Tag Archives: FR-S

TEIN USA Delivers to West Coast Customs

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It’s not often that you get to see TEIN on the tv screen unless it’s regarding Rally America, Formula Drift, FIA European Rally Championship, or something else along those lines. Even then, we tend to keep to ourselves tucked away in our own little pocket. Instead, we focus on manufacturing the products that continue to make the motorsports world go round.

But, every now and then we’ll be invited to participate on some television programs. Previously, we took part in the televised series Fine Tuned. This was a very similar approach to the show Overhaulin’, but aimed around the “tuner car” demographic. That was actually kinda fun!

Our most recent television appearance was with the West Coast Custom crew, taking part on a Scion FR-S build for Ryan Friedlinghaus Jr..

Since we already had product available for the FR-S, and since it’s a vehicle that continues to do very well for us, it was kind of a no-brainer to participate on this project. We had just launched the newer Street Flex coilovers and we also had EDFC Active. This was a great opportunity to get this new product out to West Coast Customs.

When we were contacted by Scott at West Coast Customs, we quickly got the parts ready and dropped it off to them. It’s funny- the whole process of taking the product to them and explaining what we brought them was just as shown on tv. I guess it is truly a reality! Haha!

wcc frs 2 (Custom)

Special Delivery!

wcc frs 3 (Custom)

A quick rundown of our Street Flex coilovers and EDFC Active.

Anyway, after a quick rundown of what we were providing them, we let them get at it by themselves. The project car was only beginning and they had a lot of areas to knock out before tackling the suspension.

wcc frs 1 (Custom)

Crunch time to get the car built before going to paint. Our friend Troy from Five Axis here helping them get the Five:AD body kit installed.

Fortunately, as many of you customer’s know, our products are a relatively straightforward endeavor right out of the box. The Street Flex is a complete swap of the factory dampers, also including their own upper mounts. It simply requires unbolting the stock stuff and bolting up our coilovers, then tightening everything to the correct torque specs (and final alignment to be done afterwards). Looks like the WCC guys didn’t have any issues getting that done!

West Coast Customs posted up photos of the car on their Facebook, following the airing of the episode on this build and the SEMA Show launch.

wcc frs 4 (Custom)

Ryan Jr.’s FR-S being unveiled at SEMA 2013.

Glad to be a part of this build and on the “big screen”! Hahaha!

wcc frs 7 (Custom)

wcc frs 6 (Custom)

wcc frs 5 (Custom)

 

Specialized Brackets

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As you may have seen through our blog before, we offer a Specialized Damper Program. This allows a customer to create a one-off suspension kit made to their specifications. A great option for those customer who can’t find a readily available suspension kit for their vehicle, whether it be because it is an uncommon vehicle or it is a vintage vehicle that no longer has aftermarket support. It is a unique offering that gives the customer endless tuning possibilities, and all made with TEIN quality!

We’ve also been able to do custom lowering springs through this program. We know, that sounds a bit confusing because “Specialized Damper” implies that we can make the dampers only. We’ll work on that name. We do like using the term “SPD” if that helps! Nevertheless, we are able to create anything a customer is looking for, short of custom torsion and leaf springs.
What we never really brush up on is our ability to create individual components. Just recently, we had some lower knuckle brackets made for a Scion FR-S which was already using our Mono Flex coilovers. The person wanted some more ride height adjustment, as the knuckle bracket was already maxed at it’s highest setting (lowest ride height). But, he also wanted some camber adjustment from the bracket, a feature included on our Super Racing coilovers for MacPherson Strut type suspension. For those applications we include a new upper knuckle bolt with off set washers to allow a few degrees of camber adjustment. Not exactly a cheap option because of the components needed, but definitely possible to create.

 

SPD Brackets 008 (Custom)

Since this is a custom order, it still  takes some time for TEIN Japan’s SPD (Specialized Damper) section to create the components. However, if it is a time-sensitive job, please contact us for quotation and we’ll see what we can do!

