed.
Car setup was identical to before.
3140 lbs w/ ~2/3 tank of fuel
-3F / -2R camber
Zero front toe / .36 degrees total rear toe
GMG bars, 1 hole from full soft front, full soft rear
Brand new Nitto NT01's.
I think you are going love them, especially for RA.
Last edited by Mvez; 03-03-2014 at 01:23 PM.
03-03-2014, 01:04 PM
#52
Rennlist Member
Thanks for your feedback. When you say on the street they were ALOT more stiff/firm, would that be comparable to driving around with PASM in sport mode, or is it stiffer/firmer than that.
03-03-2014, 01:19 PM
#53
Rennlist Member
On the stiff, "track" range settings, it is noticeably firmer than stock, even in "sport" mode, however, it's firm in a different, more controlled manner. Remember, when you increase spring rate, no matter what shocks you have, it's going to be firmer. Hard to explain, but it definitely feels race-car stiff on the street in those firm settings.
Unless you track your car alot, I wouldn't recommend any suspension change. The stock setup is pretty adequate, but if you are looking to be able to adjust your setup, and take things to another level at the track, then I would highly recommend the Ohlins kit. It's perfect for the weekend warrior who doesn't want to have to rebuild them every season, and have a single point of adjustment.
I rarely drive mine on the street, so I just leave it set on my track setup.
03-03-2014, 01:40 PM
#54
Race Car
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: With A Manual Transmission
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What rates did you go with? Their rates for the Turbo are low.
So....Ohlins DFV. Simply put, they are the real deal. The improvement from the stock shocks is huge, and the control of the spring rates is impressive. Ohlins touts the "science of compliance", and now I get it. On the street, they certainly felt ALOT more stiff/firm than my previous setup, on the track, at first they felt almost soft, but then you realize it's just great motion control, valving, and the DFV working, as the pitch and roll were much less than before.....I had to recalibrate my butt and brain.
The DFV works, I purposely put it on curbs, even ones I didn't need to be on, just to see, and it's a huge improvement. Soaks them up. Curbing at T7, T10, T11, T12....all handled without issue. On curbs where you want to use them to gain grip, it works really well. Obviously you have to find the correct shock setting still, but the DFV works in conjunction beautifully. The big bump/dip tracking out from T5 is another great illustration of how well it works, normally my car skips through there, not anymore, just hunkers down and goes.
Also, the slight downhill, bumpy brake zones heading into T1 and T5 always caused lots of ABS, but now, the car is much more controlled in those sections, and while the ABS does still kick in, it's not nearly as much, allowing you to be much more consistent in those brake zones, which helped tremendously on entry, especially in T1. Lots more mechanical grip coming out of T5, I could get to flat in 2nd gear quite early, and would only get oversteer if I pinched the exit too much, or sometimes slight oversteer right towards the track out curbing since you are wound way up in 2nd gear. That was impressive, and I was able to gap cars all day long there. The shocks are consistent lap after lap, which makes it so much easier for you to be consistent lap after lap.
Ohlins were set to 3 front, 5 rear initially (0 being the firmest). For Barber, which is smooth, this was perfect right out of the box. Great balance, neutral. After the first day, I stiffened up both ends by 1 click, and it was too much, and immediately noticeable as the car was sliding around too much and lost a lot of grip. I like that 1 click makes an appreciable change, so you don't need to take big swings in setup. This also proves to me that they can easily handle 25% more spring rate (or stickier tires) without issue. For NT01's, driving at their max slip angle, this was about as stiff as you can go without the tires going away too quickly, and the car simply not being hooked up.
Typically as new tires wear in, the rear gains grip, so I can see perhaps softening the front by 1 click to gain more front bite, if needed.
Car setup was identical to before.
3140 lbs w/ ~2/3 tank of fuel
-3F / -2R camber
Zero front toe / .36 degrees total rear toe
GMG bars, 1 hole from full soft front, full soft rear
Brand new Nitto NT01's.
I think you are going love them, especially for RA.
So....Ohlins DFV. Simply put, they are the real deal. The improvement from the stock shocks is huge, and the control of the spring rates is impressive. Ohlins touts the "science of compliance", and now I get it. On the street, they certainly felt ALOT more stiff/firm than my previous setup, on the track, at first they felt almost soft, but then you realize it's just great motion control, valving, and the DFV working, as the pitch and roll were much less than before.....I had to recalibrate my butt and brain.
The DFV works, I purposely put it on curbs, even ones I didn't need to be on, just to see, and it's a huge improvement. Soaks them up. Curbing at T7, T10, T11, T12....all handled without issue. On curbs where you want to use them to gain grip, it works really well. Obviously you have to find the correct shock setting still, but the DFV works in conjunction beautifully. The big bump/dip tracking out from T5 is another great illustration of how well it works, normally my car skips through there, not anymore, just hunkers down and goes.
Also, the slight downhill, bumpy brake zones heading into T1 and T5 always caused lots of ABS, but now, the car is much more controlled in those sections, and while the ABS does still kick in, it's not nearly as much, allowing you to be much more consistent in those brake zones, which helped tremendously on entry, especially in T1. Lots more mechanical grip coming out of T5, I could get to flat in 2nd gear quite early, and would only get oversteer if I pinched the exit too much, or sometimes slight oversteer right towards the track out curbing since you are wound way up in 2nd gear. That was impressive, and I was able to gap cars all day long there. The shocks are consistent lap after lap, which makes it so much easier for you to be consistent lap after lap.
