• Protip: Profile posts are public! Use Conversations to message other members privately. Everyone can see the content of a profile post.

Sakebomb Garage Ohlins DFV Coilover Review

Joined
6 August 2012
Messages
73
My background. My NSX is a 1991 with 34k miles on original OEM suspension. I have 3-4 days worth of track experience and a basic understanding of suspension theory and very little suspension tuning experience. I am posting this review to share my experience and build on the information available on NSX Prime.

I have owned the following suspension setups:

1995 Integra SE
OEM
Tokico Illuminas on OEM springs and Eibach Sport springs
Toni Yellow on Eibach Sport springs

2000 Accord EX V6
OEM
Tein Basics

2009 Porsche 911 C4S with Sport suspension option

Thoughts on OEM suspension. Unsurprisingly I did not like the OEM suspension on my 1991. The only time it felt good was on the highway when the road was smooth. Otherwise on bad roads it was harsh and rolled excessively. Lots of understeer. The word that always to my mind to describe the experience was wooden. No wonder coilovers were the first thing I changed on my NSX.


What I was looking for. I wanted the balance of performance and comfort/refinement you would find in the Honda R/Porsche GT/BMW M products of today. Streetable enough for road trips, more than enough performance for the canyon run, enough performance for track use. I also wanted something that was ready to go out of the box, tuned and setup by people who are suspension experts experienced with the NSX chassis.


What I cross shopped. KW V3 including Clubsport version and JRZ RS2. Briefly considered the RS Pro before realizing it would be overkill and too much coilover for me to install, learn and figure out. If I had not gotten the Ohlins I would have gotten the KWs Clubsports I know the JRZs are the superior coilover but too many of RYU’s posts indicated a lot of time and energy needed to get them where he was happy with them.


Why I chose the Sakebomb Garage Ohlins Coilover. Maybe it’s just marketing magic but a part of me is drawn to the Ohlins brand. Beyond that irrational part of me, I had read many reviews on Porsche/BMW forums who loved their Ohlins for their ability to be stiff, compliant and silent due to the DFV technology. The KW’s had reports of leaking shocks and noise. I also didn’t care of the spring rates being equal front to back, although that could be have been changed for more money.


I wanted a Ohlins DFV setup before I even heard of Sakebomb Garage. I search and searched but nobody made a Ohlins setup for the NSX. I saw a post from Italy a few years back and that was it. It was only after watching a Zygrene review on Youtube did I hear SBG was working on a setup for the NSX.

The appealing aspects of the SBG Coilovers.


DFV. The promise of performance with comfort/refinement.

Spring rates. Same as the NSXR. I have no logic behind this other the NSXR is known for amazing handling and Honda chose these rates for a reason.

Recommended by Ohlins USA. I called Ohlins USA to see if there was a company local to me who I could collaborate with because I’m in LA and SBG is in the SF Area. Having the shop who tuned my dampeners close by seemed like a good idea. When the Ohlins rep asked me what car I drove, the first words out of his mouth were to call SBG. He said he had worked very closely with SBG to develop the coilovers using NSX chassis data.

Long Stroke dampeners. I knew dampener length was an issue on the S2000 and suspected this was probably the reason why nobody had come out with a NSX kit until now.

I hesitated in buying for the following reasons.

Price. At $3900 is about 1200-1300 more than a set of KW’s or JRZs. And there’s less adjustment than the KW’s. However you do get aluminum fully floating top hats and spherical bearings. So maybe more comparable to the KW Clubsports.

Spherical bearings. Everything I had read so far indicated spherical bearings were noisy. Heath reassured me the bearings on the SBG Ohlins were silent but I had my doubts. The reason he gave me was the bearings were needed to reduce the hysteresis of the system needed to fine tune the Ohlins dampener.

Scarcity of reviews. I was able to make contact with David Muy who gave me his overwhelmingly positive thoughts. But that’s it, 1 review. I’m not really in to being on the cutting edge with purchases involving substantial money and installation time.

Ultimately I decided the potential upsides outweighed the downsides and ordered a set.


