How much better are quality coilovers for ride comfort really?
#31
EvoM Staff Alumni
iTrader: (3)
That Engineering guy could easily buy 1 C/or from the top suppliers & have an outside shock Dyno tuner compare the guts (valves, shims, seals, shafts etc) & then do a Dyno shootout showing the characteristics of each (understanding the basics a shock dyno plot is not that diff)
#32
Evolved Member
There is one more thing no one mentions and that is the choice of springs.
You can not talk about ride comfort and at the same time run double OE spring rate, lowered car and somewhat smaller bump travel.
To touch on the OP initial question, Ohlins is amazingly comfortable for what it is (relatively stiffly sprung coilover) but under 20-30 mph you can feel the spring stiffness if your roads have potholes and are not smooth. At some speed it deals with bad surfaces quite well even though it doesnt have too much travel. On the other hand, if you drive on track a lot, Ohlins spring rates are on the softer side of what you need... One thing is certain, it is much better than stock damper with lowering spring, and really is the next step from stock bilsteins.. AST is another good option, especially if you do not want to go too low... as they have lots of travel..
On the other had I have had the pleasure of driving with some high spec rally dampers made for bumpy tarmac and mix tarmac/gravel, and those run stock-ish MR spring rates (so quite soft really), but still provide surprising body control, incredible turn in and can do so while you do 100 mph on potholes... Oh yeah, they cost 4x as much as ohlins..
You can not talk about ride comfort and at the same time run double OE spring rate, lowered car and somewhat smaller bump travel.
To touch on the OP initial question, Ohlins is amazingly comfortable for what it is (relatively stiffly sprung coilover) but under 20-30 mph you can feel the spring stiffness if your roads have potholes and are not smooth. At some speed it deals with bad surfaces quite well even though it doesnt have too much travel. On the other hand, if you drive on track a lot, Ohlins spring rates are on the softer side of what you need... One thing is certain, it is much better than stock damper with lowering spring, and really is the next step from stock bilsteins.. AST is another good option, especially if you do not want to go too low... as they have lots of travel..
On the other had I have had the pleasure of driving with some high spec rally dampers made for bumpy tarmac and mix tarmac/gravel, and those run stock-ish MR spring rates (so quite soft really), but still provide surprising body control, incredible turn in and can do so while you do 100 mph on potholes... Oh yeah, they cost 4x as much as ohlins..
#33
EvoM Community Team Leader
there is also machining/build quality, materials quality, engineering quality, serviceability, availability of parts, manufacturer support, warranty. I don't think a shock dyno would necessarily tell you any of those things. You might have brand new shocks that perform a certain way but then you put 10k miles on them and not so much the case anymore. Different qualities will be important to you based on your use case as well. IMO the best kind of info is from people who have experience with the product your looking at and are using it like you plan to use it.
#34
EvoM Guru
iTrader: (4)
You know how much some of these YT'rs make??? ($$$$)
That Engineering guy could easily buy 1 C/or from the top suppliers & have an outside shock Dyno tuner compare the guts (valves, shims, seals, shafts etc) & then do a Dyno shootout showing the characteristics of each (understanding the basics a shock dyno plot is not that diff)
That Engineering guy could easily buy 1 C/or from the top suppliers & have an outside shock Dyno tuner compare the guts (valves, shims, seals, shafts etc) & then do a Dyno shootout showing the characteristics of each (understanding the basics a shock dyno plot is not that diff)
Continuous shock velocity plots can show more of the picture, including hysteresis. When you look at a simplified peak velocity plot you're only seeing just that: The peak damping force for a given velocity. In the real-world, the damping force for a given velocity will be different if the shock is accelerating or decelerating, for example. Bad shocks might have a great-looking peak velocity plot, but in real world transient conditions the low-speed damping might be all over the place due to hysteresis.
KevinD posted some interesting shock data collection a few years ago: https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/mo...ta-thread.html One of the most interesting graphs in that post is the histogram of shock velocities in a straight line. The x-axis on that chart is from -0.2 to 0.2 in/sec, but it looks like most of the activity is constrained to +/- 0.1 in/sec or less. Now compare that to the x-axis of a typical shock PVP dyno plot, which commonly ranges from 0 to 10.0 in/sec. The straight-line shock velocities rarely exceed the first 1% of the shock dyno plot. I think the PVP shock dynos are useful for seeing how the car will settle in big transitions and how it will absorb big bumps, but to be honest I don't actually know how well that correlates to what people are talking about when they say "ride quality".
