Howdy, I was investigating the possibility of buying Ennepetal or Ohlins coilovers from Japan. I know there are a few SC folks who have successfully imported Ohlins. According tot he auction assistance websites (buyee and aleado) these items are prohibited from export under "Dangerous Goods Regulations" by International Air Transport Association.
Should I fork over the cash and buy directly from RHDjapan, TPSpirits or Japan Parts and just avoid the issue all together? Or should I just Buy some KW and forget about the wet dreams of real Ohlins?
Topic starter
Posted : August 5, 2019 8:58 pm
The Ohlins on my friend's Evo are pretty badass. Just my 2c
2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder, 2021 Lexus UX 250h F Sport
Posted : August 5, 2019 9:15 pm
1
From what I remember Ohlins are real nice but require frequent rebuilding.
The KWs will be better all around and have durability for the street. Also you have good regional customer support when it comes to warranty issues and if you need to get them rebuilt in the future. The KWs are also double adjustable and have great damping characteristics that was well researched.
Posted : August 5, 2019 9:32 pm
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Ohlins are top notch...
Mono Craft GT-300 with a few upgrades...
Posted : August 6, 2019 6:27 am
i'd go with KWs only because of the local support like Dev mentioned as well as they are a very reputable brand as well
Posted : August 6, 2019 7:52 am
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i'd go with KWs only because of the local support like Dev mentioned as well as they are a very reputable brand as well
One of the biggest differences is the KWs are twin tube which is gong to be a lot more street friendly. If you hit one bad bump with the monotube or just wear the seals out early its going to be hell having to diagnose why your car is not handling right. The more high end you go the harder it will be to maintain. There are many compromises when getting a high end product but in the case of KW they have seemed to minimize the compromise and have proven themselves in actual events to be a superior all around product.
Posted : August 6, 2019 8:29 am
Y'all make some pretty good points. I forgot the KW was a twin-tube. I've never been to a track, probably will never need the added benefits of mono. I'm a windy warrior, that's for certain. I also like to stare at my car..., so the sexier the product, the more likely I am to buy it. It's interesting how the domestic market is flooding with coilover options for our car. From Feal, Fortune-auto, Yellow Speed Racing, Silvers and the European choice, MeisterR.
Another consideration is what my future girlfriend will think of my decision... jking.
Topic starter
Posted : August 6, 2019 3:40 pm
The whole Monotube thing is way overblown for it to be realized for most. Some twintube designs were used in racing and when you look at all of the race prepped factory cars that are tested on a track they are all twintube.
If a twintube is designed right, it will exceed any benefits a cheap mono tube brings. The KW for our application has proven it’s self in actual racing events.
Posted : August 6, 2019 3:52 pm
The whole Monotube thing is way overblown for it to be realized for most. Some twintube designs were used in racing and when you look at all of the race prepped factory cars that are tested on a track they are all twintube.
If a twintube is designed right, it will exceed any benefits a cheap mono tube brings. The KW for our application has proven it’s self in actual racing events.
I think the 2 way adjustment is what will sell me most on them. I like dialing things in, gives me the most fun per dollar and keeps me enamored with my car.
Topic starter
Posted : August 6, 2019 4:14 pm
I had Ohlins on a Nissan years ago and they were great. Put about 30K on them with lots of abuse and even in an area that got snow. They held up great. That said just the logistics of getting support when it comes time to rebuild them if you are living in the US might be a PITA. If you have a Japanese friend who can translate and ship you the rebuild parts, go for it. If not, you might want to hold off.
Posted : August 7, 2019 6:25 am
The whole Monotube thing is way overblown for it to be realized for most. Some twintube designs were used in racing and when you look at all of the race prepped factory cars that are tested on a track they are all twintube.
If a twintube is designed right, it will exceed any benefits a cheap mono tube brings. The KW for our application has proven it’s self in actual racing events.
I think the 2 way adjustment is what will sell me most on them. I like dialing things in, gives me the most fun per dollar and keeps me enamored with my car.
The 2 way adjustment give you room for growth down the road. The KWs from everything that I have seen and the experiences from others suggest that it can fill many rolls where as other suspension systems has limitations that makes better in one area than another. Then there are some that are just wrong like the BC coilovers.
Stuff that has more adjustments are not necessarily a good thing but in this case it is.
Posted : August 7, 2019 8:32 am