Installation. I’ve worked on Hondas quite a bit and done all my suspension installs. However this was the first time I worked on my NSX and was a bit nervous. Installation fortunately was easy once I figured out on the NSX Prime Bilstein install guide how to drop my coilovers. Heath helped out quite a bit and provided useful tips. No installation guide is provided so you have to have a good idea of what you are doing. Coilovers came assembled which greatly simplified installation and provided me the confidence the coilovers had been assembled properly.

Thoughts.

Appearance and build quality: Coilovers look gorgeous and ooze quality. Candy of course because they soon will be covered with dirt and road tar. The SBG bracket for the brake line looks to be of high quality.

Weight. Saved about 20 lbs all around.

Comfort. I’m seriously impressed. I had serious doubts about whether my expectations would be met. The OEM suspension on my 911 is well reviewed on Rennlist as being hard to to improve on. To me it always had a harshness to it that I didn’t care for even though the handling otherwise was outstanding. My test for harshness is going over railroad tracks at 25-40 mph and the suspension didn’t crash or bounce with the SBG Ohlins. And this is at 5/20 clicks away from full stiff.

Handling. Car is not aligned yet so these are preliminary thoughts. Understeer is dramatically reduced, unsurprisingly. I expected this at a minimum from any coilover setup I was going to get. Much more responsive, again unsurprising given the huge increase in spring rate. Car is way more fun and takes corners like a NSX should.

Noise. None so far. Way quieter than my OEM setup which probably had worn bushings.

Service. Has been great from SBG. Responsive and available, service that is hard to get nowadays.

Adjustments. The weakest point by far. The adjusters are at the top of the coilover and at the front are too short and just level with the engine compartment trim making it hard to grip and rotate the adjustment. It’s even for the rear worse for the rear because the adjusters are too tall and almost make contact with the rear engine hatch trim/garnish. I don't see how I can turn the adjuster without removing the 7 phillips screws each time. A short adjuster that could be rotated with a flat blade screwdriver would be have been ideal.

Final Impression. Very happy to have found a product that has met my high expectations so far. Can’t wait to get the car aligned and take it to the canyons/track.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the thorough report. I’ll look forward to any thoughts you have after some more time with them. They are on my short list now.
 

I wanted a Ohlins DFV setup before I even heard of Sakebomb Garage. I search and searched but nobody made a Ohlins setup for the NSX. I saw a post from Italy a few years back and that was it. It was only after watching a Zygrene review on Youtube did I hear SBG was working on a setup for the NSX.....

.....Recommended by Ohlins USA. I called Ohlins USA to see if there was a company local to me who I could collaborate with because I’m in LA and SBG is in the SF Area. Having the shop who tuned my dampeners close by seemed like a good idea. When the Ohlins rep asked me what car I drove, the first words out of his mouth were to call SBG. He said he had worked very closely with SBG to develop the coilovers using NSX chassis data......


Hello Rainman

Firstly, thanks for writing a clear review. I appreciate your break down into different topics.

Your post came at a good time because I am in the market for an upgrade. Similar to you, I have heard fabulous things about Ohlins. So, do not be surprise if I have a lot of questions for you. :)

(1) I am astonished that Ohlins does not have a specific kits for our cars. While you were on the call with Ohlins USA customer service, did they mention why?
(2) Glad to hear that SBG has a solution for us. You mentioned that Ohlins worked closely with SBG. Do you know the details about their collaboration?
(3) From the SBG website, it sounds like the shocks came from the S2000 kit. Is that correct?
(4) Pardon, who is Heath?
(5) Can you take some photos? You have to show them off while they are still fresh and clean. :D I am curious about the fitment, especially with the floating top hat and the brake line bracket that you mentioned.
(6) What ride height did you set your car to?
(7) Are the adjustments that noticeable? (too bad they are hard to get to) I also had Tokico Illuminas on a past car. They served their purpose well, but I did not see a huge difference between the 5 clicks of the Tokico. It is silly to compare Tokico to Ohlins, but please humor me with your experience between the clicks.
(8) You mentioned that your goal was to have performance and comfort. That seems to be a difficult goal since it is usually one or the other, unless there is some magic involved. Based on your experience, does your setup support more of the comfort side or the performance side? To me comfort is more important, would you recommend this setup?

