|
|
|
04-09-2012, 04:04 PM | #1 |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
Öhlins Road & Track impressions
Just arrived, going on tomorrow:
EDIT: See below for initial impressions.
__________________
____________________________ Last edited by Bimmer-Bob; 04-10-2012 at 09:26 PM.. |
04-09-2012, 04:57 PM | #4 |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
Not a lot of time (headed to the shop now), but here you go:
__________________
____________________________ |
Appreciate
0
|
04-09-2012, 05:14 PM | #5 |
Major General
4206
Rep 5,728
Posts
Drives: 2019 M2 Competition
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Orange County, CA
|
Kermit's gonna be stoked brah
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-09-2012, 05:23 PM | #6 |
Colonel
140
Rep 2,234
Posts |
very nice! my next set. why did you switch out your pss9's? curious to hear your review comparison to pss9's
__________________
"I would quote everything pixelblue said, but you've already read it. Take it from someone who's put the 1 through its paces"
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-09-2012, 05:46 PM | #7 |
Loves his G20
265
Rep 2,508
Posts |
Very nice!!!
__________________
2020 330ix-Msport Past- 2013 135i 2011 135i |
Appreciate
0
|
04-10-2012, 02:36 PM | #8 |
Resident Kerbalnaut
477
Rep 10,703
Posts |
Put them one! I really want a set of these.
Are you using the kit springs? Or did you swap out for another brand? Can you also tell us where you bought them from? |
Appreciate
0
|
04-10-2012, 03:53 PM | #10 | |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
Quote:
I bought the kit direct from Öhlins USA. The price is the same wherever you go, but they were offering free shipping (I think it might have been a glitch, but they honored it).
__________________
____________________________ |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-10-2012, 03:55 PM | #11 |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
You can see "before" pics in my sig and garage, but they're sort of meaningless because I'm going from another coil-over to the Öhlins.
__________________
____________________________ |
Appreciate
0
|
04-10-2012, 04:45 PM | #12 |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
From the shop's FB page:
__________________
____________________________ |
Appreciate
0
|
04-10-2012, 08:39 PM | #13 |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
So, just picked up my car a couple of hours ago. Didn't get too much of a chance to push the car, but my very early impression of these dampers is this: they are incredibly refined. At first they almost felt too soft because of the way they just soak up bumps (there are still occasionally "jarring" bumps, but much less frequently than before), but upon pushing the car it really does handle quite well in spite of the "softer" ride (bear in mind I'm comparing to PSS9's, not stock). The suspension is dead quiet, too.
I have since dialed in a bit more firmness in the dampers (I doubt I'm done tweaking yet) and now they feel even better - plenty stiff, super composed, but only the very worst bumps jar the cabin. What's kind of incredible is I swear I can feel the tires being pushed back into the road - grip feels great. I also had an alignment done and had negative camber maxed out (-1.8° with Dinan camber plates), so turn in feels very crisp, too. Overall I'm very happy and look forward to exploring what this set-up is capable of. Now for the bad: ride height is not where I want it, at all. Just peeking into the wheel wells, it looks like the fronts are set all the way down, and I still have a two-finger gap all the way around. My Bilsteins had my tires nearly flush with the fenders, and I had gotten really used to that look. I don't know, maybe the springs will settle over the next few days, but I kind of doubt it. I'm thinking about pulling the wheels off tomorrow to have a closer look - if I can get my car say 1/4" lower, will I totally ruin the alignment I just had today? And if I can't get the spring perches any lower, will different springs help? I was most likely going to upgrade to Swift springs from HPA at some point anyway, but I may end up doing so sooner rather than later if I can't get this car lowered any other way. Thanks for any info. Will post pics tomorrow, by the way. See my review of the shop that did the work, DBC Performance, here. Really good shop, IMO - a great resource for Central Texas.
__________________
____________________________ Last edited by Bimmer-Bob; 04-10-2012 at 09:54 PM.. |
Appreciate
0
|
04-10-2012, 10:26 PM | #14 |
Captain
302
Rep 913
Posts |
my couple pennies: my car is survivable doing the commute across LA every day with these, and i'm tucking a little in the rear, 1 finger... barely in the front. I was a little hesitant to leave it that low, but I went ahead and took it for a test drive before insisting they raise it up... and i'm so glad I did. i've scraped once at a dip that had most of my other cars scraping at stock height if I mindlessly went through it.
the suspension *is* stiffer. it does remind you of it, but in a good way. everything about driving the car is more confident now, and those stupid little things that would get the back end bouncing no longer seem to unsettle the car. --adult sexy chef costume-- alright, why my wife just said that... for *my* use the stock springs are working out great. I cross LA daily to get to work and back. The roads are horrible, my ride height is right about an iphone and change, and I'm doing just fine one huge disclaimer: these give you a little bit of a superman complex. try not to kill yourself doing something stupid haha |
Appreciate
0
|
04-10-2012, 10:39 PM | #15 |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
How are you getting so low on these? I'll post picks tomorrow, but I swear I'm dropped as far as I can go and it still seems too high...
Anyway, thanks for your input. The roads here are awful, too - very poorly maintained. I was eager to get into something that could handle it a little better - so far I'm very pleased.
__________________
____________________________ |
Appreciate
0
|
04-10-2012, 11:22 PM | #16 |
Captain
68
Rep 643
Posts |
Check to make sure the struts were inserted deeply enough into the hub clamps. The shop that installed mine simply slipped them up to the step in the strut, but the clamps need to be pried open and the struts then slipped another 2 or 3 inches deeper, and then there's a metal tab the notches into the clamp slot that properly aligns the struts.
I'm positive this is your issue. |
Appreciate
0
|
04-11-2012, 06:30 AM | #17 | |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
Quote:
__________________
____________________________ |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-11-2012, 07:40 AM | #18 |
Captain
68
Rep 643
Posts |
There should be like 3" of strut sticking out below the hub clamp. If the bottom of the strut looks flush with the bottom of the hub clamp it is incorrectly installed. Take a look at the pics in this thread, the clamp clamps on to the area above the initial lower, smaller diameter portion of the strut, the strut then sits deeper in the hub, which lowers the car.
The clamp needs to be pried open, it's a tight fit. |
Appreciate
0
|
04-17-2012, 06:30 PM | #19 | |
New Member
0
Rep 21
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-18-2012, 11:12 PM | #20 |
Supreme Allied Commander
3815
Rep 54,318
Posts
Drives: F80 M3
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Santa Barbara, AP, Brembo, GIAC, Koni, Ohlins, Performance Friction, www.hpautosport.com
|
The locator should sit in the open slot of the spindle and fully seated. You can also see in the photo the step on the strut body is past the bottom of the spindle.
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-19-2012, 07:47 AM | #21 |
!
693
Rep 3,266
Posts
Drives: 2010 128i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA
|
Thanks for the pic. I took a picture of my strut - it's a crap pic, but I circled what I think is the locator, and it looks to me like it's flush with the pinch bolt (i.e., fully seated). What do you guys think?
__________________
____________________________ |
Appreciate
0
|
04-19-2012, 08:09 AM | #22 |
Colonel
105
Rep 2,696
Posts |
Wow that really is a bad pic lol. I can't tell what i'm looking at b/c of the light washing out all the details of the picture.
__________________
Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death… – Hunter Thompson
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
|
|