Ohlins coilover vs. MPP Comfort Coilover comparison

[Pianewman]

Has anyone here actually done a side-by-side comparison of the Ohlins vs. the Mountain Pass Performance coilovers?

I've got a 2021 MYLR, 36k miles. 25k miles on MPP Comfort Coilovers (I think that's what they're called.) They're dialed in at 14 compression (softest), all the way around, 12 and 10 rebound/ F/R. The MPPs provide a significant improvement over the OEM suspension, in every way, except...according to my wife...the "comfort" area.

I'm (almost) willing to swap the MPPs for Ohlins, if and ONLY IF, there would be a significant improvement in the ride quality. I especially would like to eliminate the "slap" that occurs over sharp road imperfections.

Thanks.
Fort Worth, TX

 

[HSATD]

Good luck! I have read so very much on this. I could swear I saw a head-to-head, but it's lost in the dust of my mind.

I do recall that Ohlins "should be" better than the MPPs, it's a more premium brand. Your mileage may vary...

You might want to try playing with some slightly firmer settings. Sometimes softer settings don't give a softer ride. Specifically, you might be bumping against the stops on larger bumps. Source: I used to ride dirt bikes, hitting whoops at high speed means you need really firm compression/springs - and it rides like a dream. Softer shocks in the dirt bike world means you're stuck going slow.

 

[ElectricAnt54]

@Pianewman , how about planning a vacation to the San Francisco Bay Area sometime and ask Redwood Motor sports if they have a Tesla you could drive around. Long shot. The area has a lot to see..could be fun road trip .

 

[Pianewman]

HSATD: I've tried as firm as 10 compression...nope...on DFW broken concrete slabs.
Now that they've got 25k miles on them, I'll try again.

ElectricAnt54: Sob...already did a west coast drive this past August, in a 2019 Avalon Hybrid...DFW, San Diego, up the coast to LA, SF, Portland...no time in SF...

 

[P3D-R]

That's gonna be a tough one honestly. I have a friend up here that was the original vehicle they installed their coils on. I don't think it's a substantial enough difference with their performance sport version and I never tried their grand touring setup. That might give you that floatier feel you guys might be looking for.

Can you confirm your current ride height on the MPP, hub to fender? Did you adjust height and align again after it settled?

 

[RL0225]

Very anecdotal, but the EV mechanic who installed my Ohlins R&T coilovers on my MYP said they were the best of all the coilovers he's installed in any Tesla, including MPP, UPP, and some lesser known brands. He's a certified UPP installer as well. so it was surprising when I came to pick it up and he told me that. I dont unfortunately have any experience with MPP personally.

 

[tm1v2]

@Pianewman You're asking about the Redwood GT Ohlins DFV, right? Cause the Ohlins R&T is surely much firmer and different in character from MPP Comfort. I'd expect the R&T to be less comfortable in the vast majority of street driving. I would compare Ohlins R&T to KW V3, and secondarily would compare both of those to Redwood HPDE/Race and MPP Super Sport (Sport with the optional Super Sport springs).

From the way Redwood and MPP have each talked about their GT and Comfort kits, respectively, I expect the Redwood GT kit is smoother riding, and I am unsure if that comes at the expense of any handling aspects. I've experienced Ohlins DFV in two cars, including my M3P, and I can say firsthand it's capable of providing a great ride/handling balance. But I haven't experienced any KW based coilovers for comparison, and I'm sure KW is good stuff too when well tuned (e.g. by MPP).

When MPP talks about the Comfort kit, they've made it clear they were going for a blend of comfort and handling. It's not meant to be comfort-above-all, it's called "Comfort" because it's softer and more comfortable than their Sport kit or a typical aftermarket coilover.

When Redwood talks about their GT kit it's all about the ride quality. A comfortable ride was a priority #1 and the main focus. By all accounts I've read the GT kit handles way better than stock suspension too thanks to far better damping, but handling really wasn't the priority - a smooth ride was.

I don't think either approach is better, it's personal preference what you want from your suspension. I would bet money on the Redwood GT feeling smoother, but whether you personally like that more is another story. Though it sounds like your wife might. I went for Redwood Performance Sport on our M3P (also shared with my wife) because I was focused much more on handling. I didn't want to mess up the ride, but also didn't care if the ride improved or not. So GT/Comfort kits aren't what I wanted. But I didn't want track car firm either! If the Redwood Performance Sport weren't an option then MPP Sport would be my next choice for sure - over Ohlins R&T or KW V3 (or anything else I've seen on the market for these cars). Both the R&T and V3 sound too firm for us, especially for my wife's preferences. Plus I trust Redwood and MPP's fine tuning more. (My wife actually does care about a car's handling these days, and easily noticed how poor the stock M3P damping was compared to a car with factory Ohlins DFV, but she most definitely wouldn't like a racetrack stiff suspension. I too don't want that for a purely street-driven car...even though I'd love to get back into track days someday. Not anytime soon though.)

