Öhlins Road and Track: What DFV Does and Which Cars It Fits
Öhlins coilovers for the street mostly mean the Road & Track kit, built around DFV, Öhlins' Dual Flow Valve. DFV lets extra oil pass on sharp, fast hits. The car stays supple over broken pavement and keeps the tire on the road after a bump.
That is the short answer. The longer one covers how DFV moves oil and what the Road & Track idea means day to day. It also covers which cars we list it for and what to do on cars with adaptive dampers. We will also put the kit next to other kits for the same car, by purpose, not by rank.
What DFV Does Inside an Öhlins Coilover
Every damper turns motion into heat by pushing oil through small passages. The size of those passages and the speed of the shaft decide the damping force. Öhlins explains DFV in three stages of shaft speed.
Low shaft speed. Oil mainly passes through a bleed in the shaft. This is body motion territory: roll, dive and squat as you turn in or brake.
Higher shaft speed. Oil mainly flows through the compression or rebound ports in the main piston, depending on which way the shaft moves.
Extreme shaft speed or a sudden hit. Oil can also escape through extra ports in the DFV. On compression, Öhlins says that adds comfort. On rebound, Öhlins says it helps keep the tire in contact with the road.
The rebound side is the clever part. Öhlins notes that without DFV, oil cannot pass through the piston fast enough on rebound after a big bump. The wheel can then hang in the air for a moment. DFV gives that oil another path, so the wheel comes back down sooner.
Öhlins describes the ride as "more akin to an OEM strut than a coilover set-up". That is the brand's own claim, so judge it on your roads. Our guide on how coilovers affect ride quality covers the rest of the picture. For more on how valve design shapes damping, our guide to coilover technology goes deeper.
The Öhlins Road & Track Concept
Road & Track is built for the car you drive to the circuit and home again. Öhlins uses DFV on every Road & Track fitment. It is the Öhlins line we list for the most cars, pitched at drivers who want comfort and agility in one kit.
Öhlins places the damping adjuster at the base of the unit. Dealers describe it as a single adjuster on each damper, and DFV lets that one adjuster shift compression and rebound together. Click counts vary by kit, so start from the factory setting in your manual. Öhlins suggests a few clicks either way from there.
Ride height adjusts on the threaded body, with a locking collar to hold it. Dealers list the kits as rebuildable, and the seals and oil are wear items on any damper. Top mounts vary by car. Some kits reuse the factory mounts, and Öhlins sells camber-adjustable mounts separately for some fitments.
One note on construction. Öhlins is known for TTX, a twin-tube design used on its TTX Pro kits. Do not assume one tube layout across the whole Öhlins range. Our monotube vs twin tube guide explains why the layout matters less than the valving.
Which Cars We List Öhlins Coilovers For
Our Öhlins listings cover European, Japanese and American performance cars. These are a sample of the Road & Track listings, using the years and models exactly as the titles state.
Mazda and Toyota
Miata NA and NB, NC and ND. RX-7 (FD) and RX-8. Supra (A90). Yaris GR. 86, including GR86, for 2017 to 2020 and 2022 to 2025.
Honda, Subaru, Nissan and Mitsubishi
S2000. Civic Type R, titled 2017 to 2021 FL5/FK8 (confirm your year by VIN with us before you order). WRX and STI (GR, VA). 350Z (Z33), GT-R (R35) and Skyline GT-R R32, R33 and R34. EVO 4 through EVO X.
BMW, VW, Audi and Porsche
BMW from the E46 M3 to the G8X M3 and M4. Golf GTI from MK5 to MK8, Golf R from MK6 to MK8 and the MK5 R32. Audi A3, S3, RS3, TT and the A4 to RS5 family. Porsche 911 from 996 to 992, plus Boxster and Cayman.
Three examples to start with: the 2016 to 2025 Mazda Miata (ND) Road & Track. Then the 2008 to 2021 Subaru WRX and STI (GR, VA), and the 2013 to 2019 Porsche 911 Carrera (991), including 4, S and GTS. Some cars also have DFV Dedicated or TTX Pro listings, aimed at harder track use.
Titles split cars by generation, drivetrain and body style. Confirm the exact match on the product page, or call 1-800-460-9106 with your VIN.
Öhlins Coilovers on Cars With Adaptive Dampers
Plenty of the cars above left the factory with electronic damping. Pull those dampers and the car throws warning lamps. Öhlins sells cancellation kits as separate parts. Dealers describe them as plugging into the original damper connectors and switching the warnings off, with no programming needed.
