Suggestions for Dual-Purposed Coilovers for Tracking and Spirited Driving

[Pklauser]

Just ordered the FCP Ohlins kit 😁 I thought the price seemed low, which lines up with what you said about a sale SQ13

Looking forward to the install

[T-Rex]

You could buy my MCS 2WNRs. They’ll be off the car by middle of next week. 😅



I’m installing the Ohlins track day kit next week, so I’ll share my feedback in a week or two. My suspension experience on the E46 M3 is stock (non-ZCP), PSS10s, and MCS 2WNRs.

Curious to hear your impressions! I was thinking about Ohlins R&T, but concerned that they wouldn't be a meaningful upgrade over the GC kit I've got. Your removal of the MCS is telling, as Big Willow is basically like driving on LA streets in terms of pavement quality.

[Nowhereman89]

Ordered April 7 and shipped today. There was a delay due to the 336# springs he had to order, but the standard Ohlins kit and the yellow Ohlins/Vorshlag camber plates were in stock when I reached out to him on the 13th.



The PSS10s are fine. They’re on my blue car with linear rear springs, and I would definitely recommend them to someone with a street car that might see some track use. I’m switching out of the MCS 2WNRs bc the setup I have is noisy and I don’t want two way adjustable dampers anymore.

Good Info. I wish the 3dm R/T kit was on sale as well as the regular R/T. Still very tempted to get it.

[cobra]

You could buy my MCS 2WNRs. They’ll be off the car by middle of next week. 😅



I’m installing the Ohlins track day kit next week, so I’ll share my feedback in a week or two. My suspension experience on the E46 M3 is stock (non-ZCP), PSS10s, and MCS 2WNRs.

I am really curious how all these shocks stack up on paper, and how that correlates to your driving experiences. PM me if you still have them and are interested.

[SQ13]

Curious to hear your impressions! I was thinking about Ohlins R&T, but concerned that they wouldn't be a meaningful upgrade over the GC kit I've got. Your removal of the MCS is telling, as Big Willow is basically like driving on LA streets in terms of pavement quality.

To be fair, the MCS coilovers were great when my car was a gutted dedicated track car. They’re amazing for someone who goes to the track often, but I’m past the stage where I’m tracking my car frequently. And I’m starting med school soon, so the M3s will mostly just sit for the next four years lol.

As a street car with full interior, the 2WNRs (which are inherently noisy compared to 1WNR and 2WR) with Vorshlag camber plates, Vorshlag RSMs, and articulating rear spring perches are just too noisy for me. I also never got the hang of two ways and don’t care for them at this point.

Good Info. I wish the 3dm R/T kit was on sale as well as the regular R/T. Still very tempted to get it.

You can get the R&Ts thru 3DM with the discount. You’ll just need to email them.

I am really curious how all these shocks stack up on paper, and how that correlates to your driving experiences. PM me if you still have them and are interested.

PM you if I still have what and am interested in what?

[jvit27]

I bought the set, barely used, from a guy that took them off his E46 M3 track car in 2013 (he upgraded to MCS). I'm not the original owner, so the warranty doesn't apply to me. I've contacted Koni in the past about rebuilding the shocks and struts. With shipping, they're not much cheaper than buying new. And buying new puts the price tag at half of a decent coilover kit. Figured I'd explore options since I haven't conducted research in years.

The car has performed well - both on track and limited spirited driving. Not looking to change much other than freshen up the suspension.

Thanks for the responses so far. Great information for consideration. I need to refresh my knowledge of suspension setups, as it's been a minute since I've researched.

With the motorsports industry in Mooresville, there has to be someone local that can service them? I'm still not clear on what's wrong with yours, are they leaking or do you just want the placebo of freshening the suspension?

To confirm, you went GC-> MCS 1W -> Ohlins? How much track time does your E46 see? I am definitely ready to replace my GC Coils, but unsure if they're enough of an upgrade on track to warrant going with Ohlins, or if I just need to bite the bullet and step up to something like MCS.

Don't be fooled into thinking MCS (or any premium damper) is just going to be 'better'. People don't realize they have specific use-cases and there will absolutely be tradeoffs that are not always worth making for a car that sees street use.

Nice! Definitely thinking of going with this kit. KWV3 & Camber plates would cost the same anyway. What was the timeframe like between ordering and shipping?

