Öhlins Shock Spring 160 N/mm / 170 mm / Ø 46 mm
02 · Data & docs

The facts.

Technical data
BrandÖhlins
Part Number66517-160
Spring Rate160 N/mm
Free Length170 mm
Inner Diameter46 mm
Stroke67 mm
ConstructionStraight
FinishPowder-coated yellow
Country of OriginSweden
DescriptionThe whole story▼

Öhlins part number 66517-160 is a shock absorber spring rated at 160 N/mm, 170 mm long with a 46 mm inner diameter. The damper can only control the spring it is given; the wrong rate makes every click a compromise.

Key Features

  • Powder-coated yellow
  • Inner diameter 46 mm
  • 67 mm of usable stroke
  • Free length 170 mm
  • Measured spring rate 160 N/mm
  • Straight-wound, constant rate
  • Öhlins part number 66517-160

Why the Rate Holds

Öhlins sets a baseline for each part number on the machine it was developed on, so it works before anything is adjusted. Every unit is dyno-tested against the curve held for its part number, not sampled from a batch. Materials read unremarkably on paper — aluminium, steel, nitrogen — and the difference lies in how precisely they are made.

Size and Rate

At 170 mm free length and 46 mm inner diameter, this spring is dimensionally interchangeable with anything of the same size — the rate is what makes it a different part.

What This Rate Does

Firm rates trade some small-bump comfort for support — the right trade on a good surface at speed. If the suspension bottoms out or the geometry collapses under load, this is the direction to go. Support under braking improves; small-bump comfort gives a little back. Road surfaces are the hardest test of a spring rate, because the fork has to cope with both a smooth stretch and a broken one.

Rate and the Linkage

Two riders 20 kg apart on the same motorcycle genuinely need different rates, not different clicks. Rear spring rate sets ride height and static sag, and those two decide the chassis attitude before any damping click matters. Progressive springs change rate through the stroke, which suits machines with little travel and a lot of load.

Applications

The safest way to choose is by static sag: set the target figure, and the rate follows from whether you can reach it with preload. A workshop will pick this spring from its dimensions and the rider's weight, not from a fitment table. Rather than a model list, use the measurements: a fork that accepts this diameter and length is a candidate, and the rate follows from rider weight.

Fitting

Öhlins supplies a setting sheet with the springs; the numbers on it assume the specified oil. Torque the fork caps to the manufacturer's figure; the springs change nothing about the assembly torque. Both legs are done together, and both take the same rate.

Road Approval

Road approval: none is issued for springs as such — they replace an existing component of the same function. Any model-specific approval is listed under Applications.

Fitting and Setup Service

Fitting matters as much as the part. We are an authorised Öhlins service centre and carry out installation, servicing and setup ourselves — get in touch and we will arrange it alongside your order.

Specifications

  • Brand: Öhlins
  • Part Number: 66517-160
  • Spring Rate: 160 N/mm
  • Free Length: 170 mm
  • Inner Diameter: 46 mm
  • Stroke: 67 mm
  • Construction: Straight
  • Finish: Powder-coated yellow
  • Country of Origin: Sweden
FitmentWhich bikes this fits▼
    07 · Support

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