Ohlins RT Model Y and Redwood Review

[Jigglypuff]

I got my Ohlins RT installed at Redwood a bit over a week ago. I've posted in their thread, but here's my overall impression.

1. These are pretty expensive. You do have to pay to play. Redwood isn't a cheap install shop. I could have saved at least a couple hundred elsewhere, but I know Redwood did the job right.
2. Their alignment is dead on. The car tracks perfectly. I wanted more or less zero toe and got it.
3. The RT springs are on the stiff side for sure. If you want pure comfort, go with the Redwood GT kit. Since I'm raised 20mm, the car actually exerts higher weight transfer , so I think the higher spring rate is probably felt less. The car is smoother on many bumps and rougher on some. The frame's loosy goosiness is even more obvious now. There are more crashes through the structure. Of course I can always back off on the shock stiffness, but then the handling suffers some. It's always a compromise, but a MUCH better compromise than stock.
4. The handling is transformed for the better. The wobbliness is essentially gone. I have confidence in high speed corners. I used to be afraid before I hit the tires' limits. Now I can reach those stock tire limits without any fear. A bit corner bump doesn't upset the car nearly as much as before. Are these magic carpet shocks? No. Are they excellent? Yes. Do they make me wish I'd put Ohlins on long ago? Yes. I used to hate how the car handles. Now I genuinely like it. Alas, there are no three-way Penskes for the Model Y.
5. Redwood are classy guys. They dropped me off and picked me up from my nearby work. I wouldn't expect that if I was more than a few minutes away, but that's some classy *sugar* right there.
6. I think most Model Y performance seekers would be happiest with the softer springs of the sport kit over the RT kit, but because I'm riding 20mm high, I want to resist the added weight transfer. Plus I plan to plus size my tires a bit and get even more weight transfer. If you're actually taking a Model Y to the track and running slicks, you're weird, but then you probably want something stiffer than the RT. Still, good for dual use.
7. I'm going to spent the extra and get the remote adjusters for the front. They're not necessary, but I want the access without removing the tray.

I used to have thoughts of selling the MYLR. Now, not so much. It's that much better with the Ohlins kit. 10/10 for the gear. 10/10 for the service.

 

[jcanoe]

Wouldn't you have been better off starting with a PM3? You can't tune your way around the 500 lbs of additional weight of the MY.

 

[Jigglypuff]

Wouldn't you have been better off starting with a PM3? You can't tune your way around the 500 lbs of additional weight of the MY.

Kind of an off-topic post, eh?

The PM3 is a PITA to get in and out of. I can't get a good seating position in one. It also doesn't have a hatch or as much interior storage. Also no legal tow hitch on the 3. The Model Y is the first Tesla that I could go beyond considering.

 

[jcanoe]

Kind of an off-topic post, eh?

The PM3 is a PITA to get in and out of. I can't get a good seating position in one. It also doesn't have a hatch or as much interior storage. Also no legal tow hitch on the 3. The Model Y is the first Tesla that I could go beyond considering.

I'm genuinely interested. I also found the M3 to be a PITA to enter and exit, so I waited until I could purchase the MY. Why didn't you originally purchase the PMY or move to the PMY now?

 

[Jigglypuff]

I'm genuinely interested. I also found the M3 to be a PITA to enter and exit, so I waited until I could purchase the MY. Why didn't you originally purchase the PMY or move to the PMY now?

MYP wasn't readily available when I bought. The extra cost wasn't worth the slight 0-60 gain compared to a boosted LR. The suspension wasn't going to be up to snuff anyway. In fact, the stock MYLR is too darned low by at least an inch. The lift from the Ohlins plus a slightly taller tire will fix that in the long term. Bigger brakes won't matter since I won't go to the track with it. I did not want the boat anchor 21" wheels since the ride was already terrible. Last I checked, there's still no performance handling software update for the MYP.

Looks like all I really need to do know is add camber front and rear, maybe some wheel spacers, then upgrade/upsize my tires.

The MPP corkscrew thing looks like the best option for front camber. I just hate the design for rear camber that MPP and Unplugged both make, but it doesn't look like there's any better solution out there.

 

[steveobot]

I have Ohlins GT on order from Redwood coming in a few weeks. Hoping to be able to share my experience soon.

 

[Kata]

I got my Ohlins RT installed at Redwood a bit over a week ago. I've posted in their thread, but here's my overall impression.