SPD Brackets 005 (Custom)

The nicest thing about this type of service isn’t that you can create your own custom pieces, but we build them to match your current suspension. As you may be able to see, our Mono Flex dampers use a different shade of green than our Street Basis, Street Advance, and Street Flex suspension. We can do custom colors by request, too. However, that does cost extra. But, who doesn’t like green?!

Anyway, please give us a call if you have any requests for custom damper components. We’re here to help!

J T Motoring’s FR-S Build

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One of our good friends, Brian Hung from J T Motoring out in Massachusetts, has made a name for himself bringing JDM tuning to New England. His latest build for 2013 is this beautifully crafted Scion FR-S.

IMG_3349 (Custom)

When Brian, contacted us, you can already guess that he needed a suspension solution. We were fortunate enough to be one of the first coilover manufacturer’s to have something readily available for the new FR-S, and for Brian, it was a no-brainer to step up into the Type Flex coilovers since this build was more than show. He had performance in mind for this project.  Matched to our coilover package is another new offering- EDFC Active. This was, in fact, one of the first cars in New England to sport this setup. But, this car is full of plenty “firsts” for its region.

By the looks of it, you can see that no expenses were spared. No corners cut. Brian wanted to push the emphasis on JDM and he chose the highest quality for parts that he could find, which happen to be the very same brands he sells at J T Motoring.

The spec sheet has more listed than all the ingredients needed for a Thanksgiving dinner. And looks to be more delicious, too.

 

Exterior:
APR Carbon Fiber Fender Insert
APR Carbon Fiber Brake Inlet Ducts
APR Carbon Fiber Trunk Garnish
Rocket Bunny Version 1 Kit
Buddy Club LED Tail Lights
JT Motoring Custom Retrofit Black Housing Head Lights
Nokya Yellow Turn Signal Front Bulbs.
Footwork/Brakes:
TEIN Flex (JDM Version)
TEIN EDFC Active with GPS
Tanabe Front and Rear Tower Bars
Buddy Club 4 piston/ 330mm rotors Front Brake Kit
Buddy Club 2 piston/ 330mm rotor Rear Brake Kit
 
Engine:
HKS Supercharger
ARC Oil Catch Can
Buddy Club Racing Spec Condenser Grouding Kit
MXP Front Pipe
MXP Cat-back with adjustable exhaust tip
HKS Oil Cap
Interior:
Bride Euro 2 seats in red buck skin
Bride Type VZ brackets
ATC Carbon/Suede Steering Wheel
MXP Titanium Shift Knob
STRI Club Sport Boost Gauge
STRI Vent Pod Gauge Holder
Kenwood dnn0990hd Double DIN Navi/DVD Receiver
Takata Drift 2 4pt Harnesses
Wheels/Tires:
Volk Racing TE37RT
18×9.5 +23 front
18×11 +17 rear
Wheelmate 5×100 to 5×114.3 conversion front 25mm
Wheelmate 5×100 to 5×114.3 conversion rear 30mm
Project Kics leggdura racing lugs
And they’re not done yet. More parts are being added to this project! We’ll try to get updates on this build!
For those of you out there in New England, give our friend Brian at J T Motoring a call. He can help you get your build to where you want it to be!J T Motoring
1183 Hyde Park Ave.
Boston, MA 02136
Tel: 617-364-6888
Web: www.jtmotoring.com
Also, please be sure to follow them on their Facebook page!

CARBING OIL CATCH TANK VEHICLE SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS

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A few weeks back, another TEIN USA employee had done a Blog Post about the Carbing Oil Catch Tanks that we distribute for Okuyama Co., I would like to let you know that they now have Oil Catch Tanks for vehicle-specific applications. This will guarantee a easy set up for the product to be bolted into your vehicle.