Thanks!!
 
Last edited:
Congratulations and nice review!

I'm glad [MENTION=20915]RYU[/MENTION] suggested I look into the Ohlins DFVs a few years ago. Like you, I began doing my internet research in the S2000, BMW, and Porsche forums where folks were ditching the KWs and going to these. Any old S2000 complaints were due to having to use the short-stroke version and hitting the bumpstops. Ohlins just recently (earlier this year) released their generic long-stroke DFV dampener. Other than that, the general consensus is that these are your best option for a street vehicle with occasional track days. Of course, you'll pay a little more, but these are excellent quality shocks made in Japan.

Three years ago I had to call corporate Ohlins in NC to find someone that could provide a DFV kit for our NSX. Back then, I guess SakeBomb wasn't around and their only recommendation was Performance Shock, Inc. The Sakebomb kit looks very professional with the colored springs to match and the new top hats.

I'm not sponsored by or receive discounts from any of the companies mentioned in this thread, but I hope more people buy these. Having sampled the DFVs on a few performance BMWs, I can say they are a great investment a great platform like the NSX deserves.

Enjoy!
 
america is so brand conscious...I think ohlins is hurting themselves with a name such as sakebomb...without knowing anything I would think it is some cheap knockoff system you would see in superstreet ...:confused:
 
america is so brand conscious...I think ohlins is hurting themselves with a name such as sakebomb...without knowing anything I would think it is some cheap knockoff system you would see in superstreet ...:confused:

Sakebomb is the vendor selling this kit, but yeah, I always thought it was a poor choice for a business name. Then, if you look at their Youtube videos the shop and office settings were a cluttered dirty mess. Of course, the MotoIQ shop is like that too.

However, you can't argue they know how to pick quality vendors and adapt their products to select performance crowds. I think they told me they are now working on a nice AP BBK for the NSX. Ohlins and AP parts for our NSX? Very nice. I hope they keep up the good work.
 
Last edited:
gotcha thanks for the clarification....If I were an exotic dancer I might choose sakebomb as my "professional"
name:tongue:
 
I think they told me they are now working on a nice AP BBK for the NSX. Ohlins and AP parts for our NSX? Very nice. I hope they keep up the good work.

The Sakebomb Ohlins Kit looks very promising! Reviews like the one from Rainman are a big help to all of us! Thanks [MENTION=27647]Rainman[/MENTION]
When time comes to change my KW setup this will be a setup i will consider for sure!

Regarding the AP BBK, if Sakebomb can offer complete F/R setup with the correct NSX bias, that can be fitted inside 17/18 wheels, i will be interested for sure! (e-brake would be a big plus for me).
 
Last edited:
However, you can't argue they know how to pick quality vendors and adapt their products to select performance crowds. I think they told me they are now working on a nice AP BBK for the NSX. Ohlins and AP parts for our NSX? Very nice. I hope they keep up the good work.

It's good to hear there are some new vendors making parts for our cars.
 
Thanks for the review. Some pictures of the setup would be nice.

I was on the fence as well for the Ohlins as I wanted the exact same things you did. However, what turned me off was the price point they had these at compared to their S2000 offerings. If I remembered correctly, these were originally meant for the s2k but adjusted for NSX application so i couldn't understand the markup. Yes, I know the NSX application is limited but I believe the Ohlins are about $2000 for the s2000.
 
Regarding the AP BBK, if Sakebomb can offer complete F/R setup with the correct NSX bias, that can be fitted inside 17/18 wheels, i will be interested for sure! (e-brake would be a big plus for me).

You mean like Stoptech already does . . . .
 
You mean like Stoptech already does . . . .

