Author Archives: Philip C.

SPECIAL Order products

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TEIN is a global company and we offer hundreds of coilover and spring applications for cars all over the world. If you take a look at our US website you might not find your application but you should also check our global website. You can use the Product Search function which shows applications offered throughout the world.

Here are a few examples of cars that are available in the US but not stocked by TEIN USA. These applications are Special Order.

We offer a 4×4 Damper for the FJ Cruiser. This application is popular in the Middle East.

Soon to be released in the US, Scion IQ. TEIN Japan has already released both lowering springs and coilovers.

TEIN Japan currently offers lowering springs and coilovers for the Nissan Juke.

The new Street Basis coilover is already under development in Japan for the Lexus CT200H.

The awesome 5-Axis widebody CT200H which is on proto-type TEIN coilovers.

Products for the Mazda 2 can be special ordered.

Mazda6 known as the Atenza in Japan. Lowering springs and coilovers are currently available.

Multiple products available in Japan for the Honda Insight.

TEIN Japan spec FLEX coilovers for the new generation Subaru Legacy.

IMPORTANT NOTE: most of these applications have not yet been tested on US vehicles so we cannot guarantee fitment or ride height adjustment range. Do your homework before ordering.

TEIN Mustang GT Up For SALE – SOLD

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Our 2005 Ford Mustang GT is now up for sale. This Mustang was built with a mixture of Japanese, European and American parts – the best from around the world. And for this reason it does not look or sound like a typical Mustang you might see on the street, at the track or at a show.

Roush billet grill and ProCharger intercooler peeking through the lower grill.

Aggressive stance with FLEX fully adjustable coilovers, Volk GTF with gunmetal center and polished lip wheels, paint matched 3D Carbon Lip Kit and Wilwood BBK 6-piston front and 2-piston rear.

Sparco seats, Momo steering wheel, Clarion DVD/Navigation head unit, DEFI gauges and of course EDFC.

ProCharger supercharger with intercooler, JBA longtube headers, JE pistons, Eagle rods, ARP fasteners, painted valve covers and TONS of polished parts.

The short block has just been upgraded with a JE pistons, Eagle rods, ARP hardware and a new crankshaft. As of right now the newly built motor has about 10 miles on it. Here is the complete specification sheet:

Volk Racing Forged GTF 2pcs. wheels, light weight and incredibly strong. Wrapped in Continental rubber, 255 up front and 275 in the rear.

Seibon carbon fiber vented hood and trunk. Black roof done in vinyl decal so it can be easily removed.

 

If anyone is interested in purchasing this vehicle please contact Philip@tein.com.

SOLD

Rally xD at SnoDrift 2011

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I just got back from the first round of Rally America – Sno*Drift. The event is held about 4 hours North of Detroit in Atlanta, MI. The area is beautiful and the people are friendly BUT the weather is really cold. Coming from sunny and warm Southern California means that I am used to 60 degree Winters with an occasional rain storm. 10-20 degree temps and wind chill put most of the California based team into survival mode.

2010 2WD Champions are back in a new Scion xD.

2010 Champion Driver, Chris Duplessis getting ready for battle.

2010 Champion Co-Driver, Catherine Woods who is usually is all smiles is in competition mode.

The xD was already in Detroit when the crew arrived to Michigan as it had been on display at the Detroit Auto Show the week prior. If you cannot tell this xD is not the same as the car that was run last year. This is a brand new xD which was built just before SEMA. It only had 50 miles on the odometer when the Rally started.

The brand new car needed a thorough tech inspection.

The engine remains almost stock with the only additions being a TRD drop in filter, aftermarket header and Greddy exhaust. The transmission has been upgraded with a Quaife differential which was installed only two days before the event. Coilovers are a custom application HG which have 2-way damping force adjustment. Light weight Volk CE28 wheels and BFG snow tires round out the performance mods. This new car is lighter with various carbon fiber body panels, lexan rear windows and chassis weight reduction. Seats, belts, steering wheel, in-car comm., helmets and driving suits are all Sparco. The guys at Design Craft Fabrication did a great job building the car and getting it ready for the event.

The rally started on Friday in the early afternoon. After the first 6 stages Chris and Catherine pulled out a solid lead in the 2WD class. There was only one service during day one in which the xD came back missing both light pods. Going into the night stages the service crew scrambled to get the recovered pods back onto the car but only 1 made it back on in the limited service time. The lights only lasted about 5mins until the relay blew out forcing Chris to drive with only the OEM lights. A flat tire on stage 7 put Chris and Catherine about 10mins behind the 2WD leader at the end of day one.

After day one the service crew repaired all damage, checked over the car and made preparations for day two. Luckily the folks at a nearby resort allowed the crew to use their heated garage.

On the start of day two Chris and Catherine were determined to make up the lost time and fight for the top podium spot. The next two services went smoothly and the only damage to the car was cosmetic. Chris’s skill on snow and ice served the team well as he was able to make up about 9mins. in 7 stages (truly amazing). There simply were not enough stage miles for the xD to make up all the lost time.

The Rally xD finished in 2nd place in the 2WD class which is a great finish considering this car had ZERO testing.

Great job Gordon Ting and the crew of the Rally xD.

Photos courtesy of Duane and Joey of the Octane Report. See more event coverage at the OctaneReport.com

What is a H.A.S.?

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Consumers sometimes question why TEIN does not make a true coil over shock design for the rear of some popular applications like 350Z, G35, RSX,’06+ Civic, FIT, BMW E36, E46, Mustang, etc… All these cars use a separate spring and shock design in the rear.

For these applications we have a H.A.S. (Height Adjustment System) which is a threaded sleeve that sits separately from the shock and still allows for ride height adjustment.

Some other smaller suspension companies may offer a true spring (coil) over shock design for the rears of these applications but let me tell you why TEIN does not.

TEIN engineers could easily make a spring over shock design and it would probably even be cheaper BUT this is not a SAFE choice.

First you have to understand the purpose of a spring versus shock/ strut.

Spring = controls weight, ride height

Shock/ Strut = controls speed of suspension movement

I am specifically talking about the separate spring and shock design here.

If we removed the shock and left the spring, the spring would still support the weight of the car. Now the car manufacturer reinforces the chassis where the spring is located because that area needs to support the weight car. The shock area does not need much reinforcement because it does not support much weight.  Maybe it will be okay for a few months but what about 2 yrs, 5 yrs, 10 yrs?

In this picture you can see the top of the shock for a vehicle that has a separate spring and shock design. There are not many welds or bracing in this area again because the manufacturer never intended it to support the vehicle’s weight.

Think about this. Vehicle manufacturers indicate specific pickup points when you jack up a car. One of the reasons for this is the floor of the car to too weak to support the weight of the vehicle. If you look under the car you will see that those specified pickup points have thicker reinforcing metal.

This probably looks familiar, a similar diagram is probably on a sticker or in the manual for every car.

Exceptions – TEIN has customized kits for certain customers and done away with the H.A.S. ONLY when the chassis has been reinforced at the shocks top mount. Usually this is done by adding another layer of steel to the chassis and a roll cage mounting point is nearby.

Normally this car uses a HAS design but with this type of reinforcement TEIN engineers have no worries converting it into a spring over shock type. You can see the added steel plating and roll cage all tied into the top mount of the suspension.

SuperCharged Lexus ISF

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This Lexus ISF was built in 2008 and has been displayed at some of the largest automotive shows in North America. Builder, Gordon Ting, recently got the car back and is currently changing things up to get this ISF track ready. The custom SuperCharger is in the process of being tuned and we will be making some suspension tweaks for a more track oriented setup.

Aggressive stance from the Super Street coilovers. The bright neon green PFC brake kit and Advan RZ wheels really turn heads.

Sparco seats and belts with custom matte black roll bar.

EDFC and Greddy monitoring devices replace the glove box.

This ISF looks menacing from all angles.

Custom SuperCharger which should add some extra oomph to the already potent V8.

More Pics from SLB 2010 Finals

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Evasive CT9A parked in one of the garages waiting for another session to break a record.

DC Sports S2000. Motor issues kept this street monster on the sidelines this year.

TEIN Engineer, Mr. Takizawa (TK) gathering some data from the Evasive cars. His tuning experience ranges from Japan One Make Civic races to 24hr Nurburgring Enduro.

Martin from AMS gave me a ride in this Alpha 9 GTR a few months ago, 740WHP at the time – SIMPLY AMAZING. I heard this was detuned for SLB to run on 91 pump.

Limited AWD Winner with a VERY tall rear wing.

Awesome Supercharged E46 M3.

Timeless good looks and super consistent lap times.

Capable of breaking records every time it comes to compete.

Another car capable of breaking records during any outing.

CRAZY, just CRAZY.


ID Auto Festival

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Thanks for those who stopped by our booth at the ID Auto Festival. If you did not attend, this was a car meet and garage sale. There were free prizes, shopping sprees and cash prizes given throughout the day for various categories. Many top manufacturers came out with some awesome deals on used and NEW products.

TEIN booth nestled between C-West and Cusco. Other manufacturers included Greddy, Mackin, Apexi, ATI, Seibon, LOT USA, 5 Zigen, all in all about 20.

We were selling both new and open box items. There were some great deals to be had throughout the event.

Our booth was selling TEIN, DEFI, Fujitsubo and Peltor products. Some new and some used – all at special prices.

Anything in the box  for $30.

Some nice vehicles on display.

Abe Ko’s LS sitting on TEIN FLEX Sedan coilovers and Platnium VIP Cup Kit. 2-3″ of in-car ride height adjustment.

Many raffles held throughout the day. Every person who entered the event got a raffle ticket for FREE. Each manufacturer donated items to the general raffle and their were special raffles for largest forum turnout, Longo Scion tC test drive, etc…

Two winners of the general raffle. TEIN provided the Carbing Radicator Cooling Panel.

Raffle winners from the two largest forums in attendance.

Raffle winner from the Best Car Crew (Platnium VIP), $400 CASH MONEY.

The event was super chill. I saw many people come and just hang out. No entrance fees. People could come and go as you please. Tons of free prizes. DJ spinning some good music. Food Trucks.