Below are just a few of the vehicle application that they have out now, but it is always best to keep a look out on their website for any new products or vehicle-specific products.

http://carbing.co.jp/international/index.shtml 

They have different products for all types of vehicles. Most of these items are a Special Order only but it is a product that we can get into the States. Please verify that the item will work properly for your vehicle as they test and manufacture some of the items for Japanese domestic vehicles.

carbing oil atch can 1

Mitsubishi Evolution (CT9A)

Mitsubishi Evolution (CZ4A)

Subaru Impreza (GVB/GRB)

Toyota (86/FR-S)
Subaru (BRZ)

 

Congrats to the Rally xD Team for Reaching the Summit!!!

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In its second year contesting the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Rally xD team successfully reached the top (a breathtaking 14,110 feet in elevation) for 2013! They placed a 12:39 ET, making them the fastest front-wheel drive vehicle for this event!

xd pikes 2 (Custom)

Crew Chief Philip Chase reported that conditions changed constantly, from snow, wind, hail, and whatever the gods of racing can throw at them. Traction would prove to be difficult, especially as the xD’s turbocharger started to build full-boost. Wheel slip was nearly unavoidable.

In a post I made last year, I mentioned a little on how hard that actually is for both man and machine. You not only have to battle uphill (or upmountain, if that makes more sense), but the higher up you go, the thinner the oxygen supply in the air is, making it difficult for the driver and car to breathe as if it were at sea level. At least the Rally xD relies on some turbocharged assistance to get the most oxygen into the engine. Can’t say the same for driver Andrew Comrie-Picard, unless he was hooked up to some oxygen tank. Even then, power output is cut drastically by the time they cross the 10,000 ft mark.  Water and oil temperatures also suffer the higher up you travel, and if you’re hard on the brakes, the boiling temperature will also drop. So many things to factor in that can go wrong while driving.

Needless to say, the team didn’t have it easy. And this xD being their sole chariot for racing duties during the 2013 Rally America season, they’d  have a lot to lose if this car found itself over the cliff.  But, we’re talking about seasoned rally veterans. They know what they’re doing. Again, the xD saw the finish line under its own power. Some teams weren’t so lucky. The Love Fab NSX, for example, crashed during practice and went up in flames cutting their weekend short. Mechanical failures are to be expected to varying degrees. Drivers are pushed to their very limits. We’re  just glad to see that nothing major went wrong for the xD crew.

xd pikes 3 (Custom)

It goes without saying that the highlight of the event was seeing Red Bull and their Peugeot 208 T16 with 875bhp and all-wheel drive, commandeered by WRC veteran Sebastien Loeb, break the record by a large margin. How about 8m:13.878sec to the top?! Last year’s record of 9:46 by Rhys Millen in his Hyundai Tiburon was still quite an achievement considering that was the first year of an all-paved course, and in rear-wheel drive only. To his acknowledgement, Rhys bested his own record with a 9:02.192 in his Hyundai PM580T.

Oh, and our good friends at Evasive Motorsports broke the 10 minute barrier (10:59)  in their Time Attack Scion FR-S! Way to go, guys!

The 2013 event also saw a return of the Electric Car class. Say what you want about it, but a race car’s a race car no matter how it sounds. We should truly embrace this form of racing technology.

All in all, a great event. New records have been set, and we should all look forward to another record-smashing year in 2014!

 

 

 

TEIN Super Racing Review by CounterSpace Garage

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As exciting as the launch has been for the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, we were all expecting the aftermarket to blow up with many great parts for these two cars (that share the same platform, in case you didn’t know!). And while that may hold true, what has also become apparent is the lack of information available to the public regarding these parts.

CounterSpace Garage has stepped into this vehicle segment to provide fans of the FR-S and BRZ the most up-to-date information, as well as unbiased product reviews as the parts become available.

CounterSpace Garage comprises of two guys, David Leung and Mike Kang. Both are avid track enthusiasts and operate their own shop catering to the Honda S2000 market, and of course the FR-S/BRZ market.  Check out their site when you have a chance.

http://counterspacegarage.com/

They approached us last year regarding suspension for their Subaru BRZ. As it sits, it is a relatively stock vehicle. The only aftermarket parts they had on the car at the time were a Berk Technologies Axle-Back Exhaust and Enkei RPF1’s sized 17×8 +45 offset with Hankook Ventus RS3’s sized 224/45. They later added an AP Racing front Big Brake Kit.  But that was it.
As luck would have it, we had just received some TEIN Super Racing dampers directly from TEIN Japan. It was a great opportunity to get feedback directly from the BRZ owners.

