Made In Japan or China?!

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Paul P.

We’ve recently received several calls or emails from consumers regarding the country of origin for our coilovers. So we wanted to clear up the confusion.

In short, coilovers, and our springs for that matter, are being manufactured in both of our facilities- Japan and China.

It shouldn’t be news by now that we have our own factory in China, and it has been operational for nearly 10 years now. Initially, this factory handled our new-at-the-time ENDURAPRO and ENDURAPRO PLUS shock absorber manufacturing. But within the first few years, we were also able to get our STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z kits made at this factory. It wasn’t that cut and dried of a plan, though. TEIN Japan was still manufacturing a majority of the coilovers. It is just that TEIN China needed to address product manufacturing for their local market and soon demand increased and we found ourselves needing to increase more manufacturing out of this factory to meet global demand.

Then, the pandemic threw all of us a curveball. If anyone can recall, there was a period of incredibly ridiculous costs on freight. Soon, we hit a problem with getting containers and scheduling vessels from our Yokohama facility. From China, however, shipping wasn’t much of a concern. The only exception being regional lockdowns in China due to the fast-spreading virus, as well as some shut downs due to electric power being rationed (kinda strange). Shipping was still more expensive than usual, yes. But at least we were able to have products shipped. But another problem became apparent- not all of our customers want STREET BASIS Z or STREET ADVANCE Z coilovers. Soon our backorder list was growing by the week, but it seemed to revolve around one specific coilover model- FLEX Z.

TEIN China had yet to manufacture any of our FLEX coilover line. But the shipping concern forced us to retool for FLEX production out of this facility, and we started adding new machines necessary for FLEX Z production. Starting in late 2021, we received only a few part numbers of FLEX Z from China. But to date, they are now making a majority of FLEX Z kits.

This isn’t to say that TEIN Japan does not manufacture FLEX Z any longer. It’s just that TEIN Japan can now focus on product manufacturing for their domestic market, and a few other Asian countries, as well as for USA.

We now have springs being manufactured in China too! This is relatively new, about 1 year or so now. Before, we were having springs shipped to China for the assembly of STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z kits. We were hoping to find a suitable spring manufacturer in China, but several tests of locally manufactured springs didn’t meet our requirements. BUT, by importing coil spring wire from Japan we are now able to have springs made to our specifications. Yes it costs us more to do so, but quality is still paramount to our business. Still, there is a savings in doing so, and ultimately we still want to bring a quality product to our customers, so long as we are in control of that quality.

2022 Subaru BRZ Products

Featured

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Paul P.

We’re glad to report that, for the most part, existing coilovers for the Subaru BRZ will in fact work fine with the latest 2022 BRZ body style (ZD8 chassis code).

So, we’re listing our FLEX Z (VSQ54-CUSS4) and FLEX A (VSTD8-D1SS4) as compatible for both first and this second generation BRZ.

However, our STREET BASIS Z, STREET ADVANCE Z, and our S.TECH & HIGH TECH lowering springs will have new part numbers.

As to why our existing FLEX Z and FLEX A coilover lines are still compatible- the spring rate and valving work very well on the new platform. But, these coilovers are a bit more aggressive than the STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z lines. Therefore, we’ll have to determine what changes we’ll need to make for these kits. As well, our S.TECH & HIGH TECH springs will be unique for this car due to different lengths and spring rates.

The only issue now, really, is the supply chain, as we’re still experiencing massive delays in imported goods from Japan.

Currently, the FLEX Z and FLEX A coilovers have an eta of late February 2022, while the HIGH TECH springs have an eta of April 2022.

Please visit our Product Stock Page for more information.

HIGH TECH Lowering Springs (SKAEA-G1B00) shown

ENDURAPRO Shock Absorber Testing on S550 Mustang GT (w/ Performance Package)

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Paul P.

This past week we had a 2018 Ford Mustang GT (S550 chassis) come in for testing. This particular one has the Performance Package. This package looks to include “heavy-duty” front springs and a thicker rear sway bar. Our guess is that the factory shock absorbers and rear springs have also changed from earlier S550’s Performance Package, with the shocks being a tad big more aggressive in valving, and so far we can say that we feel these differences.