Be aware the Ohlins will not have a warranty as extensive as KW.

The PSS10s are fine. They’re on my blue car with linear rear springs, and I would definitely recommend them to someone with a street car that might see some track use. I’m switching out of the MCS 2WNRs bc the setup I have is noisy and I don’t want two way adjustable dampers anymore.

PSS10 are some of the best bang for the buck, and -IMO- make the 3DM ugprade look like a waste of money. Bilsteins with linear springs & camber plates will be just as good as the Ohlins for a dual-duty car at about $1k less. Spend that money on a good corner balance, some anti-roll bars and new bushings instead.

Curious to hear your impressions! I was thinking about Ohlins R&T, but concerned that they wouldn't be a meaningful upgrade over the GC kit I've got. Your removal of the MCS is telling, as Big Willow is basically like driving on LA streets in terms of pavement quality.

The MCS will feel make your car feel like a POS in LA, especially if you don't spend for the remote reservoirs. They are not designed to be used like that and unless you're tracking the car heavily/frequently will be worse than a KWv3, TCK, etc.
Been there done that.

[SQ13]

PSS10 are some of the best bang for the buck, and -IMO- make the 3DM ugprade look like a waste of money. Bilsteins with linear springs & camber plates will be just as good as the Ohlins for a dual-duty car at about $1k less. Spend that money on a good corner balance, some anti-roll bars and new bushings instead.

Too late. The Ohlins are arriving on Friday. 🤙🤙
Also, idk what kind of math you did, but the price difference between a complete PSS10 kit with camber plates, RSMs, and linear springs is $46 less than what I paid for my complete Ohlins kit. The savings only covers one-sixth of the cost of a corner balance and alignment. But I appreciate you letting me know I wasted money on my Ohlins lol.

[jvit27]

But I appreciate you letting me know I wasted money on my Ohlins lol.

Welcome to the club! At least you got yours on sale.

[Nowhereman89]

With the motorsports industry in Mooresville, there has to be someone local that can service them? I'm still not clear on what's wrong with yours, are they leaking or do you just want the placebo of freshening the suspension?




Don't be fooled into thinking MCS (or any premium damper) is just going to be 'better'. People don't realize they have specific use-cases and there will absolutely be tradeoffs that are not always worth making for a car that sees street use.



Be aware the Ohlins will not have a warranty as extensive as KW.



PSS10 are some of the best bang for the buck, and -IMO- make the 3DM ugprade look like a waste of money. Bilsteins with linear springs & camber plates will be just as good as the Ohlins for a dual-duty car at about $1k less. Spend that money on a good corner balance, some anti-roll bars and new bushings instead.



The MCS will feel make your car feel like a POS in LA, especially if you don't spend for the remote reservoirs. They are not designed to be used like that and unless you're tracking the car heavily/frequently will be worse than a KWv3, TCK, etc.
Been there done that.

Now I’m leaning back towards the original idea of kwv3 hahaha. Good to have a contrarian viewpoint in here I suppose. I have seen a couple videos where people get the Ohlins and don’t seem that blown away on the street. But maybe that’s true with many of these setups.

[SQ13]

Now I’m leaning back towards the original idea of kwv3 hahaha. Good to have a contrarian viewpoint in here I suppose. I have seen a couple videos where people get the Ohlins and don’t seem that blown away on the street. But maybe that’s true with many of these setups.

Probably a setup issue and/or they’re running the 400/630 lb/in stock springs (not flat ride). If you’re keeping the stock 630 lb/in rear springs, I believe you’ll want the fronts to be around 350 lb/in. With Ohlins, you get stateside support thru 3DM, and rebuilds are only $500. 3DM will also sell them with custom spring rates at no additional charge, allowing you to spec springs for flat ride. Easy choice for me.

Also keep in mind that KW is in Germany, and warranty issues would mean that you’ll have to send them back to Germany. I’ve read that they take forever to ship things back to you. They also wouldn’t rebuild my buddy’s V3s just recently bc they’re too busy building kits for racing teams, so they only offered to sell him new dampers. The V3s with camber plates and RSMs (stock springs, idk if they’re flat ride) are only about $25 cheaper than the Ohlins at MSRP. Add $300ish if you get linear springs.

