Sorry for bumping a rather old thread...

What is the actual difference between the 'new' (well not so new anymore haha) DFV compared to the older type?? (the one with the blue casing underneath the spring)

I'm assuming the 'new' ones have been improved and are better, but in what aspect?

 

^ I bit better valving.... but I highly doubt the normal person would notice it. The DFV's are about as high level as most people will need to go.

I ran the classic DFV's for about a year. Down right amazing absorption of road imperfections. Very well behaved on track and on the street.

 

Andrew at GTWorx may be the best person to answer the technical q's but Jeff has pretty much summed it up and as an owner of the Ohlins R&T, I will echo his sentiments, "Absolutely Brilliant Shock" and best mod my IX has ever received.

 

pardon the resurrection, but since some new coilovers have been released in the past year by various companies, is the dfv still the top of the top for the evo suspension? I have the factory mr bilsteins and springs and was wondering how much of a difference these would bring for street use and some spirited driving. also, how long can they go without needing to be revalved or rebuilt? thanks guys

 

the dfv road and track is pretty up there on the list still. VERY good for street driving yet good for track use. From what i have searched and found out, the rears can go up to 14k w/o revalve. 16k u need revalve. i think the fronts 14k needs revalve. dont quote me tho.
i wanted 16k in the rear but requires revalve.

 

I'd say they are still in the top three for coilovers priced under $3000. As for how long they last that depends on how much abuse you put them through. I don't mean daily driving but rather how many rumble curbs you launch the car off of at the track. I know a couple folks that have many years of track life out of them and they are still going strong.

As for performance .... they will only be as good as the person that dials in the car. I had a set of DFVs (pre-R/T) and thought they were fantastic but I'm not really a suspension guru. I had the car corner weighted and race aligned but between rebound and tire pressure adjustments I was pretty much guessing at what worked and what didn't. The one thing that will be night and day compared to your current set up is the ability to add camber. That is where the stock struts with springs solution falls short. Adjustable camber plates make a huge difference on the track. Just keep in mind that most midrange coilovers also have them. So it's really up to you to decide whether or not the Ohlins are worth $1000 more than brand X. The answer to that lies in how they are dialed in.

 

you bring up a good point regarding the dialing in. I feel for my purposes the factory suspension wil be fine, until I get more knowledge on dialing in suspensions before I drop 3k. As for the track, it will take a while before I've got to the point where I can fully utilize a high performance coilover to its limit or at least use all that it offers. Perhaps some new springs will be fine for the time.
16k seems a bit fast to revalve though, but I guess that's the nature of the coil over game. Thanks for the reply guys

 

I believe the 16k is not refering to use in miles, but spring rates. So, the rears can go up to 14k springs without the need of a revalve, and fronts can't go to 14k with stock valving.

 

Driven on Ohlins with a couple of cars...Going to install on evo viii pretty soon nothing else to say quality!