Ohlins R&T Coilovers on the R56 review

Now that I have had the Ohlins R&Ts on my car for about a year and 10K miles, it's time for a review. My criteria for choosing coilovers were 1) better performance, 2) adjustability without taking anything apart, 3) no drilling holes in the car (such as in the back to get to adjusters on top.) That meant the choices were Bilstein PSS10 or Ohlins R&T, which both have the adjusters on the bottom. After a lot of reading and researching I finally went for the Ohlins.

I have this problem where I can never do just a simple upgrade, I always have to overkill it. I always think "as long as I'm installing X, I might as well do Y..." and then the budget grows. I justify it by reminding myself that I'm saving in the long run since I won't have to take everything apart again. So that's how I ended up with not just Ohlins but also Vorshlag camber plates, new rear top hats, Powerflex rear bushings, and Helix rear control arms. It's a wonder I didn't get adjustable swaybar links too. Anyway, spending the $ made the process easy. Camber plates and new top hats + bushings meant I could assemble each corner on the workbench and I didn't have to worry about using a spring compressor to take the stock parts off to switch over.

I initially set up the springs according to the instructions, with 10mm of preload in the back and 8mm in the front. I found that left the back a bit high so after a few days I just backed the rear adjusters off 10mm and it was perfect.

My initial reaction to the Ohlins was "WOW!" Incredible steering feel and response, much better ride over sharp bumps. I played a lot with the adjusters, starting from -10 clicks from full stiff. -7 was too harsh, eventually I settled at -15 front -18 rear. When I finally ditched the runflat tires and got Michelin PSSs I turned everything up a few clicks so now I'm -12 front and -15 rear for daily driver mode. After installing the Ohlins I had the car aligned for -2 degrees of camber all around, it totally transformed
the car. Turn in is immediate, not a trace of understeer unless I really, really try, and the car rotates easily. Having a 22mm rear sway bar helps too.

Road handling is phenomenal. The ride is firm and controlled and gives me confidence that nothing unpredictable is going to happen. The digressive valving really works, sharp impacts that used to make the car jump are soaked up and controlled. There's one particular expansion joint on a fast, sweeping interchange ramp that I used to dread, now it is just a distant thump. There's a stretch of freeway on my daily commute that until it was ground down had expansion joints at about the same spacing as the wheelbase of the car, every joint was like a little peak that made the ride in any car miserable and had the R56 with the stock suspension bucking like a rodeo horse with the hiccups. The Ohlins substantially tamed that.

The digressive valving has a downside though, on softer bumps or dips the shocks stay stiff and don't soak up the changes. For example, there's an offramp near home where the ground has sunk in places under the asphalt, so it looks like a series of waves about 3 inches deep and 15 feet long. The Ohlins stay stiff so it results in a bit of a wild ride. Parking lot speedbumps have to be taken very slowly.

Track handling was really an eye opener. My first track day at Laguna Seca with the new setup, for the first few laps of the first session the car felt a bit loose and squirrely. I had been telling myself that I would take it easy for the first session to remember the line and get used to the new tires and suspension, yeah right. BMW M3 in front and behind and all that "take it easy" was forgotten. I was seriously wondering if I had made a poor choice for suspension until I remembered that I had completely
forgotten to twist the adjusters and stiffen the shocks up.

For the second session, I turned it up to -3 front and -5 rear, and it was a different car. The loose feeling was completely gone and my lap times were immediately significantly faster than my best from my previous track days. Third session I went a few clicks stiffer and got my fastest laps of the day, taking 8 seconds off my previous best. It is hard to separate how much of the improvement is due to the new tires, how much from the increased camber, how much is due to the shocks. I'll take part of the credit for pushing the car harder and braking later and harder. Once I stiffened the Ohlins up, I had complete confidence in cornering as hard as the tires could take. Turn 10 at Laguna Seca is a fast downhill right hander, when I was really pushing it I could feel the car slightly slide all 4 wheels, and I could place the car with very subtle adjustments on the gas. Turns 8a and 8b, aka "The Corkscrew", are hard braking followed by a quick left-right combination while going off a cliff. You turn in for 8a without being able to see the apex of 8b because it is about 50 vertical feet below you. The Ohlins handled the transitions with ease, again giving me complete confidence. Then at the end of the day, I turned the shocks back down and drove home.

It would be really fun to drive other R56s that have Bilsteins, KW V2 or V3s, etc. but so far I haven't had the opportunity so all I can compare is the Ohlins to the stock R56S suspension. The Ohlins are far better than stock - better response on sharp bumps, better overall control in fast cornering. But these are not for everyone as even on the softer settings, they are pretty stiff. If you are looking for shocks that are always comfortable, these are not it. If you are looking for shocks that you can use for a daily driver without rattling your teeth out and also drive at 10/10ths with confidence, then the Ohlins are a great choice.

 

A very thorough review and I agree there are some surfaces where there just seems to be no shaft movement. Within the adjustment range 1-30 every increase adds much less re-bound and affects compression not nearly as much.

 

Softest setting stiff? No way. Have you tried any other coilover system on the R56 because the Megan's were incredibly stiff on ANY setting. Softest was still soft for me hence why I went to upgraded Hyperco Coilover springs. It was a step up worth the change.

 

It seems there are different views on the Ohlins




I'm looking for the nice ride , the ability of the Ohlins to absorb the uneven payment at speed, like described in the review , but I'm concerned about the inability of them to work well and being stiff over speed bumps driving slow.

