Anyone experienced both stock Multimatic DSSV and Ohlins DFV? How do they compare? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Lightsaber · 08-05-2018, 09:55 PM

Both are supposed to be very advanced struts, with the Ohlins allow adjustability. I would be very interested to hear any first-hand experience that compares them.

Z28 is an unsung and underappreciated supercar, but nevertheless a supercar. If the need of civilized road manner calls for coilovers, I would want something that is at least comparable to the technology and build quality of Multimatic DSSV's from the factory.

joelster · 08-06-2018, 06:54 AM

Adjustability would be great to have. I have no experience with the Ohlins stuff, but I used to race MX and their stuff was known as high-end. They are way bigger in Europe than in the States. The Z/28 is already setup for the track ie: road course. If you have one and need it sprung differently, then you know the path to take. Honestly, it's not bad at all on the street. It's fairly civilized for me. Rides way better than my old 3rd gen IROC and '91 Z ever did on the street.

aris · 08-06-2018, 12:02 PM

I had the Ohlins DFV on an M3. As far as aftermarket coilovers go, they were pretty much as good of a suspension as I had experienced for a street car. Very compliant on bumpy roads but plenty stiff when it needed to be.

If I was to upgrade the suspension on the Z/28, I would prefer going with something along the lines of the Ohlins TTX, but I don't think that' available for us yet.

pat_t · 08-06-2018, 02:26 PM

Have you tried changing tyres to something less aggressive than the Trofeos before changing suspension?

I find it ok on even bumpy roads on the DSSVs and Trofeos, but I know other members who find it too harsh have had good success changing to more road-biased tyres with softer sidewalls. You can even change to a 35 profile (rather than 30) which will give you more compliance and better road manners (less tramlining).

Just my 2p

Lightsaber · 08-06-2018, 03:25 PM

Great inputs here and nice to hear the Ohlins work. I should for sure try a set of more streetable tires (Michelin PS4S or PSAS3+) before messing with the suspension. Z28 belongs to the roads, not a garage. It's just so much of car to drive, making Avalon and 300 LD feel like boats.

hjdca · 08-06-2018, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lightsaber

Great inputs here and nice to hear the Ohlins work. I should for sure try a set of more streetable tires (Michelin PS4S or PSAS3+) before messing with the suspension. Z28 belongs to the roads, not a garage. It's just so much of car to drive, making Avalon and 300 LD feel like boats.

The DSSV are pretty amazing. When you swap Michelin Pilot sport 4s in the Z/28, it becomes a great street car with a great suspension. It does not ride, track, or act like a track car anymore. It is really quite a transformation to go from the Trefeos to Michelin PS4S. Honestly, you would not believe it until you try it.

Lightsaber · 08-06-2018, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hjdca

The DSSV are pretty amazing. When you swap Michelin Pilot sport 4s in the Z/28, it becomes a great street car with a great suspension. It does not ride, track, or act like a track car anymore. It is really quite a transformation to go from the Trefeos to Michelin PS4S. Honestly, you would not believe it until you try it.

I have a similar one, Michelin PSAS3+ on my other car (Evo) in 275 width. They are truly amazing in providing a quiet and tamed ride.

I had been a believer of the stiffest struts since I first learned to drive, but recently I noticed how civilized my friend's E92 M3 and 991 C4S ride (on stock struts) and yet they have the excellent handling capable of taking on the Z28. A neighbor of mine has Ohlins R&T coilovers on a different car, and when I ride in it, I was impressed that it compares or maybe surpasses the struts on the E92 and C4S, in both comfort and handling departments. Thus I imagine that Z28 must also have some ways to ride like a C4S, achieving comfort and handling at the same time.

j o n · 08-07-2018, 06:35 AM

The dampers on the z/28 are digressive. No other damper, coilover or not, is really comparable for performance to comfort ratio.

As shown and explained here:
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/fr...pers-explained

That's a good read to understand the variance in the damper technology and impact to the ride/comfort aspect of the car.

The millions of dollars of R&D and time spent at Nurburgring swapping spool valves... doubt the OP buying Ohlins is going to provide supple on road ride quality and perform a the same level as the 'stock' Multimatic DSSV units. Would need to truly understand how to set up the coilovers, especially for the 5th gen's suspension/chassis/mass

joelster · 08-07-2018, 06:56 AM

I should also mention I've had 2 different tires on my car. I've never run it with the Trofeo's. I bought it with Potenza RE050's and now it has RE71's. The sidewall was substantially stiffer with the 50's, and it didn't ride as good on the street but it felt very twitchy. The slightest steering input and it would dart over in that direction. The RE71's are track legal 200 treadwear. They roll a tiny bit so the feel as aggressive but they work good on the track and on the street.

hjdca · 08-07-2018, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j o n

The dampers on the z/28 are digressive. No other damper, coilover or not, is really comparable for performance to comfort ratio.

As shown and explained here:
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/fr...pers-explained

That's a good read to understand the variance in the damper technology and impact to the ride/comfort aspect of the car.

The millions of dollars of R&D and time spent at Nurburgring swapping spool valves... doubt the OP buying Ohlins is going to provide supple on road ride quality and perform a the same level as the 'stock' Multimatic DSSV units. Would need to truly understand how to set up the coilovers, especially for the 5th gen's suspension/chassis/mass

Yes, One thing about the Z/28 is that you never feel the suspension bottoming out. Not even when you are airborne. To me this is amazing and a real testament to the suspension.

