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Ohlins VWSMT21 - Pix Enclosed

mmdb

Drag Racing Champion
Location
California
Hope everyone is coping well with the damned COVID19. Figure I throw up some Ohlins pix of anyone is interested in going this route. It is pricey at about $3k for the DCC cancellers and coilovers (you'll save $400 if you're without DCC). However, it's really easy to tell why they cost so much, but not just for the name, but for the quality and the ability to rebuild them. Mounts are solid, dampening adjustment "clicks" are well defined, machining is top notch...

For now, I've just assembled them, but yet to install them (waiting on springs). Just to note, the Golf R has 80N/mm in the rear, but the GTI has both 70N/mm front AND rear. I'll follow up with a review once EiBach comes back online again after this COVID mess.

Enjoy pix for now :)

Update 3/31/2020: Installed and rolling. Suspension feels like stock but with a lot more compliance, much better turn in and exit feel and confidence inspiring. I'm set to 12 click front and rear. The car feels more planted over wavy roads whereas before I wouldn't even feel them on stock suspension. They do feel a tad stiffer, though, using them as daily is NO problem for me (wife and dog didn't even notice them). On/off ramp deaccleration/accleration adds much more comfort and confidence inspiring.

Should you get 'em? Yes. Are they worth it over brand X or Y because they're half the cost? Yes. Save up for them. Do it once and get it done with. Are they a coilover to make your car look cool? No. They don't drop the car enough to tuck in the wheels, and for good reason... I guess with that said, if you're looking to slam your car (and mess up your roll center which inevitably increases your body roll) then these aren't for you.

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Cliff

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
2015 Cayman GTS
Solid choice. I had a set installed last September and have since driven about 6000 miles and 10 HPDE days on the new suspension. They are reasonably comfortable on the road, and definitely competent on track. I am running 80n front and 110n rear springs from Swift. I was out at Laguna Seca last month. Traffic with the BMWCCA was fierce, as usual, inhibiting my lap times. I was able to put together a rolling lap of 1:44, which is a complete lap where the starting track segment does not coincide with the actual start/finish line. I was hoping to try again with a less congested organization at the end of April but the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus. I'll keep on with my quest to beat Randy Pobst's 1:46.95 Motor Trend review lap time.

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mmdb

Drag Racing Champion
Location
California
Great looking parts. Do they charge extra for the dog?

No! He's the best :)

Solid choice. I had a set installed last September and have since driven about 6000 miles and 10 HPDE days on the new suspension. They are reasonably comfortable on the road, and definitely competent on track. I am running 80n front and 110n rear springs from Swift. I was out at Laguna Seca last month. Traffic with the BMWCCA was fierce, as usual, inhibiting my lap times. I was able to put together a rolling lap of 1:44, which is a complete lap where the starting track segment does not coincide with the actual start/finish line. I was hoping to try again with a less congested organization at the end of April but the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus. I'll keep on with my quest to beat Randy Pobst's 1:46.95 Motor Trend review lap time.

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Very cool! What's your suspension setup? That's pretty a pretty high rate in the rear. Did you have the re-valve your dampers? Do you have a build post you can link me to?

UPdate: N/m! Found your post! Awesome build!
 
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Cliff

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
2015 Cayman GTS
No! He's the best :)



Very cool! What's your suspension setup? That's pretty a pretty high rate in the rear. Did you have the re-valve your dampers? Do you have a build post you can link me to?

UPdate: N/m! Found your post! Awesome build!

Thanks. I'm loving the car - it's a total stealth machine.

I don't know what your track day experience is, but let me put in a plug for the Audi Club of North America. If you're interested in exploring the limits of your car in a way that will land you in jail if you try it on the street, then come join us at an event. It looks like you're in Southern Cal. Covid-19 has probably caused the cancellation of the late April event at Spring Mountain, but we will be out at Buttonwillow (near Bakersfield) the weekend before Thanksgiving. I and another forum member are instructors with the club, and another forum member has joined us for a couple of events and had a great time. We provide in-car instruction for all skill levels, and safety is our priority.
 

kflee

New member
Location
Asheville, NC
I have been looking at the Ohlins Road and Track coilover kit. Ohlins is recommending 70N/mm front and 80N/mm rear, but I told them this will be a 100% street driven car. Any reason you guys didn't buy the coils from them as a full kit?