 

The problem with suspensions is that the feel is in the "eye" of the beholder. Some people feel that the base Cooper suspension is too stiff. Others like a stiff suspension. The best you can do is to take the "general consensus" and make your judgement from there.

 

Take it from me, not all speed bumps are created equally! The speed bumps in my condo complex are absolutely tall and steep, my family and friends absolutely hate them. However other speed bumps at my bank I can go faster over them and I barely feel them at all.

The Ohlins were designed for the road, not speed bumps. Speed bumps are designed to get your attention to slow the heck down, if Ohlins designed their coilovers for speed bumps and not the roads it would not be half as good on roads as it is now. Consider where you want better handling, speed bumps or roads.

 

With the Ohlins, it's the digressive valving doing what it is designed to do. That means for low frequency transitions they stay stiff.

If you want shocks that will be soft for low speed bumps but stiffen up at speed then you need a different car with electronically controlled shocks - "magnetorheological" is the word the automotive writers like to use a lot to make it sound like they know what they're talking about. The suspension response can be adjusted according to speed, cornering forces, comfort vs. sport mode selection, etc.

The Ohlins are a purely mechanical / hydraulic system, there's only so much they can do and I think they do a fantastic job of it. At the roughly 2K price point there's Ohlins, KW, Bilstein, etc. and I think all of them are more performance oriented, not comfort.

 

sold a bike and have some cash to spend , so the Ohlins are a go

 

Interested to hear how this goes. While I have a F56 JCW I am headed down this path. I am thinking the KW V3's but my local shop is really pushing me to go Ohlins R&T set up. He likes them better. I have a bit to actually decide.

 

^Ohlins currently do not make coilovers for the F56.

 

Looking to replace all the bolt on items and hardware , instead of reusing the old stuff when installing the Ohlins. Any suggestions? I really don't want to be bothered by fiddly adjustable front mounts but would like to get good ones ( but no noise/rattle makers please). Good place to get the items?

 

Pelican Parts has posted a list of parts here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4154231

These guys seem to carry all of the stock replacement part. That post should give you a start.

ECStuning and Waymotors are two others that probably can help.

 

The IE fixed camber plates are a really good option for a top mount. They are solid and give a much needed boost to the front camber. Very streetable

 

The details mentioned that these plates are not intended to be used with lowered springs
http://www.waymotorworks.com/ireland...5-r56-r57.html

 

We carry much more MINI OEM parts. And I work on my own MINIs daily. Always modding as a MINI owner.


PM me and I can help you out.

 

Thanks, Eddie.

I adjusted the list below for your R56. Let me know if there are any questions.

New Front Strut Mounts - here
New Rear Shock Mounts - here Powerflex option HERE.
New Bump Stops (where applicable) - here
New Rear Shock Boots (where applicable) - here
New Strut/Shock Mounting Bolts/Nuts - here x4, here x2, here x6, here x2
New Front and Rear Spring Retaining Pads - here

 

You can Email Way and ask to know for sure.

See Way's response below

 

funny the details for the R53 plates mention that there will be more camber with lowered springs, but the details for the R56 plate does not mention it.



....................These are not intended for lowering springs, use of lowering springs will result in your camber being more than -1.25 deg.

 

Isn't that what you want

 

The R56s are made with a slot in the strut tower that will add anohter -0.3 deg to these plates for a total of -1.5.... Wooo Hooo.

BTW -1.5 deg front camber is what the Gen II GP is made with...go figure.

 

Yes we do not promote people using lowering springs with the fixed IE camber plates.
The IE fixed camber plates are designed to work with the stock ride height and give you approx 1.25 neg camber.
If you install lowering springs with these fixed camber plates you will end up with more neg camber than that. How much will be determined by your ride height and how straight your car is to begin with.

If you run lowering springs or anything lower than stock ride height you need adjustable camber plates. These are two good options
http://www.waymotorworks.com/eibach-...5-r56-r57.html

The vorshlags are by far the best, just cost more
http://www.waymotorworks.com/vorshla...5-r56-r57.html

 

Looks like I'll just go with stock replacements.

 

Hey Guys,

finally had my ohlins installed, had it for 2 weeks. It feels really firm and top notch quality product. Unfortunately the mechanic that installed for me had set up too low, rear tires are touching the wheel arch cover.

I need help to raise the ride height, i am currently using VR TE37 17' 7.5 width and +42 offset. May i know what is the optimum height for non-track use. Should i put Ohlins back to the default pre-load?

 

The installation guide has the dimensions. Probably easiest to measure from the bottom of the height adjuster threads up to the locking collar. The install guide says 26mm, I found that a bit high so I lowered it a few turns.

Just jack up the rear and put it on jackstands both sides, take off the wheels, and use the wrenches to loosen the locking collar. Raise the height adjuster (2mm per turn) then lock it again. It is a good idea to mark a reference spot on the shock body and the height adjuster so you don't loose track of how far you have turned things.

I assume you had it aligned when the shocks were installed, you should check the rear alignment after adjusting the height. You will need adjustable rear lower control arms if you want additional camber.

 

I assume that you are rubbing the inside of the wheel arch cover?

I found that there is not a lot room in the R56 wheels in the rear for wider wheels and/or tires. I have 225-45x17 Toyo R888s on 7" wide wheels with 45mm ET and they rub. If you are running 215-45x17s on 7.5" rims you are about the same width as I have. Raising the car may help with it not rubbing in a lot of occasions, it will still rub on larger bumps that cause a lot of compression of the suspension. This will happen because the wheel travel will still allow the tire to go up and into the wheel well. Not saying raising the car won't help, just that it may not be the total fix depending on your roads.