1. These are pretty expensive. You do have to pay to play. Redwood isn't a cheap install shop. I could have saved at least a couple hundred elsewhere, but I know Redwood did the job right.
2. Their alignment is dead on. The car tracks perfectly. I wanted more or less zero toe and got it.
3. The RT springs are on the stiff side for sure. If you want pure comfort, go with the Redwood GT kit. Since I'm raised 20mm, the car actually exerts higher weight transfer , so I think the higher spring rate is probably felt less. The car is smoother on many bumps and rougher on some. The frame's loosy goosiness is even more obvious now. There are more crashes through the structure. Of course I can always back off on the shock stiffness, but then the handling suffers some. It's always a compromise, but a MUCH better compromise than stock.
4. The handling is transformed for the better. The wobbliness is essentially gone. I have confidence in high speed corners. I used to be afraid before I hit the tires' limits. Now I can reach those stock tire limits without any fear. A bit corner bump doesn't upset the car nearly as much as before. Are these magic carpet shocks? No. Are they excellent? Yes. Do they make me wish I'd put Ohlins on long ago? Yes. I used to hate how the car handles. Now I genuinely like it. Alas, there are no three-way Penskes for the Model Y.
5. Redwood are classy guys. They dropped me off and picked me up from my nearby work. I wouldn't expect that if I was more than a few minutes away, but that's some classy *sugar* right there.
6. I think most Model Y performance seekers would be happiest with the softer springs of the sport kit over the RT kit, but because I'm riding 20mm high, I want to resist the added weight transfer. Plus I plan to plus size my tires a bit and get even more weight transfer. If you're actually taking a Model Y to the track and running slicks, you're weird, but then you probably want something stiffer than the RT. Still, good for dual use.
7. I'm going to spent the extra and get the remote adjusters for the front. They're not necessary, but I want the access without removing the tray.

I used to have thoughts of selling the MYLR. Now, not so much. It's that much better with the Ohlins kit. 10/10 for the gear. 10/10 for the service.

Did you have a chance to try out the Redwood GT kit for comparison? What settings are you currently running the RT at

 

[Jigglypuff]

Did you have a chance to try out the Redwood GT kit for comparison? What settings are you currently running the RT at

I did not. If all I wanted was a better ride without the wobble, GT would definitely do the job. I have full confidence in Redwood.

MPP was my second choice, but I wanted a lift without the weirdness of spacers, and I wanted the nicer handling of a proper inverted monotube. Plus Redwood is local to me and are Ohlins experts.

I have the RT at 22/30 front and 55/80 rear, I think. I'm gonna back off a little bit on the rear, to 52/80 and 22 front, see how it goes. I'll resent the clicks to make sure I'm getting what I think I have. Front clicks are soft and hard to notice. Rear clicks are harder to turn while lying on the ground but definitely clearer.

I have no regrets other than maybe not having my camber solutions lines up before install. Then again, actual camber was a mystery until the install was done.

 

[JDemo]

I got my Ohlins RT installed at Redwood a bit over a week ago. I've posted in their thread, but here's my overall impression.

1. These are pretty expensive. You do have to pay to play. Redwood isn't a cheap install shop. I could have saved at least a couple hundred elsewhere, but I know Redwood did the job right.
2. Their alignment is dead on. The car tracks perfectly. I wanted more or less zero toe and got it.
3. The RT springs are on the stiff side for sure. If you want pure comfort, go with the Redwood GT kit. Since I'm raised 20mm, the car actually exerts higher weight transfer , so I think the higher spring rate is probably felt less. The car is smoother on many bumps and rougher on some. The frame's loosy goosiness is even more obvious now. There are more crashes through the structure. Of course I can always back off on the shock stiffness, but then the handling suffers some. It's always a compromise, but a MUCH better compromise than stock.
4. The handling is transformed for the better. The wobbliness is essentially gone. I have confidence in high speed corners. I used to be afraid before I hit the tires' limits. Now I can reach those stock tire limits without any fear. A bit corner bump doesn't upset the car nearly as much as before. Are these magic carpet shocks? No. Are they excellent? Yes. Do they make me wish I'd put Ohlins on long ago? Yes. I used to hate how the car handles. Now I genuinely like it. Alas, there are no three-way Penskes for the Model Y.
5. Redwood are classy guys. They dropped me off and picked me up from my nearby work. I wouldn't expect that if I was more than a few minutes away, but that's some classy *sugar* right there.
6. I think most Model Y performance seekers would be happiest with the softer springs of the sport kit over the RT kit, but because I'm riding 20mm high, I want to resist the added weight transfer. Plus I plan to plus size my tires a bit and get even more weight transfer. If you're actually taking a Model Y to the track and running slicks, you're weird, but then you probably want something stiffer than the RT. Still, good for dual use.
7. I'm going to spent the extra and get the remote adjusters for the front. They're not necessary, but I want the access without removing the tray.

