**Unlocking Control and Comfort: A Comparative Analysis of Öhlins Road and Track Suspension**

The quest for the perfect driving experience is one that many enthusiasts strive for, and suspension plays a crucial role in achieving this goal. In our tests, we put Öhlins Road and Track suspension to the test, pitting it against a Renault Trophy car with standard suspension to see how it stacks up on both road and track. Our findings are nothing short of impressive.

The first part of our test saw us tackle the winding roads of North Wales, where we found that the Öhlins-equipped Renault was more compliant than its counterpart. This proved to be a key factor in unlocking a brilliant combination of control, ride comfort, and confidence-inspiring feel. The car's ability to absorb imperfections in the road surface made for a smoother ride, while still delivering impressive precision and body control.

"This feels more positive," we noted in our testing. "Fractional improvements in response grip and traction combining to make you feel more connected and confident using the one-click compression and rebound adjustment." This was particularly evident on winding roads, where the Öhlins suspension allowed us to navigate corners with ease, never once feeling overwhelmed or uncertain.

As we switched to a track configuration, the benefits of the Öhlins suspension became even more apparent. We found ourselves tackling a compact technical circuit on the island of Anglesey, which packed plenty of challenges into its 1.5-mile lap. The hairpins and fast corners demanded grip and confidence, while rapid direction changes in heavy braking zones tested the suspension's mettle.

Our first run around the track with the Renault car was predictably impressive, with a measured steering response and strong initial turning grip. However, as we pushed harder for pace, weaknesses began to emerge. The car would encourage us to turn in, fading to understeer as we chased the throttle, and exhibit some momentary instability in the heaviest braking zones.

In contrast, the Öhlins-equipped Renault was a different story altogether. Running Renault Sports recommended dry track damper settings from the outset, the car delivered more grip from turning through apex to exit, with stronger traction into the most critical braking areas. This was especially impressive when it came to navigating curbs, where the car would ride over them without deflecting its line.

The Öhlins suspension's dual flow valve (DFV) technology played a significant role in this performance. By allowing oil within the damper to bypass the compression and rebound ports, the DFV acts as a "blow-off" valve, releasing energy rapidly but controlledly when the car encounters sudden compressions or shocks. This resulted in wheels and tires remaining firmly planted on the ground, even when the standard car began to run out of ideas.

The difference may have been smaller with the more aggressive Öhlins setup, but there was definitely a sense that the car was squeezing a fraction more from the tires. We could place it with even greater precision and confidence, chasing clean lines and exploiting every last bit of grip available. For track driving, this made all the difference, delivering a more rewarding and consistent experience.

**Track Performance: A Clear Winner**

In our lap times, the Öhlins-equipped Renault was a clear winner. Running a more aggressive setup with two clicks on the front dampers and five clicks on the rear, we managed to shave off three tenths of a second from the standard car's best time, eventually achieving a lap time of one minute twenty-seven point-five seconds.

In contrast, the standard car struggled to keep pace, finishing with a best lap time of one minute twenty-one point-one-five seconds. Even when scaled up to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the gap between the two cars remained significant, with the Öhlins-equipped Renault taking a full five seconds off its rival's time.