I have a dedicated track car, so just trying to improve the high speed dampening and the understeer and make the car more fun to drive on the street. No other complaints.

thanks,
Kirk
 

Cliff

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
2015 Cayman GTS
I have been looking at the Ohlins Road and Track coilover kit. Ohlins is recommending 70N/mm front and 80N/mm rear, but I told them this will be a 100% street driven car. Any reason you guys didn't buy the coils from them as a full kit?

I have a dedicated track car, so just trying to improve the high speed dampening and the understeer and make the car more fun to drive on the street. No other complaints.

thanks,
Kirk

I ran a coilover conversion kit from Ground Control with 475 pound front and 650 pound rear springs with my OE DCC suspension for more than 3 years and 40 or so HPDE days. The handling balance felt right to me, so I opted to go with a similar ratio of front to rear spring rates when I replaced the OE suspension with the Ohlins kit. I am running 9 clicks from stiff in front and 7 clicks in the rear to achieve the handling balance I want with the Ohlins kit with my spring rates. Fwiw, I began to experience regular DCC faults out on track and those failures are what sent me in the direction of a coilover solution.
 

JUMB3E

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
2018 Golf R 6MT
I ran a coilover conversion kit from Ground Control with 475 pound front and 650 pound rear springs with my OE DCC suspension for more than 3 years and 40 or so HPDE days. The handling balance felt right to me, so I opted to go with a similar ratio of front to rear spring rates when I replaced the OE suspension with the Ohlins kit. I am running 9 clicks from stiff in front and 7 clicks in the rear to achieve the handling balance I want with the Ohlins kit with my spring rates. Fwiw, I began to experience regular DCC faults out on track and those failures are what sent me in the direction of a coilover solution.

What length of springs did you go with from SWIFT? I'm looking at ordering some springs as well for my KW setup and I'm unsure of what length of spring to go with my V3's. The length of the spring that comes in the kit is 10", but I believe they are progressive.
 

Cliff

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
2015 Cayman GTS
What length of springs did you go with from SWIFT? I'm looking at ordering some springs as well for my KW setup and I'm unsure of what length of spring to go with my V3's. The length of the spring that comes in the kit is 10", but I believe they are progressive.

I am running a combination of 7" main springs with helper springs to keep the springs located under negative load. The springs were specified by Ohlins to the dealer who executed the project. The parameters for the specification were the spring rates I specified and my desire to lower the car up to a half inch from the OE ride height. Detailed information can be found at the end of this post: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...15-limestone-grey-golf-r.366763/#post-7332865.

None of that is likely directly applicable to your project. If I were in your shoes I would consult with KW, your local KW dealer, or both.
 

mmdb

Drag Racing Champion
Location
California
Thanks. I'm loving the car - it's a total stealth machine.

I don't know what your track day experience is, but let me put in a plug for the Audi Club of North America. If you're interested in exploring the limits of your car in a way that will land you in jail if you try it on the street, then come join us at an event. It looks like you're in Southern Cal. Covid-19 has probably caused the cancellation of the late April event at Spring Mountain, but we will be out at Buttonwillow (near Bakersfield) the weekend before Thanksgiving. I and another forum member are instructors with the club, and another forum member has joined us for a couple of events and had a great time. We provide in-car instruction for all skill levels, and safety is our priority.

Ah very cool. Yeah I'm excited to meet up, though, I really hate driving out to BW. SOW is a pain for me too. But Fontana Raceway would be a green light. I used to road race, and was going to pursue my masters in Race Car Engineering from Cranfield University,... but I really enjoyed surfing too much (it'll ruin your life... but with a smile).

I have been looking at the Ohlins Road and Track coilover kit. Ohlins is recommending 70N/mm front and 80N/mm rear, but I told them this will be a 100% street driven car. Any reason you guys didn't buy the coils from them as a full kit?

