TEIN or not?

[VENOM]

Im in the market for some suspension. I just wanted to get some of your input help to choose the right set-up. Im not sure if buying the Tein Type-flex is worth it for me. My car is a daily driven car/weekend car. Its a 99 Spyder GST, its not going to be a badass track/auto cross car, I may bring it a few times but not much at all. Im looking for the suspension to support atleast 400whp. I mght also be doing a awd conversion this winter. Im looking a for a good set-up, something the will LAST. I was looking at the Type-Flex but think that it wouldnt be worth it. Then I was thinking about just getting the Illuminas/Eibach Pro set-up but Ive seen the eibachs end up shagging. Then I was thinking about just getting the Tein SS. Before I make my decision I wanted to see what you guys had to say. And yes I have searched everything about the Tein products on here. THats why I have changed my mind on the Type Flex, I dont think I need 16 levels of damping on street use, but the SS are at a decent price. But I might buy the pillow ball upper mounts. Thanks guys.

 

[definitiveno]

Im in the market for some suspension. I just wanted to get some of your input help to choose the right set-up. Im not sure if buying the Tein Type-flex is worth it for me. My car is a daily driven car/weekend car. Its a 99 Spyder GST, its not going to be a badass track/auto cross car, I may bring it a few times but not much at all. Im looking for the suspension to support atleast 400whp. I mght also be doing a awd conversion this winter. Im looking a for a good set-up, something the will LAST. I was looking at the Type-Flex but think that it wouldnt be worth it. Then I was thinking about just getting the Illuminas/Eibach Pro set-up but Ive seen the eibachs end up shagging. Then I was thinking about just getting the Tein SS. Before I make my decision I wanted to see what you guys had to say. And yes I have searched everything about the Tein products on here. THats why I have changed my mind on the Type Flex, I dont think I need 16 levels of damping on street use, but the SS are at a decent price. But I might buy the pillow ball upper mounts. Thanks guys.

heh he, um, could you please repeat the question?



What do you plan on doing, street, strip or track?

 

[VENOM]

heh he, um, could you please repeat the question?



What do you plan on doing, street, strip or track?

hmmm, it is kinda long. Street, maybe a little track, just to get some times, nothing hardcore. I just want a fast street car so I can maybe show up a LS1 at a red light and watch the jaw drop. But I want it built good and to last( ya I no Im asking to much with a dsm), I might do the Awd conversion, but I think tein uses the same AWD strut assembly as the FWD, so it wouldnt matter which I go for, and Im going with the Awd springs due to the weight of the spyder.

 

[definitiveno]

Street car got it. You sound exactly like me (down to the ls1's) and i just bought a set of used koni's (rebuildable and revalvable, why not) as well as some ground control slip on coilovers.


The tein shocks are designed for track with a smooth surfaces, not bumps, gravel, rail road tracks or potholes. Depending on the spring rates you go with the car may ride very rough/stiff the way those shocks are designed/valved to compensate.


From what i have read most/all japanese shocks are designed this way, where as koni is not. I only bought the ground controls for the simplicity of the kit but may swap out the springs if unsatisfied for some hyperco's.

 

[VENOM]

Street car got it. You sound exactly like me (down to the ls1's) and i just bought a set of used koni's (rebuildable and revalvable, why not) as well as some ground control slip on coilovers.


The tein shocks are designed for track with a smooth surfaces, not bumps, gravel, rail road tracks or potholes. Depending on the spring rates you go with the car may ride very rough/stiff the way those shocks are designed/valved to compensate.


From what i have read most/all japanese shocks are designed this way, where as koni is not. I only bought the ground controls for the simplicity of the kit but may swap out the springs if unsatisfied for some hyperco's.

Thanks alot for the info, I wasnt even looking into the Koni's but I will.

 

[VENOM]

I looked into the Koni's and they have my eye. I like the way they sound, but not sure which springs/coil overs to get to go with them.

Eibach Proline?
H&R?
Tein?
Tanabe?
Ground Control?

 

[definitiveno]

If I were me, and I only wanted springs hyperco (hypercoils)

if I were me, and needed heaight adjustability (incidently I have big wheels/tires, not sure where they will fit best) I would get the ground controls.

 

[definitiveno]

koni/ground control setup seems to be the leading autoX/street setup when you get down to to it. Also it seems to be the choice of a well known wiseman who is a wealth of knowledge found in the handlinng section, jtmcinder.


It seems expensive considering you are piecing the system together yourself, but it is IMO a superior band for buck setup compared to other systems available under 2000 dollars.

 

[BigRand]

You should take a look at the tanabe S0-C, They kick ass on the street/strip.
They ran me $950 installed at the shop I went too......And they do the same thing as the tien super streets

 

[VENOM]

So I checked out the Konis with a ground control combo and the cheapest I found for the combo was around $1000, no I cant get the Tein SS for cheaper then that, are these that much better? Do they give a more comfortible ride but yet have the performace?

