Introducing the new Road & Track suspension for Mercedes A45 AMG. Backed by 45+ years of experience from the racing world and our expertise in developing advanced suspension technology, the Öhlins Road & Track line demonstrates our ability to engineer the ultimate suspension package for driving enthusiasts.

The Road & Track suspension for Mercedes A45 AMG features our patented Dual Flow Valve (DFV) technology to enhance chassis control, providing a refined ride quality that is unsurpassed by OE and the aftermarket. You can experience the handling of a racecar without compromising comfort and safety, whether you’re commuting to work or enjoying a track day on the weekend.

To help you achieve the right look and feedback, the suspension is height adjustable and equipped with adjustable damping control. Each of the dampers can be adjusted individually and come with a wide range of adjustment options, totaling more than 20 defined clicks. The systems feature a monotube damper structure with inline dividing piston for heightened response, strengthened inverted struts and lightweight aluminum shocks to aid in cooling.

With the Öhlins Road & Track suspension, you can expect superior ride quality, comfort, and safety – wherever your drive takes you. The combination of premium features and fine-tuning options come together and form the ultimate suspension package to take your Mercedes A45 AMG to the next level of performance.

What is DFV?

It is Dual Flow Valve technology – and it sets us apart from our competitors

With DFV, the dual flow valve gives the same characteristics on rebound as it does on compression, thanks to the damper fluid having a consistent path of flow in both ­directions. This means that the wheel and tyre can quickly and effectively resume their important position back on the ground, providing grip and traction. The new Öhlins R&T range uses DFV technology on every single fitment, making it the perfect upgrade for the enthusiast that needs comfort and agility in the one unit.

Benefits of DFV

Because DFV opens more quickly and easily on minor road imperfections, ride comfort is surprisingly supple and more akin to an OEM strut than a coilover set-up. Over undulating surfaces, the compliancy of the R&T units allows the car to crest bumps and pot-holes, whilst still keep stable and in control. Traction is always maintained at its optimum level. When comparing suspension, why settle for second best?

How It Works

Figure 1: (Compression flow)

At low shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the shaft jet bleed (lower dotted arrow). At higher shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the compression ports in the piston (upper dotted arrow). At very high shaft speeds, or during sudden shaft accelerations, oil can also escape through the compression ports in the DFV, increasing comfort.

Figure 2: (Rebound flow)

At low shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the shaft jet bleed (lower dotted arrow). At higher shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the rebound ports in the piston (upper dotted arrow). At very high shaft speeds, or during sudden shaft accelerations, oil can also escape through the rebound ports in the DFV, maintaining tyre contact with the road.

Vehicle without DFV

Without DFV the oil can not flow through the piston quickly enough on the rebound stroke after hitting a bump, so the tyre is not able to stay in contact with the road.

Vehicle with DFV technique

The DFV valve opens, letting the oil flow quicker through the piston on the rebound stroke after hitting a bump, enabling the tyre to stay in contact with the road.

Other features

When adjusting ride height on coilover units, it’s worth comparing how it’s done. On many inferior designs, height is adjusted by raising or lowering the lower spring platform. This has the effect of compressing or extending the spring, which can limit the suspension travel that may cause topping out. The Öhlins method is to leave the spring seat in its perfect position, whilst the lower flange spins easily on the threaded body, to allow you to adjust with absolute precision whilst maintaining the perfect characteristics that we took so long to design in! Once you’ve set it all up, the adjuster simply locks off to maintain your exact settings.

These kits all work well 'out of the box', but there’s still plenty of adjustment for you to set things your way. You like stiff and reactive? Or soft and forgiving? It’s all there. Too much low speed rebound damping can have an adverse effect on grip, so the easily accessible adjuster at the base of the Öhlins units allows small, but positive increments of fine tuning, so you can take into account every single parameter. Sounds complicated? Nothing could be further for the truth. Just a few clicks either way from our factory settings will soon have your car responding precisely to your inputs and driving style.

The Road & Track McPherson struts also feature camber adjustable upper and ­lower mounts to give you the possibility to fine tune your wheels for the right ­occasion – whether you want to go for a ride in your neighborhood or take your car for a spin at the track on a weekend.

Thermal Expansion

Dampers will get hot. That’s one thing that you can be sure of. As the piston moves within the damper, it generates friction – and therefore, heat. Although we can’t stop heat, we can deal with it, and this is yet another way that Öhlins differs from the ­competition. As the heat increases, the viscosity of the damper fluid can change, altering the car’s handling characteristics. Our unique needle bleed valve expands with temperature, closing the gap that the fluid travels through, maintaining a ­consistent damping rate. The best thing of all? You won’t even notice! All you’ll feel is that the car responds consistently, lap after lap, turn after turn. Allowing you to concentrate on braking points and apexes whilst the Öhlins technology takes care of the damping.