Yes, like Stoptech does... but other options are always welcome :wink:

Stoptech is good kit for sure, but in my book there are some aspects that a new kit could develop further:

- on the paper, in my opinion, the brake bias on Stoptech kit is a bit to much to the front (probably safer option) but i would like a BBK that would be closer in terms of bias to the 97+ OEM setup that shifted the bias a bit more to the rear when compared to the 91-96 setup. Modified cars with stiffer suspension and meatier tires (especially on the rear) could use a bit more rear brake bias

- Stoptech Calipers + rotors have been on the market for long time now, and industry have come with more advanced (lighter, stiffer) calipers/rotors

- Stoptech E-brake/parking brake doesn't have the best repotation... and this is a major problem here in my country (Portugal - Europe) for the car to pass MOT
 
Last edited:
I would think more rear brake bias (even with stiffer suspension and meatier tires) would promote early rear lockup under heavy (track) braking. Street braking probably would not be an issue. The one thing ST did do well was to engineer their calipers with similarly sized pistons as OEM. This makes for good compatibility with the OEM master cylinder without the need to move to a larger unit. Need a stiffer caliper ? - look at the Trophy line. Their forged calipers are 20% lighter than their ST-40 calipers. I don't know how you would make a steel rotor lighter without making it smaller or thinner. Not what you would want for the track.

No issues with my e-brake. I have read where early production units were not fully satisfactory. I know they re-engineered the e-brake. Mine is only 3 years old so I believe I have a re-engineered unit.

All I can say is the ST kit I have on my car is fantastic on the track. Probably more brake than I need given the car's weight, the track I drive and my terminal speed at the end of the straights. Moving to a more race oriented pad compound would likely help on tracks with longer straights. In the end more competition usually promotes better products so I'd love to see others like AP get into the NSX market. Just not sure if it would be cost effective to do so.

Sorry for the thread jack - now back to your regularly scheduled Ohlins DFV review. I'll chime in to say my MCS setup is killer. Definitely should be on anyone's short list.
 
Last edited:
I would think more rear brake bias (even with stiffer suspension and meatier tires) would promote early rear lockup under heavy (track) braking.

This is true, but i was thinking about getting close to OEM 97+ bias (also the same bias used on 02+ NSX-R). IF your fronts lockup before the rear is at full brake capacity, you will be loosing braking power and your ABS will be doing the work of balancing the brakes F/R.

The one thing ST did do well was to engineer their calipers with similarly sized pistons as OEM.

That is true when compared to 91-96 pistons sizes, but back in 1997 Honda reduced front pistons (36/40 to 34/40) and enlarged the rear piston (42,5 to 48) when brakes were upgraded on the NSX.

This makes for good compatibility with the OEM master cylinder without the need to move to a larger unit.

True, but the master can accommodate slight increase in the rear as Honda changed rear piston from 42,5 to 48mm without changing the master.

Need a stiffer caliper ? - look at the Trophy line. Their forged calipers are 20% lighter than their ST-40 calipers.

I like Trophy Line, but AP Racing Radi-CAL Caliper is quite impressive... it all depends on what SBG can put together...



I don't know how you would make a steel rotor lighter without making it smaller or thinner. Not what you would want for the track.

Some good information on rotors evolution here (take a look on PFC "V3 Disc Technology" It is not AP Racing, but industry don't stop...):

https://pfcbrakes.com/Products/Rotors


No issues with my e-brake. I have read where early production units were not fully satisfactory. I know they re-engineered the e-brake. Mine is only 3 years old so I believe I have a re-engineered unit.

Thanks for your feedback, this for me is very important as i want my car to stay road legal

All I can say is the kit I have on my car is fantastic on the track. Probably more brake than I need given the car's weight, the track I drive and my terminal speed at the end of the straights. Moving to a more race oriented pad compound would likely help on tracks with longer straights.

Don't get me wrong, for me Stoptech is one of the best options (price/performance) for the NSX, and if i was to buy a BBK today i would probably go with Stoptech! Just would like to see other options, especially when we are talking about a brand like AP Racing...

In the end more competition usually promotes better products so I'd love to see others like AP get into the NSX market. Just not sure if it would be cost effective to do so.

