OHLINS DFV Road-Track C/O Review
Feb 15, 2011, 05:45 AM
#1
OHLINS DFV Road-Track C/O Review
So I decided to pull the trigger & step up to a new set of coilovers for my dirty evo 8.
Due to my back issues, i decided to change my suspension set-up & move away from my JIC's.
Based on a lot of reading, i went & located a low mileaged set of bilsteins & went with the spec r springs.
The ride quality was great imo, but lacked a lot of peformance when compared to the jic's when i pushed the car.
Thats when I went to visit my friend John Mueller to speak about my goals / expectations from a c/o set-up.
In a nut-shell, I am looking for something that had bilstein like ride quality & coil over performance when pushed.
John gives me the eye & says "follow me".
John proceeded to show me a set of Ohlins DFV's. They are beautifully made, well constructed & their valving design makes them superior for their price-point in comparison to their rivals....Granted, it's a lofty price-point in my book.
John say's "These c/o's will do a better job of achieving your city driving / DD routine much better than the Skunks, all while offering better track worthy grip", "if you can afford it, I highly recommend them".
After a phone call to a buddy of mine @ ohlins, i had a set sent to muellers to build them & throw them on the car with a muellerized alignment.
Wow, these Ohlins rode so much smoother & subtle over road surface changes / imperfections than my old JIC's & just as smooth as the bilsteins! Hitting the road reflectors felt identical to the bilsteins too
This is with 3 people in the car compared to me driving solo on the jic's! It's a treat to have john show you what your car can do & to be able to experience while sitting in the passenger seat!
I am extremely happy with this purchase. I haven't tracked my car, but all i can say is that i am looking forward to do it soon.
Once i got close to home, i proceeded to drive my daily route through the twisties.
After about a week of this, all i can say is.......ASTONISHING!
The roads i am referring to are through rancho sante fe, fairbanks ranch area....old roads, easy sweepers, tight turns, off camber turns, increasing / decreasing radii, with bumps in the middle of them, you get the idea, just old 2 lane roads...
It's difficult to describe really... Your driving along & you have this smooth, yet firm ride. Then as you approach the first corner of the twisties, you turn in, the steering is responsive & the car becomes even more planted, mid corner your thinking "was i going slow" because the car is so stable, then you squeeze the accelerator & the car just rockets forward in control!
As I continue driving, I can only smile & think of how glued the car feels. Mid corner in the bumpy stuff, the car is simply stable, no pounding or nervous twitches, the ohlins just eats up the bumps & lets you concentrate on corner exit & heading into the next corner. It is so gratifying to have this confidence / stable car underneath you while your hustling through these roads....
If your considering coil-overs that will primarily be used on the street, I highly recommend the OHLINS DFV road-track c/o's & have John & crew install & apply an alignment suited to your needs
Yeah, they are a bit more...but we all know, it cost less to do it right the first time.
Don't make a mistake, buy yourself & your evo a set of Ohlins from Mueller.
Thanks to John, Gilbert & Orlando for helping me achieve my handling goals.
Due to my back issues, i decided to change my suspension set-up & move away from my JIC's.
Based on a lot of reading, i went & located a low mileaged set of bilsteins & went with the spec r springs.
The ride quality was great imo, but lacked a lot of peformance when compared to the jic's when i pushed the car.
Thats when I went to visit my friend John Mueller to speak about my goals / expectations from a c/o set-up.
In a nut-shell, I am looking for something that had bilstein like ride quality & coil over performance when pushed.
John gives me the eye & says "follow me".
John proceeded to show me a set of Ohlins DFV's. They are beautifully made, well constructed & their valving design makes them superior for their price-point in comparison to their rivals....Granted, it's a lofty price-point in my book.
John say's "These c/o's will do a better job of achieving your city driving / DD routine much better than the Skunks, all while offering better track worthy grip", "if you can afford it, I highly recommend them".
After a phone call to a buddy of mine @ ohlins, i had a set sent to muellers to build them & throw them on the car with a muellerized alignment.
Wow, these Ohlins rode so much smoother & subtle over road surface changes / imperfections than my old JIC's & just as smooth as the bilsteins! Hitting the road reflectors felt identical to the bilsteins too
This is with 3 people in the car compared to me driving solo on the jic's! It's a treat to have john show you what your car can do & to be able to experience while sitting in the passenger seat!
I am extremely happy with this purchase. I haven't tracked my car, but all i can say is that i am looking forward to do it soon.
