JDM Ohlins coilovers?

[shaggy0778]

I've recently purchased a set of used Ohlins coilovers from a seller on ebay. When I asked them for more information, and to specify which model they are, they did not know. I went ahead and ordered them anyways, since the price they were asking I felt was very reasonable and I've never heard a single bad thing about anything Ohlins. After my purchase, I Emailed a picture of the coils to Ohlins USA, and got this response:

"Hey JC,

Those look to be JDM/grey-market imports: Öhlins worked with the Japanese distributor to create these one-off kits that were never meant to leave Japan. As a result there's no model number, parts, information, or general specs available to us.

Thanks, and please let me know if there is anything else we can do for you.

-Jake"

Does anyone know any more information about these "grey market" Ohlins coilovers? I cannot find anything anywhere! I can't even find a single picture of a set that looks like these do. It appears the front is equipped with swift springs, and the rears are still Ohlins springs. Thanks in advance for any replies.

-JC

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/836/41zj.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/841/5z6e.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/845/516it.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/834/u3z13.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/839/3c7q.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/843/053hw.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/839/q3jo.jpg[/QUOTE]

[Munki]

http://ohlins.czj.jp/

Same Company,

http://www.ohlins.com/About-the-company/

I don't think its actually a Japanese brand... Maybe some parts are manufactured in japan? I dunno, but that's what it seems like to me...

[g35gabby]

might send images of those stickers on them to GTRgarage or someone over on that side of the pond to attempt to translate for you. They look pretty rough.

[shaggy0778]

http://ohlins.czj.jp/

Same Company,

http://www.ohlins.com/About-the-company/

I don't think its actually a Japanese brand... Maybe some parts are manufactured in japan? I dunno, but that's what it seems like to me...
Yes, I know Ohlins is a European company, and I know they have outsourced their manufaturing to "Sogi" in Japan, but other than that I know nothing of these coilovers.

might send images of those stickers on them to GTRgarage or someone over on that side of the pond to attempt to translate for you. They look pretty rough.
That's a good idea, I will tr that once I recieve them. Rough? How so? They are definitely dirty but I don't see any physical damage besides the adjuster knob. I'm not trying to be a smartass or anything, if there's something you see that would indicate bad condition I would like to know.

[Munki]

Read post #7 & #9
http://www.nissansilvia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=351022

Never mind, I think you might have knock-offs on the real ohlins... Still seem like good quality coils.

[g35gabby]

Rough? How so? They are definitely dirty but I don't see any physical damage besides the adjuster knob. I'm not trying to be a smartass or anything, if there's something you see that would indicate bad condition I would like to know.

They definitely look to have a ton of miles on them based on the dirt and wear and tear. I'm curious why the one top hat is not sitting flat, almost like the center nut or something either isn't there or isn't holding it proper.

[shaggy0778]

They definitely look to have a ton of miles on them based on the dirt and wear and tear. I'm curious why the one top hat is not sitting flat, almost like the center nut or something either isn't there or isn't holding it proper.

Isn't that the purpose of a pillow ball top hat? To allow movement? The preload on the spring looks like it is loose enough to allow it to move freely. Correct me if I'm wrong, this is just my observation from the pictures as I've not received them yet.

I may look into getting them rebuilt, Feal suspension claims to be able to rebuild Ohlins Dampers. Anything I can to to check that these are still in functioning condition? The seller says that there are no bends or leaks.

[shaggy0778]

Read post #7 & #9
http://www.nissansilvia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=351022

Never mind, I think you might have knock-offs on the real ohlins... Still seem like good quality coils.

Hmm interesting. In any case, I think they will be better than the megans that are on my car at the moment.

[Croustibat]

I may look into getting them rebuilt, Feal suspension claims to be able to rebuild Ohlins Dampers. Anything I can to to check that these are still in functioning condition? The seller says that there are no bends or leaks.

The seller wanted to sell them and was ready to answer whatever you wanted to hear; the low price tag and vague answers should have triggered at least some warning lights.