Well... this probably is the biggest true... unfortunatly for rare cars like the NSX, when developing a well engineered product, costs are a problem... but if SBG is able to offer this nice Ohlins Setup... maybe they will come with something good for the AP Racing BBK :cool:

Sorry for the thread jack - now back to your regularly scheduled Ohlins DFV review. I'll chime in to say my MCS setup is killer. Definitely should be on anyone's short list.

Sorry the OP for derailing the thread, and thanks both the OP and you for the shared information.
 
Thanks for the review. Some pictures of the setup would be nice.
......If I remembered correctly, these were originally meant for the s2k but adjusted for NSX application so i couldn't understand the markup....

HAHA, I think Rainman has been too busy driving his car to take photos and answer questions. Must be a sign of good things. :D

shingli2k - I also noticed that it appears to be using S2000 shocks with NSX adaptors to fit our cars. I am not a suspension expert, but I can't image it is that "simple" to develop a suspension kit. There has to be more too it....so my research continues...

Here is an interesting read (see link)
http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?13493-merry-OHLINS-guys!-nsx-with-ohlins-suspension

The thread dies off towards the end, but there are photos. Allow me to give you a summary:
- A company, similar to SBG, created a kit using S2000 shocks with NSX adaptor mounts.
- Seems like more thought was put into SBG adaptors. (my personal observations)
- Their study showed that the NSX rear suspension had a longer travel than the S2000.
- The 50/50 vs 40/60 weight distribution was highlighted in their study. For this reason, it appears that the shocks had unique valving for the NSX application and not a direct S2K swap.
- Lots of rubber mounts, which should result in a quieter ride. Would SGB be noisier over time?
- No real updates since 2016. Not sure what that means. Lost interests or hiding something?
 
Last edited:
Without a doubt they have done more than just adapt the s2000 application to fit. I dont know the specifics but I would assume they messed with the valving and possibly spring rates? I dont know for sure though but those things dont add up to 2x the original cost of the suspension IMO. You're essentially using the same components.

As for the brake discussion, I saw somewhere that Stoptech is coming out with updated calipers with improvements that looks to be above Trophy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TSnPROLgag
 
1. I didn't ask but I always assumed it's because of the age of the car. I also get the impression Ohlins products are more motorsport focused and they are just now moving more into the enthusiast market.
2. Don't know the details. I know they went back and forth on the NSX chassis data and sent dampeners back and forth for valving.
3. I don't know if the dampeners came from the S2000 kit. Wouldn't be surprised if that was the case; same dampeners but valved for each chassis.
4. Heath is one of the people at SBG.
5. I'm going to take some photos when I get ride height, corner balance and alignment done at West End Alignment next Tuesday.
6. I haven't set the ride height yet.
7. I haven't played with the adjustments yet. From reviews around the internet, there is enough of a difference that full stiff can be too stiff even on the track and full soft can be too soft for the street if that makes sense.
8. Depends on your definition of comfort. There is enough comfort that I could see doing a road trip without issue or DD it without being annoyed. There is nothing cushy about the ride though. The closet analogy would be a comfortable OEM bucket seat like those in the NSX-R or modern Porsches. I would definitely recommend this setup for comfort. Felt more comfortable than a NSX JRZ setup I've driven before.

Hello Rainman

Firstly, thanks for writing a clear review. I appreciate your break down into different topics.

Your post came at a good time because I am in the market for an upgrade. Similar to you, I have heard fabulous things about Ohlins. So, do not be surprise if I have a lot of questions for you. :)

(1) I am astonished that Ohlins does not have a specific kits for our cars. While you were on the call with Ohlins USA customer service, did they mention why?
(2) Glad to hear that SBG has a solution for us. You mentioned that Ohlins worked closely with SBG. Do you know the details about their collaboration?
(3) From the SBG website, it sounds like the shocks came from the S2000 kit. Is that correct?
(4) Pardon, who is Heath?
(5) Can you take some photos? You have to show them off while they are still fresh and clean. :D I am curious about the fitment, especially with the floating top hat and the brake line bracket that you mentioned.
(6) What ride height did you set your car to?
(7) Are the adjustments that noticeable? (too bad they are hard to get to) I also had Tokico Illuminas on a past car. They served their purpose well, but I did not see a huge difference between the 5 clicks of the Tokico. It is silly to compare Tokico to Ohlins, but please humor me with your experience between the clicks.
(8) You mentioned that your goal was to have performance and comfort. That seems to be a difficult goal since it is usually one or the other, unless there is some magic involved. Based on your experience, does your setup support more of the comfort side or the performance side? To me comfort is more important, would you recommend this setup?

