Integra Type S on Ohlins vs FL5 CTR

@Zygrene needs more presence here, I feel like his #1 cheerleader. But he puts out what I think is the best content for our cars today, so maybe I am?



Very interesting video, especially how the CTR bounces around in the canyons! I didn't think it was THAT bad under those conditions... I was kind of under the impression that in comfort or sport setting the CTR should be right at home in the canyons.

Yes, interesting video. It appears that the CTR is just way overdamped. The comparison is slightly muddied because there are three differences between the two cars tested - Spring Rates, Shocks & Tires. Increasing the spring rates from 4.5K/4.5K to 6K/10K is a huge change, especially in F/R roll stiffness bias. I'm betting that's where the biggest improvement in turn-in is coming from.

I have Ohlins DFV's on my S2000 and love them. I more than doubled the spring rates and the car rides smoother than stock when set soft, yet handles R comp tire loads on track beautifully when set stiff. Zygrene didn't mention that they have a wide adjustment range by simply turning the knob on top.

Is it worth spending $3K for the Ohlins shock & spring package? Maybe if you are serious about track use, but perhaps a less expensive experiment would be to first just install a stiffer rear sway bar to get more rear roll stiffness for more front grip and improved rotation. Has anyone done that yet? If yes, please report your findings.

kjechel said:

Yes, interesting video. It appears that he CTR is just way overdamped. The comparison is slightly muddied because there are three differences between the two cars tested - Spring Rates, Shocks & Tires. Increasing the spring rates from 4.5K/4.5K to 6K/10K is a huge change, especially in F/R roll stiffness bias. I'm betting that's where the biggest improvement in turn-in is coming from.

I have Ohlins DFV's on my S2000 and love them. I more than doubled the spring rates and the car rides smoother than stock when set soft, yet handles R comp tire loads on track beautifully when set stiff. Zygrene didn't mention that they have a wide adjustment range by simply turning the knob on top.

Is it worth spending $3K for the Ohlins shock & spring package? Maybe if you are serious about track use, but perhaps a less expensive experiment would be to first just install a stiffer rear sway bar to get more rear roll stiffness for more front grip and improved rotation. Has anyone done that yet? If yes, please report your findings.

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I'll very likely be upgrading to Ohlins as soon as I get a spare $3k lol.

I have the eibach pro kit sitting and waiting to be installed. My worry is it will be softer then factory. When I had my Aspec the first thing I did was put FK8 springs in the front which made a ton of difference since it was significantly stiffer. I wish they offered their Sportline stiffness to the lesser pro kit drop.

optronix said:

I'll very likely be upgrading to Ohlins as soon as I get a spare $3k lol.

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Don't forget installation cost unless you DIY. Zygrene also didn't mention that with the Ohlins kit you can adjust your ride height any time you want. But because of that, you may want to corner balance your car after setting that.

I bought my Ohlins from SakeBomb Garage because they gave me excellent customer service. Here's a link to the FK8/FL5 kit: https://www.sakebombgarage.com/ohlins-dfv-honda-civic-type-r-fk8-fl5. Here's some useful info from a great East Coast vendor, but he appears to sell only S2000 kits: https://urgedesigns.com/ohlins-dfv

kjechel said:

Don't forget installation cost unless you DIY. Zygrene also didn't mention that with the Ohlins kit you can adjust your ride height any time you want. But because of that, you may want to corner balance your car after setting that.

I bought my Ohlins from SakeBomb Garage because they gave me excellent customer service. Here's a link to the FK8/FL5 kit: https://www.sakebombgarage.com/ohlins-dfv-honda-civic-type-r-fk8-fl5. Here's some useful info from a great East Coast vendor, but he appears to sell only S2000 kits: https://urgedesigns.com/ohlins-dfv

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Yeah- installation is probably the only thing really holding me back TBH. I can't seem to find a solid shop, although admittedly I haven't tried very hard... I've only had the car since July and decided to stay stock until spring.

I've gone through IAG for my Subaru, and TPC for my Porsches in the past... if only I could find an equivalent Honda-focused shop within reasonable driving distance I'd be set.

optronix said:

I'll very likely be upgrading to Ohlins as soon as I get a spare $3k lol.

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Seems to be the move, imo.

Integra23 said:

I have the eibach pro kit sitting and waiting to be installed. My worry is it will be softer then factory. When I had my Aspec the first thing I did was put FK8 springs in the front which made a ton of difference since it was significantly stiffer. I wish they offered their Sportline stiffness to the lesser pro kit drop.

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Have they published spring rates? Last time I checked their website, I couldn't find them.

optronix said:

if only I could find an equivalent Honda-focused shop within reasonable driving distance I'd be set.

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How about asking @NSXavier

optronix said:

@Zygrene needs more presence here, I feel like his #1 cheerleader. But he puts out what I think is the best content for our cars today, so maybe I am?

Very interesting video, especially how the CTR bounces around in the canyons! I didn't think it was THAT bad under those conditions... I was kind of under the impression that in comfort or sport setting the CTR should be right at home in the canyons.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tag! I'll try to be more active on this forum. And I appreciate the cheerleading LOL.