On a side note, what @P3D-R wrote about Redwood Performance Sport vs MPP Sport matches up with what I would've guessed. Those two kits seem to have extremely similar goals. Redwood GT vs MPP Comfort seem more differentiated as best I can tell just from reading about them.

 

[thesmokingman]

Very anecdotal, but the EV mechanic who installed my Ohlins R&T coilovers on my MYP said they were the best of all the coilovers he's installed in any Tesla, including MPP, UPP, and some lesser known brands. He's a certified UPP installer as well. so it was surprising when I came to pick it up and he told me that. I dont unfortunately have any experience with MPP personally.

Its all about the vavle, then materials. The Ohlins DFV is a better valve, and costlier materials, however the KW valve ain't bad and their coils will last 10x longer in salty conditions. Some distinction, Ohlins is a dual height adjustable but technically it cannot use the full travel because of the vehicles battery. Thus it in this way gets reduced to a single height adjustable, hey just like the KW. Btw, MPP is a black label of the KW.

 

[RL0225]

Its all about the vavle, then materials. The Ohlins DFV is a better valve, and costlier materials, however the KW valve ain't bad and their coils will last 10x longer in salty conditions. Some distinction, Ohlins is a dual height adjustable but technically it cannot use the full travel because of the vehicles battery. Thus it in this way gets reduced to a single height adjustable, hey just like the KW. Btw, MPP is a black label of the KW.

Yeah I know MPP uses KW and UPP has a super high end setup using Ohlins DFV. I'm sure they're all somewhat close to one another overall. I went for a custom Swift coil for my Ohlins R&T to maximize the comfort in every way I could. I hit it right on the nose for my targeted performance. Its softer, crashes way less on uneven roads, but it still has good tightness and very little roll on turns. I didnt want to change the height of my MYP anyway so the adjustment wasn't a factor for myself personally. All the kits are getting painfully expensive though plus installation on top of that.

 

[P3D-R]

Yeah I know MPP uses KW and UPP has a super high end setup using Ohlins DFV. I'm sure they're all somewhat close to one another overall. I went for a custom Swift coil for my Ohlins R&T to maximize the comfort in every way I could. I hit it right on the nose for my targeted performance. Its softer, crashes way less on uneven roads, but it still has good tightness and very little roll on turns. I didnt want to change the height of my MYP anyway so the adjustment wasn't a factor for myself personally. All the kits are getting painfully expensive though plus installation on top of that.

I'm not sure if you're referring to their standard kit but I just want to clarify something for the people who might misinterpret this statement. UP does NOT USE DFV on their standard kits. I'm not trying to take away from the product but it used to be very misleading. They updated their verbiage after this was brought up to them last year. They never indicated it was a DFV shock in their original description of the product but when stating that they were using Ohlins internals the general population assumed it was the traditional Ohlins DFV internals, which it wasn't. Only Redwood was using an actual Ohlins aluminum damper that's valved by Ohlins USA to their specific requirements. It really "shocks" me that people still assume it is something that it isn't. I'm not saying anything bad about the product itself, only referring to what people assume it is because of tricky wording. UP has produced an authentic Ohlins TTX kit though which looks pretty neat. I just want people who read this above to understand their standard kit is not an Ohlins DFV kit. Ohlins Dual Flow Valve is a monotube damper while TTX is a twin tube damper with their TTX flow system.

 

[tangible1]

Has anyone here actually done a side-by-side comparison of the Ohlins vs. the Mountain Pass Performance coilovers?

I've got a 2021 MYLR, 36k miles. 25k miles on MPP Comfort Coilovers (I think that's what they're called.) They're dialed in at 14 compression (softest), all the way around, 12 and 10 rebound/ F/R. The MPPs provide a significant improvement over the OEM suspension, in every way, except...according to my wife...the "comfort" area.

I'm (almost) willing to swap the MPPs for Ohlins, if and ONLY IF, there would be a significant improvement in the ride quality. I especially would like to eliminate the "slap" that occurs over sharp road imperfections.

Thanks.
Fort Worth, TX

There's a fundamental limit to what any damper can do.
Not to say improvements are not possible, but the wheelbase of the MY is a limiting factor, especially in regards to the 'slap' you describe.

