Category Archives: Uncategorized

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

 

Compression and Rebound

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What’s up guys? If you are still not sure on what the difference is between compression and rebound on a damper, let me explain. Compression damping is the force experienced when the damper is being compressed. In the case of most vehicles, this is when the damper moves upwards relative to its mounting position; a good example is when you hit a bump at high speeds on the road. If there was no compression on your shocks or struts your tire would just move upwards along with the vehicle, losing contact with the ground. With compression, the tire will deflect over the bump allowing the damper to absorb the impact (hence the name- Shock Absorber) and the tire will extend back to its original state, all the while reducing the vehicle’s motion and not disturbing the comfort of you and your passengers.

Rebound damping is the force that is experienced when a shock absorber returns from its compressed state to its original state. When a damper is in the process of rebound the spring goes from being compressed back to normal releasing all the tension from the compression. In some cases the ride feels bouncy or stiff because of the  spring rate and/or damping force settings not being compatible.  Keep in mind that if you have a damping force adjustable coil over the stiffer your settings are the slower the rebound. The softer your settings are the faster the rebound.

An example that we offer from TEIN is our Super Racing kit which gives you the advantage to tailor the compression and rebound aspect of the dampers (2-way adjustment). The adjustment is provided by two dedicated adjustment knobs, one being on the top of the piston shaft for rebound while the other is on the reservoir tank for compression or the bottom of the damper on strut applications. As mentioned earlier you also have to take in consideration the spring rate you are using with your coil over kit. 

Super Racing with separate compression and rebound adjustment

Another example, this time with emphasis on the importance of damper rebound, would be our Group N dampers with F.R.S. (Fast Rebound System). In rally, where the surface is less than smooth and has many transitions in traction, there are many times where the wheel will lose contact with the ground. This translates into time lost trying to accelerate and gain grip.

Group N dampers with F.R.S.

This purely mechanical feature detects when the tire has lost traction and activates the by-pass valve to allow rebound force to decrease momentarily, letting the wheel and tire extend further down.

The picture above shows the difference between the standard Group N dampers to the Group N with F.R.S. This seemingly small feature makes a world of difference in much needed traction.

If you are in the market for new dampers, we’d like to hear your suspension needs. Feel free to give us a call to hear our recommendations!

Toyota FT-86 aka Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ

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TEIN Japan has been hard at work testing and developing the following items for the Toyota FT-86 aka the Scion FR-S, which will share a similar suspension platform as the Subaru BRZ, since both companies had full development with the vehicle.

Currently TEIN Japan will not be offering any S-Tech lowering springs due to the reason below.

**For vehicles manufactured on or after January 1st, 2006 in JAPAN, if the lower edge of the fog light is less than 250mm from the ground when lowered, it may not comply with Japan’s vehicle safety regulations.
Please adjust the ride height to secure the minimum 250mm clearance. For details on inspection standards, please contact the nearest National Agency of Vehicle Inspection.**
 
Of course we have regulations here in the States as well, but they vary from state to state. Please look up the regulations in your state before lowering your vehicle.
 
We will be developing the S-Tech lowering springs for the U.S. models but will begin testing on the vehicles in June. We will also develop the  Street Advance coil-over specific to the U.S. market as the kit offered in Japan will not give much of a ride height adjustment range due to the aforementioned reason.
 
 
If you would like to purchase a suspension kit from Japan as a Special Order for the Scion FR-S or the Subaru BRZ for the U.S. market,  we recommend going with either the Flex, Mono Flex, or Super Racing coil-over kits as these coil-overs are full length adjustable and will be able to lower the ride height without affecting spring preload.
 
 
Please visit the following links for an online catalog of the products offered for the Subaru BRZ and the Toyota FT-86 in Japan.
 
Toyota FT-86 http://issuu.com/teinglobal-fanclub/docs/86_leaflet
 
Subaru BRZ http://issuu.com/teinglobal-fanclub/docs/brz_leaflet
 

New Tein T-Shirts Have Arrived!!

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‘Sup people!! Here to give everyone a heads-up on some new T-shirts we recently released. They were designed by our staff here at TEIN USA in California. We went through lots of designs ’til we finally all agreed on three of the best designs.

