Tein SS, how are yours lasting?

CRE

CRE

7M-GE + MAFT Pro + T = :D
Oct 24, 2005
3,485
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Denver, CO
I've seen quite a few posts about people's initial thoughts of these coilovers, but how well do you like them now that they've been on your car for a while? Are they holding up well? Are there any problem, common or uncommon?

I desperately need to put something on since my stock springs are sagging (don't need a spring compressor to pull them anymore) and my shocks are dead.

I've been looking at spring shock combos and I think I'd like the B+Gs w/ some good adjustable shocks, but I'm concerned that the drop might become an issue.

Any thoughts?
 
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robeats91t

237lbs. of Ballast
Jun 4, 2005
210
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Tampa, FL
I wonder about this a lot myself. We always get initial reviews; what we really need are follow-ups on things like exhausts (has it rusted, does it hang too low, etc) and suspension components ("struts only lasted 10k with brand X springs," "springs sagged an extra inch after 15k" etc) especially since it seems aftermarket and oem parts are developed to different standards.

If you're concerned about sag with aftermarket springs, definitely don't go with H&R's...mine still offer awesome handling on smooth roads, but any imperfections in the road surface totally sucks the fun out of driving it in this condition. Plus I'm worried about killing my Konis--I'm sure they were never designed to run with so little travel, especially so far into their stroke.

EDIT: Just read that first paragraph of mine and realized I sound like an asshole. What I mean is those of us who have experiences with aftermarket products (good and bad experiences) need to take advantage of the product review section on this forum, not only for inital reviewing but also for followups. I've noticed several people have done this, and I think that helps alot.

That way, those of us interested in a particular product get a good idea of the initial quality and the durability of the product. I'm going to be adding my experiences with various products asap in the hopes that it can help everyone...
 
CRE

CRE

7M-GE + MAFT Pro + T = :D
Oct 24, 2005
3,485
0
0
Denver, CO
Yep, that's exactly where I'm coming from. As I said I was looking at getting B+G's if I decide to pass on the Tein SS.... but if they're inclined to sag I think it'll be worse than your H&R's. Aren't they -1.6" all the way around?
 
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robeats91t

237lbs. of Ballast
Jun 4, 2005
210
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Tampa, FL
No idea about the B+G's but the H&R's were listed as 1.6" F and 1.2" R, if I remember correctly. I wonder now if those numbers mean anything other than the initial setup or what, because my front end is WAY lower than just 1.6" below stock...

I failed to clear an empty 16 oz. dasani water bottle that was in the road the other day. Totally clipped it with my stock lower front lip. Good thing it was empty or who knows what kind of bizarre damage it could've done...
 
CRE

CRE

7M-GE + MAFT Pro + T = :D
Oct 24, 2005
3,485
0
0
Denver, CO
robeats91t said:
I failed to clear an empty 16 oz. dasani water bottle that was in the road the other day. Totally clipped it with my stock lower front lip. Good thing it was empty or who knows what kind of bizarre damage it could've done...
Click to expand...

ROFL..... yeah, I'm afraid of ending up with a snowplow. :icon_conf
 
R

robeats91t

237lbs. of Ballast
Jun 4, 2005
210
0
0
Tampa, FL
Yeah, 935 Motorsports has a Ground Control adjustable height spring kit for our cars, I'm waiting with supreme impatience for the kit to be listed on their site so I can order it. Hopefully that will allow me to dial in enough suspension travel to save me from at least the smaller bits of road debris.


For the price, it seems like a great way to go for those who can't afford true coilovers. I'm sold on it since my Koni struts should still be good enough to perform well with them, and from my understanding the kit uses some kind of standard spring available in different rates from GC. Plus the springs are made for GC by Eibach, and the Eibach springs have gotten stellar reviews...
 
SupraMario

SupraMario

I think it was the google
Mar 30, 2005
3,467
6
38
38
The Farm
I finally put my SS's on, and wow, i can feel a difference, only problem is for some reason something is making a rattleing noise now, in the back where the rear coil overs are, and only does it when i drive on gravel or over a bumpy road, otherwise they are fine, ill prolly look at it tomarrow.
but so far TIEN SS is the way to go.
 
I

IJ.

Grumpy Old Man
Mar 30, 2005
38,728
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I come from a land down under
As usual when I'm going to upgrade/buy something I did a pile of research and contacted as many people I know in the industry applicable.

What I could find out about Tein in general is a lot of the grey import used Coilovers coming in from Japan are 9 parts shagged but there's no way of knowing what sort of mileage they have on them.

The Suspension shops I talked to all said much the same that for our roads even on their softest setting they don't have enough "droop" (Rebound is too slow) and that they don't use off the shelf seals and bushings so are difficult to rebuild.

I've ran the same set of Koni Yellow's since I got the car back in 1997 and they don't have any leaks or signs of wear, I only upgraded to get adjustment without having to remove them from the car or I would have built my Coilovers on them and had them revalved to suit the new springrate!.
 
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robeats91t

237lbs. of Ballast
Jun 4, 2005
210
0
0
Tampa, FL
IJ. said:
I only upgraded to get adjustment without having to remove them from the car or I would have built my Coilovers on them and had them revalved to suit the new springrate!.
Click to expand...

Do Konis have to be sent back to Koni to get revalved, or can a good suspension shop do such wonderful things?
 
CRE

CRE

7M-GE + MAFT Pro + T = :D
Oct 24, 2005
3,485
0
0
Denver, CO
robeats91t said:
Back on the subject of Teins, has anyone sent theirs off to be rebuilt? If so, is it expensive?
Click to expand...

Yeah, and if you did have to send them in how many miles did you have on them before they needed serviced?
 
C

Caplax40

Grand Tourer
Feb 12, 2006
202
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Boise, ID
GeneStarWindGSW said:
but how much mileage was that?
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Honestly, I don't know how many miles are on them. I got them from Jarco and they were used. I've only put about 1500 miles on them and they've had zero issues and are working excellently. I contacted Tein a few months ago because I figured eventually I would have them rebuilt, but the situation has changed and they (along with my car) will be up for sale soon.
 
Big Wang Bandit

Big Wang Bandit

You Can't Quit Me Baby
Feb 21, 2006
7,551
0
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35
San Ramon, CA - 925!
Tein SS's are too soft and don't go low enough.

If I am going to spend the money on coilovers, I want something that will vastly let me change how my car's suspension is, Not just a little tweak.

Don't take this out of context tho, You asked for opinions, this is mine, and No, My car doesn't have them, But I ave driven an A70 with Tein SS's.
 
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