They had recently put up a post on ft86club.com on their review of our suspension.

(http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=651485)

We must say that we are quite impressed in how their review went, and we really appreciate their praise for our product! And, to be fair, they’re no slouches when it comes to track driving duties.

They weren’t able to complete all their testing, however. They still have a set of Maxxis Victra RC1’s  on Wedsport TC105N’s sized 17×9 +35 to try out, as well as some optional spring rates for the Super Racing dampers. We definitely look forward to that review.

Below are some pictures taken from their ft86club.com post

Below is a video of their lap record for Streets of Willow

Here’s some information regarding our Super Racing dampers for the FR-S/BRZ

Super Racing Damper kit-

DSQ54-81LS1

msrp $3650

*Kit includes

-Four dampers (2 front strut, steel bodied; 2 rear shock absorbers, aluminum bodied)

-Pillowball Upper Mounts (2 front camber/caster adjustable; 2 rear offset)

-Camber adjustable front lower brackets

-Helper Springs for rear

These are 2-way adjustable dampers. Front struts are inverted with compression adjustment on top and rebound adjustment on the underside. Rears include external reservoir with adjustment knob for compression, while rebound is on the top of the piston shaft.  16×16 way damping resolution for compression and rebound. Compatible with our EDFC (and soon-to-be-released EDFC Active).

Springs are sold separately, giving the end-user the opportunity to tune the suspension to their preference. Recommended is our 10kg/mm front and 12kg/mm rear.

msrp for springs is $140/pair

Spring part numbers (recommended rates)-

RS100-F1140 (10kg ft springs)

RS120-E1150 (12kg rr springs)

 

Optional springs (special order from Japan)-

RS090-F1140 (9kg ft springs)

RS100-E1150 (10kg rr springs)

RS120-F1135 (12kg ft springs)

RS140-E1150 (14kg rr springs)

These Super Racing dampers are now available through any of our authorized TEIN dealers! In fact, I believe CounterSpace Garage has a special going on for these…..

 

FR-S or BRZ?

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It has been almost over a month since this years hottest sports car, Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ came out to the market.

TEIN USA has been developing products for these two cars to deliver our products to the customer as soon as possible.

I have been wondering what is the difference between FR-S and BRZ?

Exterior dimension, interior, engine, transmission, chassis and tire sizes are the same in between these cars.

But, when I drove BRZ that came in for development,  I felt a big difference!

BRZ’s suspension are set as a mild setup, if you push harder it simply understeers and will not take you to oversteer motion.

But, the FR-S has an opposite character than the BRZ. 

The FR-S has stiffer damper with softer spring. And if you know how to push hard, this simple, less electronically controlled device (compare to newer higher performance car) and fun to drive machine, it’s just pure fun to drive!

My conclusion is FR-S and BRZ are totally diffent set-ups

If you want to get pure driving pleasure go with FR-S, and if you want affordable yet nice, well-designed coupe go with BRZ.

And I will leave damper dyno chart (in .pdf format) for FR-S and BRZ for comparison.

 

OEM BRZ & FRS Front

OEM BRZ & FRS Rear

Toyota 86 & Scion FR-S, Brothers from other Mothers!

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Hey Everyone! Japan’s 86 and the U.S.’s FR-S do look similar in design but would have some subtle differences. Let’s take a look at some of the differences Toyota 86 and Scion FR-S .

Toyota 86 Front View

 You can see the differences on the headlights and bumper lights. The headlights of the 86 have a Daytime Running light LED strip on the top section of the headlight while the FR-S does not offer that option as shown on the picture below. The bumper lamp design also is different having two set on the 86 where as the FR-S only has one set.

