Recently installed the Ohlins DFV Road and Track coilovers (BMS MI20): http://www.roadandtrackbyohlins.com/...ts/bms-mi20-4/

These are really, really, really good.

I installed them with the springs that came with the set up: F400/R285, 2.5 ID, linear rates.
Added Vorshlag camber plates and a 25.5 mm Hotchkis hollow rear sway.
Running Enkei Racing PF01 17x7 et38 with 215/45/17 Hankook R-S3

Lowered the car about 1 inch, and after some testing, set the rear bar to the middle position to help with the softer rear springs.

Here is the beauty of this set up: the adjustablility and great Ohlins valving. At full stiff (1st position on adjuster front and rear) with the rear sway bar in the middle position and 2.75 of negative camber up front, the car is race car stiff, grips like crazy, and rotates well. Adjust to 15 clicks from full stiff and it is a street car dream, and still tons of grip.

I will have it at the track in February, so it should be fun to dial it in, and confirm my initial impressions. I have driven many Koni set ups, TC Kline DA, Ledas, Bilsteins and various lowering spring combos, but these Ohlins are my absolute favorite, they are so versatile and well valved.

The ideal for track would be a stiffer spring in the rear allowing less rear bar, but the street comfort is so good with 285 spring when the shocks are dialed down. This spring combo is not as much a detriment as one would think because of the fantastic shock control and adjustability. Plus, at anytime, one can put a set of 400 lb springs on the rear with ease if wanted.

I found a shock dyno from a MX5 (see attached picture) with an earlier version of the Ohlins DFV. I have also seen some shock dynos from the Rx-7 version and they are just as good. The R56 Ohlins adjustability "feels" just like the MX5 Ohlins shock dyno reads, so I would expect them to be similar. Ok, onto the pictures:

 

More photos:

 

That's a serious setup.. must have put a dent in the wallet. Very cool! I don't think I've seen anyone else running Ohlins on a MINI around here, although I know they are very desirable among the sport bike crowd.

 

Here are some more:

 

If I can ask...having recently just gone the cheap (Megan) coilover route but not having installed them yet since I got them as part of a deal with a friend...

What did this whole setup cost you? Or more accurately, you got some kind of a deal, what's normal cost on that ohlins setup?

 

Your going to pay about $2400 for the Ohlins and $460 for the Vorshlag camber plates. The Ohlins are less $ than a set of AST 5100's with camber plates, rear mounts, etc. for comparison, and a little more than Blistein PSS10 (progressive springs) with camber plates. I think the Ohlins are the most versatile of the bunch though. The linear spring rate interchangeability and the DFV really make the Ohlins a stand out in this price range. Looks like AST will have a similar offering in the near future with their 4150 series and their new DDP Piston that has extreme digressive rebound much like the Ohlins do.

 

I built those camber plates. When the order form specified Ohlins strut tops (the spool pieces have to be matched to the strut top) it made me smile. I knew someone was going to have a good time with it.

 

I have been smiling ever since I got them attached to the Ohlins too. Thanks Jason! They of course work and fit PERFECTLY with the Ohlins.

 

Here are some quality pictures. Track day next week, looking forward to putting the Ohilns to the test...

 

very impressive. my step brother had these on his S200 and they were amazing. i am looking to do your exact set up.

where did you purchase these from? i looked on the Ohlins website and didnt find any US distributors other than Ohlins USA.

 

Bought them here: http://performanceshock.com/

They just dropped shipped them straight from Ohlins USA. The R56 version is not even listed on the Performance Shock website, so best to call them.

 

Wow, those Ohlins are sweet. Wish they were available when I bought my KW V2.

Did you get them on the track yet?

 

So I went to the track this weekend to put the Ohlins to the test:

Set the front and rear adjusters at position #1, full stiff. Sway bar was in middle position. Running 2.75 negative camber up front and about 2.0 in the rear, I always start the shocks at full stiff and work from there.

Ran first 20 min session and car was incredibly loose at the rear end with cold tires. Put it sideways three or four times, and brought it back in line, with no major issue. As the tires got some temp it started sticking pretty well, but the back end was still feeling on the verge of letting go. So it was clear in what adjustment direction I needed to go...reached under the car and soften the rear shocks by two positions.