I have a dedicated track car, so just trying to improve the high speed dampening and the understeer and make the car more fun to drive on the street. No other complaints.

thanks,
Kirk

I don't have springs cause I thought I was saving money by buying my Ohlins from Demon Tweeks (terrible response times to messages) and to my misfortune they didn't come with springs. I've since ordered Swift springs based on their recommendation (Ohlins) with 7 kg/mm up from and 8 kg/mm in the rear.

What length of springs did you go with from SWIFT? I'm looking at ordering some springs as well for my KW setup and I'm unsure of what length of spring to go with my V3's. The length of the spring that comes in the kit is 10", but I believe they are progressive.

Mine are ID 65MM and 200mm or 8 inches in length with a preload of 5mm up front and a gap of 40mm in the rear from the perch to spring collar. Drop is described by having 5mm. So! These aren't coilovers used to slam cars. Figure those cars aren't used for road racing / auto-x anyway. Instead, Ohlins recommends preserving the roll center and overall handling of the car, which is a big plus to me. Not a lot or ANY company will recommend drop height... since most might just want to lower their car to look racy.
 
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Cliff

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
2015 Cayman GTS
Ah very cool. Yeah I'm excited to meet up, though, I really hate driving out to BW. SOW is a pain for me too. But Fontana Raceway would be a green light. I used to road race, and was going to pursue my masters in Race Car Engineering from Cranfield University,... but I really enjoyed surfing too much (it'll ruin your life... but with a smile).

I may be at Fontana May 23, assuming Bimmerfest is not cancelled because of Covid-19. To be honest, a cancellation seems likely to me at this point. Speed Ventures runs the track day for them.
 

mmdb

Drag Racing Champion
Location
California
I may be at Fontana May 23, assuming Bimmerfest is not cancelled because of Covid-19. To be honest, a cancellation seems likely to me at this point. Speed Ventures runs the track day for them.

Another day. Where you located? I'm in OC 92683. Unfortunately I don't see many R's on the road. Maybe 1-2 a week.

Swift springs came in. 65ID / 7kg / 200mm (front) and 65ID / 8kg / 200mm (rear)

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Cliff

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
2015 Cayman GTS
Another day. Where you located? I'm in OC 92683. Unfortunately I don't see many R's on the road. Maybe 1-2 a week.

I'm in the San Francisco area. Buttonwillow is about as far south as I regularly go for track days. I went to WSIR a year ago December, and the ACNA has events at Spring Mountain in Pahrump, NV each year that I occasionally attend.
 

mmdb

Drag Racing Champion
Location
California
I'm in the San Francisco area. Buttonwillow is about as far south as I regularly go for track days. I went to WSIR a year ago December, and the ACNA has events at Spring Mountain in Pahrump, NV each year that I occasionally attend.

Yeah you are a ways away. Link me to your in car videos if you have 'em. Love watching road racing :)

I installed my ONE front and both rear coilovers with KW cancellers. Got to love zip ties. I tried the 2x4 method touted by many, and it utterly failed. The wood snapped due to my many attempts. It was mostly because my jack kept slipping on my garage floor. I ended up unbolting the knuckle and the axle to get it removed. But Luckily the rear coilovers are straight forward. Just be warned - drench the rear wheel well shrouds before install. They were so dusty I was blowing out black boogers! Gross...

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The KW Cancellers are a bit exposed. The manual says to install them on the back side of the coilover… maybe I'll have to do that when I get the ride heights set first. Right now, the rears are HIGH. I mean... probably Golf stock height! I'll have to lower it another 10 mm or set to 30 mm rather than the 40 its at... you'll know what I'm talking about if you ever get a set of Ohlins.

Now if I were to do it again I would definitely have had an ez lift... maybe I'll get one later this year. I'm tired of jacking up my car :X I have the front driver side left now. I'll save it for tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't give me as much grief. Unfortunately, but fortunately I found transmission fluid on the ground. Looks like it's getting worse. I'll have to get that fixed now. Blah.

I would've taken more photos, but I was determined to get the install done as fast as possible. :X I'm getting too old for this :)
 
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