Yeah, this is the 2nd time I've driven an FL5 on that road. The first one had stock dampers and lowering springs. It bounced around in Comfort mode, but I thought maybe that could be attributed to the springs. But driving the stock FL5 for my latest video confirmed that it's ALL in the damping.

kjechel said:

Yes, interesting video. It appears that he CTR is just way overdamped. The comparison is slightly muddied because there are three differences between the two cars tested - Spring Rates, Shocks & Tires. Increasing the spring rates from 4.5K/4.5K to 6K/10K is a huge change, especially in F/R roll stiffness bias. I'm betting that's where the biggest improvement in turn-in is coming from.

I have Ohlins DFV's on my S2000 and love them. I more than doubled the spring rates and the car rides smoother than stock when set soft, yet handles R comp tire loads on track beautifully when set stiff. Zygrene didn't mention that they have a wide adjustment range by simply turning the knob on top.

Is it worth spending $3K for the Ohlins shock & spring package? Maybe if you are serious about track use, but perhaps a less expensive experiment would be to first just install a stiffer rear sway bar to get more rear roll stiffness for more front grip and improved rotation. Has anyone done that yet? If yes, please report your findings.

Click to expand...

Yup, stock FL5 is over damped in Sport and +R, and the active damper module seems to have funky tuning that adjusts the damping profile on the fly even in Comfort mode. Not sure what sensors it uses to determine when the "switchover" happens.

If I can get my hands on a stock DE5 some time, I could film another comparo of stock vs stock. But to me, this isn't necessary because I've driven my DE5 on the same road multiple times when it was stock and the difference in suspension compliance vs the FL5 is HUGE.

As for Ohlins damping adjustment, I haven't taken time to play with the settings yet. I've left all 4 corners in the middle setting since day 1. I wish the knobs were easier to reach. With a lowered car, I can't actually reach them without jacking the car up, since they are on the shock body and not the top hats for this platform. Will need to make some adjustments soon and see what difference it makes.

kjechel said:

I bought my Ohlins from SakeBomb Garage because they gave me excellent customer service. Here's a link to the FK8/FL5 kit: https://www.sakebombgarage.com/ohlins-dfv-honda-civic-type-r-fk8-fl5.

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Here's a video:
and another with more info:

The Eibach pro kit springs are definitely not softer than stock springs. But they are also not incredibly harsh either. Not bouncing around like the FL5. Totally daily driveable with suspension set to comfort or sport. I also have the eibach rear sway installed. Haven't been to the track yet, but in stock form the rear end floated around a bit under hard braking with any steering input. (not when trying to induce rotation with trail braking)

I'm guessing having less nose dive (and a slightly lower center of gravity) under braking will help with that to some extent.

StingertimeNC said:

The Eibach pro kit springs are definitely not softer than stock springs. But they are also not incredibly harsh either. Not bouncing around like the FL5. Totally daily driveable with suspension set to comfort or sport. I also have the eibach rear sway installed. Haven't been to the track yet, but in stock form the rear end floated around a bit under hard braking with any steering input. (not when trying to induce rotation with trail braking)

I'm guessing having less nose dive (and a slightly lower center of gravity) under braking will help with that to some extent.

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Awesome. I have the RV6 RSB to install. My main concern is coming off of high curbs/ aprons or crawling over speed bumps. In it's current form when the wheels clear seems like the suspension just drops fast causing it to bottom out. I try to angle these approaches but was worried the eibach would be softer causing more issues.

Not softer, but you definitely have to work through those kinds of things at angles and slowly. I'm used to it though, I always drop the ride.

Well, this is going to be an excellent thread to watch! Ok, @optronix, ok. I’ve subscribed to his channel, happy?

I have the RV6 rear sway & rigid collars (not installed) & was about to pull trigger on Eibach Pro springs as well. I go back & forth with deciding to do both to compare or just biting on the Ohlin’s now. Not much better is out there - I was told the RSR’s are great but not as good as Ohlin’s, & Gridzilla just posted about another brand that he claims is even better on track with good street ability. Sounding more like a track focused Coilover that could still be used on the street vs the Ohlin’s which I’m still leaning hard towards.

bpebler said:

Well, this is going to be an excellent thread to watch! Ok, @optronix, ok. I’ve subscribed to his channel, happy?

I have the RV6 rear sway & rigid collars (not installed) & was about to pull trigger on Eibach Pro springs as well. I go back & forth with deciding to do both to compare or just biting on the Ohlin’s now. Not much better is out there - I was told the RSR’s are great but not as good as Ohlin’s, & Gridzilla just posted about another brand that he claims is even better on track with good street ability. Sounding more like a track focused Coilover that could still be used on the street vs the Ohlin’s which I’m still leaning hard towards.

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Thanks for the sub! Bit of a spoiler for my upcoming video comparing my car against Gridzilla's FL5: his new suspension (AST Moton Doteki-spec 8k/10k 2-ways) feels super sharp with great damping for track use, but they're much firmer than my Öhlins and a little too harsh on the street in my opinion. The Öhlins aren't perfect either though. They need to retune the rear setup to match the stiffer FL5/DE5 chassis. As of right now, all the options for our platform seem to be a compromise or slightly flawed if you're looking for great ride quality on the street. That said, I'm still overall satisfied with the Öhlins.