**Conclusion**

Our tests have shown that Öhlins Road and Track suspension delivers significant improvements in control, ride comfort, and consistency on both road and track. Whether you're navigating winding roads or tackling challenging circuit corners, the benefits of this suspension system are clear. With its advanced technology and ability to adapt to a wide range of driving styles, it's no wonder that Öhlins has become the go-to choice for many driving enthusiasts looking to unlock their full potential behind the wheel.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enengine power and performance figures grab headlines but when it comes to the very best drivers cars road-holding handling and feel are often the critical deciding factor successfully balancing those all-important and often conflicting factors is a major challenge but one Swedish suspension manufacturer öhlins believes it has met with its range of road and track dampers but what is the öhlins effect to find out we've taken to McGann Renault Sport 275 trophies one fitted with factory standard suspension the other Renault sports official öhlins Road and track upgrade option and conducted a series of back-to-back tests on some of the UK's toughest roads and one of its most spectacular racetracks by exploring the subjective differences in feel and objectively measuring the outright performance of both cars we aim to bring you the answer so we've broken our test of the standard and owners equipped cars into two parts even track-focused cars like the McGann Trophy spend most of their time on the road so they need to cope with infinite variety of bends and compressions and crests and canvas that often define the kind of roads that we love to drive on will be driving both cars along the same stretch of road first a standard car and then the öhlins equipped car paying close attention to body control and ride quality but also on how connected we feel to the car and also how well in sync the car is with the road we're driving once we've completed the road element of the test we can head to the racetrack and that's where we can push both cars to their absolute limits and we'll also be able to try some of the more aggressive suspension settings on the öhlins kit hi corner speeds heavy braking and hard acceleration we'll all place huge demands on the stability handling balance and traction of both cars and of course the stopwatch never lies but before we head to the racetrack we need to find out how the two cars compare on the road for the first element of our test we've come to the fabulous roads of North Wales from flowing stretches of smooth tarmac to tighter rougher sections punctuated by awkward cambers hidden crests and wicked compressions our Road route is the ultimate measure of control compliance and Driver confidence first up is the yellow standard McGann trophy and as expected it's extremely impressive deep reserves of grip plenty of front-end bite and a neutral yet lively balance give you the tools and the confidence to really enjoy the car's performance its ride is unashamedly firm but that feels like a fair trade for such livewire dynamics swapping to the öhlins equipped car we first drive the test route with dampers set to Renault sports factory road settings the differences are subtle but tangible there's a sense of tighter body control and precision but it also manages to more smoothly round off the worst of the roads imperfections it feels more positive to fractional improvements in response grip and traction combining to make you feel more connected and confident using the one-click compression and rebound adjustment we then switch the road and track dampers to Renault sports recommended B road setting and repeat the route immediately there's a marked improvement in ride quality but not at the expense of that impressive precision or body control you have the same pin-sharp agility in response but with even greater poise and composure mid-corner compressions which threaten to overwhelm the standard cars damping leave the olan suspended car feeling unfazed and because the car is in closer harmony with the road surface you feel more in tune with its responses and totally immersed in the driving experience take things to extremes and the differences can be felt even more clearly approaching this crest at the same speed in both cars the standard trophy is eager to take off lands heavily and takes a moment or two to regain its composure the olan's car is less keen to launch over the crest absorbing the compression force and controlling the release of energy as the wheels eventually leave the ground on landing it touches down more smoothly swiftly soaking up the initial impact and controlling the rate of rebound with equal precision preventing a secondary bounce and allowing the car to settle more quickly it's a graphic illustration of öhlins Road and track superior body control and underlines the lasting impression from our Road route namely that compliance is the key to unlocking a brilliant combination of control ride comfort and confidence inspiring feel for the second element of our test we swap the roads of North Wales for the ticker eye circuit on the island of Anglesey we're using the coastal circuit configuration which packs plenty of challenges into its 1.5 mile lap from traction testing hair pins and fast corners that demand grip and confidence to rapid Direction changes in heavy braking zones this compact technical circuit has it all in addition to comparing the subjective feel of each car we're adding objectivity by driving against the clock it's worth remembering that each car is fitted with the same type of Bridgestone Tire and carrying the same fuel load so suspension apart they're as close to identical as possible and of course being a race track we can push both cars to their absolute limits with stability control switched off as on the road we begin with the standard car predictably it more than up holds Renault sports reputation its measured steering response strong initial turning grip and rear end stability being the standout qualities only when pushing for a lap time the weaknesses become apparent that encouraging by to turn in fading to understeer as you chase the throttle some momentary instability in the heaviest braking zones and a tendency to Scrabble for traction exiting the hairpin we first try the öhlins car running renault sports recommended dry track damper settings from the moment you turn into the first corner the differences are clear more grip from turning through apex to exit with stronger traction superior stability into the most critical braking area and an ability to ride curbs with out deflecting the car from your chosen line the way it coats with curbs is especially impressive and it's thanks to öhlins dual flow valve or dfv damper technology just as on the road during moments of very sharp suspension loading such as those from a ridge pothole or a racetracks curb the dfv acts like a blow-off valve allowing oil within the damper to bypass the compression and rebound ports this rapid but controlled release of energy ensures the wheel and tire remain in contact with the ground maintaining grip and traction when the standard car begins to run out of ideas first run completed we switch to a more aggressive setup two clicks on the front dampers and five clicks on the rear to exploit to corrosive smooth surface the difference is smaller but there's definitely a sense the McGann is squeezing a fraction more from the tires you can place it with even greater precision and confidence get on the powers early as possible and really chase the cleanest and most efficient lines it feels more rewarding and crucially for track driving more consistent a big subjective improvement then but what does the stop Walker say the first setup finds three tenths of a second over the standard car the more aggressive setup growing that advantage to four tenths a best lap of one minute twenty point seven five versus the standard cars one minute twenty one point one five that's a significant performance gain around a 1.5 mile lap in otherwise identical cars scale it up to a lap of the nürburgring nordschleife er and the gap would be more like five seconds more importantly the öhlins cars greater consistency in precision means it can maintain that performance advantage for lap after lap delivering