I used to have thoughts of selling the MYLR. Now, not so much. It's that much better with the Ohlins kit. 10/10 for the gear. 10/10 for the service.

What was the cost with install and parts?

Thank!
-Joe

 

[Jigglypuff]

What was the cost with install and parts?

Thank!
-Joe

It was about 5k including adjusting for lifting. Don't tell my wife.

 

[Jigglypuff]

Redwood people, if you want me out of this thread, lemme know. This is my adventure with your gear, so it seems reasonable to post here. Ya won't hurt my feelings.

So I actually backed off on the stiffness. Why, you ask? Four reasons:
1. I drive on a bumpy as road.
2. My tires are so worn on the edges, I gotta back off on going fast until I replace them. I'd rather not cord my tires AGAIN. It's a habit.
3. Been driving farther than usual because the daughter started school and doesn't quite have her license yet.
4. I cracked a mofo rib, and every god damn bump is painful.

I have been thinking about camber, spacers, and tires. I figure I can go to 255/50/19 without rubbing (1" lift). If I add 25mm spacers, I can probably go with a 255/55/19, but then I'll either rub or have to make some room in the wheel wells. The issue is the damnable suspension design of the hub and how the top... knuckle or whatever it's called wraps around the tire a bit. Some more camber in the front plus a spacer will help clear that, but then there's the issue with camber and me personally. Fact is, I roll over the edge of the tires when I drive fast, and with the new suspension, I roll over A LOT more. However, with everything stock, I was about even with inside and outside edge wear. I fear that adding camber will just give me a lot of inside wear, since I do quite a bit of highway driving now. But then I do quite a bit of canyon driving too. I am fuxored!

So I'm going to install some Pilot 4 SUV summer tires soon. We'll see how it goes.

 

[tm1v2]

@Jigglypuff What tires are you running? I think you're on the right track with switching to more aggressive tires first, before mucking about with additional camber.

If the issue is rolling over the sidewalls, then I would think performance tires with stronger/stiffer sidewalls are the answer for that, not extra camber. So hopefully those SUV summer tires will do the trick.

 

[nadkoolio]

MPP was my second choice, but I
I have the RT at 22/30 front and 55/80 rear, I think. I'm gonna back off a little bit on the rear, to 52/80 and 22 front, see how it goes. I'll resent the clicks to make sure I'm getting what I think I have. Front clicks are soft and hard to notice. Rear clicks are harder to turn while lying on the ground but definitely clearer.

Are you sure about your clicks? The Ohlins RT data sheet says it has 20 way adjustment, or 20 clicks. Redwood's kits have 32 clicks. I've never heard of a coilovers with 80 way adjustment.

 

[Jigglypuff]

Are you sure about your clicks? The Ohlins RT data sheet says it has 20 way adjustment, or 20 clicks. Redwood's kits have 32 clicks. I've never heard of a coilovers with 80 way adjustment.

I'm going off what Redwood said, but honestly, I'm less concerned with how many clicks and more concerned with how the car handles and drives. It's in the right place for me at the moment. Hey rib, I'm looking at you!

Local tire place can't get the good tires. Gonna have to call around. I'm running whatever the stock 19" all season is. Slippery tires.

 

[RedwoodMotors]

Happy to have you in the thread, and thanks for bringing the car to us! We're glad we were able to get your car dialed in to what you were looking for. This is exactly why we have lots of options from the standard Road and Track kits to our custom Redwood engineered Ohlins for GT or Performance applications... it allows us to tune the suspension specifcally to our customers needs and requirements! Lot's of ways to do it, from comfortable daily drivers to mixed use canyon carvers, to dedicated track applications!

 

[RedwoodMotors]

Are you sure about your clicks? The Ohlins RT data sheet says it has 20 way adjustment, or 20 clicks. Redwood's kits have 32 clicks. I've never heard of a coilovers with 80 way adjustment.

The rear adjuster on the standard Road and Track kits (for some reason) has 80 clicks (or just about). I don't know why they do this as the rotations are the same as the front, so they just have more detents per degree of revolution in the inverted rear adjuster. When we built our Ohlins DFV inverted rear adjuster for the Tesla we wanted to make sure the clicks front to rear were the same and with a maximum adustability range.... but matching front to rear so it was easy to make them equivalant. Sweden uses off the shelf / generic parts recycled from other applications which is why the front and rear clicks don't match... but if you count the actual revolutions and do an equivalancy calculation they can be equated front to rear. The main thing you are looking at is the position of the bleed / needle - which is dictated by the degrees of revolution from fully closed.

