AST 5300 3-Way Coilovers Explained
AST, family by family
Every 5300 on our list has a 5200 twin for the same car, and on 82 of the 114 the difference is £312, which is the price of splitting compression into two circuits, one for slow movements and one for sharp ones.
So the 5300 question is never really about money. It is about who sets the car up, whether they keep notes, and what the car races on, because a circuit with big kerbs is where high speed compression earns its keep. Cameron's test is blunt: if the answers are "an engineer" and "somewhere bumpy", buy the 5300.
Here is what the three adjusters do, where AST starts them, the cars the 5300 covers, how it compares with the MOTON 3-Way, and a setup log to copy.
- Rebound, low speed compression and high speed compression, all separate
- Rebound on the piston rod, 12 positions
- Small reservoir knob is low speed, large knob is high speed
- AST starts you at rebound 6, low speed 3, high speed 5
- Built like the 5200: inverted on strut cars, remote reservoirs
- Tested by AST at circuits including the Nurburgring and Macau
- Rebuildable, with a 24 month warranty
Three adjusters and what each one does
Rebound sits on the piston rod as on every AST, 12 positions. Compression moves to the reservoir and splits in two: the small knob is low speed, the large knob high speed. Clockwise softens both.
Low speed compression deals with the slow movements of the body: roll as the car turns in, pitch under braking, squat under power. MOTON, who make the other 3-way in the same factory, describe it as the adjuster that controls roll and helps turn in. High speed compression deals with sharp inputs, a kerb or a bump, where the wheel has to move quickly without the body following it.
| Adjuster | Where it is | Positions | AST start setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebound | Top of the piston rod | 12 | 6 |
| Low speed compression | Small knob on the reservoir | 15 in the manual procedure, 14 in the brochure | 3 |
| High speed compression | Large knob on the reservoir | 12 | 5 |
From AST's 5300 manual and 2016 brochure. Start settings apply front and rear.
Built like the 5200
Underneath, the 5300 is the 5200: a high pressure monotube damper, inverted 44.5mm struts on MacPherson cars and non-inverted dampers on double wishbone ones, aluminium threaded bodies, synthetic fluid, spherical bearings top and bottom, and a reservoir on a braided hose. Springs are included, and so are camber front and solid rear top mounts where the car allows. The difference is all at the reservoir.
AST pitches it at the most dedicated enthusiast on the race track, says it has been tested at the Nurburgring, Zandvoort, Imola, Laguna Seca and Macau, and describes it as low maintenance during the season. The AST 5200 guide covers the shared construction in more detail.
Which cars it covers
114 listings, from £3,672 to £8,040, for exactly the same cars as the 5200. The cheapest 5300 on the list is RAC-T6005S, for the TVR Tuscan, which is less than plenty of 5100 kits.
| Make | Listings | Make | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMW | 23 | Mitsubishi | 4 |
| Porsche | 13 | Mazda | 3 |
| Honda | 11 | SEAT | 2 |
| Renault | 8 | Lexus | 1 |
| Subaru | 7 | Skoda | 1 |
| Ford | 7 | Peugeot | 1 |
| Lotus | 6 | Vauxhall/Opel | 1 |
| Toyota | 5 | Mercedes | 1 |
| Nissan | 5 | Fiat/Abarth | 1 |
| Mini | 5 | Hyundai | 1 |
| Audi | 4 | Acura | 1 |
| Volkswagen | 4 | Donkervoort | 1 |
| TVR | 4 |
Every make in the 5300 range. The full list is on the AST 5300 category page.
AST 5300 against MOTON 3-Way
Both are 3-way remote reservoir kits from the same factory, and they split compression differently. The AST gives 14 or 15 positions of low speed and 12 of high speed. The MOTON gives 6 of low speed and 15 of high speed, and 15 of rebound against the AST’s 12. Across the 49 cars both cover, the MOTON typically costs £816 more.
| Car | AST 5300 | Price | MOTON 3-Way | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW M3 E46 | RAC-B1103SD | £5,376 | M 505 154SD | £6,000 |
| Toyota GR Yaris | RAC-T2404SD | £5,988 | M 515 020SD | £5,892 |
| Porsche Cayman 987 | RAC-P2209S | £6,204 | M 500 138S | £7,368 |
| VW Golf Mk7 | RAC-V1903SD | £5,964 | M 532 008SD | £6,000 |
Live prices, inc VAT.
Cameron reads that as a choice of where you want the resolution. More steps of low speed on the AST, for tuning balance and turn in. More steps of high speed on the MOTON, for kerbs and rough surfaces over a long race. Garreth’s view is simpler: on a strut car the inverted AST front is worth having, and on anything built for endurance racing the MOTON was designed for the job.
A setup log to copy
A 3-way is only as good as the notes kept on it. AST sells its own printed track book for exactly this. If you would rather start with a page, this is the minimum worth writing down each session, starting from AST’s settings.
| Corner | Rebound | Low speed | High speed | Ride height | Tyre pressure hot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front left | 6 | 3 | 5 | |||
| Front right | 6 | 3 | 5 | |||
| Rear left | 6 | 3 | 5 | |||
| Rear right | 6 | 3 | 5 |
Change one adjuster, one or two clicks, per session. Write down the circuit, the weather and what the car did.
Before you order
- Body work. Some cars need strut tower changes for the camber top mounts or to fit the reservoirs; the listing says so
- Rear knob extender. A few MINI and BMW rears include an adjust knob extender that needs a 12.5mm hole
- BMW notes. EDC delete kit ordered separately; the kit follows the 3 bolt or 5 bolt top mount; LCI and pre LCI are different kits
- Quick disconnects. Connect every coupling before the car comes down
- Upgrades. AST describes the inverted 5100 and the 5200 as upgradeable to 5300 specification, so ask if you already own one
Common questions
Can a 5300 be used on the road?
It can, with softer compression settings, but AST builds it for the race track, and for a road car that does trackdays, a 5100 or 5200 is the better fit.
How many clicks of low speed compression are there?
AST’s manual procedure gives 15 and its brochure 14, so count from fully clockwise the first time you set it.
Does turning the high speed knob change the low speed setting?
No: the small knob turns with the large one, but AST’s manual says the low speed setting stays where it was.
Is the 5300 the same price as the 5200 for every car?
Not the same, but close: on 82 of 114 cars the 5300 is £312 more.
What warranty does it carry?
AST gives 24 months on coilover kits, and the dampers are rebuildable through the official service centre, Racesport, near Brackley.
Who it suits
A championship car with somebody on the pit wall writing things down is the 5300 customer, and Cameron would not sell one to anyone else without asking a few questions first.
Garreth is more generous: a driver who has lived with a 5200 for a season and keeps asking why the car rides kerbs badly at one circuit and not another is ready for a third adjuster, and for £312 on most cars it is hard to argue with.
The AST range guide shows the whole family, and the MOTON 2-Way guide covers the other side of the factory. Send us the registration and we will find your part number.
Manufacturer reference: AST x MOTON motorsport range. Shop the AST 5300 range.
The rest of the AST and MOTON series: AST Suspension explained, MOTON Suspension explained, AST 5100 explained, MOTON 1-Way Clubracer explained, AST 5200 2-Way explained, MOTON 2-Way explained.
Send us your part number. We will check with AST what it takes to bring your kit to 5300 specification before you buy a new set.
Tell us the car, the championship or trackday calendar, and who sets it up. We will say whether the 5300 earns its money over a 5200, and check reservoir mounting and any body work before you order.
