Ohlins' Adjustable Coil-Over Kits Are In Stock At J&M / hotpart.com

[shogun32]

does the Struts/shocks of Ohlin really accommodate to these high spring rates?

yes, provided you revalve to suit. You can generally get away with up to +/-15% from baseline on a set of valving. For example valving for 900lb/in can be used with 800-1050lb/in.

Don't do progressive springs.

Is your car your DD?

as much as you can DD between 3 different cars. I generally rotate weekly.

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[guitrflip]

yes, provided you revalve to suit. You can generally get away with up to +/-15% from baseline on a set of valving. For example valving for 900lb/in can be used with 800-1050lb/in.

Don't do progressive springs.

Ah, i see. Thank you for this piece of info. Off topic, I have also read that some strut/shocks are good enough, so I've been looking more into the Bilstein B6, would you recommend this route and getting some hyperco/ swiftco springs? The setup i definitely am gunning for is 325 fronts (I want it stiff but tolerable to drive on the streets) and 875 rear (about 2.77x).

With your knowledge now and chance to time-travel, what spring rate would you go with and what suspension setup would you opt-in? (I'm assuming you're not 100% content with your current setup).

 

[bnightstar]

Ah, i see. Thank you for this piece of info. Off topic, I have also read that some strut/shocks are good enough, so I've been looking more into the Bilstein B6, would you recommend this route and getting some hyperco/ swiftco springs? The setup i definitely am gunning for is 325 fronts (I want it stiff but tolerable to drive on the streets) and 875 rear (about 2.77x).

With your knowledge now and chance to time-travel, what spring rate would you go with and what suspension setup would you opt-in? (I'm assuming you're not 100% content with your current setup).

Vorshlag did a test with the Off the shelf springs for the Ohlins

https://www.vorshlag.com/forums/for...-gt-s550-development-thread?p=55659#post55659

They said that they are very good for the street. Ohlins dumpers use something called Dual Flow Valve which allow for the shock to effectively have same compression as rebound which help with daily driving to feel much softer than it is in reality. This is why Ohlins use higher spring rates because the technology they use allow for that. Overall this is the kit I plan to go with for my Daily / Track car and I think it will be amazing. Something that the aftermarket don't tell you is that because the Mustang is heavy in order to have good turn-in you need the higher spring rate and 500 is not even that High. True track mustangs like the once in World Challenge use 800 or more front spring.

The rear spring rate of 800 is a bit on the soft side but I guess because of DFV the rear will be planted without oversteering. Ether way this are standard 2.5" springs or both ends of the car so they are easy replaceable with hyperco springs. And revalving shocks is something that you can do at anytime which is why I plan to go with the off the shelf kit.

Hope this helps.

 

[fatbillybob]

agreed. Hotpart recommends high-200's or low 300's I believe. I have 225/350 dual-rate (Steeda) and wouldn't dream of running 500's on the front. The 350 is already an acquired taste. I have some 250 and 275lb/in springs that I may put on instead at some point.

800 out back seems a bit soft but not too crazy. Controlling for excessive sag on rearward weight-shift can be done with slow-speed compression circuit (to a point).

It is funny what you expect. My Daily is a Ram megacab diesel. I only race sportscars and don't want one on street. I absolutely hated the mustang GT PP1 suspension and call it undriveable on track. When I went to the MCS Vorschlag package with 600lbs in the front I "start" to say...now this is how the car should drive.

That said why don't people (for the street) just do the 350GT spring rates and call it good as Ford's near top level street performance car suspension?

 

[guitrflip]

Vorshlag did a test with the Off the shelf springs for the Ohlins

https://www.vorshlag.com/forums/for...-gt-s550-development-thread?p=55659#post55659

They said that they are very good for the street. Ohlins dumpers use something called Dual Flow Valve which allow for the shock to effectively have same compression as rebound which help with daily driving to feel much softer than it is in reality. This is why Ohlins use higher spring rates because the technology they use allow for that. Overall this is the kit I plan to go with for my Daily / Track car and I think it will be amazing. Something that the aftermarket don't tell you is that because the Mustang is heavy in order to have good turn-in you need the higher spring rate and 500 is not even that High. True track mustangs like the once in World Challenge use 800 or more front spring.

The rear spring rate of 800 is a bit on the soft side but I guess because of DFV the rear will be planted without oversteering. Ether way this are standard 2.5" springs or both ends of the car so they are easy replaceable with hyperco springs. And revalving shocks is something that you can do at anytime which is why I plan to go with the off the shelf kit.

Hope this helps.

Wow thank you for this and the link!
Yes, this is type of feedback is definitely what I'm looking for. With the knowledge and wisdom in this forum, I've been hoping to learn from people's past experience to prevent digging a deeper money-pit for myself. Suspension fine tuning is definitely not a popular topic in these forums since everyone prefers to discuss power and have an attitude of "moh powah baby!" (Source: Donut Media).