I'd suggest taking a demo ride in a premium vehicle with a similar wheelbase. Say, a Porsche Cayenne. Almost exact same wheelbase.
Then you may have a more informed opinion.

I've taken an hour-long demo ride with local TMC poster "gadgetfreaky" who has installed the Ohlins / Redwood kit.
It does very well isolating the quick jumps of sewer caps, rough pavement, etc., even railroad track crossovers somewhat.
It even does well on a section of the 405 highway in West LA that made me think my MYLR had a flat tire - the concrete pavement sections create the perfect harmonic. But that's not a "slap" like you describe, it's a significant, constant vibration.

 

[tm1v2]

I'm not sure if you're referring to their standard kit but I just want to clarify something for the people who might misinterpret this statement. UP does NOT USE DFV on their standard kits. I'm not trying to take away from the product but it used to be very misleading. They updated their verbiage after this was brought up to them last year. They never indicated it was a DFV shock in their original description of the product but when stating that they were using Ohlins internals the general population assumed it was the traditional Ohlins DFV internals, which it wasn't. Only Redwood was using an actual Ohlins aluminum damper that's valved by Ohlins USA to their specific requirements. It really "shocks" me that people still assume it is something that it isn't. I'm not saying anything bad about the product itself, only referring to what people assume it is because of tricky wording. UP has produced an authentic Ohlins TTX kit though which looks pretty neat. I just want people who read this above to understand their standard kit is not an Ohlins DFV kit. Ohlins Dual Flow Valve is a monotube damper while TTX is a twin tube damper with their TTX flow system.

View attachment 888281

Just one thing to add to what @P3D-R wrote (which is all correct, and he certainly knows more about this stuff than me):

As of earlier this year Redwood Motorsports is now trained and authorized by Ohlins to do damper assembly/valving (and re-valving / rebuilds!) in house. For many years Redwood/SBG's Ohlins DFV dampers were assembled by Ohlins USA to Redwood's specs, then Redwood/SBG would build them into full coilover kits, but now even the dampers are (or are usually) built by Redwood themselves at their shop.

The end result should be identical I believe, they're building with the same parts to the same spec, just now Redwood doesn't get blocked on Ohlins USA who was getting way overloaded - and if you ever need a rebuild or want a re-valve, Redwood can do it in house too.

I believe my Redwood Performance Sport dampers were one of the very last Redwood sets to have the damper assembled by Ohlins USA (just how the timing worked out).

Note, Ohlins R&T is of course still built by Ohlins themselves (outside the USA I believe) - though probably Redwood could do a custom re-valve on the R&T if you wanted (though if buying new, would probably make more sense to just start with Redwood's own Ohlins DFV).

 

[thesmokingman]

Just one thing to add to what @P3D-R wrote (which is all correct, and he certainly knows more about this stuff than me):

As of earlier this year Redwood Motorsports is now trained and authorized by Ohlins to do damper assembly/valving (and re-valving / rebuilds!) in house. For many years Redwood/SBG's Ohlins DFV dampers were assembled by Ohlins USA to Redwood's specs, then Redwood/SBG would build them into full coilover kits, but now even the dampers are (or are usually) built by Redwood themselves at their shop.

The end result should be identical I believe, they're building with the same parts to the same spec, just now Redwood doesn't get blocked on Ohlins USA who was getting way overloaded - and if you ever need a rebuild or want a re-valve, Redwood can do it in house too.

I believe my Redwood Performance Sport dampers were one of the very last Redwood sets to have the damper assembled by Ohlins USA (just how the timing worked out).

Note, Ohlins R&T is of course still built by Ohlins themselves (outside the USA I believe) - though probably Redwood could do a custom re-valve on the R&T if you wanted (though if buying new, would probably make more sense to just start with Redwood's own Ohlins DFV).

With them getting certified for service, it';s more about support of the customer base imo, though it brings with it a lot of flexibility for their investment. Coilovers don't last forever especially if they are tracked and would require a much shorter duration between rebuilds. Not having to send your coils to Europe for service is important for state side customers as the rebuild costs are already stupid high to begin with.

 

[tm1v2]

With them getting certified for service, it';s more about support of the customer base imo, though it brings with it a lot of flexibility for their investment. Coilovers don't last forever especially if they are tracked and would require a much shorter duration between rebuilds. Not having to send your coils to Europe for service is important for state side customers as the rebuild costs are already stupid high to begin with.

I think you could always get Redwood's Ohlins DFV dampers rebuilt by Ohlins USA in NC, and I assume you still can. But if you are out west then Redwood would be a lot closer, and of course they could do any refreshing/rebuilding/modifying of the other parts of the coilovers at the same time, if needed.

