Coilover differences

[adey]

Other than spring rates and shock type (mono/duo/triple?? tube) what on earth makes different coilovers so unique?
That someone would choose teins because they like green, and Cuscos because they like blue just doesn't sound right.

So, what's the deal?


edit:
Why should I buy one over the other? Why are teins so (relatively) cheap? What coilovers are good for what applications, and why are Tein the only guys who make like 40 different "spec" dampers??!

[adey]

<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sleeping.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':zzzz:'> &nbsp; &nbsp;Just what I expected... nobody knows! -- my skepticism for Teins continues... seems like I may just have to jump on the GB if I can't find any reason not to. &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sly.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':sly:'>

[thich]

well, from what I know (which isn't much), Tein has a lot of different applications with its coilovers.
some are for drifting, some are for road racing, others are for GT....
different feel to each type.

i'm not sure what you mean by 'relatively cheap' -- cuz in Canada, it costs $2500 for a set of Teins.

are GB's coilovers? or sleeves? I don't recall ever hearing about these.

[DSC]

hehe, GB=group buy...there is a group buy on tein coilovers ending may 20th.

And tein are "relatively" cheap when you put them against JIC or zeal.

I dono what the differences are to be honest, other than the quality of the materials used (both spring and dampener).

[SaintlyCharBoy]

i think he is talking about the teing group buy going on over in for sale....

[Ballistic-Mobile.com]

I am also wondering this. &nbsp;What if I want to drift sometimes, autocross others, and sometimes have it be as smooth as a cadilac. &nbsp;Can i have all three of these setups w/ just one set of coilovers. &nbsp;I really like the idea of being able to change your setup from inside the car w/ that module from tien. &nbsp;Someone please elaborate for us both on what makes a coilover worth its price?<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>??

[DrDubbleB]

You can do all of the applications with either the Tein HA or the Tein Type Flex coilovers, they are the two most well rounded, however the type flex is geared a little more towards comfort. &nbsp;As far as quality of materials goes, I wouldn't say that Tein has low standards, although some people have had problems with rust, this is an issue that has been addressed with the Teflon coated Type Flex's. &nbsp;

In comparison to other performance coilovers, the Tein's are insanely cheap, not only that, but most of them come with Upper Pillowball Mounts, which most companies would sell seperately. &nbsp;One reason for them being cheaper is that that's all that Tein sells, so they need to sell a larger volume in order to stay in business.

Most spring/shock setups are non-adjustable. &nbsp;Notice I said most, not all. &nbsp;But to my knowledge no spring/shock setup allows you to adjust damping (I could be wrong, I haven't looked into many set ups).

[crazycuban]

Teins are one of the only cases where cheaper price does not equal cheaper product...IMO, Teins or JIC are the way to go...

Seeing that you live in LA, rust won't be a problem. &nbsp;Just get the HA's and save yourself the money and the backorder (I'm predicting). &nbsp;I've had my HA's on for a couple months, and I'm very happy with them.

[thich]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (DrDubbleB @ April 24 2002,09:51)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Most spring/shock setups are non-adjustable. Notice I said most, not all. But to my knowledge no spring/shock setup allows you to adjust damping (I could be wrong, I haven't looked into many set ups).</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
the Tein HA's allow for dampening control..... right??
i'm sure of it. read it on their site somewhere and on freshalloy

[DSC]

Yes, I don't know of any tein dampeners that are not adjustable.

DrDubbleB, what part of the FLEX coilovers are geared more toward comfort than HA's? &nbsp;Since the spring rates are the same...

Also DrDubbleB what do you mean by this?
"Most spring/shock setups are non-adjustable. &nbsp;Notice I said most, not all. &nbsp;But to my knowledge no spring/shock setup allows you to adjust damping (I could be wrong, I haven't looked into many set ups)."

Most coilovers are both height and dampening adjustable.
Its easy to get dampening adjustable shocks for a regular spring/shock combo.

[MazingerS14]

I have GAB Revo Stroke coilovers and they're red to match my car <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''> &nbsp;j/k. &nbsp;I really enjoy the way they ride although they are definately firm. &nbsp;They get "smoother" the faster I drive. &nbsp;I have my stock sways on my 97 SE and I get very very little lean in the corners. &nbsp;Although I can adjust my damping, spring rate comes into play big time on adjusting ride comfort. &nbsp;Unlike twisting a knob to controll damping, you have to switch out the springs to change your rate. &nbsp;Mine also came with camber plates up front and regular pillow ball mounts in back. &nbsp;The only thing I don't like about my GAB's is the rear springs. &nbsp;They are designed to minimalize "squat" but as a result have reduced free length. &nbsp;As a result, they bind at slow speeds over bumps and are noisey. &nbsp;I'm going to replace the rears with some Eibach ERS springs so that should fix that. &nbsp;The GAB's are definately streetable but with attitude.