In hopes to make-up for how heavy our vehicles really are. I love the chassis of the S550 and since I am fortunate enough to live close to a canyon, I prefer corners than straight-lines. I guess you can say I'm into curves (pun intended) than flats . Sorry Off-topic.

Back to the topic of Ohlin OTS. I see, so Ohlins OTS have a different ballgame compared to other coilovers due to this proprietary DVF. With that in mind, the rears being at 800 has more of a difference of ~1.56x spring rate compared to the front. Which means one would need to go higher spring rate if they want a stiffer rear spring rate. In that case, can we assume 800lb/in is street tolerable of which then would meet my goal and purpose of reviving this thread?

Let me know if I'm making sense or not.

-Jason

 

[shogun32]

Ohlins dumpers use something called Dual Flow Valve which allow for the shock to effectively have same compression as rebound which help with daily driving to feel much softer than it is in reality.

not sure I subscribe to that. rebound valving is generally linear and pretty heavy compared to comp which may have an initial curve similar to rebound but after say 4"/sec blows off.

Steeda claims their DR "are good on the street". We differ on that definition. Livable, sure. Good, no. On track they may be brilliant. TBD. They also said the Pro-Active+progressive springs was a good combo. Solidly 'nyet' in my book.

I only bring it up to suggest guys who tune race cars for track use seem to have a rather distorted view of what is ok/good on the street. If you talk to the Hotpart guys they don't agree with Ohlins default choices either and have personal experience to back up their opinion. Feel is somewhat subjective.

I personally would start with a 250-275/950-1000 combo and also buy a front 325 or 350 if you want to experiment.

For dedicated autocross/road course work the 500+ fronts may be perfect. But that use case and desired chassis pitch characteristics is wildly different from casual corner carving on public roads at less than 80mph.

As a simple comparison my SS/1LE runs ~170lb/in springs up front and handles better than the Mustang. It has MR shocks to contribute to control chassis pitch so it's not just the spring. I am of the opinion that vehicles are SUPPOSED to tilt and shift weight around as long as it isn't excessive to the point of dragging body parts or taking too much weight off the opposite corner and compromise traction and control. Other people can't abide a car that moves on it's axis.

 

[guitrflip]

That said why don't people (for the street) just do the 350GT spring rates and call it good as Ford's near top level street performance car suspension?

Because I've read too many threads of Gt350 owners who joins HPDE, AX-ing, and etc. special events that have changed their suspension more than once while selling off their factory suspension to the next sucker like me who knows nothing if I did not research for myself. In my humble opinion, the suspension engineering on these cars aren't the same level as how JDM/ European sports car manufacturers would engineers theirs. That's why often times, people go European or Japanese products because it meets their needs and more. Not to say i don't respect Ford suspension engineers, on the contrary, Ford engineers have engineered the S550s to make it last as long as it remains stock and is intended for a moderate city driving use and occasional weekend grand touring.

For dedicated autocross/road course work the 500+ fronts may be perfect. But that use case and desired chassis pitch characteristics is wildly different from casual corner carving on public roads at less than 80mph.

As a simple comparison my SS/1LE runs ~170lb/in springs up front and handles better than the Mustang. It has MR shocks to contribute to control chassis pitch so it's not just the spring. I am of the opinion that vehicles are SUPPOSED to tilt and shift weight around as long as it isn't excessive to the point of dragging body parts or taking too much weight off the opposite corner and compromise traction and control. Some people can't stand a car that moves on it's axis.

Agreed. Every Chassis is different. Unfortunately, i don't have that privilege yet, but i do know Camaro's have always out-performed mustangs in paper from factory, but the mustang is an icon of car that still sells like hotcakes and we're all suckers hence why we live and breathe here in the forums .
Am i right?

I think I'll wait for now, but I'm even more motivated to go for the Ohlins. Patience is a virtue, but i must resist. I've been stock for 2years... the longest i've ever been in owning a car. By now I've usually done something on the car.
However, biggest mod i did on the mustang was buying hood struts... My gawd, it's a game changer. I don't understand why they're not a standard on all cars.

 

[shogun32]

I think I'll wait for now, but I'm even more motivated to go for the Ohlins. Patience is a virtue, but i must resist.

well, you have a plain GT so I wouldn't delay fixing the suspension.

I replaced the suspension on this PP1 within 4 months of ownership. This was my first performance car ever, and also first Mustang. I was sufficiently disgusted with Ford's execution that I wasn't going to hold onto the car without fixing it.

At least do the basic 'stop-the-hop' mods and yes if you want a cheaper entry point, a set of Bilstein B6 is a good choice. And fix your alignment to 'proper' handling numbers instead of the factory junk.

Surely you can track down some locals from this forum who have done suspension mods to their cars and get a chance to bum a drive comparison.

 

[guitrflip]

well, you have a plain GT so I wouldn't delay fixing the suspension.
I replaced the suspension on this PP1 within 4 months of ownership. This was my first performance car ever, and also first Mustang. I was sufficiently disgusted with Ford's execution that I wasn't going to hold onto the car without fixing it.