We list them for EDC on the BMW F8X M2, M3 and M4 and the E9X M3. There are DCC kits for the VW Golf MK6 and MK7/MK8 and several Audis, plus PASM kits for Porsche. On the FK8, the Type R Road & Track kit pairs with the 2017 to 2021 Civic Type R (FK8) cancellation kit for ADS. We do not list an FL5 cancellation kit, so FL5 owners should call us first.
Order the coilover kit and the cancellation kit together. You give up the factory mode button's control of damping, and you gain the Road & Track adjuster instead.
Same Car, Different Purpose
Take the ND Miata. We list Öhlins Road & Track for 2016 to 2025 ND cars. The same car shows up across other brands we carry, each built around a different idea.
Öhlins Road & Track. Öhlins brings DFV dual-flow valving on Road & Track kits and decades of F1, MotoGP and WRC podium history. It suits the driver who wants one adjuster and a supple street ride.
KW. Our 2016 to 2021 MX-5 incl. RF (ND) KW listing is the KW V3, with rebound and compression adjusted independently. It suits the driver who wants to tune each side of the damping.
Fortune Auto. We list a 2016 to 2024 ND kit. Fortune Auto hand-builds in Virginia with custom valving, so you can talk spring rate and use case with the people building it.
BC Racing. We list a 2016 to 2023 MX-5 Roadster RWD kit. BC Racing builds nitrogen-charged monotube kits, and the BR Series has 30-click simultaneous compression and rebound. Swift Springs SPEC-R springs are an upgrade option on most BC Racing fitments.
Bilstein and TEIN. Bilstein lists a 2016 to 2025 ND B14 PSS kit with fixed damping and adjustable height. TEIN lists the 2016 to 2019 ND, including RF, in Street Basis Z, Street Advance Z, Flex Z and Mono Sport.
None of these is the answer for everyone. Your roads, your track time and how much you like to tinker decide it. Our coilover brand history shows where each of these brands came from.
Living With an Öhlins Kit
Öhlins is a Swedish company, founded in 1976, and its center of gravity sits closer to the track than to pure street lowering. Road & Track is the bridge. Set ride height first, let the springs settle, then get an alignment, because height changes alter camber and toe.
Keep your expectations honest on unsprung weight. That is the mass the springs do not carry: wheel, tire, hub, brakes and part of the arms and damper. Fitting any coilover kit does not cut it by itself. It only drops if a part that moves with the wheel gets lighter.
On warranty, our warranty page lists Öhlins at two years. Check the terms for your kit before you order. Like any performance suspension, plan for service as the miles build.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DFV mean on an Öhlins kit?
DFV stands for Dual Flow Valve. At low shaft speed, oil passes through a bleed in the shaft. At higher speed it flows through the piston ports. On sudden, sharp hits, oil can also escape through extra DFV ports. Öhlins says that adds comfort in compression and keeps the tire on the road in rebound.
Are Öhlins Road & Track coilovers good for daily driving?
That is what the kit is built for. Road & Track targets the car you drive to the track and home again, and DFV is there to keep the ride supple over sharp bumps. Spring rate and your damper setting still shape the ride. Start from the factory setting and adjust a few clicks at a time.
How many adjusters does Öhlins Road & Track have?
Dealers describe one adjuster per damper, at the base of the unit. With DFV, that adjuster moves compression and rebound together. Click counts vary by kit, so use the number in your manual rather than a figure from a forum.
Do Öhlins kits work on cars with EDC, DCC or PASM?
Yes, with a cancellation kit. Öhlins sells these as separate parts. They plug into the factory damper connectors and switch off the warning lamps. We list them for cars such as the BMW F8X M2, M3 and M4, VW Golf MK7/MK8 and Porsche models with PASM. Order both together.
Are Öhlins dampers monotube or twin-tube?
It depends on the kit. Öhlins TTX is a twin-tube design, used on TTX Pro kits. Do not assume one layout across the range. Ask us about the specific kit for your car if the design matters to you.
What warranty does Öhlins carry?
Our warranty information page lists Öhlins at two years. Terms apply; check the page and call us if you plan track use.
Is Öhlins Road & Track the same as DFV Dedicated or TTX Pro?
No. They are separate listings. Road & Track is the street and track-day kit. DFV Dedicated and TTX Pro listings appear for some cars and are aimed at harder track use. Call us and we will walk through which one suits your car and how you drive.
Thinking About Öhlins for Your Car?
Tell us the car, how often it sees a track and what your roads are like. We will confirm the right Öhlins listing and the cancellation kit if you need one. We will also show how it sits next to the other kits for your chassis.
Call 1-800-460-9106 with your VIN. We carry Öhlins, KW, BC Racing, Fortune Auto, Bilstein and TEIN, so the answer is about your car.
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