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Why such a massive difference in price for Teins over Ohlins ?

8K views 54 replies 23 participants last post by  plip1953 
#1 ·
So wish to replace my suspension as advised on last service. Also soon to be contacting CR1 for some underside work (thought I could get everything done at the same time)

Personally I feel my car handles perfect for me, ride is a perfect comfort. But the the price of full kit of Bilsteins I can go Coilovers, which I feel most prefer now?

I'm an occasional fine weather driver & attend a few shows each year, car wont be going on track, but want confidence in the suspension if we have a little B-road blast.

Can anyone explain why the large price difference between Teins & Ohlins, are Ohlins really that much better? I've always thought Teins were good quality (never owned any tein suspension before)

Look forward to thoughts, opinions & suggestions :smthumbup
 
#45 ·
It's like everything in life you get what you pay for. If it's just a B road bomber I'd consider Bilstein B14's which are a comfy good quality coilover that aren't as expensive as ohlins.

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absolutely, but I hear about fake teins last time, same price, same packaging, but those are not original, just chinese crapy copy, So I recommend to find used coils
 
#3 ·
I’ve got ohlins on mine love them. I do find them hard at slow speeds. I can feel every little bump in the road and change in road surface which is good in a performance car I think.

I’ve been running them at ten clicks from hard as recommended but recently started playing with the settings, currently at 13 clicks from hard and the car feels much better on the road at speed.

I can hold the throttle wide open now on certain bits of road where before I would lift as it felt a bit nervous.

I haven’t tried any of the other coilovers to compare though.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Who advised the need to change and why? If the dampers are leaking then of course they need to be replaced, but if they otherwise feel fine to you then why change? Combining the OE dampers with a Tein or Eibach set of lowering springs works very well, and is relatively cheap, but do make sure you get the alignment properly reset after any suspension changes.
 
#5 ·
Personally I feel my car handles perfect for me, ride is a perfect comfort. But the the price of full kit of Bilsteins I can go Coilovers, which I feel most prefer
If you are happy with the ride and handling, you're probably best off sticking with what you know works for you.

As for why Tein and Ohlins are at different price points, exchange rates, distributor mark up, differing local production costs, are all a factor. Also are you comparing the same 'spec' product from each? Tein offer everything from budget street suspension up to custom valved, pro-level motorsport stuff, as do Ohlins - are you comparing apples with oranges?
 
#7 ·
Your signature says you are talking MR FQ 360 in which case I'd stick to the OE suspension and just replace/repair what is needed especially for road use only. Having had an MR (which I miss dearly!) and also worked through various "upgrades" you will ruin a great ride unless you are wanting a move to a more track oriented solution and a much bumpier experience on the road.
 
#16 ·
Suspension can be quite a subjective thing. Personally I’ve had exe-tc, tein monoflex and now MeisterR GT1. For what I use the car for (90% B road mixed driving) the GT1 tick all the boxes- not too firm/ hard, predictable handling, fair price point (although that may have changed) and they also include adjustable top mounts. I’d describe the ride as very similar to a standard sporty car, golf GT etc, but when you turn in the car doesn’t dive, it sits flat.
The Tein were the harshest of all 3 sets I’ve had and ride was too firm for the road IMO, very much like coilovers used to have the reputation for of being too hard for the road. EXE were good but it’s that long ago I can’t really recall if it was a very harsh ride or not.
I’ve not had Ohlins but as with many things there will be what’s popular, and right now that’s Ohlins. I’m not saying that’s unjustified, but 10 years ago it was EXE TC or Tein Monoflex.
After all of that, your best bet would be to have a ride in someone else’s car with the suspension setup you’re looking at. Also keep in mind wheel and tire choice will have some effect on the ride. I noticed a big change going from OE 17” with 235 to 18” with 255 before changing suspension and geo setup.

WRT it being an MR 360 and wanting to retain value/ originality, it’s not like swapping out shocks is a hard job and could easily be put back to OE later with a fresh geo setup.
 