At least do the basic 'stop-the-hop' mods and yes if you want a cheaper entry point, a set of Bilstein B6 is a good choice. And fix your alignment to 'proper' handling numbers instead of the factory junk.

Yes, you are absolutely 100% correct. We digress, but 'the-hop' is frustrating. I was hoping a good coil-over/strut-shock combo to fix it but apparently there's additional mods needed. B6 though only accommodates close to stock drops; around 1-inch drop on all 4 sides maximum. Sounds like your hole i don't wanna dig. My goal is to drop the car between 1-1.3 front and 1.2 -1.5 rear (max). I don't think B6 will accommodate this at least from what i read in here. People suggest going for the FRPP and BMR, but I'm not 100% on drinking the red koolaid myself.

 

[shogun32]

My goal is to drop the car between 1-1.3 front and 1.2 -1.5 rear (max).

that's what the B8 is for. But I (and others will no doubt) strongly recommend against that much drop. 0.75"/0.5 (up to 1"/0.75) is more correct for any kind of performance driving.

 

[guitrflip]

that's what the B8 is for. But I (and others will no doubt) strongly recommend against that much drop. 0.75"/0.5 (up to 1"/0.75) is more correct for any kind of performance driving.

Damn, I didn't know B8s were available. With that said, you win, I'll pick-up a Bilstein Mustang GT B12 Suspension Pro-Kit. Impatient that i am, and I'll probably do this and put Ohlins coilover on the back burner until B8s start to act-up.
"- Front Lowered Height: 25mm, up to 1075g Axle Load
- Rear Lowered Height: 20mm, up to 1148g Axle Load "

Sounds like a perfect dampening system for non-coilovers.

What do you think?

 

[shogun32]

a Bilstein Mustang GT B12 Suspension Pro-Kit.

that'll work. I would ring up https://cortexracing.com/ and/or Steeda and pick their brains. You'll likely want a roll-center correcting rods up front (Steeda) and a bump-steer kit (various). And throw some camber plates on there at the same time.

If I was buying the B12 kit I'd probably pair the shocks with Steeda's Ultralight 225/880 spring set. Check first. Steeda should allow you to have them build you completely assembled units ready to just bolt in.

 

[bnightstar]

not sure I subscribe to that. rebound valving is generally linear and pretty heavy compared to comp which may have an initial curve similar to rebound but after say 4"/sec blows off.

Steeda claims their DR "are good on the street". We differ on that definition. Livable, sure. Good, no. On track they may be brilliant. TBD. They also said the Pro-Active+progressive springs was a good combo. Solidly 'nyet' in my book.

I only bring it up to suggest guys who tune race cars for track use seem to have a rather distorted view of what is ok/good on the street. If you talk to the Hotpart guys they don't agree with Ohlins default choices either and have personal experience to back up their opinion. Feel is somewhat subjective.

I personally would start with a 250-275/950-1000 combo and also buy a front 325 or 350 if you want to experiment.

For dedicated autocross/road course work the 500+ fronts may be perfect. But that use case and desired chassis pitch characteristics is wildly different from casual corner carving on public roads at less than 80mph.

As a simple comparison my SS/1LE runs ~170lb/in springs up front and handles better than the Mustang. It has MR shocks to contribute to control chassis pitch so it's not just the spring. I am of the opinion that vehicles are SUPPOSED to tilt and shift weight around as long as it isn't excessive to the point of dragging body parts or taking too much weight off the opposite corner and compromise traction and control. Other people can't abide a car that moves on it's axis.

I think we had the same discussion in my thread on the Ohlins topic. As I said there is good reasons why they use this rates. Also there is a reason why the Mustang front is better with higher spring rates for corner curving it's called Positive Camber roll suspension (this is the reason why people with the DR springs run 3" of camber or more). And also this is the reason why big front bars make the car corner better. Regular car dynamics don't exactly apply to the Mustang it is a different animal. I kind of trust Ohlins more than I trust hotparts. Also if you are going with 250-275 springs you can go with just off the shelf shocks and struts what is the point in going to a coilovers and spend 2 times as much ?

 

[blind*guardian]

Another good option I think would be Bilstein B16s. You can get them on Rockauto for $1600, which is not much more than the B6s or B12s. My B16s are coming next week, but from what I've read, they should be good. Granted they do come with progressive springs. Vorshlag has the rate vs stroke for them on their site.

 

[shogun32]

you can go with just off the shelf shocks and struts what is the point in going to a coilovers and spend 2 times as much ?

the OHlins are rebuildable and far better made than Koni etc. The damper is far more important than the spring. Plus with CO you can swap in an infinite selection of springs and revalve when needed.

I don't see how a Mustang is any different than any other performance-minded car. Your statement would more properly apply to a Porsche because it has a screwball weight distribution.

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