The truth is you bought 4 blown, unrebuildable coilovers - which is the exact reason the seller would not answer your questions, and the price was low.

Don't worry, you are not the first, and won't be the last to buy crappy JDM coilovers that can only be rebuild there.

Now you know the meaning of "Buy cheap, buy twice" .

[jr_ss]

Contact performance shock in California. I had An Ohlins strut/spring combo years ago and had them checked out by them. They can be rebuilt, so ong as the parts are still available.

http://performanceshock.com/

[shaggy0778]

The seller wanted to sell them and was ready to answer whatever you wanted to hear; the low price tag and vague answers should have triggered at least some warning lights.

The truth is you bought 4 blown, unrebuildable coilovers - which is the exact reason the seller would not answer your questions, and the price was low.

Don't worry, you are not the first, and won't be the last to buy crappy JDM coilovers that can only be rebuild there.

Now you know the meaning of "Buy cheap, buy twice" .
And you know this how? You can SEE that these are blown? Gtfo.
Contact performance shock in California. I had An Ohlins strut/spring combo years ago and had them checked out by them. They can be rebuilt, so ong as the parts are still available.

http://performanceshock.com/

Yes that's the company that Ohlins recommended to have them rebuilt. If Feal can't, then I will ask them.

[AZRB20]

Why would you buy these? They look old as shit. lol. Sorry I have nothing to contribute here. I hope you didn't spend a lot on these.

[Croustibat]

And you know this how? You can SEE that these are blown? Gtfo.


Hahaha, zilvia people at their best :hey:

1/they are old
2/they can only be rebuild in japan
3/they are ultra messy
4/they were cheap

This is how i know. This is how you should have known, instead of getting blinded by "OHLINS" "SWIFT" and "CHEAP" . there are countless threads here about how zilvians bought marvelously cheap JDM coilovers, and they all end up the same; these can only be rebuild in Japan, and the cost involved far surpasses the cost of working coilovers.

If you feel butthurt, i suggest you turn your attention to the seller, who was perfectly aware of what he was doing. But if you prefer to shoot the messenger, you are welcome to try. Yet i can tell your ego will hurt way more if you try, i know your kind of people inside and out. It is like playing chess against someone so weak you can predict his next 10 moves :fruit:

[jr_ss]

2/they can only be rebuild in japan

You should do you research before "blindly" speaking about something you obviously have little, to no information on.

[Croustibat]

You should do you research before "blindly" speaking about something you obviously have little, to no information on.

You missed "as long as parts are available", i did not.

[shaggy0778]

Hahaha, zilvia people at their best :hey:

1/they are old
2/they can only be rebuild in japan
3/they are ultra messy
4/they were cheap

This is how i know. This is how you should have known, instead of getting blinded by "OHLINS" "SWIFT" and "CHEAP" . there are countless threads here about how zilvians bought marvelously cheap JDM coilovers, and they all end up the same; these can only be rebuild in Japan, and the cost involved far surpasses the cost of working coilovers.

If you feel butthurt, i suggest you turn your attention to the seller, who was perfectly aware of what he was doing. But if you prefer to shoot the messenger, you are welcome to try. Yet i can tell your ego will hurt way more if you try, i know your kind of people inside and out. It is like playing chess against someone so weak you can predict his next 10 moves :fruit:

Oh, right. You know me so well :rolleyes:

1. You have no idea of the age of these coilovers
2. There's no reason that any coilover would have to be rebuilt at any specific location
3. Oh so if I bought a brand new set of coilovers and got them dirty that means they are blown? K.
4. Oh right. I forgot cheap means blown.

You clearly have NO information for me at all, and are basing every thing you are saying 100% on blind assumptions. Yes, they are dirty. So what. I have a set of stance coilovers on one of my cars which are only 2 years old and are in far worse physical condition than these, yet they still function fine.

I don't even know why I am feeding the troll. Zilvia seems to be almost useless for finding any legit information these days.

