Carbing Tower Bar for Scion FR-S (and Subaru BRZ)

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Paul P.

Our in-house engineer, Shuichiro (a.k.a. “Shu”, for simplicity’s sake), has a bit of a tuning bug. He can’t seem to leave any of his cars alone. With the exception being that Toyota Prius he had for about a half year. Word on the street is he’s modifying a baby stroller for his daughter. Supposed to have TEIN coilovers with EDFC Active Pro and 5″ TE37’s? Oh, dear Jesus Gonzalez…

Seriously, I think he’s literally a kid in an automotive candy store. Him working here is a bad idea. Then again, he’s also our guinea pig for testing some of the latest parts. So, that’s technically good news for you, the consumer!

He recently purchased some Carbing Tower Bars for his Scion FR-S, which already has a gamut of parts (TEIN Mono Flex with custom front knuckle brackets, Fujitsubo Legalis R exhaust, and several other performance parts- no big power adders, though). I dig the Volk TE37 Time Attack’s he’s bolted onto each hub. Them wheels es muy sexy.

Prior to his Carbing purchase, we only special ordered these parts for a few customers. So we had no idea on fitment for the U.S. FR-S.

Anyway, here’s a pic of the Tower Bars installed.

You’re actually looking at two Carbing Tower Bar items in the picture.

Strut Tower Bar (in steel; painted white)

Part #: CA 611 055 0

MSRP- $170

Tower Brace (V-Bracing; in steel; painted white)

Part #: CA 693 055 0

MSRP- $160

No modifications necessary to install. Simple bolt-on. The Tower Brace (V-bracing) replaces the factory stamped pieces and bolts to the same factory mounting positions.

We currently stock both items here. So any authorized TEIN dealer can get them for you right away (since we’re the North American distributor for Carbing)!

And yeah, Shu’s Camber plates are mounted funny- he special ordered front knuckle brackets that have camber adjustment through the use of camber washers (same setup on some Super Racing coilover applications). That way, he can utilize the Mono Flex’s camber plates for caster adjustment. Clever guy.

Now leave your car alone, Shu. Your baby stroller, too.

TEIN USA Now on Instagram!

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Paul P.

We should have figured that most people prefer seeing pics than reading text. In fact, you’re all probably already asking “where are the pics?” Haha! Just kidding.

We do, however, want to be more involved with social media. Sometimes pictures really are worth 1,000 words, and we’d rather leave the pics to our followers’ imagination.

So please give us a follow on Instagram!

@teinusa

Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) 2014

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Paul P.

Another year has passed. This time, however, is more like “hurry up and go already!” Why? Because JCCS is just around the corner, and with it comes some of Southern California’s (and some out of state visitors!) finest examples of vintage Japanese cars and motorcycles, and everything in between.

While not always associated with vintage cars, we have made a few applications through our Specialized Damper Service. A program that lets a customer build completely custom suspension to their requirements. Perfect for the old car owners who are having a hard time finding a high quality replacement suspension, or just wants to take their vintage ride racing!

Back to the event- It will be held near the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. as usual. Free to the public, the gates are open from 9a-3p.

Make sure to bring some cash as there will be plenty of vendors selling classic car parts, nostalgic items like old magazines and car-related toys, and we’ll be bringing some goods to sell at discount!

So, stop by and enjoy the beautiful Long Beach weather!

See you there!

Beware of Poor Quality Springs!

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Paul P.

We’ve put a great video out on YouTube showcasing the effects of a poor quality spring compared to our own springs:

Goes to show that not all products are created equal. We spend a lot of resources for our research and development departments, and for good reason. We’ve built a great reputation of offering high quality performance parts at pretty reasonable prices. We have to uphold that reputation, and to do so means constant product development.

It’s sad to know that there are “high performance” suspension manufacturers that are mass producing components without ever testing them. We put each and every one of our designs through rigorous testing to ensure their reliability and performance. Everything we design must pass our extensive tests before it ever reaches you, our customer.

