dontneed6th
07-16-2011, 10:52 AM
I've been saving some funds for a solid suspension. I just wanted to hear some reliable opinions/first hand experience with the parts I had in mind.
I was pretty dead set on getting Ohlins R&T from Muellerized, but then started looking at the AST 5000 series. I have heard nothing bad about Ohlins, but I'm hearing pretty good reviews on AST of all levels as well. The one thing I do like about the AST 5000 series is that fact that you can buy the 5100 and upgrade to the 5200 or 5300 if needed. That type of flexibility is quite convenient if I ever do feel like taking the next step. The Ohlins R&T and AST 5000 are around the same price range, but I'm not really sure if this is an apples to apples comparison. I hear most people say Ohlins R&T over AST 4100 by a small margin, but my worries is I might grow out of the Ohlins when this becomes my dedicated weekend/track car.
For guidance of recommendations, I care about ride and performance. But if I had to give a biased to one, it would be performance first, ride second.
So, I guess in summary here is my basic usage of the car and expectations of the suspension:
Car:
Daily driven(soon to be weekend car); I only commute 5 miles to and from work, not a big deal.
Plan on tracking car(once a month/every other month)
Suspension:
If both suspensions are custom valved by a good suspension shop with the same specs, which one would ride smoother?
If both suspensions are custom valved by a good suspension shop with the same specs, which one is faster on the track?
Is there a big difference in cost when rebuilding both these suspensions?
Can one suspension system handle higher spring rates while maintaining comparable riding conditions?(ie ohlins 10k/12k = ast 5000 8k/10k)
Just to ease the flamers, I have looked up all comparison threads on AST vs. KW(Robi/ots), Ohlins(DFV mueller/ots), JIC(Mueller), on google and read what most people had to say on them. But I have never seen this type of comparison. If it has been done, I'm sorry. Linking that thread in here would be very appreciated.
I was pretty dead set on getting Ohlins R&T from Muellerized, but then started looking at the AST 5000 series. I have heard nothing bad about Ohlins, but I'm hearing pretty good reviews on AST of all levels as well. The one thing I do like about the AST 5000 series is that fact that you can buy the 5100 and upgrade to the 5200 or 5300 if needed. That type of flexibility is quite convenient if I ever do feel like taking the next step. The Ohlins R&T and AST 5000 are around the same price range, but I'm not really sure if this is an apples to apples comparison. I hear most people say Ohlins R&T over AST 4100 by a small margin, but my worries is I might grow out of the Ohlins when this becomes my dedicated weekend/track car.
For guidance of recommendations, I care about ride and performance. But if I had to give a biased to one, it would be performance first, ride second.
So, I guess in summary here is my basic usage of the car and expectations of the suspension:
Car:
Daily driven(soon to be weekend car); I only commute 5 miles to and from work, not a big deal.
Plan on tracking car(once a month/every other month)
Suspension:
If both suspensions are custom valved by a good suspension shop with the same specs, which one would ride smoother?
If both suspensions are custom valved by a good suspension shop with the same specs, which one is faster on the track?
Is there a big difference in cost when rebuilding both these suspensions?
Can one suspension system handle higher spring rates while maintaining comparable riding conditions?(ie ohlins 10k/12k = ast 5000 8k/10k)
Just to ease the flamers, I have looked up all comparison threads on AST vs. KW(Robi/ots), Ohlins(DFV mueller/ots), JIC(Mueller), on google and read what most people had to say on them. But I have never seen this type of comparison. If it has been done, I'm sorry. Linking that thread in here would be very appreciated.