Coilover choice, Tein SRC or Ohlins R&T
 

Hi,

I'm going to change the coilover and I have doubts between:

TEIN Super racing
OHLINS Road & Track

The price level is the same, I know that Teins are more adjustable and racing oriented. On the other side OHLINS are OHLINS

My use is 20% daily drive and 80% trackdays and Nurburgring.

About Tein I have concern about too much adjustable, I know myself and I wont play too much with settings

On the other hand, Ohlins are less adjustable but easy to set, seems to be perfect for me, but I guess, I'm going to pay the brand?

Some friend suggested me: don't waste money on "original gold" and buy Tein Monoflex that are good enough..

I run street tires on OEM wheels and OZ Alleggerita with R888 215/45/17 on track (i can't go wider due to Italian rules)

What do you suggest to me?

If you provide data logs and/or subjective feedback, I'd be more than happy to recommend damping adjustments for the SRCs; we already have a set of proven damping adjustments for them.

The only change to you'd likely be making to the recommended settings is to fine tune a track setting (a single adjustment) for your personal preference toward under or over steer. Other than that, you'd probably be going back and for from a street setting to a track setting. Making the damping adjustments requires no tools, and takes less than a minute, doing it by yourself with no assistance.

While the Ohlins are great dampers, they don't offer the flexibility in adjusting the damping to your preference due to being a one way adjustable damper.


Out of curiosity, why the R888 over NT01?

Nitto are not so common in Italy, and R888 are the best choice for pricing and availability of stock ;)

I think these coilovers are designed for totally different groups. TBH I think the "Super Racing" and "Road and Track" explain there intentions.

Why not add RCE T2 to your list?

Without talking actual dampers, Ohlins are European, so it will be easier to get a hold of them, get replacements, etc. Just something to consider.

Tein also has an office in Europe but I'm not sure if they service out there.

Service is not an issue, for both I have contact.

My friends tell me, dont waste too much money and go cheaper, but what I can find?

I really like my BRZ and I want to give her the best setup

What about Tein Monoflex?

Tien SRC and Monoflex are not really even in the same category. for what you do i would say that the SRC will be your best bet. being able to adjust damping from a race to street setup in a few minutes will be a big asset.

Best setup will be subjective but i would avoid Monoflex and go with the SRC, you get what you pay for in most circumstances.

OHLINS FTW

this

No doubt the SRC are very nice but the build quality of those Ohlins... Damn. Very impressive. You cant go wrong with either choice for what you want to do.

Reviving from the dead; but I'm in the same position - stuck between these two choices for similar reasons as the OP.

Any new info / arguments / opinions appreciated.

They are two totally different systems. TEIN SRC is 2-way compression and rebound adjustable. The Ohlins R&T is 1-way adjustable rebound. If you are looking for a 1-way setup, then Ohlins R&T is one of the best offerings on the market. The 1-way takes most of that headache away and allows you to worry about 1 adjustment in the system. The 2-way allows for more fine tuning and is more beneficial in the right hands. While the extra adjustments suits us better, it's not beneficial to those who are not experienced in dialing a 2-way damper setup. If the user is not knowledgeable in suspension tuning, the suspension setup can make your car handle or ride horribly.

TEIN SRC is your gateway to a legitimate motorsports suspension. Ohlins 2-way setup will use their motorsports technology and is on the magnitude of 6 to 10k depending on the type of technology you would like to pay for (obviously it comes down to cost). We have conversed with Ohlins about a collaboration regarding this setup and can make this possible if there is genuine commitment from the community. Contact us if you would like to have a genuine commitment to this setup. We need several commitments to make this happen. :thumbsup:

Based on what you are doing sounds like you should talk to CSG David or Mike about JRZ coils. :D

Realistically, that's more than I'd like to spend. I could swallow the 3.5k - 4k of the two setups mentioned.

I've not had a 2 way adjustable setup before, but in saying that I'd like to think that given a starting point, then I'd soon be able to fine tune. I have seen another one of csg's threads on the src's and there was some recommended settings.