Thanks!!
 
america is so brand conscious...I think ohlins is hurting themselves with a name such as sakebomb...without knowing anything I would think it is some cheap knockoff system you would see in superstreet ...:confused:

I can see what you mean, Sakebomb is definitely a young name. I would call it a specialist vendor that supports specific cars that also choses and tunes products well.
 
Sadly just super busy with work and life in general.

Regarding the SBG AP racing kit, I was excited when I saw that. The AP Racing Radi-Cal calipers look very nice. However I have a lot of hesitation about the kit.
1. No rear kit.
2. No parking brake.
3. Not much wheel fitment data; the gold standard for aftermarket caliper and wheel fitment data on the forums is the Stoptech kit.
4. The Stoptech is widely reviewed kit and proven.
5. Brakes don't involve comfort and feel to nearly the extent of coilovers, less to be gained here from an improved kit.

So even if the AP racing calipers had better performance there are too many practical shortcomings. I'm pretty sure the Stoptech kit will have more than enough performance for me. The new C series of calipers look beautiful and are half the weight. Plus I love how the logo on the caliper looks. But I haven't seen anything on about them on the Stoptech site. My biggest concern is that when I get the Stoptech kit, they will come out with a new kit with the C series of calipers.

HAHA, I think Rainman has been too busy driving his car to take photos and answer questions. Must be a sign of good things. :D

shingli2k - I also noticed that it appears to be using S2000 shocks with NSX adaptors to fit our cars. I am not a suspension expert, but I can't image it is that "simple" to develop a suspension kit. There has to be more too it....so my research continues...

Here is an interesting read (see link)
http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?13493-merry-OHLINS-guys!-nsx-with-ohlins-suspension

The thread dies off towards the end, but there are photos. Allow me to give you a summary:
- A company, similar to SBG, created a kit using S2000 shocks with NSX adaptor mounts.
- Seems like more thought was put into SBG adaptors. (my personal observations)
- Their study showed that the NSX rear suspension had a longer travel than the S2000.
- The 50/50 vs 40/60 weight distribution was highlighted in their study. For this reason, it appears that the shocks had unique valving for the NSX application and not a direct S2K swap.
- Lots of rubber mounts, which should result in a quieter ride. Would SGB be noisier over time?
- No real updates since 2016. Not sure what that means. Lost interests or hiding something?
 
I the base kit on the S2k doesn't come with spherical bearings, aluminum top hats. That closes gap quite a bit. The remainder is because the NSX kit is lower volume so I imagine needs higher profit margins.

Without a doubt they have done more than just adapt the s2000 application to fit. I dont know the specifics but I would assume they messed with the valving and possibly spring rates? I dont know for sure though but those things dont add up to 2x the original cost of the suspension IMO. You're essentially using the same components.

As for the brake discussion, I saw somewhere that Stoptech is coming out with updated calipers with improvements that looks to be above Trophy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TSnPROLgag
 
Yeah, I dont think their standard kit comes with the top hats.. those are 2100.

Their upgraded long stroke for the s2000 comes with all the bells and whistles including new spring rates and tuned valving and that is ~3000.
 
Hello Rainman
Thanks for coming back and responding to all the recent posts. Nice of you to address each question.
Hopefully your schedule cools down soon so that you can drive your car. No good having it just sit in the garage. ;)

Do please take some photos and share. We're anxious to see them. Also, feel free to give us updates as you put some more miles on the car.
 
Back
Top