Once i got close to home, i proceeded to drive my daily route through the twisties.
After about a week of this, all i can say is.......ASTONISHING!
The roads i am referring to are through rancho sante fe, fairbanks ranch area....old roads, easy sweepers, tight turns, off camber turns, increasing / decreasing radii, with bumps in the middle of them, you get the idea, just old 2 lane roads...
It's difficult to describe really... Your driving along & you have this smooth, yet firm ride. Then as you approach the first corner of the twisties, you turn in, the steering is responsive & the car becomes even more planted, mid corner your thinking "was i going slow" because the car is so stable, then you squeeze the accelerator & the car just rockets forward in control!
As I continue driving, I can only smile & think of how glued the car feels. Mid corner in the bumpy stuff, the car is simply stable, no pounding or nervous twitches, the ohlins just eats up the bumps & lets you concentrate on corner exit & heading into the next corner. It is so gratifying to have this confidence / stable car underneath you while your hustling through these roads....
If your considering coil-overs that will primarily be used on the street, I highly recommend the OHLINS DFV road-track c/o's & have John & crew install & apply an alignment suited to your needs
Yeah, they are a bit more...but we all know, it cost less to do it right the first time.
Don't make a mistake, buy yourself & your evo a set of Ohlins from Mueller.
Thanks to John, Gilbert & Orlando for helping me achieve my handling goals.
Last edited by Aby@MIL.SPEC; Feb 15, 2011 at 07:57 AM.
Feb 15, 2011, 05:59 AM
#3
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I also have a set of DFVs, that are my second set of coil overs, and I have to agree the ride quality is more impressive than the handling! And the handling is unbelievable! My 8 is an MR so I know what the bilstiens feel like, they are terrific, they just lack adjustability, and the ability to run a 9.5 inch rim. But overall the DFVs are better in every way than even them.
Without giving away any alignment "secrets" what kind of camber are you running front and rear?
Without giving away any alignment "secrets" what kind of camber are you running front and rear?
Feb 15, 2011, 07:24 AM
#5
I also have a set of DFVs, that are my second set of coil overs, and I have to agree the ride quality is more impressive than the handling! And the handling is unbelievable! My 8 is an MR so I know what the bilstiens feel like, they are terrific, they just lack adjustability, and the ability to run a 9.5 inch rim. But overall the DFVs are better in every way than even them.
Without giving away any alignment "secrets" what kind of camber are you running front and rear?
Without giving away any alignment "secrets" what kind of camber are you running front and rear?
Feb 15, 2011, 08:35 AM
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I don't want to get into a huge debate over wheel/tire fitment, I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, just speaking from personal trial and error experience.
The stock MR Bilsteins are fixed/non adjustable. Also the stock spring perch in the front is too large to run a wide wheel/tire combo, that actually tucks in the stock front fender, without switching to a larger front fender, or modding the front fender, right now I'm running a 9.5" wheel with a 265 on a realistically (IE functional) lowered car the front with no fender mods, and I have no rubbing issues.
Feb 15, 2011, 08:36 AM
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They have about 6k miles, asking
Right now, my car is my dd, but I will also be trying to attend a couple track meets this summer, and autox when the schedule allows.
So mainly street driving, cruises, etc.
Right now, my car is my dd, but I will also be trying to attend a couple track meets this summer, and autox when the schedule allows.
So mainly street driving, cruises, etc.
Last edited by NickieBlaine; Feb 18, 2011 at 06:07 AM.
Feb 16, 2011, 08:47 PM
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To be clear, I was referring to the stock MR Bilsteins.
I don't want to get into a huge debate over wheel/tire fitment, I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, just speaking from personal trial and error experience.
The stock MR Bilsteins are fixed/non adjustable. Also the stock spring perch in the front is too large to run a wide wheel/tire combo, that actually tucks in the stock front fender, without switching to a larger front fender, or modding the front fender, right now I'm running a 9.5" wheel with a 265 on a realistically (IE functional) lowered car the front with no fender mods, and I have no rubbing issues.
I don't want to get into a huge debate over wheel/tire fitment, I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, just speaking from personal trial and error experience.
The stock MR Bilsteins are fixed/non adjustable. Also the stock spring perch in the front is too large to run a wide wheel/tire combo, that actually tucks in the stock front fender, without switching to a larger front fender, or modding the front fender, right now I'm running a 9.5" wheel with a 265 on a realistically (IE functional) lowered car the front with no fender mods, and I have no rubbing issues.