 

[definitiveno]

So I checked out the Konis with a ground control combo and the cheapest I found for the combo was around $1000, no I cant get the Tein SS for cheaper then that, are these that much better? Do they give a more comfortible ride but yet have the performace?

They are cheaper, and no I didn't say more comfy. Better for performasnce in street conditions.....



Damn it, you are gonna make me search for the technical answers now.......

(Thats what your supposed tyo be doing BTW..)

 

[planblars]

no i don't have an technical data to help you out but this is what i have from my experience

One of my good friends has a wrx that he put the tein coilovers on he loved the performance and the corning he gained but as far as riding from home to work and to school and just other daily driving he hated it. they are definetly designed with the track in mind way before normal driving. He got so sick of it that he recently ditched the setup and is now running koni shocks with eibach springs he did this because he didn't want to give up performance completly but he wanted a tolerable street car. I have road in the car with both set up's and i would say the current one is much more friendly for street use

 

[VENOM]

Damn it, you are gonna make me search for the technical answers now.......

(Thats what your supposed tyo be doing BTW..)

, thanks, I have been searching and read up on them, thats why I am defiantly considering them, they sound very nice, But Im just debating on the springs as well, the Ground Control are very pricey at $400, and the Prolines are $250, Im also debating on saving the some money and sticking to my orginal plan and getting the Prolines and Illuminas but the Konis are only like $150 more, I dunno its a PITA. Just gonna do some more research and by then I may have the funds to pick them up. Thanks for your help.

no i don't have an technical data to help you out but this is what i have from my experience

One of my good friends has a wrx that he put the tein coilovers on he loved the performance and the corning he gained but as far as riding from home to work and to school and just other daily driving he hated it. they are definetly designed with the track in mind way before normal driving. He got so sick of it that he recently ditched the setup and is now running koni shocks with eibach springs he did this because he didn't want to give up performance completly but he wanted a tolerable street car. I have road in the car with both set up's and i would say the current one is much more friendly for street use

Thanks for your help, just makes me not want the Tein

 

[JasonBelec]

My wife has the Tein TypeFlex with the EDFC on her 98 AWD TSi. She uses it on the street, lapping days and for autocross, great setup, and the EDFC really allows for the soft setting day to da driving, then push the button to rock and roll. Or push the other button for the most extreme setup you have dialed in. She finds that the car is probably 2-3 times more capable in her hands with the Tein setup. I guess it's a good idea she got the big 14" brakes up front first.... !

 

[sickgsx-316]

I dont get why people sit there and say that tein flex's are too hard for the street. I have been in a PROPERLY set up tein flex GST spyder, and on the street is was much nicer than stock. I was shell shocked to say the least. Much better than my neighbors koni/GC setup. If you guys have buddies that have their flex setup and hate them because they are too stiff for the street, than they really need to learn how to set their stuff up.

I dont mean to come off like im preaching from a soap box or anything, I was way shocked at how supple the ride was and how amazing this FWD car ate on-ramps. One of the beautiful things about the flex setup (and what sets it apart from the rest in quality and price) is that it has an adjustable pre-load for the suspension-and this is without a doubt what people complaining about a harsh ride need to learn how to play with. It basically lets you lower the ride height of your car, and load the spring up so it doesnt feel like it and the shock still gets normal travel, unlike when you just lower the car and take away from the suspension travel-with the end result being a harsh ride.

Konis run what...350-400
GCs 300ish
alignment kit 100ish(?)
all said and done 800+?

with the flex's coming in at 1249 its a tough call IMHO to not save up a while longer for something SO MUCH BETTER.

 

[VENOM]

I dont get why people sit there and say that tein flex's are too hard for the street. I have been in a PROPERLY set up tein flex GST spyder, and on the street is was much nicer than stock. I was shell shocked to say the least. Much better than my neighbors koni/GC setup. If you guys have buddies that have their flex setup and hate them because they are too stiff for the street, than they really need to learn how to set their stuff up.

I dont mean to come off like im preaching from a soap box or anything, I was way shocked at how supple the ride was and how amazing this FWD car ate on-ramps. One of the beautiful things about the flex setup (and what sets it apart from the rest in quality and price) is that it has an adjustable pre-load for the suspension-and this is without a doubt what people complaining about a harsh ride need to learn how to play with. It basically lets you lower the ride height of your car, and load the spring up so it doesnt feel like it and the shock still gets normal travel, unlike when you just lower the car and take away from the suspension travel-with the end result being a harsh ride.

Konis run what...350-400
GCs 300ish
alignment kit 100ish(?)
all said and done 800+?

with the flex's coming in at 1249 its a tough call IMHO to not save up a while longer for something SO MUCH BETTER.