#36 ·
Suspension can be quite a subjective thing. Personally I've had exe-tc, tein monoflex and now MeisterR GT1. For what I use the car for (90% B road mixed driving) the GT1 tick all the boxes- not too firm/ hard, predictable handling, fair price point (although that may have changed) and they also include adjustable top mounts. I'd describe the ride as very similar to a standard sporty car, golf GT etc, but when you turn in the car doesn't dive, it sits flat.
The Tein were the harshest of all 3 sets I've had and ride was too firm for the road IMO, very much like coilovers used to have the reputation for of being too hard for the road. EXE were good but it's that long ago I can't really recall if it was a very harsh ride or not.
I've not had Ohlins but as with many things there will be what's popular, and right now that's Ohlins. I'm not saying that's unjustified, but 10 years ago it was EXE TC or Tein Monoflex.
After all of that, your best bet would be to have a ride in someone else's car with the suspension setup you're looking at. Also keep in mind wheel and tire choice will have some effect on the ride. I noticed a big change going from OE 17" with 235 to 18" with 255 before changing suspension and geo setup.

WRT it being an MR 360 and wanting to retain value/ originality, it's not like swapping out shocks is a hard job and could easily be put back to OE later with a fresh geo setup.
had exe-tec refurbish my shocks...told me no more spare parts available and that was five years ago... they use a company called Faulkner Springs ? they make up any size of spring...

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#17 ·
Ohlins are "probably" worth the money to be perfectly honest. If I were budgeting that much on new suspension to replace an old worn out set, then I'd actually choose Meister's GT1s. I helped develop the GT1 with my old IX and they are exactly what I would want.

Thing is ... I'm looking at suspension myself for the worn out gear on my VI.
I first looked at replacing with standard. But I also need top mounts and would also fit lowering springs at the same time.
Alongside this idea, I thought about going for Bilstein dampers of some kind, with top mounts and lowering springs.
The cost for all that was beginning to mount up, royally.

For not a great deal more I could go for GT1s...

However, for a car that cost me less than £10k as a base, and us primarily a "3rd car", I struggle to justify that expense on suspension.
The upshot is that I'll probably invest in a set of MeisterR CRD in the near future, with the potential to have them rebuilt to GT1 spec in the future. Overall, it'll cost less than standard replacement dampers, plus top mounts, plus lowering springs, and offer more in terms of adjustability - particularly as I prefer a nice but of rake on my Evo that probably won't be available from just a lowering springs kit.

Food for thought

Mark H
 
#19 ·
One thing I would like to know - in real world

just how good are Ohlins v Billies on TEIN lowering springs for B road blasts???

Is it worth the ££££
We're talking about marginal gains.
The advantage with coilovers is the ability to set ride height exactly as you wish, and also set front camber to the desired amount. ( Plus ability to corner weight... )
From the camber setting alone, coilovers have a great handling advantage, but you really need to invest in excess of £1,500 to also have damping which is on a par with Bilstein dampers.
So it is a compromise.

Slàinte Mhath

Mark H
 
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#21 ·
I went from Billies with Tein springs to Ohlins and I do have to say it was a massive difference to the way the car handled.

However, at the same time I also fully polybushed the car, fitted uprated engine mounts as well as a roll centre kit, new drop links, lowered the car, corner weighted it and replaced every nut and bolt on the underside....so it is very difficult to purely isolate the impact of fitting just the Ohlins..

BTW my Billies were not too bad when removed (only had 33k on them) and only replaced them since I wanted to fit coilovers so I could lower it and adjust the damping for when I went onto the track.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I've had Stance GR+, BC RM's, Ohlins DFV's, Tein monoflex, Nitron NTR R3's fitted to evos...

I also have also had experience with KW Street comforts fitted to my BM for daily use.

If I were buying a set of suspension for a road going evo I would probably get a set of KW Variant 1's or 2's depending on how my budget would stretch and keep the OEM top mounts. The variant 1's are about £1200. They have fixed rebound and compression. The V2's have adjustable rebound but can't see them listed atm... The V3's are nice with adjustable rebound and compression but about £1900.
 