Fusionofideas · 08-17-2018, 01:29 AM

I have the Ohlins Road and track and have been racing with them for a year now. Extremely impressed over the oem multimatic. I also did full bushings, and all the other suspension components by BMR and Ride tech. Car handles like a champ now. Where as before with oem it was still a little airy and street tuned with the Ohlins it is tight and predictable.

08-05-2018, 09:55 PM	#1
Lightsaber Drives: conscientiously Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 61 View My Garage	Anyone experienced both stock Multimatic DSSV and Ohlins DFV? How do they compare? Both are supposed to be very advanced struts, with the Ohlins allow adjustability. I would be very interested to hear any first-hand experience that compares them. Z28 is an unsung and underappreciated supercar, but nevertheless a supercar. If the need of civilized road manner calls for coilovers, I would want something that is at least comparable to the technology and build quality of Multimatic DSSV's from the factory. __________________

08-06-2018, 06:54 AM	#2
joelster Drives: '94 Z28+ '15 Z/28 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 1,281	Adjustability would be great to have. I have no experience with the Ohlins stuff, but I used to race MX and their stuff was known as high-end. They are way bigger in Europe than in the States. The Z/28 is already setup for the track ie: road course. If you have one and need it sprung differently, then you know the path to take. Honestly, it's not bad at all on the street. It's fairly civilized for me. Rides way better than my old 3rd gen IROC and '91 Z ever did on the street. __________________ 1973 Mach 1, 351C cruiser '15 Z/28 Red Hot, A/C 1980 Z28- resto-mod project 1979 Y84 Trans Am 1986 IROC-Z

08-06-2018, 03:25 PM	#5
Lightsaber Drives: conscientiously Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 61 View My Garage	Great inputs here and nice to hear the Ohlins work. I should for sure try a set of more streetable tires (Michelin PS4S or PSAS3+) before messing with the suspension. Z28 belongs to the roads, not a garage. It's just so much of car to drive, making Avalon and 300 LD feel like boats. __________________

08-07-2018, 06:35 AM	#8
j o n Drives: 2015 Z/28 #0058 Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 814	The dampers on the z/28 are digressive. No other damper, coilover or not, is really comparable for performance to comfort ratio. As shown and explained here: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/fr...pers-explained That's a good read to understand the variance in the damper technology and impact to the ride/comfort aspect of the car. The millions of dollars of R&D and time spent at Nurburgring swapping spool valves... doubt the OP buying Ohlins is going to provide supple on road ride quality and perform a the same level as the 'stock' Multimatic DSSV units. Would need to truly understand how to set up the coilovers, especially for the 5th gen's suspension/chassis/mass __________________ Current: - '15 Z/28 #0058 \| White \| A/C \| Speakers \| Michelin PS4S 305/30/19's - '22 Ridgeline RTL \| White \| Ebony, '22 CR-V EX-L Hybrid \| White \| Ebony Sold: - '15 Z/28 #0048 \| White \| A/C \| Speakers \| Michelin PS4S 305/30/19's https://www.instagram.com/__jon__athan__/

08-07-2018, 06:56 AM	#9
joelster Drives: '94 Z28+ '15 Z/28 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 1,281	I should also mention I've had 2 different tires on my car. I've never run it with the Trofeo's. I bought it with Potenza RE050's and now it has RE71's. The sidewall was substantially stiffer with the 50's, and it didn't ride as good on the street but it felt very twitchy. The slightest steering input and it would dart over in that direction. The RE71's are track legal 200 treadwear. They roll a tiny bit so the feel as aggressive but they work good on the track and on the street. __________________ 1973 Mach 1, 351C cruiser '15 Z/28 Red Hot, A/C 1980 Z28- resto-mod project 1979 Y84 Trans Am 1986 IROC-Z

08-06-2018, 12:02 PM	#3
aris Drives: Z/28 Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Bay Area Posts: 276	I had the Ohlins DFV on an M3. As far as aftermarket coilovers go, they were pretty much as good of a suspension as I had experienced for a street car. Very compliant on bumpy roads but plenty stiff when it needed to be. If I was to upgrade the suspension on the Z/28, I would prefer going with something along the lines of the Ohlins TTX, but I don't think that' available for us yet.

08-06-2018, 02:26 PM	#4
pat_t Drives: . Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: . Posts: 589	Have you tried changing tyres to something less aggressive than the Trofeos before changing suspension? I find it ok on even bumpy roads on the DSSVs and Trofeos, but I know other members who find it too harsh have had good success changing to more road-biased tyres with softer sidewalls. You can even change to a 35 profile (rather than 30) which will give you more compliance and better road manners (less tramlining). Just my 2p

08-17-2018, 01:29 AM	#11
Fusionofideas Drives: 2015 Z28, C7 Corvette, Evo X Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Irvine Posts: 211	I have the Ohlins Road and track and have been racing with them for a year now. Extremely impressed over the oem multimatic. I also did full bushings, and all the other suspension components by BMR and Ride tech. Car handles like a champ now. Where as before with oem it was still a little airy and street tuned with the Ohlins it is tight and predictable.