Man why you doing this to me??????? You kinda sold me back to the Teins, they are so hot and I would love to have them and could have them in a couple more weeks, I already have about $900 saved for suspension, Alot of people say that the Koni/GC combo are great, but these(type flexs) are a built package from factory and think they would mate perfect together. I just might wait a bit longer and pick this set up, Im still not sure, Im still gonna look into it a bit more, Im just gonna use this car mostly as a summer car and a few street races maybe here and there and bring it to the track once in a while. Ive got Tein on the brain again, thanks alot man

 

[definitiveno]

Man why you doing this to me??????? You kinda sold me back to the Teins, they are so hot and I would love to have them and could have them in a couple more weeks, I already have about $900 saved for suspension, Alot of people say that the Koni/GC combo are great, but these(type flexs) are a built package from factory and think they would mate perfect together. I just might wait a bit longer and pick this set up, Im still not sure, Im still gonna look into it a bit more, Im just gonna use this car mostly as a summer car and a few street races maybe here and there and bring it to the track once in a while. Ive got Tein on the brain again, thanks alot man

Just compare this guys review to the other bajillion favoring the koni/ground control and then go from there.

 

[sickgsx-316]

You really wont regret it man. I've ridden in and helped with both on installs. Its like comparing apples to oranges. Im not trying to bash the other setup, its great if that is the absolute limit of your budget, but, if it is plausible to put the purchase off for a few months and save up, its so worth it. Like I said, a PROPERLY setup flex setup is way smooth and grippy, and you wont regret saving for a minute.

Im actually shocked I wasnt flamed for that last post.

 

[wret]

I’m going to have call BS on the implication that a Tein Flex suspension can be adjusted to be as smooth as stock. Tein Flex is an excellent handling performance suspension and so far its capabilities exceed that of the driver, in my case. It is “tolerable” on the street at the softest setting, if you don’t have a bad back and don’t drink coffee while you drive (or at least don’t mind stains on the front of your shirt).

I haven’t ridden on Koni/GC so I cannot compare, but that seems to be the direction most hard-core handling DSMers are going in.

 

[sickgsx-316]

To be more precise, the flex setup on a GST spyder that was dropped 2 inches from stock felt much more tolerable than my 70k mile stock setup in my GSX.

Im not speaking from here-say, and not to be disrespctful to a wiseman, but I rode in both, all summer long, and the tein setup felt a lot smoother than mine. I was envious. All I could say that summer was "at least my turbo is bigger."

And arent most "hardcore" dsmers the cheapest sob's you know? I know most of my DSM buddies are with sub 12 cars. Everyone wants to rig this or that to save a buck and are perfectly happy that way, and thats fine, cuz most of the time you can get away with it for a while. Of course people are going to go with the cheaper setup.

This person doesnt mind saving for something better, so, why not? I know he will be happy with it.

 

[wret]

I’m just trying to make sure Venom has all the facts, or at least all the opinions. I’ll praise the performance attributes of Tein Flex suspension all day, but ride comfort is not one of its pluses. For some one who does not plan to do much competitive driving, this may not be an acceptable compromise, especially where a pretty good chunk of cash is concerned. Personally, I like knowing my car will handle even if I rarely push it to the limit. Kind of like wanting to be fit enough to run a marathon without ever running.

 

[VENOM]

I’m just trying to make sure Venom has all the facts, or at least all the opinions. I’ll praise the performance attributes of Tein Flex suspension all day, but ride comfort is not one of its pluses. For some one who does not plan to do much competitive driving, this may not be an acceptable compromise, especially where a pretty good chunk of cash is concerned. Personally, I like knowing my car will handle even if I rarely push it to the limit. Kind of like wanting to be fit enough to run a marathon without ever running.

Thanks, this is exactly what I want, I dont really want a hardcore system, but I do want something that can handle it if I put it to it, this is gonna be a daily driven summer car and I do want it to be comfortible drving, I dont think girls will like it when I take them for rides

 

[wret]

I hope I didn't just talk you into prokit.

 

[VENOM]

I hope I didn't just talk you into prokit.

um No? Im still getting of the Koni's and Ground Control unless something comes up better, he just made me think of the Teins again

 

[SAKONE]

What no JIC FLT-A2 for consideration? I've tried Eibach/KYBs, than to GCs/Toks Ill, now I have JICs FLT-A2. I just should have saved my money from day one for the JICs. You can't even compare the Tein's flex/basics with the FLT-A2s since they are in a class by itself. Nice for track days.

Save your money and get real coilovers with seperate height/spring adjustment. Also remeber that your gonna need some corner weighting done $$. GCs are just sleeve-overs where you can adjust height, but if that's what you want, so be it. It's your money.

Comfortable ride?....like I care what the passenger thinks about the ride quality, i want stiffer spring rates.