Ohlins were set to 3 front, 5 rear initially (0 being the firmest). For Barber, which is smooth, this was perfect right out of the box. Great balance, neutral. After the first day, I stiffened up both ends by 1 click, and it was too much, and immediately noticeable as the car was sliding around too much and lost a lot of grip. I like that 1 click makes an appreciable change, so you don't need to take big swings in setup. This also proves to me that they can easily handle 25% more spring rate (or stickier tires) without issue. For NT01's, driving at their max slip angle, this was about as stiff as you can go without the tires going away too quickly, and the car simply not being hooked up.
Typically as new tires wear in, the rear gains grip, so I can see perhaps softening the front by 1 click to gain more front bite, if needed.
Car setup was identical to before.
3140 lbs w/ ~2/3 tank of fuel
-3F / -2R camber
Zero front toe / .36 degrees total rear toe
GMG bars, 1 hole from full soft front, full soft rear
Brand new Nitto NT01's.
I think you are going love them, especially for RA.
Mine will arrive custom valved for more spring rate since I run A6's and full slicks and have a lot of DF and power plus Road Atlanta has a LOT of big compression forces. Valving will be for 800/1000 with me having flexibility to go up/down 30% from either number.
03-03-2014, 02:33 PM
#55
Rennlist Member
@mvez, appreciate the track report and the impact of making those changes to the suspension. My settings are quite a bit different than yours, I have different camber, different bars (stock front, gt2 rear), and my driving skill is the biggest gap, etc... so definitely not an apples to apples on the 'clicks' setup. I'm also using a slightly softer rear spring and a slightly firmer front spring. I am still very much learning so I relay my feedback on the car to my shop suspension guy, he's keeping notes and we'll discuss any changes to my setup at some point in the future.
@bmwtye - Echoing what mvez stated, The best way I can explain it is when in PASM sport, the car feels jittery, stiff, and almost out of control jittery. With the Ohlins, it's stiff but compliant, especially on the track, and not jittery. Firm but controlled. If I drove my car more on the street I'd dial it back a bit. It's perfect as is for canyon runs, too stiff for cruising around town, but I don't do that hardly at all.
@bmwtye - Echoing what mvez stated, The best way I can explain it is when in PASM sport, the car feels jittery, stiff, and almost out of control jittery. With the Ohlins, it's stiff but compliant, especially on the track, and not jittery. Firm but controlled. If I drove my car more on the street I'd dial it back a bit. It's perfect as is for canyon runs, too stiff for cruising around town, but I don't do that hardly at all.
03-03-2014, 02:35 PM
#56
Rennlist Member
Their rates for the 996 in general are lower than the 997. I ordered a set for the 996 GT2 and GT3 though because they allow a much lower ride height.
Mine will arrive custom valved for more spring rate since I run A6's and full slicks and have a lot of DF and power plus Road Atlanta has a LOT of big compression forces. Valving will be for 800/1000 with me having flexibility to go up/down 30% from either number.
Mine will arrive custom valved for more spring rate since I run A6's and full slicks and have a lot of DF and power plus Road Atlanta has a LOT of big compression forces. Valving will be for 800/1000 with me having flexibility to go up/down 30% from either number.
03-03-2014, 02:45 PM
#57
Race Car
Join Date: Apr 2005
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I should have clarified. I have a 996 Turbo, and the part number for the Turbo is completely different from the 996 GT2 and GT3. They also base ride height adjustments on the stock ride height. The Turbo sits much much higher than the GT2/3 and the Ohlins shock for it has less range of adjustment as well so I would have had to ride much higher had I opted for the Turbo setup.
03-03-2014, 03:01 PM
#58
Rennlist Member
@mvez, appreciate the track report and the impact of making those changes to the suspension. My settings are quite a bit different than yours, I have different camber, different bars (stock front, gt2 rear), and my driving skill is the biggest gap, etc... so definitely not an apples to apples on the 'clicks' setup. I'm also using a slightly softer rear spring and a slightly firmer front spring. I am still very much learning so I relay my feedback on the car to my shop suspension guy, he's keeping notes and we'll discuss any changes to my setup at some point in the future.
@bmwtye - Echoing what mvez stated, The best way I can explain it is when in PASM sport, the car feels jittery, stiff, and almost out of control jittery. With the Ohlins, it's stiff but compliant, especially on the track, and not jittery. Firm but controlled. If I drove my car more on the street I'd dial it back a bit. It's perfect as is for canyon runs, too stiff for cruising around town, but I don't do that hardly at all.
@bmwtye - Echoing what mvez stated, The best way I can explain it is when in PASM sport, the car feels jittery, stiff, and almost out of control jittery. With the Ohlins, it's stiff but compliant, especially on the track, and not jittery. Firm but controlled. If I drove my car more on the street I'd dial it back a bit. It's perfect as is for canyon runs, too stiff for cruising around town, but I don't do that hardly at all.
03-03-2014, 03:30 PM
#59
Rennlist Member
@mvez, appreciate the track report and the impact of making those changes to the suspension. My settings are quite a bit different than yours, I have different camber, different bars (stock front, gt2 rear), and my driving skill is the biggest gap, etc... so definitely not an apples to apples on the 'clicks' setup. I'm also using a slightly softer rear spring and a slightly firmer front spring. I am still very much learning so I relay my feedback on the car to my shop suspension guy, he's keeping notes and we'll discuss any changes to my setup at some point in the future.
You will certainly tweak it as you get more seat time, but it's honestly not much different than mine, so I wouldn't worry about it. Just drive, drive, drive...and everything will come.
07-15-2014, 01:52 PM
#60
Rennlist Member
Great posts here. Any more updates on these setups, guys? I'm looking to replace my stock 997.1 suspension. Still happy with Ohlins DFV?