Puck

[teampulse]

ok well i have the TEIN HA's on my s14 and have had them for like 2 months. i live in San diego so i am not too worried about rust since it rarely rains. i think the set up is great. they have a 16 way adjustable damper that is located on the top of each unit and sticks up through the pillow mount. it can be adjusted easily by hand. the ride height is easy to adjust i guess, just pull off the tire and screw it up or down. as for the comfort, i started of at "0" damper because i didnt know how they would be and that was way too soft. you could feel the car go up an down over smooth bumps. now i have it set on like 5 and i like it a lot, it is stiff but still good for the street. the whole set up with pillow mounts came to $1380 and i think it was well worth it for anyone who love the handeling of a car. i dont see why you should have any problem with them.
[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0MwAAAI8QSIxgKTESS0us7YX86wEifVXBkCQ4SButkCdBN3Cfo moYs1hVoWsXE6ulMCNSAWqNshE2BTHy*VnZNQ/DSC00555.JPG[/img]

[DSC]

Ok, are those springs liner or progressive? &nbsp;I thought they were progressive but they look liner. &nbsp;Would the helper springs give it a more progressive feel?

[adey]

The tein springs are all, if I'm not mistaken, linear. The helper springs are needed to keep the main coil in contact with the upper mount at all times, but this is required only in... uh... I think it was the rear. I'm not sure.
The helpers also help reduce small vibrations or whatever tein calls them.

One thing I've noticed (and this may not be saying much) -- teins are painted green, while other (generally more expensive) coilovers are anodized. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''> &nbsp;Just bringing that to the attention of the board.

[teampulse]

well that is a picture of my front coil, so i have the helper springs all around. as for your question DSC, i honestly dont know. but when on the ground the helper springs are completly compressed, i odnt remeber their exact purpose though. &nbsp;and yeah they are painted instead of anodized, i think that is where the rusting problem comes in. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>

[adey]

Hey Teampulse, is that the TEIN Pillow ball mount? I didn't know they were orange/yellow... Looks like a nice setup.

If they're not the tein pillo-ball mounts, anyone have photos of them installed?

[thich]

i heard the Teins are being built so that they no longer rust since they've started opening up distributors in Canada.
anyone can confirm this?

..... maybe i should just email them.
<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

[AceInHole]

the helper springs keep the wheels on the ground under hard cornering/braking/accelerating (some combo of it all). &nbsp;I was watching VW's at the AutoX they're semi-notorious for having a rear wheel lift off the ground under hard braking/cornering.

[MazingerS14]

"helper" springs have almost negligible spring rate and only purpose is to keep the main spring properly seated (and thus prevent rattles and such). &nbsp;"tender" springs on the other hand can add a "progressive" characteristic to your main spring because of the higher spring rate compared to a "helper" and will help to prevent wheel lift in cars with that problem since it has enough tension to actually push down on the suspension.

Puck

[DrDubbleB]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (DSC @ April 23 2002,9:02)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">DrDubbleB, what part of the FLEX coilovers are geared more toward comfort than HA's? Since the spring rates are the same...

Most coilovers are both height and dampening adjustable.
Its easy to get dampening adjustable shocks for a regular spring/shock combo.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Well...the Type Flex's spring rates are the same on the S14, that's true, but are a little lighter on the S13. &nbsp;Anyways, they are geared as their comfort coilovers...according to their website and marketing, etc.

Like I said though I haven't really looked into Spring/Shock combos, so I wasn't sure if you could actually get a shock that has adjustable damping...

[teampulse]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hey Teampulse, is that the TEIN Pillow ball mount? I didn't know they were orange/yellow... Looks like a nice setup.

If they're not the tein pillo-ball mounts, anyone have photos of them installed?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

yse those are the Tein pillow ball mounts. &nbsp;they are a goldish orange.

[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0MwAAAJIQxoxgKTESS0us7WmA2N7Vot!QaDYng!VSpQKS8wAUe IgL11*H173AA0yoeUmYowyldY!sx1sqN*rCTA/DSC00558.JPG[/img]