Not sure exactly with the R/T kits but ours are 32 front 32 rear for clicks of adjutability (6 clicks per rotation). But we also have a differnt internal valving methodology as far a compression and rebound damping, so it's hard to say this click is equivalant to that click between kits.

 

[RL0225]

The rear adjuster on the standard Road and Track kits (for some reason) has 80 clicks (or just about). I don't know why they do this as the rotations are the same as the front, so they just have more detents per degree of revolution in the inverted rear adjuster. When we built our Ohlins DFV inverted rear adjuster for the Tesla we wanted to make sure the clicks front to rear were the same and with a maximum adustability range.... but matching front to rear so it was easy to make them equivalant. Sweden uses off the shelf / generic parts recycled from other applications which is why the front and rear clicks don't match... but if you count the actual revolutions and do an equivalancy calculation they can be equated front to rear. The main thing you are looking at is the position of the bleed / needle - which is dictated by the degrees of revolution from fully closed.

Not sure exactly with the R/T kits but ours are 32 front 32 rear for clicks of adjutability (6 clicks per rotation). But we also have a differnt internal valving methodology as far a compression and rebound damping, so it's hard to say this click is equivalant to that click between kits.

I dont believe theyre different per Ohlins' RT owners manual. It notes that both the front and rear have 20 clicks each. Someone else on the TMC forums posted that they asked Ohlins why it goes further than 20 and anything past that isnt adjusting the ride at all. 80 clicks might just be the physical limit of how far the valve can move.

https://world.ohlins.com/app/uploads/2022/03/MI_TES-MU00S1.pdf

 

[tm1v2]

I dont believe theyre different per Ohlins' RT owners manual. It notes that both the front and rear have 20 clicks each. Someone else on the TMC forums posted that they asked Ohlins why it goes further than 20 and anything past that isnt adjusting the ride at all. 80 clicks might just be the physical limit of how far the valve can move.

https://world.ohlins.com/app/uploads/2022/03/MI_TES-MU00S1.pdf

@RL0225 Read Redwood's post carefully. It makes sense to me. Rotations are what really matters, the clicks are just a way to more easily track them. The rotation counts are as expected.

 

[sagax]

I got my Ohlins RT installed at Redwood a bit over a week ago. I've posted in their thread, but here's my overall impression.

1. These are pretty expensive. You do have to pay to play. Redwood isn't a cheap install shop. I could have saved at least a couple hundred elsewhere, but I know Redwood did the job right.
2. Their alignment is dead on. The car tracks perfectly. I wanted more or less zero toe and got it.
3. The RT springs are on the stiff side for sure. If you want pure comfort, go with the Redwood GT kit. Since I'm raised 20mm, the car actually exerts higher weight transfer , so I think the higher spring rate is probably felt less. The car is smoother on many bumps and rougher on some. The frame's loosy goosiness is even more obvious now. There are more crashes through the structure. Of course I can always back off on the shock stiffness, but then the handling suffers some. It's always a compromise, but a MUCH better compromise than stock.
4. The handling is transformed for the better. The wobbliness is essentially gone. I have confidence in high speed corners. I used to be afraid before I hit the tires' limits. Now I can reach those stock tire limits without any fear. A bit corner bump doesn't upset the car nearly as much as before. Are these magic carpet shocks? No. Are they excellent? Yes. Do they make me wish I'd put Ohlins on long ago? Yes. I used to hate how the car handles. Now I genuinely like it. Alas, there are no three-way Penskes for the Model Y.
5. Redwood are classy guys. They dropped me off and picked me up from my nearby work. I wouldn't expect that if I was more than a few minutes away, but that's some classy *sugar* right there.
6. I think most Model Y performance seekers would be happiest with the softer springs of the sport kit over the RT kit, but because I'm riding 20mm high, I want to resist the added weight transfer. Plus I plan to plus size my tires a bit and get even more weight transfer. If you're actually taking a Model Y to the track and running slicks, you're weird, but then you probably want something stiffer than the RT. Still, good for dual use.
7. I'm going to spent the extra and get the remote adjusters for the front. They're not necessary, but I want the access without removing the tray.

I used to have thoughts of selling the MYLR. Now, not so much. It's that much better with the Ohlins kit. 10/10 for the gear. 10/10 for the service.

What year model you are driving 2022 or older? Is it LR or performance? Do you think it improves comfort for 2022 Y LR ?

 

[Jigglypuff]

What year model you are driving 2022 or older? Is it LR or performance? Do you think it improves comfort for 2022 Y LR ?

2021 LR. It's a mix of better and worse versus stock, but mostly better. Not sure how different the 2022 suspension is. If you want comfort, the GT Ohlins are a good choice, but there are design decisions for the suspension that limit the car's potential no matter what.