[IamFODI]

Now I’m leaning back towards the original idea of kwv3 hahaha. Good to have a contrarian viewpoint in here I suppose. I have seen a couple videos where people get the Ohlins and don’t seem that blown away on the street. But maybe that’s true with many of these setups.

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm coming from a different platform.

I've also come across some comments that Öhlins kits were underwhelming. But AFAICT, that's as bad as the feedback ever got. No one had anything truly negative to say. Most feedback was positive-to-glowing.

For other kits, including KWs, I did see an occasional negative comment mixed in with the mostly-positive reviews. Those negative comments were rare and mild, and they seemed to be rarest and mildest for KW, so I think it's still safe to say KW is among the better options. But I figured rare-and-mild is still more than nonexistent, and that's one of the reasons I went with Öhlins.

FWIW.

[Nowhereman89]

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm coming from a different platform.

I've also come across some comments that Öhlins kits were underwhelming. But AFAICT, that's as bad as the feedback ever got. No one had anything truly negative to say. Most feedback was positive-to-glowing.

For other kits, including KWs, I did see an occasional negative comment mixed in with the mostly-positive reviews. Those negative comments were rare and mild, and they seemed to be rarest and mildest for KW, so I think it's still safe to say KW is among the better options. But I figured rare-and-mild is still more than nonexistent, and that's one of the reasons I went with Öhlins.

FWIW.

True, and you do have to somewhat open up to looking into it on other platforms because there isn't a ton of content out there specifically to the e46 m3. Also, I know Ohlins is "monotube" and KW is "twin tube". I don't know exactly what monotube is that makes it more legit than twin tube, but it seems like it is.

I've seen a couple of comments out there about KWs overheating potentially. Would that happen to me as a newbie on track, almost definitely not. But still the idea is to get a set that I'll grow into and hopefully not want to upgrade for a long time.

[zzyzx85]

The heat generated by the dampers affects the performance since the viscosity and gas pressures change as it gets warmer. Monotubes should be more consistent as the fluid in monotubes directly touch the outer housing of the damper and can shed heat faster than twin tube dampers, where the double layer of metal and gas acts as an insulator.

Monotubes do tend to have a stiffer ride due to (iirc) the larger pistons surface area needing more force to move fluid through.

[T-Rex]

With the motorsports industry in Mooresville, there has to be someone local that can service them? I'm still not clear on what's wrong with yours, are they leaking or do you just want the placebo of freshening the suspension?

Don't be fooled into thinking MCS (or any premium damper) is just going to be 'better'. People don't realize they have specific use-cases and there will absolutely be tradeoffs that are not always worth making for a car that sees street use.

Be aware the Ohlins will not have a warranty as extensive as KW.

PSS10 are some of the best bang for the buck, and -IMO- make the 3DM ugprade look like a waste of money. Bilsteins with linear springs & camber plates will be just as good as the Ohlins for a dual-duty car at about $1k less. Spend that money on a good corner balance, some anti-roll bars and new bushings instead.

The MCS will feel make your car feel like a POS in LA, especially if you don't spend for the remote reservoirs. They are not designed to be used like that and unless you're tracking the car heavily/frequently will be worse than a KWv3, TCK, etc.
Been there done that.

Thank you - this is the real-world feedback I appreciate. I am not yet at the point of fully gutting and caging my M3, and I have such an emotional attachment to the thing I don't know if I ever would - I'd rather get a separate car for that type of build. Couple that with the reality that I have no where to store a trailer/tow vehicle, and it just makes sense to keep the build streetable.

Can you use GC camber/caster plates on Ohlins, or should I pony up for the Ohlins plates? I'm a huge FCP stan, so would very likely end up ordering my next set there.

[SQ13]

Thank you - this is the real-world feedback I appreciate. I am not yet at the point of fully gutting and caging my M3, and I have such an emotional attachment to the thing I don't know if I ever would - I'd rather get a separate car for that type of build. Couple that with the reality that I have no where to store a trailer/tow vehicle, and it just makes sense to keep the build streetable.

Can you use GC camber/caster plates on Ohlins, or should I pony up for the Ohlins plates? I'm a huge FCP stan, so would very likely end up ordering my next set there.

Ohlins camber plates are Vorshlag plates anodized yellow.