 

[sagax]

Very anecdotal, but the EV mechanic who installed my Ohlins R&T coilovers on my MYP said they were the best of all the coilovers he's installed in any Tesla, including MPP, UPP, and some lesser known brands. He's a certified UPP installer as well. so it was surprising when I came to pick it up and he told me that. I dont unfortunately have any experience with MPP personally.

How often you need to rebuild Ohlins?

 

[bpon89]

I recently had my MYLR in for some service bulletins and they gave me an S loaner. When going over the same railroad tracks I go over every day with the S, it was just a muffled comfortable roll over. When I go over it with my MPP (12/12 all around) lowered 0.5in. on 20" Inductions, it feels harsh like it's hitting something hard (the bump stops?) But going over the rougher roads it feels very harsh too and I feel like a lot of vibration overall. I wonder if raising the car back up and setting 14/14 all around would make a difference.

 

[tangible1]

I recently had my MYLR in for some service bulletins and they gave me an S loaner. When going over the same railroad tracks I go over every day with the S, it was just a muffled comfortable roll over. When I go over it with my MPP (12/12 all around) lowered 0.5in. on 20" Inductions, it feels harsh like it's hitting something hard (the bump stops?) But going over the rougher roads it feels very harsh too and I feel like a lot of vibration overall. I wonder if raising the car back up and setting 14/14 all around would make a difference.

wheelbase length very different.
chassis stiffness very different.

 

[tm1v2]

I recently had my MYLR in for some service bulletins and they gave me an S loaner. When going over the same railroad tracks I go over every day with the S, it was just a muffled comfortable roll over. When I go over it with my MPP (12/12 all around) lowered 0.5in. on 20" Inductions, it feels harsh like it's hitting something hard (the bump stops?) But going over the rougher roads it feels very harsh too and I feel like a lot of vibration overall. I wonder if raising the car back up and setting 14/14 all around would make a difference.

@bpon89 Which MPP kit do you have, Comfort or Sport?

Exactly which Model S was the loaner, and when was it built or at least which model year? (Model S suspension tuning has changed a lot over the years.)

A few thoughts (and questions) as a longtime Model S P85 with air suspension owner (and I've driven many other Model S over the years):

• What size tires did your Model S loaner have? E.g. if it had 245/45 (that would be 19" on a Model S) and your M3P is on 235/35, that's a SIGNIFICANT sidewall difference. That makes a big difference in how stuff like railroad crossings feel.
  • I say this with lots of experience - my S P85 came with 245/35R21 and I later switched it to 245/45R19. My M3P came with 235/35R20 and I switched it to 245/45R18.
• If you're actually bottoming out, then setting your dampers firmer and/or raising the car could help.
• How smooth or rough is this railroad crossing? Is it well maintained or a real nasty abandoned one?
  • For really rough stuff I find that firmer suspension tuning - meaning springs and damping both - rides better than a softly tuned suspension which just bottoms out or loses control more easily.
• Most Model S have air suspension. This gives a certain muted, insulated quality to the ride that I've never experienced from any coil suspension. Model S with factory coil suspension completely lacked this...I think it's an air suspension thing.
• The 100D / P100D era (maybe 90D / P90D too, I forget) had very soft suspension tuning. Great for a smooth ride driving straight. However with the extra soft suspension, bigger heavier batteries, and extra motor up front (compared to my P85) these cars became wallowing boats or tanks in the turns. There was a real handling tradeoff for this level of smoothness.
• Earlier Model S suspension tuning varied wildly, e.g. P85+ and early P85D were nicely sporty and firm (by big car standards - still no Model 3), while the original Model S like my P85 was pretty soft (but not as heavy or wallowy as the P100D).
• Raven and Palladium have active adjustable dampers in addition to the air springs. I don't have much experience with these, but I would certainly expect a smoother ride than a Model 3 lowered on coilovers!

When I compare my S P85 on air springs to my M3P on Redwood Performance Sport coilovers, both on 245/45 tires, with Redwood Ohlins dampers set halfway in their adjustment range (16 of 32 clicks from full stiff), the Model S is smoother when driving slow and casual over straight city streets, but the harder and faster I drive, the smoother my M3P becomes in comparison - it's smoother (and handles worlds better) when driving very fast over a rural back road. My wife even called it "smoother than the [Model S]" after her first long drive on the coilovers with 40+ miles of twisty rural road (where I'm pretty sure she drove fast - I wasn't with her for the drive).

On the highway both cars ride just fine in my opinion. Can't think of anything to complain about with either. Same for more casual, sane driving pace on those twisty rural roads - both ride just fine.