more pace precision and consistency on track bringing greater control compliance and enjoyment on the road our tests have shown that olan's Road and track suspension delivers significant improvements you can measure and feel conclusive evidence that the öhlins effect is real wherever you driveengine power and performance figures grab headlines but when it comes to the very best drivers cars road-holding handling and feel are often the critical deciding factor successfully balancing those all-important and often conflicting factors is a major challenge but one Swedish suspension manufacturer öhlins believes it has met with its range of road and track dampers but what is the öhlins effect to find out we've taken to McGann Renault Sport 275 trophies one fitted with factory standard suspension the other Renault sports official öhlins Road and track upgrade option and conducted a series of back-to-back tests on some of the UK's toughest roads and one of its most spectacular racetracks by exploring the subjective differences in feel and objectively measuring the outright performance of both cars we aim to bring you the answer so we've broken our test of the standard and owners equipped cars into two parts even track-focused cars like the McGann Trophy spend most of their time on the road so they need to cope with infinite variety of bends and compressions and crests and canvas that often define the kind of roads that we love to drive on will be driving both cars along the same stretch of road first a standard car and then the öhlins equipped car paying close attention to body control and ride quality but also on how connected we feel to the car and also how well in sync the car is with the road we're driving once we've completed the road element of the test we can head to the racetrack and that's where we can push both cars to their absolute limits and we'll also be able to try some of the more aggressive suspension settings on the öhlins kit hi corner speeds heavy braking and hard acceleration we'll all place huge demands on the stability handling balance and traction of both cars and of course the stopwatch never lies but before we head to the racetrack we need to find out how the two cars compare on the road for the first element of our test we've come to the fabulous roads of North Wales from flowing stretches of smooth tarmac to tighter rougher sections punctuated by awkward cambers hidden crests and wicked compressions our Road route is the ultimate measure of control compliance and Driver confidence first up is the yellow standard McGann trophy and as expected it's extremely impressive deep reserves of grip plenty of front-end bite and a neutral yet lively balance give you the tools and the confidence to really enjoy the car's performance its ride is unashamedly firm but that feels like a fair trade for such livewire dynamics swapping to the öhlins equipped car we first drive the test route with dampers set to Renault sports factory road settings the differences are subtle but tangible there's a sense of tighter body control and precision but it also manages to more smoothly round off the worst of the roads imperfections it feels more positive to fractional improvements in response grip and traction combining to make you feel more connected and confident using the one-click compression and rebound adjustment we then switch the road and track dampers to Renault sports recommended B road setting and repeat the route immediately there's a marked improvement in ride quality but not at the expense of that impressive precision or body control you have the same pin-sharp agility in response but with even greater poise and composure mid-corner compressions which threaten to overwhelm the standard cars damping leave the olan suspended car feeling unfazed and because the car is in closer harmony with the road surface you feel more in tune with its responses and totally immersed in the driving experience take things to extremes and the differences can be felt even more clearly approaching this crest at the same speed in both cars the standard trophy is eager to take off lands heavily and takes a moment or two to regain its composure the olan's car is less keen to launch over the crest absorbing the compression force and controlling the release of energy as the wheels eventually leave the ground on landing it touches down more smoothly swiftly soaking up the initial impact and controlling the rate of rebound with equal precision preventing a secondary bounce and allowing the car to settle more quickly it's a graphic illustration of öhlins Road and track superior body control and underlines the lasting impression from our Road route namely that compliance is the key to unlocking a brilliant combination of control ride comfort and confidence inspiring feel for the second element of our test we swap the roads of North Wales for the ticker eye circuit on the island of Anglesey we're using the coastal circuit configuration which packs plenty of challenges into its 1.5 mile lap from traction testing hair pins and fast corners that demand grip and confidence to rapid Direction changes in heavy braking zones this compact technical circuit has it all in addition to comparing the subjective feel of each car we're adding objectivity by driving against the clock it's worth remembering that each car is fitted with the same type of Bridgestone Tire and carrying the same fuel load so suspension apart they're as close to identical as possible and of course being a race track we can push both cars to their absolute limits with stability control switched off as on the road we begin with the standard car predictably it more than up holds Renault sports reputation its measured steering response strong initial turning grip and rear end stability being the standout qualities only when pushing for a lap time the weaknesses become apparent that encouraging by to turn in fading to understeer as you chase the throttle some momentary instability in the heaviest braking zones and a tendency to Scrabble for traction exiting the hairpin we first try the öhlins car running renault sports recommended dry track damper settings from the moment you turn into the first corner the differences are clear more grip from turning through apex to exit with stronger traction superior stability into the most critical braking area and an ability to ride curbs with out deflecting the car from your chosen line the way it coats with curbs is especially impressive and it's thanks to öhlins dual flow valve or dfv damper technology just as on the road during moments of very sharp suspension loading such as those from a ridge pothole or a racetracks curb the dfv acts like a blow-off valve allowing oil within the damper to bypass the compression and rebound ports this rapid but controlled release of energy ensures the wheel and tire remain in contact with the ground maintaining grip and traction when the standard car begins to run out of ideas first run completed we switch to a more aggressive setup two clicks on the front dampers and five clicks on the rear to exploit to corrosive smooth surface the difference is smaller but there's definitely a sense the McGann is squeezing a fraction more from the tires you can place it with even greater precision and confidence get on the powers early as possible and really chase the cleanest and most efficient lines it feels more rewarding and crucially for track driving more consistent a big subjective improvement then but what does the stop Walker say the first setup finds three tenths of a second over the standard car the more aggressive setup growing that advantage to four tenths a best lap of one minute twenty point seven five versus the standard cars one minute twenty one point one five that's a significant performance gain around a 1.5 mile lap in otherwise identical cars scale it up to a lap of the nürburgring nordschleife er and the gap would be more like five seconds more importantly the öhlins cars greater consistency in precision means it can maintain that performance advantage for lap after lap delivering more pace precision and consistency on track bringing greater control compliance and enjoyment on the road our tests have shown that olan's Road and track suspension delivers significant improvements you can measure and feel conclusive evidence that the öhlins effect is real wherever you drive\n"