[g35gabby]

Oh, right. You know me so well :rolleyes:

1. You have no idea of the age of these coilovers
2. There's no reason that any coilover would have to be rebuilt at any specific location
3. Oh so if I bought a brand new set of coilovers and got them dirty that means they are blown? K.
4. Oh right. I forgot cheap means blown.

You clearly have NO information for me at all, and are basing every thing you are saying 100% on blind assumptions. Yes, they are dirty. So what. I have a set of stance coilovers on one of my cars which are only 2 years old and are in far worse physical condition than these, yet they still function fine.

I don't even know why I am feeding the troll. Zilvia seems to be almost useless for finding any legit information these days.

Just saying, every listing no Yahoo Auctions that look like these coils or even in better shape are referred to as "junk". My husband has 45k miles on his BC coilovers and they aren't even close to this trashed, filthy, or worn. those look closer to being left at the bottom of the ocean than that do new, but dirty.

[ManoNegra]

These are late 90s early 2000s coilover offered in Japan only.
Similar as how Bilstein in Germany carries shocks for 240s and Bistein Australia offered coilovers for the s-chassis, they were market specific models.
Because they aren't officially serviceable here due to market or age doesn't mean that it can't be done.
As has been suggested Performance Shock is the best bet; that's who I was going to go through on the s13 set I owned years ago.

As the performance/quality of the shock they were very well regarded at the time.
Doesn't mean they're crap now or that there aren't better options available.
It all comes down to resources/money.
How cheap were they? Can they be rebuilt? How much?
If you're happy with the answer to those questions then go for it, you'll end up with suspension that is comparable to a decent Koni set up.

Personally I would just save up money and piece together a Koni or Bilstein set up of wait to pounce of a quality used set up.

[Lurch629]

Kenny Hendrick at Suspension Systems LLC (http://www.hendrickshocks.com/) rebuilds/revalves Ohlins on the east coast. Food for thought if you want to keep shipping cost down by not sending them out to Cali. It was $350 shipped from here in TN to him and back for 4 Bilsteins rebuilt with schrader valves added (which was a significant portion of the cost). Buy new springs in whatever the spring rate you want is and have him valve them to match.

Assuming they're real Ohlins and most basic internal parts match up with other Ohlins, I don't see why any Ohlin builder couldn't rebuild them.

[shaggy0778]

Just saying, every listing no Yahoo Auctions that look like these coils or even in better shape are referred to as "junk". My husband has 45k miles on his BC coilovers and they aren't even close to this trashed, filthy, or worn. those look closer to being left at the bottom of the ocean than that do new, but dirty.
Thanks for your valuable input. Now that I have your opinion on how dirty my coilovers are, maybe I can continue on with my life.
These are late 90s early 2000s coilover offered in Japan only.
Similar as how Bilstein in Germany carries shocks for 240s and Bistein Australia offered coilovers for the s-chassis, they were market specific models.
Because they aren't officially serviceable here due to market or age doesn't mean that it can't be done.
As has been suggested Performance Shock is the best bet; that's who I was going to go through on the s13 set I owned years ago.

As the performance/quality of the shock they were very well regarded at the time.
Doesn't mean they're crap now or that there aren't better options available.
It all comes down to resources/money.
How cheap were they? Can they be rebuilt? How much?
If you're happy with the answer to those questions then go for it, you'll end up with suspension that is comparable to a decent Koni set up.

Personally I would just save up money and piece together a Koni or Bilstein set up of wait to pounce of a quality used set up.
Thank you! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Even rebuilt and all, I will still be well under the cost of putting together a Koni 8610/yellow setup.

Kenny Hendrick at Suspension Systems LLC (http://www.hendrickshocks.com/) rebuilds/revalves Ohlins on the east coast. Food for thought if you want to keep shipping cost down by not sending them out to Cali. It was $350 shipped from here in TN to him and back for 4 Bilsteins rebuilt with schrader valves added (which was a significant portion of the cost). Buy new springs in whatever the spring rate you want is and have him valve them to match.

Assuming they're real Ohlins and most basic internal parts match up with other Ohlins, I don't see why any Ohlin builder couldn't rebuild them.
Thanks! Ill email him and see what he has to say.