Hope to see everyone next time.

BLACK SUNDAY SUPER SALE

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TEIN will be participating in the ID AutoFestival on November 28th at Toyota (Irwindale) Speedway. This is a huge manufacturer BLACK SUNDAY sale and car meet. Many big brands will be at the event selling products for low low prices. There will also be prizes for the largest turnout by a forum and best car crew.

TEIN will have some open box and old demo items as well as selected new items for sale. We will also be selling a host of TEIN Goods which make great stocking stuffers.

Open Box coilover kits and lowering springs.




Complete DEFI gauges which were used for display.

TEIN Goods: T-Shirts, Mechanic Gloves, Keychains, Backpack, Dampachi Dolls, Bottle Openers, etc…

Get out of the house. Check out the cars and manufacturer direct deals.

We hope to see you there.

More information can be found at IndustryDay.org

Lexus GS450H Race Car

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You might have seen this car on various online sites from SEMA 2010 coverage.

It is the 0-60 magazine built Lexus GS450H track car. Since nobody really has experience increasing power on a Hybrid, builder Gordon Ting, concentrated on all other aspects of a full blown race car. Overall weight was reduced by removing unneeded components and using composite materials, aerodynamics were greatly improved, suspension was upgraded to full 2-way adjustable coilovers, larger brakes front and rear, light weight forged wheels, competition slick tires and of course all the safety gear.

Here is a little closer look and maybe something few people know about.

1) Using custom application Super Racing Coilovers with dual EDFC (both units not yet installed).

2-way damping force adjustment, compression and rebound separately adjustable. Full length adjustment for setting ride height and spring pre-load independently. External reservoir tank for added oil capacity and cooling. Pillowball upper mounts and racing springs complete the kit.

This kit was produced under our Specialized Damper program in which TEIN can create custom coilovers for applications we do not normally produce and in custom specification to meet the customer’s requests.

2) Has the new DEFI ZD display.

DEFI ZD display, one of the EDFC controllers and a host of vital switches on the carbon center console. The unconventional shift knob was fabricated because the OE shifter was way too far forward.

3) The aero was made by TEIN dealer Evasive Motorsports

Dual canards, CF lip and custom CF front splitter from Evasive Motorsports. Forged TE37-SL from Rays and 6-piston neon green calipers from Brembo.

4) The car has a fully function air jack system.

Fully functional air jack system gets this car up in 3 seconds and back down even faster. The ultra aggressive aero and race ride height make the air jacks a necessity for service (imagine trying to get a floor jack under there without them).

You can see this car in the Lexus Booth at the LA Auto Show from 11/19 – 11/28.

Select photos courtesy of Gordon T. of 0-60.

Super Lap Battle Finals 2010

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So SLB 2010 is over. TEIN engineer, R&D assistant and myself spent 2 days at Buttonwillow Raceway helping our sponsored vehicles. This year there was a smaller field but I think the level of competition and caliber of car was high.

Now on to the cars that we sponsor.

EVASIVE MOTORSPORTS

EVO 9 – Limited AWD
Driven by Mike C. co-owner of Evasive. Mike and the Evasive crew chased down minor gremlins throughout the event and never really got a chance to set a clean hot lap. Super Racing coilover with special 3-way rears. Best Time 1:51

Civic Si – Street FF
Also driven by Mike C. Testing out his newly modded engine and some aggressive suspension settings on his customized Mono FLEX dampers. Look for this next year after Evasive gets more testing done. We think it is capable of sub 2 min. lap times in the Street class. This year Best Lap 2:02

S2000 – Street FR (Evasive Sponsored)
Owned and driven by Tim Kuo. Very quick lap times considering the amount of modifications (almost stock NA motor) and no crazy body mods. Super Racing suspension and specifically chosen menu of mods. Best Time 2:02

CR-Z – Hybrid Class (Honda Tuning Magazine)
Also driven by Tim K. Very light mods since the car is so new to the US. Running our US spec. Mono FLEX coilovers and Falken 615K. Best Time 2:18.

Crawford Performance


2011 Scion tC – Limited FF
Driven by new up and comer, Michelle A. Quirt put this car together in just 2 weeks. Right now the car sports only a few light modifications. Running our proto-type Super Street coilovers. Best Time 2:14.

DC Sports


S2000 – Street FR
Owned by Mr. Will Law and driven by Tarzan. This project vehicle (see the build in Import Tuner magazine) needs more testing. This was the first time the car has seen the track since being modded. Modified Mono FLEX coilovers which Tarzan praised for making the car easy to control. Ran 2:02 – 2:03 in practice but had some gremlins come race day.

GMR Racing


S2000 – Unlimited FR (bumped from Limited due to mods)
Driven by Casey Dennis. GMR just recently installed the Super Racing coilovers. I am sure this car will go faster as they get it dialed in. Best Time 1:58

Have to mention that Sierra Sierra Enterprises broke the all time record with a 1:41.046. Watching the EVO carry speed and accelerate out of each corner was amazing.

Tim’s S2000 photo from Speedhunters.com