Ohlins R33/R34 Skyline GT-R Coilover Review & Specs

If you own an R33 or R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R, the Ohlins Road & Track coilover (part number NIS MI10S1) is the suspension upgrade most owners eventually land on. It is a monotube, mostly-aluminum coilover built around Ohlins' Dual Flow Valve (DFV) damping, and it fits every 1995–2002 GT-R — BCNR33 and BNR34 alike. At NLP Performance in Tampa, FL, it is the coilover we recommend first when a customer wants one setup that behaves on the street on Monday and holds a line at the track on Saturday. Below we break down the specs, the DFV technology, the supporting arms your lowered GT-R needs, and how it stacks up against the alternatives.

What Makes the Ohlins Road & Track Coilover Special for a Skyline GT-R?

The Ohlins Road & Track coilover is a factory-engineered, application-specific system for the R33/R34 GT-R rather than a universal kit forced to fit. It uses a monotube damper with a large oil volume for consistent heat management, a mostly-aluminum body that keeps unsprung weight down, and a spring package tuned specifically for the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive GT-R chassis: 90 N/mm (roughly 514 lb/in) up front and 80 N/mm (roughly 457 lb/in) at the rear. Ride height is adjustable independent of spring preload via the lower mount, and Ohlins suggests a starting drop of about 15mm front and rear so the car sits lower without wrecking geometry or ride quality.

Unlike disposable budget coilovers, the Ohlins units are fully rebuildable and re-valveable. When the dampers eventually wear, you send them in for a service instead of buying new — a big deal on a 20-plus-year-old collector car you plan to keep. They ship with a 2-year warranty and are built in Sweden. Pricing sits around the $3,000 mark, which puts them at the premium end, but the resale and long-term serviceability justify it for a GT-R.

What Is Ohlins DFV (Dual Flow Valve) Technology?

DFV, or Dual Flow Valve, is Ohlins' patented damping valve that separates low-speed and high-speed oil flow so the same damper can be both comfortable and controlled. In plain terms: it firms up body roll and dive during hard cornering and braking (low-speed shaft movement) while staying supple over sharp road impacts and curbs (high-speed shaft movement). That is why one setting on an R33/R34 GT-R can feel civilized on Tampa's rough streets yet stay flat through a fast sweeper.

The system is temperature-compensated as well, so damping stays consistent whether the oil is cold on a morning commute or hot after ten laps. A single external adjuster (the gold knob on each damper) tunes the overall firmness across all four corners, moving the car from a comfortable road tune to a stiffer track tune in seconds — no tools, no re-valve. For a heavy AWD car like the GT-R, that consistency is worth more than a huge click count you will never fully use.

How Much Do the Ohlins Coilovers Lower an R33/R34 GT-R?

Ohlins' suggested starting point is roughly a 15mm drop front and rear, which tightens the fender gap and lowers the center of gravity without rolling the R33/R34 GT-R into camber and bump-steer problems. Because ride height is set at the lower mount and is independent of spring preload, you can go lower or higher from there and still keep proper spring preload and damper stroke. The BNR34 and BCNR33 both use a multi-link suspension at both axles, so even a modest drop changes static camber and toe — which is exactly why the supporting arms below matter.

For a street car, the 15mm baseline plus a corner-balance and alignment is usually the sweet spot. For track use, GT-R owners commonly run up to around 4.5 degrees of negative front camber and about 1.5 degrees rear; you cannot reach those numbers safely on the factory arms once the car is lowered, so adjustable geometry becomes mandatory rather than optional.

Complete the Setup: The Adjustable Arms Your Lowered GT-R Needs

Coilovers alone do not fix alignment. Once you drop an R33/R34 GT-R, the rear gains negative camber and the front loses caster, and the OEM arms have no adjustment to dial it back. SPL Parts makes hardened, spherical-bearing arms specifically for the R32/R33/R34 Skyline chassis so your alignment shop can actually hit target numbers. These are the three we install alongside the Ohlins on nearly every GT-R suspension job.

Driving an R32 GT-R? Here Is the Right Ohlins Kit

The R33/R34 kit (NIS MI10S1) does not fit the earlier R32. Ohlins builds a dedicated Road & Track coilover for the 1989–1994 BNR32 GT-R (part number NIU MU00S1) using the same DFV monotube technology and rebuildable aluminum construction, tuned for the R32's shorter wheelbase. If you have an R32, order that version — the SPL rear camber arms and solid diff bushings above still apply, since they cover R32 through R34.

Ohlins vs the R33/R34 GT-R Suspension Alternatives

Here is how the Ohlins coilover stacks up against the supporting arms and the R32 sibling kit, so you can see where each part fits into a complete GT-R suspension build. The coilover is the foundation; the SPL arms make its geometry usable once you are lowered.

Installation & Fitment Notes for the R33/R34 GT-R

Budget a full day for a proper install and, critically, an alignment afterward. The Ohlins Road & Track kit is a direct bolt-in for the R33/R34 GT-R with no cutting, and it retains the factory upper mounting points. Plan to set your target ride height, then corner-balance the car with driver weight and a full tank simulated so the ATTESA AWD system sees even loads. Once height is set, install the SPL rear camber arms and (on R32/R33) the front tension rods before the alignment so the shop can reach modern GT-R specs instead of stock tolerances.

A few practical tips from our shop: seized 20-year-old suspension hardware is common, so soak fasteners ahead of time; check your ATTESA lines and rear driveshaft boots while everything is apart; and start with the DFV knob near the middle of its range, then adjust in small steps after a test drive. Because the dampers are rebuildable, keep the service in mind at high mileage rather than replacing the whole kit — that is a large part of the long-term value on a GT-R.