Öhlins DFV (Dual Flow Valve) technology is a ground breaking innovation in the world of suspension systems. It is a high-performance damping system designed to provide unparalleled control and comfort in a wide range of driving conditions.
Guess what Ferrari Formula 1 and INDY cars and Nascar all have in common for suspension? Öhlins is the answer! OHLINS are standard in the fastest cars in the world for street and track, from Formula 1 and Indy to street exotics, and even our new Rivian shop truck. If you want the best, Ohlins is the choice consistently seen as the best.
The BEST MX5 coilovers! These have been the Coilovers in many of our DAILY DRIVER and our fastest NC track and autocross MX5's, including our Supercharged 07 and our all out NCLIGHT full caged track racer. Nothing beats the speed with control and ride quality combo of Ohlins which is why these are factory equipment on exotic cars from Koenigsegg to Pagini Zonda. DOT AND TUV Approved,corrosion tested through ISO 9227.
Setup instructions by Öhlins come shipped with the coilovers.
Additionally, click the links below to see exploded views of the full front and rear assemblies:
FRONT Exploded View <-- Click me!
REAR Exploded View <-- Click me!
How Öhlins explains this in more detail: Driver Confidence! The number one modification you can make for your car is the Driver and Drivers drive faster when they feel confident. The DFV Super High speed Oil path provides the ultimate driver confidence during those extreme moments on track. Hitting a bump, dip, curb or hole at high speed can create instability or twitch that will rattle the driver and it could take a few corners or even laps to feel confident again. Even worse, these extreme moments can cause the driver and car to crash. The DFV will allow the tire to move up AND down quickly and control the car in situations that many other track dampers physically can not. The DFV is top tier technology and design at a value price.
Temperature Sensitive Bleeder Valve! Öhlins DFVs have a temperature sensitive bleeder valve on the low speed oil path. When the dampers are cold the needle opening contracts providing the colder, less viscous oil a less restrictive path to move through. During hot lapping the sessions the needle opening expands to restrict the more viscous oil, creating a more consistent low speed damping across operating temperatures. Additionally, the DFVs have 46mm pistons compared to 30-44mm pistons found in other systems. This provides increased damping sensitivity across more precise piston movements.
Single Adjuster, Dual Adjustments! Another reason the DFV often gets overlooked as a great track damper is the fact that it is classified as a single adjustable damper. However, each adjustment changes BOTH compression and rebound, providing changes similar to a dual adjustable damper. The single adjuster allows the DFV to be more affordable while maintaining Ohlin s quality and revolutionary design.
The DFV Technology Advantage. The dual flow valve gives the same characteristics on rebound as it does on compression, the damper fluid has a consistent path of flow in both directions. This means that the wheel and tire can quickly and effectively resume their important position back on the ground, providing grip and traction.
The new Öhlins Road and Track range uses DFV technology on every single fitment, making it the perfect upgrade for the enthusiast that needs comfort and agility in the one unit.
Figure 1: (Compression flow) At low shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the shaft jet bleed (lower dotted arrow). At higher shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the compression ports in the piston (upper dotted arrow). At very high shaft speeds, or during sudden shaft accelerations, oil can also escape through the compression ports in the DFV, increasing comfort. Figure 2: (Rebound flow) At low shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the shaft jet bleed (lower dotted arrow). At higher shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the rebound ports in the piston (upper dotted arrow). At very high shaft speeds, or during sudden shaft accelerations, oil can also escape through the rebound ports in the DFV, maintaining tire contact with the road. Because DFV opens more quickly and easily on minor road imperfections, ride comfort is surprisingly supple and more akin to an OEM shocks than a coilover set-up. Over undulating surfaces, the compliance of the Road and Track units allows your Miata to crest bumps and potholes, whilst still keep stable and in control. Traction is always maintained at its optimum level. When comparing suspension, why settle for second best?
Figure 3: (Vehicle no DFV) Without DFV the oil can not flow through the piston quickly enough on the rebound stroke after hitting a bump, so the tire is not able to stay in contact with the road.
Figure 4: (Vehicle DFV technique) The DFV valve opens, letting the oil flow quicker through the piston on the rebound stroke after hitting a bump, enabling the tire to stay in contact with the road. When adjusting ride height on coilover units, it is worth comparing how it is done. On many inferior designs, height is adjusted by raising or lowering the lower spring platform. This has the effect of compressing or extending the spring, which can limit the suspension travel that may cause topping out. The Öhlins method is to leave the spring seat in its perfect position, while the lower flange spins easily on the threaded body, to allow you to adjust with absolute precision whilst maintaining the perfect characteristics that we took so long to design in! Once you have set it all up, the adjuster simply locks off to maintain your exact settings.
Dampers will get hot. That is one thing that you can be sure of. As the piston moves within the damper, it generates friction and therefore, heat. Although we cannot stop heat, we can deal with it, and this is yet another way that Öhlins differs from the competition. As the heat increases, the viscosity of the damper fluid can change, altering the car handling characteristics. With Ohlins a unique needle bleed valve expands with temperature, closing the gap that the fluid travels through, maintaining a consistent damping rate. The best thing of all? You will not even notice! All you feel is that the car responds consistently, lap after lap, turn after turn. Allowing you to concentrate on braking points and apexes whilst the Ohlins technology takes care of the damping.
Figure 5: Thermal Expansion Design Advantages.
These kits amazing out of the box, but there is still plenty of adjustment for you to set things your way. You like stiff and reactive? Or soft and forgiving? It is all there. Too much low speed rebound damping can have an adverse effect on grip, so the easily accessible adjuster at the top of the Ohlins units allows small, but positive increments of fine tuning, so you can take into account every single parameter. Sounds complicated? It is actually very easy to adjust a few clicks either way to find the settings that work for you.
Since 2010 super light-weight design with a majority of the parts in aluminium and on top of that all shocks have proven through extensive corrosion tests according to ISO 9227.
Spring Rate Front 392 lbs/in (7kg), Rear 224 (4kg)
Ohlins has long lead the way for suspension design in the world of motorsports from Motorcycles to Indy Cars. This package comprises aluminium bodied, mono tube design shocks, with 30 clicks of adjustment. The beauty of the Ohlins is not only will your MX5 handle better, be easier to drive at the limit, but it will also ride better. Spring rates are 7kg front and 4kg rear. This is a great choice for the dual purpose user who wants a setup that can be VERY comfortable around town yet super competent in the twisties, the race track, or the autocross course.
See our Forum Installation Instruction section for notes and pictures on install.
More Application Notes: Öhlins makes Formula One dampers, and the 'stock' shocks for many of the most amazing SuperCars in the world from Koenigsegg to Zonda. We have used Ohlins for decades and have always been amazed with the ability of this brand to provide both great handling AND great ride quality, and their NC MX5 Miata coilover kit continues this tradition. The ride is very close to stock (for those with stock sway bars) yet less busy and more controlled and the handling is light years beyond stock...we set top time of day in our local autocross on our first day out with these installed....simply amazing. IF you are a pure street user wanting max ride quality then use these with stock sway bars.
One of the great features is that you can set pre-load independent of height setting thanks to the multi-piece construction (beware of designs the other guys are selling that skip this feature because you get lots of noise without this feature!)