#35
EvoM Staff Alumni
iTrader: (3)
^^^Well said
Ive been YT'ng a bit & learning a bit about shock dynos & all the diff parameters that can be measured.
Even our popular Fort Auto guys have a beginners guide on CVP vs PVP here: https://fortune-auto.com/shock-dyno-basics/
The " brand X coilover is so much better than Y coilover" just doesnt do a lot for me anymore
Ive been YT'ng a bit & learning a bit about shock dynos & all the diff parameters that can be measured.
Even our popular Fort Auto guys have a beginners guide on CVP vs PVP here: https://fortune-auto.com/shock-dyno-basics/
The " brand X coilover is so much better than Y coilover" just doesnt do a lot for me anymore
#36
EvoM Guru
iTrader: (1)
Said it before but will say it again
How can any of us objectively compare one brand vs another w/out examining the Dyno plots?
I can only imagine how enlightening it would be to see a real, non bias, Dyno plot test comparing the all the big hitters (Moton/ Ohlins / AST / Stance / Feal / FA / etc, etc, etc)
Ill continue searching, but have not found any YT Vids tackling this type of comparison
How can any of us objectively compare one brand vs another w/out examining the Dyno plots?
I can only imagine how enlightening it would be to see a real, non bias, Dyno plot test comparing the all the big hitters (Moton/ Ohlins / AST / Stance / Feal / FA / etc, etc, etc)
Ill continue searching, but have not found any YT Vids tackling this type of comparison
There is one more thing no one mentions and that is the choice of springs.
You can not talk about ride comfort and at the same time run double OE spring rate, lowered car and somewhat smaller bump travel.
To touch on the OP initial question, Ohlins is amazingly comfortable for what it is (relatively stiffly sprung coilover) but under 20-30 mph you can feel the spring stiffness if your roads have potholes and are not smooth. At some speed it deals with bad surfaces quite well even though it doesnt have too much travel. On the other hand, if you drive on track a lot, Ohlins spring rates are on the softer side of what you need... One thing is certain, it is much better than stock damper with lowering spring, and really is the next step from stock bilsteins.. AST is another good option, especially if you do not want to go too low... as they have lots of travel..
On the other had I have had the pleasure of driving with some high spec rally dampers made for bumpy tarmac and mix tarmac/gravel, and those run stock-ish MR spring rates (so quite soft really), but still provide surprising body control, incredible turn in and can do so while you do 100 mph on potholes... Oh yeah, they cost 4x as much as ohlins..
You can not talk about ride comfort and at the same time run double OE spring rate, lowered car and somewhat smaller bump travel.
To touch on the OP initial question, Ohlins is amazingly comfortable for what it is (relatively stiffly sprung coilover) but under 20-30 mph you can feel the spring stiffness if your roads have potholes and are not smooth. At some speed it deals with bad surfaces quite well even though it doesnt have too much travel. On the other hand, if you drive on track a lot, Ohlins spring rates are on the softer side of what you need... One thing is certain, it is much better than stock damper with lowering spring, and really is the next step from stock bilsteins.. AST is another good option, especially if you do not want to go too low... as they have lots of travel..
On the other had I have had the pleasure of driving with some high spec rally dampers made for bumpy tarmac and mix tarmac/gravel, and those run stock-ish MR spring rates (so quite soft really), but still provide surprising body control, incredible turn in and can do so while you do 100 mph on potholes... Oh yeah, they cost 4x as much as ohlins..
^^^Well said
Ive been YT'ng a bit & learning a bit about shock dynos & all the diff parameters that can be measured.
Even our popular Fort Auto guys have a beginners guide on CVP vs PVP here: https://fortune-auto.com/shock-dyno-basics/
The " brand X coilover is so much better than Y coilover" just doesnt do a lot for me anymore
Ive been YT'ng a bit & learning a bit about shock dynos & all the diff parameters that can be measured.
Even our popular Fort Auto guys have a beginners guide on CVP vs PVP here: https://fortune-auto.com/shock-dyno-basics/
The " brand X coilover is so much better than Y coilover" just doesnt do a lot for me anymore
My statements on Ohlins being the best option for the money is not anecdotal "I bought these coilovers (and have never driven anything else) and they're the ****ing best. I've driven brand O, X, Y, and Z; on track, on good roads, on bad roads, on twisty back roads, you name it. Brand Ohlins is where its at for $2k.