I'm really looking for something that is 90% track, running semi slicks, and can be street driven on road tyres; but would forego some NVH and street comfort for track performance.

But, I want a quality product. I've already had some coils (teins funnily enough) and wasn't happy with them, so sold them and am back at stock. They were one of the cheapest tein sets, so I don't blame the brand; I got what I paid for.

imo rce tarmac 2's>

No dealer support in New Zealand, so not an option.

what about bilstein or kw's?

There is bilstein support.

I like the teins as the have camber adjustment in the front, and I believe the springs rates are such that it negate the need for aftermarket swaybars.

KWv3s have a lifetime warranty BTW.

He'll want something firmer than KW V3. He'd want Clubsports (either RCE or KW) but servicing in Oz isn't as easy.

I love the Ohlins R&T, but if it's 90% track, then the Tein SRC would be a better choice.

JRZ would be a great option but likely past his budget. :(

- Andy

I was thinking of the KWv3s myself, maybe I'll have to get the RCE T2s http://www.racecompengineering.com/i...-brz-fr-s.html?

Basically you get Clubsports at V3 pricing. And a lifetime warranty. Give us a call sometime.

- Andy

I'm quite curious about this myself. Feel free to pm me w/ further details or start a thread if haven't already.

Tein EDFC would make switching compression settings stupidly simple from inside the car. IMO, unless you're going into pro racing, why not just get the Mono Flex with EDFC?

The talks started recently as there has been some growing interest to find out just how good of a suspension kit can be discovered for this platform. Ohlins is interested in us helping development, but they obviously have not pursued due to the type of market they are working with. If the community does not have issues with cost, then obviously we wouldn't have to worry too much right? :)

EDFC is sweet, however, you don't have to be a pro racer to use motorsport grade coilovers. There is significant benefits using motorsport grade kits. A few key engineered points include reliability of components, tolerances, engineered for abuse, high quality valving which equates to BETTER ride quality, extremely high quality fabrication and manufacturing of components with strict QA involved (takes money to pay people to do this).

Bilstein is one of the best companies out there, but like any other great company, they have multiple tiers of suspension kits available. You can kind of say their B16 kit is similar to the Ohlins R&T, but I'd nod towards the Ohlins for extreme build quality and rep. Both are pimp regardless.

The motorsports kits will have quality camber plates that make up a large part of the cost of the kits. The spring rates for the TEIN SRCs are designed with a variety of tires in mind (from EHP to slicks) and have the ability to utilize multiple spring rates without revalving (the beauty of 2-way coilovers). If you plan to bring swaybars to change the spring characteristics of the vehicle, that 2-way will allow you to fine tune as necessary to get exactly what you're looking for. Obviously 3-way and 4-way shocks have more adjustments to fine tune that setup.

TEIN SRCs can do 8k-12k front springs and 10k-14k rear springs. We have tested up to 15k rear springs on EHP tires before as well. The valving is superior compared to the current offerings that will allow you to dial the suspension to your driving style and application. We are currently developing a CSG Spec'd SRC.

Can you give an idea of what kind of camber plates you were looking at for the Ohlins project? I was actually about to pull the trigger on some Hancheys. Might still if such a project would takes a bit more time.

One way is the only thing that has kept me from getting the Ohlins. My last car had KW v.3s and the thought of finally getting Ohlins but w/ only one-ways is something of a downgrade psychologically and possibly performance wise. It was down to Ohlins or the Bilstein damptronic (leaning Bilstein) for me till I heard about this potential project.

People jumping on the Ohlin's wagon because it's proven and expensive.. while it is a seriously awesome kit, it's not adjustable - which is a big nono for me!

Ohlins R&T DFV adjustment is for low-speed rebound and compression damping. The ratio between rebound and compression is appropriate, so not necessarily a huge benefit to having them separately adjusted. Remarkably smooove and very well-controlled. Lack of camber adjustability up front would be my main issue with them on the 86.

Ohlins DFV come with camber plates though, so what is the lack of adjustability with them? Sorry if I'm not understanding this comment.

