Hi all, I'm looking at getting new coilovers for my FIT GD3 and can't decide between ohlins or kw v2. Any thoughts?

 

If the ohlins are in you price range I'd go with those. Can't really go wrong with them. I think they're my next planned upgrade or my ITR.

 

Öhlins, hands down for ride quality and control.

But...the KW's will hold up better through road salt...if that is a concern.

They're not even close to the same price range, though. Aren't the V2's like $1K less than the Öhlins DFV?

 

B serious what do you mean by road salt? The price for ohlins aren't too bad for the FIT GD3. It's around $2,100 AUD shipped which I consider to be cheap for top of the range coilovers.

 

Lol. If you don't know what road salt in...then its a sign that you live in a climate that isn't awful.

In shitty climates where **** (snow) falls from the sky, they often use chlorides on the road to melt it. These chlorides are extremely corrosive.

I assume that there aren't places in Australia where it snows...or snows enough to require road salt.

The Öhlins are a pretty advanced system. I believe they also come with adjustable front upper strut mounts for the Fit. So the suspension has better response, and you'll be able to dial in camber via the upper mount.

Unfortunately, pillow type upper mounts are more succeptible to wear and need more maintenance than the stock mounts.

 

Ah I see. Lucky theres no snow in Sydney. Looks like ohlins are the winner. :D

 

Ohlins has better, more advanced technology. Any nice bike has Ohlins sus. I'd look those myself if I was in the market, otherwise see if there is a GC/Koni option out there.

But on the other hand, KWs will probably go lower if that is a concern for you, are better built/treated against the elements like B serious said and come with TUV certificates, so if you have issues regarding aftermarket suspension when you have your car inspected, you can probably get away with it. Germany is so strict and doesn't fv@k around and KW comes with the approval certificates. I am not sure if Ohlins provides that. If I had a M, S or AMG car or a Porsche, I'd put KWs on it, they are legendary. I have V3s on my AP2. Everyone who has riden or driven in it loves it, my car is a streetcar and everything is set in the middle. Not to mention the limited lifetime warranty to the original purchaser.

Hope this helps.

 

After thinking about it, I have gone thru a bunch of suspension on cars, all Hondas:

Buddy Club Race spec.
HSD. (They manufacture for other companies, I can't remember who)
Skunk2 Pro C.
H&R springs with Koni yellows.
H&R springs with STR.T
Ground Control coilovers with extended top hats with Koni Yellows.
KWV3.

I really feel the best options out there are:

1) GC/Koni Yellows.
2) KW.
3) Ohlins.

 

I went from KW V3 to Öhlins on my S2000. My V3's were purchased new 7 years ago when they had click adjusters....but 513LB springs.

The V3 is like riding my (very nice) road bike. It damps the bumps very well and very quickly without being overly harsh (most times)...but its still very lively.

The Öhlins is like a higher end cross bike. Still has most of the response. But is much more forgiving, better on the road, less fatigue for long drives, and much more refined. They're inherantly more comfortable for road use.

I have never been ecstatic about any of my Koni/GC setups for just street driving. I'd skip that setup unless I was building a budget street/track car and was willing to revalve the shocks at the request of a chiropractor. I have Koni/GC on my ITR. I've also had it on a few other cars with a bunch of different spring combos, including OTS.

TÜV certs aren't really all that uncommon. The Öhlins don't have them because of the non-factory upper mounts and full body adjustment. TÜV also requires the shock geometry to cause bumpstop bottoming before the suspension components hit each other. $550-600 Tein SA's are TÜV compliant also. I don't think any full body coilovers are TÜV compliant.

But OP says he lives in Australia....not Austria. So....bollacks to TÜV.

If OP is fine with spending $2100, then the Öhlins are probably the better choice for ride quality and the advantage in having DFV valving rather than KW's high speed blow off valve.

I don't know how much maintenance they require compared to KW. My KW's took a beating and kept going. My Öhlins are still very new. They recommend a rebuild every 20-25K miles with road use. So maybe the KW's are less maintenance heavy when it comes to the dampers. But I dunno for sure. Öhlins do have pillow mounts...which will almost DEFINITELY need more maintenance than stock mounts do.

KW's lifetime warranty is against DEFECTS. A rebuild for normal wear still costs $$. And it has to be done at KW. And they cannot be revalved unless you find a 3rd party who knows how to do so.

Öhlins can be revalved easily, similar to Bilstein or Koni, from what I hear. And there are plenty of people who rebuild them.

Each has their ups/downs (ha! Get it? Cuz they're suspensions). But the Öhlins rides better and makes a better riding street suspension. Its also a bit more versatile if that matters.