#37
Evolving Member
iTrader: (1)
I was thinking of ordering the Ohlins combo from Vorschlag with the camber/caster plates, but then I'm reading that will move the wheels and possibly add to the already catastrophic rubbing/lock I'll be dealing with on 285s. This means I could then use the whiteline caster correction kit to recenter the wheels in the wells a bit, is that correct? That's like $700 for some caster. Hooo boy this messageboard and this ******* car, I swear.
Right now on 8/9k KW V3s, if I dial in stiffer settings the car gets pretty scary, bouncy and nervous on faster sweeping turns. Stock sway bar I think. Car is like 80% daily 15% autocross 5% track, so I'm probably sticking to no more than 8/10k.
Right now on 8/9k KW V3s, if I dial in stiffer settings the car gets pretty scary, bouncy and nervous on faster sweeping turns. Stock sway bar I think. Car is like 80% daily 15% autocross 5% track, so I'm probably sticking to no more than 8/10k.
#38
EvoM Community Team Leader
iTrader: (60)
I was thinking of ordering the Ohlins combo from Vorschlag with the camber/caster plates, but then I'm reading that will move the wheels and possibly add to the already catastrophic rubbing/lock I'll be dealing with on 285s. This means I could then use the whiteline caster correction kit to recenter the wheels in the wells a bit, is that correct? That's like $700 for some caster. Hooo boy this messageboard and this ******* car, I swear.
Right now on 8/9k KW V3s, if I dial in stiffer settings the car gets pretty scary, bouncy and nervous on faster sweeping turns. Stock sway bar I think. Car is like 80% daily 15% autocross 5% track, so I'm probably sticking to no more than 8/10k.
Right now on 8/9k KW V3s, if I dial in stiffer settings the car gets pretty scary, bouncy and nervous on faster sweeping turns. Stock sway bar I think. Car is like 80% daily 15% autocross 5% track, so I'm probably sticking to no more than 8/10k.
As for your V3s, it just sounds like you could use some tuning. Without knowing the details, maybe more rebound damping?
#39
EvoM Guru
iTrader: (1)
Depending a bit on some of the variable, but the wheel moves about 1:3 with the top hat off the top of my head. Will have to double check my CAD to verify the spacing from ball joint to hub and hub to strut top. So my caster plates for the ohilins moving the top back 20mm will give about 1.65deg caster and move the wheel back about 7mm. That can be a lot of you are already rubbing or close to it.
The offset bushing in the control arm is great for pushing the wheel forward and adding another ~1-1.5deg of caster depending whos version you have but the major downside is the added stiction you get in the inner control arm bushing as it binds against the bolt. If the goal is to leave that bushing normal rubber or urethane and not a spherical, then I would actually leave the strut top and control arm offset bushing out of it. The stiction is just to high.
The offset bushing in the control arm is great for pushing the wheel forward and adding another ~1-1.5deg of caster depending whos version you have but the major downside is the added stiction you get in the inner control arm bushing as it binds against the bolt. If the goal is to leave that bushing normal rubber or urethane and not a spherical, then I would actually leave the strut top and control arm offset bushing out of it. The stiction is just to high.
#40
EvoM Community Team Leader
iTrader: (60)
Depending a bit on some of the variable, but the wheel moves about 1:3 with the top hat off the top of my head. Will have to double check my CAD to verify the spacing from ball joint to hub and hub to strut top. So my caster plates for the ohilins moving the top back 20mm will give about 1.65deg caster and move the wheel back about 7mm. That can be a lot of you are already rubbing or close to it.
The offset bushing in the control arm is great for pushing the wheel forward and adding another ~1-1.5deg of caster depending whos version you have but the major downside is the added stiction you get in the inner control arm bushing as it binds against the bolt. If the goal is to leave that bushing normal rubber or urethane and not a spherical, then I would actually leave the strut top and control arm offset bushing out of it. The stiction is just to high.
The offset bushing in the control arm is great for pushing the wheel forward and adding another ~1-1.5deg of caster depending whos version you have but the major downside is the added stiction you get in the inner control arm bushing as it binds against the bolt. If the goal is to leave that bushing normal rubber or urethane and not a spherical, then I would actually leave the strut top and control arm offset bushing out of it. The stiction is just to high.
FWIW, I want to say my caster is really high.. like 7* or more.
#41
Evolved Member
My statements on Ohlins being the best option for the money is not anecdotal "I bought these coilovers (and have never driven anything else) and they're the ****ing best. I've driven brand O, X, Y, and Z; on track, on good roads, on bad roads, on twisty back roads, you name it. Brand Ohlins is where its at for $2k.