ENDURAPRO PLUS (damping adjustable) for S550 Mustang shown

You can say it is a much sportier ride now. However, for some of us older fellows at TEIN USA, it was a bit too uncomfortable, whether it was street or highway driving. Personally I don’t really like how overly sensitive the steering was. Felt like I could accidentally loose control should my reflexes overreact. It just felt very twitchy and unstable.

Anyway, we wanted to test our upcoming STREET BASIS Z coilovers for this vehicle. BUT, it was also an opportunity to test our ENDURAPRO shock absorbers on this car, and it was definitely an improvement from our point of view!

As mentioned, the new GT Performance Package offers factory upgraded suspension. It was a far cry from how the first S550 GT we tested felt (when we were developing our FLEX Z coilover kit).

With the ENDURAPRO shock absorbers, ride quality was much more bearable for a daily drive. Much of the harshness we feel from the factory suspension is gone (however we can feel a difference with the stiffer front spring). Turn-in hasn’t changed dramatically, which we can possibly attribute to both the front springs and the larger rear sway bar.

Front ENDURAPRO strut compared to OEM strut.

Rear ENDURAPRO shock absorber compared to OEM shock.

How this compares to earlier S550 GT suspension is quite different, however. Again, with the current Performance Package suspension being more aggressive, the ENDURAPRO shock absorbers now make the car feel more compliant (not soft, not boaty, just better comfort). On an earlier S550 much of the sportiness is still there. But in both cases, the included Hydraulic Bump Stopper of our ENDURAPRO shock absorbers adds a much smoother ride quality under heavy loading. Over very large bumps, like expansion joints or overpasses on a freeway, this Hydraulic Bump Stopper really helps suppress upward jolts and smooths out the rebound. Given that the Mustang has relatively short suspension stroke, this pays huge dividends to providing comfort!

ENDURAPRO shock absorbers for the S550 Mustang are in stock and ready to ship!

Part numbers:
Front- VSGC0-A1MS2-L (left side)
VSGC0-A1MS2-R (right side)
Rear- VSGC1-A1MS2

Also available in ENDURAPRO PLUS (16-click damping adjustable)!

Front- VSGC0-B1MS2-L (left side)
VSGC0-B1MS2-R (right side)
Rear- VSGC1-B1MS2

FK8 Civic Type R Suspension Development

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Paul P.

We’ve already showcased our FLEX Z prototype suspension for the FK8 Honda Civic Type R at the SEMA show last year, but we’re now making more headway into production of this kit, as well as lowering springs and the upcoming MONO RACING suspension kit for this platform.

FK8 Civic Type R Suspension Soon Available

Development took longer than expected, mainly due to the availability of this platform in Japan. Why that was troublesome for us is that TEIN Japan usually gets a head-start on product development whenever a global vehicle platform is available. That saves TEIN USA the development time on designing the suspension (altogether possible for us to do, but it still comes with its own development delays).

Prior to the SEMA show, we knew that TEIN Japan finally had an FK8 to do testing on and had prototypes they could send to us. So, as soon as that opportunity came around, we contacted a local partner in having his Type R brought in and tested, and eventually asked ever so kindly to use the car for our booth display at SEMA 😉

As many of you consumers already know, the FK8 front suspension is a far cry from the design for the standard Civic’s that platform shares. It has a very unique strut suspension, much like the Super Strut design of the Toyota Celica.

In fact, the design was so unique that it posed another issue for us in both disassembly and reassembly of the suspension. Of course, we try to offer a suspension kit that is a bolt-on affair for the consumer, so it took a bit of self-education to figure this out ourselves.

Also, newer cars like the Type R have factory electronically controlled suspension. This was a problem because once the factory suspension is removed, a fancy warning came on the dash display. This led us to develop our new Canceller Units that will be included on applicable vehicle applications we make suspension kits for. With the Canceller Unit, no more warnings on the dash, and that means a customer can opt for one of our EDFC controller units, like EDFC ACTIVE PRO.

Production Canceller Unit for FK8 on display at SEMA 2018.

***Canceller Units are vehicle specific unfortunately. Again, we will include them for suspension applications that require them.

Canceller Unit (*prototype used for testing only) installed on FK8 front strut

Canceller Unit (*prototype used for testing) installed on the FK8 rear shock absorber

EDFC would actually be a blessing for this car, since Honda decided to make the shock absorber upper mounting position in an inaccessible design (since our damping adjustment is at the top of the piston rod).

Soon we hope to have these kits available! Please keep posted with us for more info, or keep checking our website for new product releases!

WE’RE TRYING TO KEEP STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z IN STOCK!!!

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Paul P.

As we expected, the release of STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z has taken off extremely well. Applications are still very limited, but we’re working on releasing more and more applications before the end of this year, and we have a few more containers from TEIN China scheduled for 2016.

Still, that hasn’t stopped our authorized dealers and distributors in getting their hands on the new coilover kits and getting them out to their customers!!!

To date, we’ve released the following applications:

STREET BASIS Z

GSA22-8USS2 (2001-2005 Honda Civic EM2 & ES1, 2003-2005 EP3), msrp $530

GSS80-8USS2 (2008-2014 Subaru WRX GEE & GHE), msrp $530

GSHC0-8UAS2 (2012-2013 Honda Civic Si FG4, FB6), msrp $550

GSP92-8UAS2 (2007-2008 Infiniti G35 V35, 2008+ V36), msrp $550

GSM56-81SS2 (2004-2011 Mazda RX8 SE3P), msrp $450

GSS60-8USS2 (2002-2007 Subaru WRX GDA & GGA, 2004 Subaru STI GDF, 2005-2007 Saab 9-2x GGA), msrp $600

GSL52-8USS2 (2005-2010 Scion tC ANT10L), msrp $530

GSM64-8USS2 (1990-1998 Mazda Miata NA6C & NA8C, 1999-2005 Mazda Miata NB8C), msrp $450

GSY20-81SS2 (2000-2005 Lexus IS300 JCE10L), msrp $480

STREET ADVANCE Z

GSB80-91AS2 (2009-2014 Honda Fit GE8), msrp $650

GSQ74-91AS2 (2014+ Lexus IS250 GSE30L & IS350 GSE31L), msrp $650

GSA28-9USS2 (2002-2006 Acura RSX DC5), msrp $630

GSHC0-9UAS2 (2012-2013 Honda Civic FG4 & FB6), msrp $650

GSS60-9USS2 (2002-2007 Subaru WRX GDA & GGA, 2004 Subaru STI GDF, 2005-2007 Saab 9-2X GGA), msrp $700

GSL70-91AS2 (2007-2010 Toyota Yaris NCP91L & NCP93L), msrp $650

and more vehicle applications to come within the next few months!!!!

We’re doing our best to keep these kits on the shelves, but we still recommend you get a hold of an authorized dealer to order to assure you can get a set, assuming you have one of the vehicle applications listed above!

TEIN STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z Has Landed!!!

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Paul P.

We’ve been on a full-fledged effort to bring the consumer affordable, high quality suspensions. After all, this is the reputation that TEIN has built its successes on. At the end of 2015, we introduced the new FLEX Z suspension kits. Never before have we released a full featured coilover kit at under $1000 (FLEX Z starts at $800), and to our surprise, it has taken off better than we have expected. So much so that our biggest problem is keeping enough inventory of these kits on our own shelves, let alone our dealers’ shelves.

With this success, we still felt it necessary to address the demand for even more affordable suspensions, which is where our new STREET BASIS Z and STREET ADVANCE Z suspensions come in. These kits come at a starting price of,,,,, brace yourselves for this,,,,,, $450 for the STREET BASIS Z and $550 for the STREET ADVANCE Z. That’s not for two shocks, or just the coilover springs. These are the starting prices for the complete kit!

You may be asking “HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?”.

Good question! Let us explain:

A couple of years ago, we made mention of our new TEIN China factory. Now fully operational, we’ve been able to get to work on these two new lines of suspensions. Our goal was to maintain the renowned TEIN quality that TEIN Japan has prided themselves with and bring this technology overseas. In doing so, we were also able to meet our goal of offering an even more affordable suspension kit.

How do these two new “Z” line of suspensions differ from existing STREET BASIS & STREET ADVANCE lines?

STREET BASIS Z/STREET ADVANCE Z will still go through our patented surface treatment processes, the very same processes our existing suspension lines go through, providing excellent corrosion resistance and many years of service.

The only major difference is the fact that the new STREET BASIS Z and STREET ADVANCE Z lines use fully sealed dampers (non-rebuildable) and are made in TEIN China’s factory (as previously mentioned). Our new fully sealed dampers may not be able to be rebuilt and revalved since the damper bodies can no longer be fully disassembled. However, in terms of servicing the dampers, should a damper go bad after our 1-year warranty, the customer can simply purchase a replacement damper and swap over their original TEIN spring and factory upper mount assembly and get their car back on the road.

Fully sealed dampers may not be able to be rebuilt/revalved, but it still makes your suspension kit much cheaper to own in the long run when it comes to replacing old damper units. Instead of sending in your dampers, simply purchase replacements and get your car back on the road quickly!

Why is this of any benefit to the customer? Well, now you no longer have to send your dampers in to be rebuilt. That translates to less downtime (typical overhauls take anywhere from 3-4 weeks currently), and actually a much more cost-effective way for a customer to get their car running again (no need to ship dampers to and from TEIN USA, and replacement STREET BASIS Z/STREET ADVANCE Z dampers cost anywhere from $80 – $120).

STREET ADVANCE Z kits starting at $550. Ride height and damping force adjustable.

Although not much else has change with the introduction of our new STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z kits, we’ve done our best to give the customers more ride height adjustment range, offering lower ride heights than before. We’ve also reassessed some vehicle applications and revised spring rates and valving to provide even greater performance and comfort.

The first sets that have arrived are limited in vehicle applications, but we’re working on eventually adding more and more applications of STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z as the year progresses. In the meantime, however, we still have some current STREET BASIS & STREET ADVANCE coilovers at new, lower retail prices. So there’s still plenty of chance to get a high quality TEIN coilover at a great price!

Before the new STREET BASIS Z and STREET ADVANCE Z kits start leaving our warehouse, we just wanted to say thank you to all of our authorized dealers, as well as our customers, who have helped TEIN to continue bringing technological innovations in the high performance segment of our market. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to make our living in providing you with pure driving pleasure!

Please visit www.tein.com to see the available applications!

The New, More Affordable STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z Coilovers!!!

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Paul P.

As we had already mentioned, development has started on our FLEX Z coilovers, a more affordable offering of our popular STREET FLEX coilovers. But, we haven’t stopped there with new products for 2015!

At around the same time we start bringing in our FLEX Z coilovers (mid-Spring), we should also have a few applications of our STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z coilovers! However, we’re not too sure the timing, as the new STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z will be coming from our newly established TEIN China plant.

The difference between current STREET BASIS and STREET ADVANCE coilovers from the new “Z” line is that the Z line are non-rebuildable coilovers. Again, this follows in suit to the STREET FLEX -> FLEX Z changes. All other features of the two entry-level coilover lines are the same.

STREET BASIS Z is strictly a ride height adjustable kit. This makes it a perfect setup for the daily driver looking for an increase in handling performance without compromising comfort for everyday use. For many of you considering a lowering spring + performance shock absorber combination, the STREET BASIS Z makes even more sense as we select appropriate spring rates and valve our dampers to match. No guesswork on the end-users part in trying to match one brand of springs to another brand of shock absorbers. The added height adjustment feature allows the end-user the ability to adjust ride height to their preference, something that lowering springs lack. Being that most vehicles are slightly unbalanced from left to right sides, that means you can easily adjust the ride height so that each corner is even from their opposing sides.

STREET ADVANCE Z takes the ride height adjustability of the STREET BASIS Z line and adds 16-way damping adjustment. So, not only do you get a matched spring and damper setting, you now have the ability to tune the dampers to meet your driving conditions. Roads seem a bit rough? Soften up the damping. Glass smooth highways? Crank the damping to a stiffer setting. You get all that and everything in between. STREET ADVANCE Z is also compatible with our EDFC systems (some STREET ADVANCE Z coilover kits may require extension kits for compatibility), giving you a completely adaptable suspension kit based on your driving conditions/characteristics! That’s a feature that not even all sports luxury cars have, and our setup is at a much more affordable price!!!

Like the FLEX Z line, these new STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z coilovers have a very appealing starting price! STREET BASIS Z comes in at $400 while STREET ADVANCE Z comes in at $500!!! Those are unheard of starting prices for a TEIN coilover!

And, just like the FLEX Z coilovers, replacement parts will be made readily available! If your STREET BASIS Z or STREET ADVANCE Z dampers start feeling worn, you can purchase replacement dampers! No need to send them into us for a rebuild since these are fully sealed, non-rebuildable dampers! That will save you some money, and most importantly, extended downtime! We’ll help to get your car back on the road as quickly as possible!

Again, the only major difference is that the new “Z” line of dampers are non-rebuildable.

Internally, we continue to use our ADVANCE NEEDLE for increased per-click damping adjustment. This translates into greater damping change for each click of the 16-way adjuster, making it easier to find the perfect damping setting. Our high performance damper oil, the same kind we use in our race dampers (Gr.N, Super Racing, N1) provides excellent anti-foaming and viscosity characteristics under heavy cyclic rate, giving you repeatable damping feel and performance for the life of the damper.

ADVANCE NEEDLE provides wide-range damping force change per click.

Proprietary damper oil exhibits excellent anti-foaming and viscosity characteristics for stable damping force under extended use.

We will still retain our exclusive damper coatings, too. Our shot blasted, zinc plated high strength STKM13C steel damper bodies are treated to our patented 2-layer/1-bake powdercoating procedure. This gives our dampers excellent protection against corrosion in harsh environments, especially in areas with heavy snowfall. Our patented ZT coating is applied to our threaded adjustment tubes (inside and out), and contribute to smooth height adjustment, and outstanding adhesion to the steel threads. This ZT coating will not peel or flake off even after repeated adjustment. This is due to the ZT coatings’ low friction coefficient. Essentially, it acts as a dry lubricant. That makes every external component of the steel bodied damper completely protected from the unforgiving environments we subject them to, and we expect our dampers to perform at their very best year after year after year…

the bare surface of our dampers are treated to a double shot peening adding surface strength and also prepares it for zinc coating.

We’ve also updated our spring seats and seat locks for increased durability under heavy vehicle loads and smooth height adjustment. Instead of using a rubber spring seat, we’ve added a Delrin thrust washer atop the new, wider spring seats.

Coilover springs will continue to be made from cold-wound SAE 9254 Vanadium alloy. After cold winding and setting, we heat treat the springs prior to grinding end coils to proper dimensions. Before powdercoating, we subject every spring to double shot-peening which aids in increased spring life and fatigue strength. Some coilover applications may have application-specific spring windings and shapes, such as our barrel springs or taper springs.

We will also continue to provide our 1-year warranty against manufacturer’s defects. Even at this new starting price, we will stand behind our products!

So now you’ve got the highest available quality and performance at an extremely low price, and backed with a manufacturers warranty. Unfortunately, we still haven’t made it easier for you to decide with TEIN suspension system you want. So we ask you to please give our sales staff a call at 562-861-9161 for assistance in getting you into the proper TEIN suspension kit for your needs!

2 popular street racing comics in JAPAN

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Sergio M.

If you like to read comics I recommend 2 popular manga in Japan which focuses on street racing. Both are not new but are favorites among kuruma otaku (car nuts).

頭文字D　-　INITIAL D
The central character “Takumi” drives a Toyota Trueno AE86 (Hachi-Roku) which has his family’s Tofu shop name on the side of the car.
The story follows Takumi as he enters the world of illegal Japanese street racing on the various Touge roads in Japan (TOUGE = mountain passes). The focus of the story is driving technique and tuning.

Many people know about Initial D and have probably watched the anime or maybe even the movie. I am originally from Japan and grew up when the Initial D manga were still being released on a weekly basis.

湾岸ミッドナイト- Wangan Midnight
“Wangan” means Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway Bayshore route and it is their stage. The main character “Akio” drives a Nissan Fairlady Z (S30) called “Devil Z”. And his rival Tatsuya drives a Porsche 911 Turbo (964) called “Black Bird”.

The story is about car tuning, vehicle setup and driving technique as well as the emotion behind it all.

I recently watched this animation on DVD and I saw a TEIN logo in the story! If your familiar with famous Japanese tuners you can probably see a correlation between characters in the manga/ anime and real life shops/ tuners.

Check this out if you are a kuruma otaku.

Image from http://www.amazon.com/

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