#31 ·
The best ride handling compromise of the current kits available is the Ohlins for me there is no question on it. The other kits work ok without doubt but I would rather fit Ohlins.
The best kit made for a Evo was the Exe-tc RM04 but you can’t buy these new anymore this is the only kit that I will fit to my own Evo and the rebuild cost as I have a set of used is going to be almost the cost of a new Ohlins kit��.

Mark
 
#32 ·
The best ride handling compromise of the current kits available is the Ohlins for me there is no question on it. The other kits work ok without doubt but I would rather fit Ohlins.
The best kit made for a Evo was the Exe-tc RM04 but you can't buy these new anymore this is the only kit that I will fit to my own Evo and the rebuild cost as I have a set of used is going to be almost the cost of a new Ohlins kit��.

Mark
All very well to say this Mark, but have you tried eg Meister GT1s or KWs?
 
#41 ·
I was in exactly your situation. A road car with OEM B9s that needed replacing. I was running Tein lowering springs and happy with the way the car drove and sat (looked).
It was basically £800 to replace the OEM B9s and top mounts etc. I looked at coilovers and everyone mentioned how good the Ohlins were.
I bit the bullet and got the Ohlins but was worried it would ruin the way the car drove compared to standard.
I didn't need to worry at all the Ohlins are as amazing as everyone says. They are a little harder (marginal) then OEM at lower speeds but not harsh or crashy. You can feel the quality of the dampening. However at higher speeds they really do come improve everything. Reduced roll and stability and I can't believe how it deals with even the worst road surfaces and bumps. Just rolls over them.
If you have the cash, get the Ohlins but you won't go wrong with OEM if you don't have the cash. OEM is still a good ride for a performance car. You do get what you pay for in the Ohlins. I would find it hard to go back to OEM now after feeling what it's like to drive with Ohlins but it wouldn't be end of the world.
The true test though was the wife, she didn't say it was more bumpy :lol:
 
#48 ·
exe-tec when they released there coil over suspension ?
it was the must have kit..ohlins was not even in the running? if exe-tec started making them again ? and was same price ? would ohlins be the top daddy...i spoke to exe-tec years ago and they didnt make alot of money selling the kits...also they get their springs from faulkner who do springs


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#49 ·
exe-tec when they released there coil over suspension ?
it was the must have kit..ohlins was not even in the running? if exe-tec started making them again ? and was same price ? would ohlins be the top daddy...i spoke to exe-tec years ago and they didnt make alot of money selling the kits...also they get their springs from faulkner who do springs

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exe-tc concentrates on high end racing stuff,.... I doubt they will make a "budget" coilover again..

there are other systems in the ohlins price range.. like AST 5100, 5200, 5300 or Intrax
 
#50 ·
From the physical point of view, Ohlins are Mono-tube damper while most mass market TEIN are twin-tube dampers (Tein do not do mono-tube damper until you get to the MonoFlex range).
So that is a reason for price difference.

Ohlins body are made out of alloy, Tein body are made out of steel.
The performance difference are up for debate, but there is a cost difference involved there also.

The biggest factor I would say are the internal used.
Ohlins DFV internal are much more complex, and require higher degree of precision.
They also have a lower volume so they cannot be mass produced.
Tein internal are more basic, and can be mass produced at a much cheaper price.

The question is if the performance difference is wroth the price?
In my view, yes. There are a lot of advantage a properly sorted mono-tube damper can bring to the performance table.
So if budget allows, a well sorted mono-tube damper is the base of a good performance damper.
(I say this loosely as there are high pressure twin-tube dampers like the Ohlins TTX, but those are not "common" twin-tube dampers).

In my view, if you go from the OEM Bilstein to a set of Twin-Tube Tein dampers.
It is actually taking a step back on the performance level.

Jerrick
 
#52 ·
I have swapped them around and it is one solution, but with stiffer rear ARB that we have on that car it is a bit lively in the rear, on the road... On the track it will heat up the front tires and become nicely neutral.. I will try that car next with stock ARB and that should work well with 8 fronts and 10 K in the rear.

For my own car (this is a friends one) I am going for 8 front and 9 rear...

So, to answer your question in a shorter manner.. I would first try 8F 10R with stock rear ARB, then go fo 9K rear if that is too much. Road tires.... Slicks and track work might require stiffer springs..
 
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