I’d rather spare you the whole “you get what you pay for” speech because, in some cases, the consequences of not knowing the first time around could mean your safety, and potentially your life. So, take it from us- if you really want something, don’t choose what you think is the second or third best option just because it will save you some money. Purchase from a reputable manufacturer. Purchase with confidence. Most of all, purchase wisely. If you don’t have the money now, you should save up for what you really want. Or, just shop around and find a great price from one of any of our authorized TEIN dealers.

For a list of our authorized TEIN dealers, please visit the following link:

http://www.tein.com/dealer_list/index.html

Short Spring Dilemmas Part 1

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Sergio M.

I will be going over the details of some issues encountered with the use of shorter springs. Part 1 of a 2 part post would explain the use of shorter length springs with a ride height adjustable coilover. Many consumers think that the use of a shorter length spring on a ride height adjustable coilover such as the Street Basis, Street Advance, Super Street, Basic’s, and Comfort Sport dampers would allow for the coilover to drop even further than the kits current maximum lowest setting. Essentially this is correct if the damper assembly has sufficient amount of range left on its body threads and/or overall damper length. Any consumer kits which have this type of set up will initially encounter the issue of the upper mount assembly riding against the bump rubber. This will eventually cause the bump rubber to break down causing either the damper to prematurely wear the seal and, in worst cases, cause internal damage of the damper. Other issues also experienced are spring slop (the spring moving out of its seat positions during operation due to the shortened length) damaging the damper body and threads, noises due to excessive damper component movement, and damper component failure (upper, lower spring seats, bushings, and bearings) from the loose fitting spring.

The images above shows a Super Street damper assembly from a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX utilizing the standard 6KG spring rate with a 225mm length offered with the kit but set to a significantly low ride height. The second image above shows a load on mount assembly placed against the spring. This is not what the springs normal position would be with the vehicle weight added to it. For this application, the calculations of the spring rate (6KG) with the vehicles sprung weight (the weight above the spring excludes suspension components below the spring) (sprung weight is 235) which would compress the spring another 39mm placing the upper mount assembly closer to the bump stop.

Now, if a consumer looking to utilize a 1 inch shorter length spring in the same spring rate, the images below shows (the same ride height setting is maintained) the increase in gap between the upper mount assembly as well as the amount of piston shaft stroke exposed. The second image below would show the dampers shaft compressed to the point at which the mount sit against the spring. With the previously mentioned sprung weight compressing the spring the additional 39mm’s the spring would compress further placing the upper mount assembly even closer to the bump stop eliminating stroke from the damper. At this point it would begin to hit the bump stop over slightly larger bumps on the road and slowly break down the bump stop.

Now, should the consumer consider an even shorter length spring (in this case 2 inches shorter with the same spring rate; again, if the lowest ride height position is maintained), the images below show how the size in gap between the upper mount assembly and spring has immensely increased. The second image would again show the damper assembly compressed to the point at which the upper mount and spring meet. With the details previously mentioned of the sprung weight added to the spring, the upper mount would sit up against the bump stop with no type of real movement on the dampers stroke. The end result if utilized in this manner would be horrible ride quality, as their would be no stroke available, the upper mount assembly would immediately begin to damage the bump stop which in turn would either break the bump stop wedging the pieces into the seal portion and tearing at the seal or worst case splitting the bump stop apart allowing for the piston shaft to fully compress and hit the base of the damper damaging the unit internally.

The use of a stiffer spring in conjunction with a shorter length spring would be advisable as it would further support the vehicle weight minimizing the amount of contact between the upper mount assembly and bumper. This of course would also need to follow the spring rate change recommended range depending on the damper model. For any spring rate changes beyond our recommended range, we highly advise for the dampers to be sent in for a revalve service. Oversprung dampers can prematurely wear out as the dampers are not be able to keep up with the stiffer springs need for more rebound force.

For part 2 of the Short Spring Dilemmas, I will be going in depth to discuss full length adjustable coilover utilizing shorter lengths.