Ohlins will provide their own like the R&T. Keep in mind, you pay for not only the name, but also the completeness of product. Small details are what generally define good suspension kits, but that's just the surface.

Like ZDan said, 1-way is supposed to adjust rebound and compression simultaneously in proportion to each other, but in reality, 1-way adjustable setups affect rebound more than the compression. Simply put, you are basically stuck with that particular spring rate since the valving is tailored specifically to that spring rate. There is absolutely no "downgrade" to this. If the suspension kit is high end enough, there will be much more quality differences than the lower end market. On top of that, most people are not able to tune 2-ways properly. To give you an idea, many clients come to us asking us to help them out with their suspension setups, more particularly KW V3 or Club Sport owners. They end up realizing their rebound and compression settings are way off. The KW line up is formulate as a street coilover with some competition built into them. If you want the real deal KW motorsports stuff, then you have to be willing to pay for it just like the Ohlins 2-way setups.

Ohlins has a proven background, but do not always look at the name for quality. There is a reason behind the price difference. The TEIN SRCs are a completely different class from the rest of the TEIN lineup just like Ohlins TTX is completely different from their DFV stuff. Build quality, valving, quality of components are all different and severely tailored to motorsports and racing where reliability, quality, and engineering prowess is key to victory. Before anybody comments about not needing motorsports stuff for their car, remember something has to give in order to hit the particular price point you're searching for.

There are adjustments on the R&T with camber plates. So I'm not sure what adjustability you're looking for?

True story. I'm glad you pointed that out. As a fellow veteran S2k owner, your opinion is much appreciated in this forum. :thumbsup:

The benefit of a 2-way is much more effective in the hands of the proper user/tuner. While Ohlins R&T is extremely high end compared to their competitors (unless you're pointing out the ASM Sachs stuff...:wub:), it also utilizes proper engineering to provide significant differences per click. This is one of the best 1-way available on the market and it's proven to be rightfully so. :thumbsup:

Oh, I thought I read that they didn't. In that case, zero reservations about them for the FR-S/BRZ.

Or to add a different perspective:

Would you, as a driver, benefit from having 2-way adjustment? Do you know how to set this up and dial it in? Or do you have access to someone that can test the car out for you?

Are you good enough of a driver to know/feel the difference?

A lot of times people want adjustability, but they don't know what to do with them. I got Ohlins for a variety of reasons, but in the end I just wanted something simple for street and track use given my skillset. Tein SRCs and KW V3s/Clubsports are great, but beyond the "what you pay is what you get" mentality, there's also a matter of if all the adjustments will be more harm than good.

Unless we're all the same driver behind the wheel, a lot of suspension choice comes down to driving experience and on-hand resources available.

-alex

I like Ohlins.. but that seems like an absolute statement that isn't always true, especially on production cars.

I can't suggest either for the BRZ as I haven't driven either on a BRZ. In my experience with other cars I'd almost always rock Penske's over Ohlins though :)

Good points added Alex. While 2-way is excellent, most people who purchase 2-way shocks unfortunately do not know how to dial them in properly. That's a service we offer based on the type of driving style and application our clients are looking for. If the client feels the car is a little oversteery, we change the balance of the car with the damper settings to induce a little more understeer on different corners. Properly dialed suspension soaks up imperfections properly so you minimize or eliminate the rough feel that people want in a sporty car. Racecars are surprisingly smooth in that sense.

Ohlins R&T is a good offering in the 1-way format. However if you want a motorsports grade coilover, SRCs are the one of the best coilovers for what you're looking for in terms of performance, quality, and value. If you are interested in having your multi-way coilovers dialed by CSG, let us know. :thumbsup:

I want Penskes...we've got the contacts, but can't seem to fork out that 10k commitment to just start development...

Yeah, there's a reason I've driven a number of cars with them (all competitive race cars, not casual DE cars :) ) and don't own a set ;)

By the way, I chatted with your BFF Jeff Ritter at SEMA for a couple of hours. He still thinks you're crazy for blowing up that AP rotor. LMAO! :burnrubber: