TEIN Authorized Dealer Sneed’s Speed Shop in North Carolina recently completed their 1992 BMW 325is road race car. Sneed’s has prepared the 325is to run in NASA GTS2 class for the 2010 season. Sneed’s Speed Shop owner and driver Chris Sneed has already grabbed a 2nd place finish and a WIN in the car’s first two starts!
Sneed’s Bimmer features a non-vanos M50 2.5L engine per the NASA GTS2 rules. Snowwhite as the car is affectionately called, sports a set of TEIN SSP coilovers front and rear , plus M3 brakes, Carbotech pads, Turner adjustable rear control arms and 17×9 ARC wheels with super sticky 245/40/17 Hoosier R6 tires.
A custom built Sneed Speed roll cage keeps Chris safe and adds rigidity to the chassis. Sneed’s also added an in-house designed Sneed front splitter with dive planes as well as a Sneed carbon rear wing.
Sneed attributes the adjustability of the TEIN coilovers and Sneed’s Speed aero parts to being able to dial in the handling on the car so quickly.
I have been asking my co-workers in Japan what are the hot new cars and they always say that the most popular applications for TEIN Japan are for Mini Vans. I couldn’t believe it. Why would people buy a Mini Van when they can get used Type R, Skyline, S15, S13/14 with OEM SR20DET, GC8 STI, etc… for good prices. They tell me that younger generations are not as interested in speed, power and handling as past generations. Young people want convenience, comfort, good gas mileage, storage space, etc… Sounds like my dad. So I decided to look into the JDM mini vans and here is what I found.
Honda StepWagon RG1
This is the Honda StepWagon. Not a fan but it is actually one of the most popular mini vans in Japan. Since Japan is small and the roads are tight, many new cars are built taller to provide more room. If the car is too wide it has limited areas to park and is hard to drive on narrow residential streets. Already on its fourth generation. Automatic sliding doors on both sides, K20 or K24 power and CVT.
Toyota Estima ACR50W
These smaller mini vans look more like wagons then vans. They even have a hard time out in Japan trying to classify these vehicles, but they finally just classified them as mini vans. This is the Toyota Estima which is the JDM name for Previa. Ultra popular with available V6, sliding second row seats with foot rest, power folding third row, etc…
Toyota Vellfire GGH20W
This Toyota Vellfire (variant of Alphard) is considered a full-size “mini van.” To me it looks like a bug with two separate set of eyes. For some of you out there, you might be asking yourselves why does this car have two sets of headlights. Well it seems that it was just a design change for the Vellfire version. One is actually for High Beams and the other for regular headlights. This is a baller mini van. Features include voice navigation, blind corner monitor, self parking system, auto cruise, lane monitoring system, etc… the thing almost drives itself. Price tag can go up around $60K.
This is a decently popular model and the only one out of all the mini vans in this post that I would actually consider purchasing, a Honda Stream. (I’m not a fan of big cars, I drive a CR-X). The higher end model comes with 2.0L, 150HP, CVT with paddle shifters. Sits 5 and has plenty of space for my pitbull, Mykaela.
Honda Stream RN6
These are just some of the mini vans that they have in Japan. TEIN develops many coilovers for these applications including Basic Wagon, Super Wagon, Basic Flex Wagon, Super Flex Wagon, Super Flex Wagon SUPER LOW DOWN, GT Wagon and Hybrid Wagon Damper (Hydraulic Ride Height Adjustment). The mini van applications are the best sellers in Japan. These coilovers can be purchased through any of our authorized dealers as a special order but unfortunately they would not fit anything here in the US.
You may or may not know that TEIN is the exclusive US Distributor of SuperPro Polyurethane Bushings.
About a year ago we did a install of these bushings on a Honda Civic EF Hatch for Super Street magazine.
SuperPro bushings are sold by individual placements and by vehicle kits. This allows the buyer to purchase exactly what is desired if not an entire kit. Each package of bushings comes with bushings, grease packet, and inner tubes if needed. You can actually see what each part number comes with by going to the online catalog. Some kits require reusing steel shells or housings that is part of the OE bushing. This requires a bit of processing.
Although this may be a task that any novice is capable of doing, when in doubt, contact a reputable shop that can do this for you.
Depending on the type of bushings removal can be done with an acetylene torch or press.
Removal by Acetylene Torch
First of all make sure you have all the proper equipment, and remember, safety is always top priority. First, you must apply heat evenly with a acetylene torch. You want to make sure to get heat on the top, bottom and the middle of where the bushing will be coming out from.
Removal by Hydraulic or Arbor Press
Hydraulic press with dies on top and bottom. Not a lot of force is needed. You may hear a pop when the bushing shell initially breaks it bond with the arm.
Sometimes a little prep work will make pressing out the bushing a little easier especially if you cannot find a die that fits perfectly.
Clean Up
Once the bushing comes out please make sure that you grind down any excess material that is left on. You can use a heavy grit sand paper or a wire brush. Make sure that the inside is smooth so that there are no obstructions that may interfere when pressing in the new bushing. You can spray paint the part that you are replacing the bushing on to prevent any corrosion from happening to the part.
Installationof new Polyurethane Bushing and Inner Tube
Once the bushing is ready to be installed, you will need to apply grease thoroughly on the bushing and on the inside of the part that it will be installed on.
You can use a vise to press in the bushings and housing or also a bushing press kit that is offered through SuperPro.
Installation of arm back to vehicle
The last step will be to install the part that you changed the bushing on back on the car. Please note to torque down the bolts to its specific torque setting. Before tightening any bolts, it is recommended to preload the suspension to simulate a load similar to when the vehicle is on the ground(1g). Otherwise, tightening any bolts while the suspension is at full droop(fully extended) will put tension on the bushing causing it to wear out quicker, make noise while driving, as well as alter ride height. The picture below shows the left rear suspension at 1G, car is off the ground and the floor jack is being used to simulate ride height.
Removal video using acetylene torch.
You can also take a look at Fulcrum Suspension’s website for additional removal / installation videos through these links.
Sneed’s Bimmer features a non-vanos M50 2.5L engine per the NASA GTS2 rules. Snowwhite as the car is affectionately called, sports a set of TEIN SSP coilovers front and rear , plus M3 brakes, Carbotech pads, Turner adjustable rear control arms and 17×9 ARC wheels with super sticky 245/40/17 Hoosier R6 tires.
