Coilovers for daily driving?

[SilverSlug]

I'm contemplating between Dinan springs OR Dinan coilovers (e93 M3).


1) Are Coilovers total overkill for daily and/or city driving?

2) Can the Coilovers be adjusted to be equally as harsh/soft as the Dinan springs?

[Redd]

My Ohlins R/T are less harsh than stock suspension and offer better body control. I've had them for 4 years 45k kms and they are still going strong. So yeah you can definitely daily coilovers. Never used the Dinans tho.

[GeorgeA]

I have Ohlins R/T as well but they aren’t even close to stock comfort. They are quite stiff, granted I am driving on nasty LA roads.

Dinan springs will be more comfortable if your struts are in good working condition.

[SilverSlug]

Hmm so even on the softest setting, the Ohlins are stiffer than stock on sport setting?

[wootloops]

My bilstein B16 damptronic are pretty comfortable especially on the lowest EDC setting. On the highest EDC setting they are a little stiff on the highway but that's the benefit of retaining the EDC function with them.

[Redd]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

Hmm so even on the softest setting, the Ohlins are stiffer than stock on sport setting?

I run 12 clicks for daily. They are definitely firmer than stock but less harsh/crashy. If you have EDC, that's even crashier.

[SilverSlug]

Interesting, do you know how the Bilstein B16 Damptronic setup compares to the Dinan Coilovers (which also retain the EDC function)?

[SilverSlug]

Originally Posted by Redd

I run 12 clicks for daily. They are definitely firmer than stock but less harsh/crashy. If you have EDC, that's even crashier.

Ahh okay, so the Ohlins don't retain EDC functionality?

[Redd]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

Ahh okay, so the Ohlins don't retain EDC functionality?

Nope it not does not. Only aftermarket coilovers that retain EDC are KW DDC or Bilstein Damptronic.

[SilverSlug]

Originally Posted by Redd

Nope it not does not. Only aftermarket coilovers that retain EDC are KW DDC or Bilstein Damptronic.

Ok I see. Btw Dinan coilovers retain EDC as well.

My main point of curiosity is if it's possible to dial in coil overs to be at least as comfortable as stock springs or even the Dinan springs (or close to it)?

[GeorgeA]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

Ok I see. Btw Dinan coilovers retain EDC as well.

My main point of curiosity is if it's possible to dial in coil overs to be at least as comfortable as stock springs or even the Dinan springs (or close to it)?

The Dinan kit is just the spring and mounts. The strut/shock stays the same so if you don’t have high mileage (worn shocks), you should be fine.

The Ohlins is manually adjustable so no EDC - it is however stiffer because of the spring rate, so even if you loosen up the dampers, the springs will still remain stiff. Depending on where you live (the road conditions), this setup will work.

Bilstein retains EDC and should be comfy enough.

How smooth are the roads where you live?

[SilverSlug]

I live in San Francisco, and although most of the roads are okay, there are a few roads that are quite bumpy, as well as some horrendous potholes here and there.

So would you recommend the B16 Coilovers over the Dinan "coil over" kit in terms of comfort?

[JIMN9NE]

I have the B16 Damptronic coilovers and I will say its nice to be able to lower your car and still retain EDC. The lowest mode actually rides better than stock but I will say I am pretty underwhelmed for the two "sport/stiff" settings as it doesn't really feel much different. To be honest there was more of a difference in each setting with stock EDC.

[CPWINCH]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

I'm contemplating between Dinan springs OR Dinan coilovers (e93 M3).


1) Are Coilovers total overkill for daily and/or city driving?

2) Can the Coilovers be adjusted to be equally as harsh/soft as the Dinan springs?

Dinan springs will be rougher than stock

Proper coilovers will ride smoother than stock.

My advice: skip both options and get Ohlins RT or Bilstein B16


I run Ohlin RT and at 20 clicks (the softest) they are more comfortable than stock. For daily driving I run 15 clicks and for spirited driving I do 7 clicks. Its absolutely perfect. Do not listen to the guy above who said they are more uncomfortable than stock. Probably hasn't played with them much.