But crawling around in the city? Yeah the S is smoother. Though the M3P on coilovers never gets harsh. The bigger the bumps / the worse the pavement, then the *better* it is in comparison to stock M3P suspension. Obviously I dodge the wheel-swallowng potholes of course (in either car).

Both cars generally feel good over railroad crossings by my standards. Of course some railroad crossings are far worse than others. One unmarked abandoned crossing tore up $7k of damage under a loaner Model S. :|

 

[tm1v2]

wheelbase length very different.
chassis stiffness very different.

Model 3 chassis feels stiffer to me. Being a sedan instead of a huge long hatchback probably helps. Tesla has improved Model S chassis stiffness over the years though and I haven't driven the newest ones.

The Model S does have more suspension travel especially in the rear, and that helps avoid some of the chassis stress the Model 3 experiences from bottoming out the rear more often. (This was true with stock suspension, not the fault of any coilovers, though lowering will probably make it worse.)

That said neither car feels all that solid in the chassis department by modern car standards. The Model 3 is fine in that regard but not impressive. E.g. a Polestar 2 Performance felt like it was hewn from solid rock in comparison. (On the flip side the Polestar 2 weighs quite a bit more...there is a tradeoff!)

 

[bpon89]

@bpon89 Which MPP kit do you have, Comfort or Sport?

Exactly which Model S was the loaner, and when was it built or at least which model year? (Model S suspension tuning has changed a lot over the years.)

A few thoughts (and questions) as a longtime Model S P85 with air suspension owner (and I've driven many other Model S over the years):

• What size tires did your Model S loaner have? E.g. if it had 245/45 (that would be 19" on a Model S) and your M3P is on 235/35, that's a SIGNIFICANT sidewall difference. That makes a big difference in how stuff like railroad crossings feel.
  • I say this with lots of experience - my S P85 came with 245/35R21 and I later switched it to 245/45R19. My M3P came with 235/35R20 and I switched it to 245/45R18.
• If you're actually bottoming out, then setting your dampers firmer and/or raising the car could help.
• How smooth or rough is this railroad crossing? Is it well maintained or a real nasty abandoned one?
  • For really rough stuff I find that firmer suspension tuning - meaning springs and damping both - rides better than a softly tuned suspension which just bottoms out or loses control more easily.
• Most Model S have air suspension. This gives a certain muted, insulated quality to the ride that I've never experienced from any coil suspension. Model S with factory coil suspension completely lacked this...I think it's an air suspension thing.
• The 100D / P100D era (maybe 90D / P90D too, I forget) had very soft suspension tuning. Great for a smooth ride driving straight. However with the extra soft suspension, bigger heavier batteries, and extra motor up front (compared to my P85) these cars became wallowing boats or tanks in the turns. There was a real handling tradeoff for this level of smoothness.
• Earlier Model S suspension tuning varied wildly, e.g. P85+ and early P85D were nicely sporty and firm (by big car standards - still no Model 3), while the original Model S like my P85 was pretty soft (but not as heavy or wallowy as the P100D).
• Raven and Palladium have active adjustable dampers in addition to the air springs. I don't have much experience with these, but I would certainly expect a smoother ride than a Model 3 lowered on coilovers!

When I compare my S P85 on air springs to my M3P on Redwood Performance Sport coilovers, both on 245/45 tires, with Redwood Ohlins dampers set halfway in their adjustment range (16 of 32 clicks from full stiff), the Model S is smoother when driving slow and casual over straight city streets, but the harder and faster I drive, the smoother my M3P becomes in comparison - it's smoother (and handles worlds better) when driving very fast over a rural back road. My wife even called it "smoother than the [Model S]" after her first long drive on the coilovers with 40+ miles of twisty rural road (where I'm pretty sure she drove fast - I wasn't with her for the drive).

On the highway both cars ride just fine in my opinion. Can't think of anything to complain about with either. Same for more casual, sane driving pace on those twisty rural roads - both ride just fine.

But crawling around in the city? Yeah the S is smoother. Though the M3P on coilovers never gets harsh. The bigger the bumps / the worse the pavement, then the *better* it is in comparison to stock M3P suspension. Obviously I dodge the wheel-swallowng potholes of course (in either car).

Both cars generally feel good over railroad crossings by my standards. Of course some railroad crossings are far worse than others. One unmarked abandoned crossing tore up $7k of damage under a loaner Model S. :|

Very nice write up regarding the Ohlins. I'm not sure what year the loaner S was but it was the older design, possibly 2017? The loaner S was comfortable. It's my Comfort MPP that feels more bumpy and harsh.