Second 20 min session was perfect. Car was settled in the high speed stuff and composed in the slow speed tight turns. Rotation was plenty for the track and putting power down did not seem to suffer with the slightly softer rear settings.

I ran the rest of the day with these settings. And the car was superb!

The overall "feel" of these Ohlins is something special. I was trail braking aggressively on certain parts of the track, and the overall control was smooth and composed. There were no rough transitions as I threw the car around. Very composed overall.

That said, it is still a short wheel based, front wheel drive car, so it is not like they magically turn it into a mid engine dedicated track toy nor a BMW 7 series as far as ride comfort goes, but for what they are, I don't think there is anything better out there currently.

When the time came to go home, I simply reached under the car and put both front and rear back to the #15 postion, turned on the AC, sat radio and drove home in comfort. The whole Ohlins "road and track" marketing actually lives up to it's name, very cool.

 

Great write up, thanks for sharing.

I'm about to purchase this set up as well and wanted to look into seeing if anyone else has had experience with them yet.

It looks like the Ohlins come disassembled which kinda bummed me out because I wanted to install everything myself. But having a actual professional who works on race cars all day is probably worth the extra money then having me pay more to fix my mistakes :P

Ficcion, did you have the car corner balanced as well? How are you weights set-up? Are you aiming for a 60% front/ 40% rear weight bias? I've read that that's ideal for FWD but wanted to see what you guys think. Also I'm assuming your running 0 toe front and rear as well?

Cheers and grats.

 

Did not corner balance, I do my own alignments, but I don't have scales. Car feels good so I am not too concerned at this point. Running zero toe as mentioned up front, and 1/16 "total toe in" in the rear, so real close to zero. For the track that rear setting is fine, and possibly gives slightly more rear high speed stability.

 

Ohlins in action:

 

I just got to check these things out in person and wow they are some seriously nice hardware. My shop set my up with 1/16th rear toe but I could only get -.7 degrees of camber and man such a big difference. So after replacing the run flats I'll be picking those Ohlins :D, plus camber plates and rear lower control arms for more camber.

Cheers

 

any more thoughts on the Ohlins? I'm really thinking about upgrading to them to get a good ride and good handling

 

I want to pull the trigger on these but as I have very limited experience in
car suspension and there are no shops around here to help, I am hesitant to tackle this project. ( for anyone around , I will give you my Swift springs for helping me!)

 

JPMM, so I take it that the swifts are not for you? Ohlins seem pretty high end, but you generally get what you pay for. Since the R56 are not on the website, should I assume that they are around $3k?

Mike

 

about $3000 for the Ohlins, yea I'm not happy with ride of the Swifts. The handling is outstanding.

 

I got quoted $2,600 before tax for the R56 and $4,000 OTD installed w/ Eibach camber plates and corner balanced. You can defiantly find cheaper especially if you install yourself. This is unfortunately out of my budget so I'm going to have to settle.

How do you like your set-up btw Mike? I was thinking of some TSW springs to hold me over and I'm willing to compromise comfort for handling.

Cheers
Josh

 

I am pretty happy with my setup. I originally had the Cooper S Sport shocks and found the ride pretty stiff (I think that I could drive over a coin and tell if it was a quarter or a penny). I changed to a set of 'standard' cooper S shocks (and used WMW shorter bump stops) and the ride settled down a bit. I don't have any illusions about the ride of this car, it is definately 'sporty'. With the short wheelbase of these cars, and limited suspension travel, it is a compromise. I am happy with it.

I have a set of NM Alpha springs that I picked up, but I don't want to tear the suspension down again right now. It would be interesting to see the difference, but I don't want to end up with 5 sets of springs laying around....

Mike

 

You cant go wrong with Ohlins. I think their build quality is top notch. I love their stuff.

 

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a set of Ohlins Do I have to get cam plates? I'd rather not bother. I'll take the little defection the stock pcs have ,maybe it would be easier on the shafts and seals