[g35gabby]

Thanks for your valuable input. Now that I have your opinion on how dirty my coilovers are, maybe I can continue on with my life.


damn you seem pretty butt hurt over being told they look old and worn. LOL

there maybe is much sand and shit on these coilovers as in your :eek3:

[OBEEWON]

LOL Ohlins totally:

http://blogs.reuters.com/oddly-enough/files/2011/08/wonder-woman-bracelet-1802.jpg

[Croustibat]

Assuming they're real Ohlins and most basic internal parts match up with other Ohlins, I don't see why any Ohlin builder couldn't rebuild them.

That exactly is the problem. JDM coilovers have the bad habit to use seals and various other hardware that can't be found out of Japan, or cannot be found now. Because they have been discontinued 10 years ago mostly.

By all means, it won't hurt him to ask. I am just saying this has been discussed over and over on zilvia, and every time the answer is "cant rebuild it, parts cannot be found", "you need to send them to Japan" or "yes we can, but it will cost more than getting new coilovers".

Oh, right. You know me so well :rolleyes:
[...]
I have a set of stance coilovers on one of my cars which are only 2 years old and are in far worse physical condition than these, yet they still function fine.


I know they are blown because they were discontined at least 10 years ago. They were quite high end at that time, and that means their are equipped with low drag seals, meaning they need to be changed on a regular basis. From your picture, they look like they have spent at least a couple of years collecting dirt and dust, so yes, there is no possible way they don't need a rebuild.

Considering stance coilovers...my money was on BC racing / godspeed/ isi /any other crappy coilover system that allows a car to ruin its handling by lowering it so the frame rails scatch the road. My bad.

Now ... if you were running stance comp (and higher) coilovers, you should know these ohlins are not superior to what you already have; for that reason, you would not have been eyeballing 10+ year old CHEAP ohlins.

Meaning you are running the cheaper, crappier SS or SS+ . Yes, they are a bit better than the other ones i named, but frankly these coilovers never functionned fine, even new. Yes they move but that is not "working fine". They don't damp correctly and their springs are crap.
The worse thing here is that you know it, but you still decided to buy some crappy pile of dirt. Wasn't the lesson painful enough on your first coilover set ? I know i only needed it once ( i bought some BC racing, whatever i tried i could never set them up correctly, damping/rebound ratio was utter crap... and springs were not better)

Yes koni inserts would cost more, but they would also perform tremendously better than these ohlins. Except if you only keep the shafts in these ohlins... even then, i am not sure they could outperform the konis. There is a reason racers on a budget use konis : they are cheap compared to the "bit better" stuff, and way better than anything that cost less. You can try to outsmart them, but i think there is a reason why guys on NRR keep using them.

Now some last words: you need to understand something: you are not a unique snowflake. Other people before thought and tried what you did. So next time you don't want to get flamed, use the damn search button before posting.

[shaggy0778]

damn you seem pretty butt hurt over being told they look old and worn. LOL

there maybe is much sand and shit on these coilovers as in your :eek3:

Just a little annoyed at all the people posting useless information. I didnt start this thread asking if my coilovers are dirty.

[Croustibat]

"not what i want to hear" is useful, wether you like it or not. But like every stance guy here, you just can't stomach the idea of falling to the CHEAP siren :D

[RalliartRsX]

Anything "performance" with the name "JDM" attached to it makes me cringe..........

[shaggy0778]

Here is the reply I got back from Feal:

"Hi JC,

We have rebuilt them before. With old dampers, you always run into the possibility of the hard parts such as shock shafts being damaged. These hard parts are impossible to source for this model.

If only wear parts such as oil seals and orings are needed, we can rebuild the front for $135 each, and the rear for $100 each.

Thanks,

Aurimas Bakchis 'Odi' "

[G5SR20240]

Odi will set you up well if you decide to go with him, the fronts do however appear to be blown, the bottom of the shock is covered with shock oil. Not too crazy but non the less leaking. Clean them up nice and have Odi take of the seals and they should be good