Scion FR-S Front View

 

Let’s move to the rear of the cars.

Toyota 86 Rear View

 Taking a look at the rear of the vehicle, you can see that the exhausts are different in size from one another. The tail lights also are slightly different in that the 86 doesn’t use the side reflector where as the FR-S does.

Scion FR-S Rear View

 

Let’s check out what the side view shows us.

The side badge and side markers are both slightly different in color.

 A closer look at the badge you can see they kept the same overall style of the badge for both just a small color change on the 86 model.

 

Those are the common differences between the Japanese 86 and U.S. FR-S model. Of course there is the differences of the vehicles being either left hand drive or right hand drive, but that’s more interior related which I will hopefully follow up with in the near future.

 

Since the Toyota 86/ Scion FR-S is the current topic, we do now offer product for the for both applications. For those of you looking for suspension kits, we do currently offer the Type Flex and High Tech lowering springs, please see some details below. In the near future we are looking to release the S.Tech, Monoflex, Street Basis, and Street Advance kits.

Part Number – DSQ54-61SS1

MSRP – $1790

Part Number – SKSA0-G1B00

MSRP $310

For further details of these products please visit our website Model and Price page.

http://www.tein.com/price/scion.html

 

FR-S Release Party at Penske Toyota

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From Left to Right (FR-S First owner. Troy and Young from 5 Axis)

Penske Toyota in Downey, CA had a Release party for the New Scion FR-S and for the First Penske Scion FR-S Owner. We happened to be there since it’s not to far from our warehouse and we have actually been testing the Scion FR-S that 5 Axis let us borrow.


This is the FR-S we have been testing on it looks good on our S-Tech lowering springs that we have been developing for the US models. Ride height drop is approximately -35mm front and -30mm rear, giving the car a great stance, especially with plus-sized wheels.

 

It was good seeing that not only did they have the FR-S to show, but they had multiple Toyota/ Scion vehicles, some being 5 Axis customers and others being Toyota enthusiasts of new and old. This evening’s event also included a raffle, showroom models of FR-S’s to check out, a DJ, and also some barbecue for attendees.

To date, we have officially release the following parts

S.Tech Lowering springs
lowers -35mm front and -30mm rear
part number SKQ54-AUB00, msrp $280

High Tech lowering springs
lowers -25mm front and -20mm rear
part number SKSA0-G1B00, msrp $310

Type Flex damper kit
preload & height adjustable (-55mm – +5mm front, -45mm – +5mm rear)
damping adjustable (16-way)
Incl. Pillowball upper mounts (camber adjustable front mount)
EDFC Compatible (sold separately)
part number DSQ54-61SS1, msrp $1790

FR-S madness

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As we had wrote the previous entry before, we have been testing our product for Scion FR-S.

Usually, we spend about a week to test fit and take data for each product.

But, since Scion FR-S will be an ultra hot vehicle in the market for this year and some new FR-S owners are already getting delivery of their vehicles, TEIN USA boosted up the speed of the development schedule for Scion FR-S!

Yes, TEIN USA R&D dept worked hard past week to develop product for Scion FR-S as soon as possible to send out to everyone! As Jon had mentioned in his previous post, we have tested S.Tech and High Tech lowering springs and Type Flex dampers, with more product to come later this year. In fact, a few dealers have already pre-ordered sets of High Tech lowering springs, which are set to arrive towards the end of June! In case you want to order, the part number is SKSA0-G1B00. This will give the FR-S a -25mm front and -20mm rear drop. Great for owners that may eventually plus-size their wheels!

High Tech, S.Tech, and Flex products ready for fitment.

By this point, we've probably spent as much time under the hood as Scion R&D!!!

Fortunately the Type Flex dampers bolted up fine for our first test! And the handling is great, btw 😉

Our tests include highway driving...

...and also some local road driving. Or, in this case, very boring traffic.

Stay tuned as springs and damper-kits are soon to be out for everybody!! Up next is testing on the Subaru BRZ! We’ll keep you up-to-date on that testing!