[SilverSlug]

Is it possible to adjust Ohlins R/T or B16's on the fly from under the hood and in the trunk?

Or do I have to take the wheels off?

[Redd]

For the Ohlins R/T, you can manually adjust damping from the boot for the rear shocks but you need to either get extended adjusters or cut a hole in the boot liner. Front damper adjustment requires you to put your steering to full lock and reach behind the wheel as the adjuster knob is at the bottom of the damper.

I daily my M3 so comfort is also very important to me. When I switched from stock non-EDC with ZCP springs (mine is an Edition car) to Ohlins, I noticed that the ride was firmer but more comfortable. More comfy because body control was better and you didn't have the boaty wallowing feeling with the stock setup. At the same time, the Ohlins DFV soaks up rough road surfaces better than stock shocks, so it was also less harsh than stock suspension.

I recently drove my friend's M3 with EDC and EDC is definitely much more harsh than Ohlins R/T and still not as good body control wise.

The Ohlins adjustability is also very noticeable. I run 12 clicks for street, 8 for spirited drives and 4 for track. Each click makes a noticeable difference. Really no regrets getting the Ohlins.

[SilverSlug]

I'm increasingly glad I haven't placed any order for springs yet..

How do the Ohlins compare to the B16's in terms of comfort and handling bumpy inner city roads?

The price point seems fairly similar, are there any main difference, pros/cons between the R/T and B16?

[wootloops]

Originally Posted by JIMN9NE

I have the B16 Damptronic coilovers and I will say its nice to be able to lower your car and still retain EDC. The lowest mode actually rides better than stock but I will say I am pretty underwhelmed for the two "sport/stiff" settings as it doesn't really feel much different. To be honest there was more of a difference in each setting with stock EDC.

Interesting, I actually feel the opposite way about my B16... I really didn't notice a change on the stock EDC between the 3 settings. With the B16s, I definitely feel a difference between the 3 settings, especially on the highway. Sometimes I actually turn it down to the middle or lower setting on the highway because the max setting can be a little stiff over high speed bumps. At lower speeds around town its not as noticeable, though.

[CPWINCH]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

I'm increasingly glad I haven't placed any order for springs yet..

How do the Ohlins compare to the B16's in terms of comfort and handling bumpy inner city roads?

The price point seems fairly similar, are there any main difference, pros/cons between the R/T and B16?

Springs are the one option out of these that will be a significant downgrade in comfort and performance.

With a spring you are still retaining the stock dampers which aren't great to begin with. A coil over system means a coil (spring) over a damper or shock.

Each damper is designed and valved for a certain spring length and stiffness. When you take a different spring to lower the car you are putting a shorter, heavier spring on while keeping the same ill performing dampers which are not designed for said spring.

With a system like Ohlin RT they are professionally mated (shock and spring combo) to give you the best performance. Not only that but the valving technology is out of this world. Buy the Ohlin RT and don't look back. I don't even work for them im just that passionate about the product . Not to mention they aren't that expensive.

watch this video if you have time and im sure you will understand the "hype" about Ohlins. They are an OEM supplier to F1 suspension builders

video:

[Redd]

Yeah great video. I've driven other coilovers (on other cars) and that Ohlins DFV really does work well for rough surfaces.

[SilverSlug]

Indeed great video, thanks for posting.

Would you guys recommend picking up a used set of Ohlins if they come around?

What's the service cycle like? Rebuild life cycle?

[Redd]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

Indeed great video, thanks for posting.

Would you guys recommend picking up a used set of Ohlins if they come around?

What's the service cycle like? Rebuild life cycle?

Had mine for 4 yrs 45k kms no rebuild. I enquired about a rebuild last year but the local Ohlins dealer said no need to rebuild unless they leak. If you get a used set and it's got 50k on it, I would get it rebuilt before installing. If it's 10-20k I would just use as is.