The naming of the T-shirts was not easy, but once again we all chose the best names to describe our new T-shirts. The names are Gradation, Circle White, Circle Gray and Silhouette.

So, now that you know the names it’s time to place your order and it’s as simple as visiting our website http://www.tein.com/online_shop/apparel.html!

Current sizes available are Medium, large, and Extra Large. My personal favorite is the Silhouette. I think it just looks cool!

GRADATION- Front

GRADATION- Back

Circle White- Front

Circle White- Back

Circle Grey- Front

Circle Grey- Back

Silhouette- Front

Silhouette- Back

Multi-Link Suspensions and MacPherson Suspension-Camber Adjustability

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There has been many customers inquiring about the Upper Mounts with Camber adjustability.

Yes, we do offer Upper Mounts with Camber adjustability and they are offered for certain applications, with MacPherson Struts type suspension.

Here is a quick look at a MacPherson strut and why it is able to be used with a Camber plate.

MacPherson Strut Type – A design in which the strut connects to the hub assembly directly to the chassis of the vehicle. No upper arm is used to control the movement of the hub. This design usually allows the camber and caster angle of the suspension to be adjusted from the upper mounts. Some vehicles with front struts may not use camber adjustable mounts because of limited space in the strut tower or major design differences of upper mount designs.

 

Multi-Link aka Shock Type – Independent or multi-link type suspensions utilize a shock. An upper and lower control are used to control movement of the hub. (double A-Arm, wishbone, etc…). This design does not allow camber or caster adjustment to be made from the upper mounts since all it will be doing is moving the coil over from one side to the other without adjusting camber since it does not bolt on directly to the hub for camber or caster adjustments.

 

The Upper Mount below is a Camber Adjustable plate offered for some applications with MacPherson type Coilovers.

The below Pillow Ball Upper Mount is for Multi-Link Suspension it is not camber adjustable but it is a good replacement of the OEM Upper Mount since a NWB spherical bearing is used in place of the rubber bushing, which allows for improved tire grip and more accurate wheel alignment.

Juke Street Basis Coilover Testing

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Street Basis Coilover testing for the ’10+ Juke has been completed.

The ride height drop for the Juke: Front -50mm and Rear -50mm.

The actual drop may vary by models due to the weight of different components (ie Transmission, Packages, etc.)

 

Here are some Before and After pictures of the transformation your Juke can go through.

 

(Before)

(After)

(Before)

(After)

(Before)

(After)

The Street Basis Kit for the Nissan Juke is available for purchase now.

Tein USA currently does not stock this item in house, however, it can be special ordered.

TEIN Street Advance Dampers Arriving Soon!

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Over the past year, we’ve been working on some new products for you, starting with the Street Basis dampers replacing the popular Basic damper line.

Now we have a new replacement for the Super Street Dampers- the new Street Advance series!

These new dampers are the latest in TEIN technology, incorporating many of the new components the Street Basis has but with the addition of the Advance Needle. What’s the benefit of this new needle? A large increase in damping force change (over *200%) compared to an equivalent Super Street damper, within the same 16-click usable damping force settings. That translates to a much more noticeable change in ride and handling fee, and better optimization of damping for various road conditions.

On top of the new Advance Needle, we’ve included the same high durability components and coatings the new Street Basis dampers utilize, such as improved damper finishing (shot blast + 2 stage powdercoating) and ZT coating on threaded portions for a smooth adjustment of ride height and the highest level of protection from the elements. These kits are designed to give the end user a long service life. And like all TEIN dampers, they can be rebuilt and even customized to your needs!

*some models may differ in damping force increase over comparable Super Street Damper.

A few of the first applications to reach the US will be

Acura CL 96-00
Acura Integra 94-01
Acura RSX 02-06
Acura TL 99-03
Acura TSX 04-08

Honda Accord 90-93, 94-97, 98-02, 08+
Honda Civic 96-00, 01-05
Honda Fit 09+
Honda Prelude 92-02

Mazda Miata 90-98, 99-05

Scion xD 08+

Subaru WRX 02-07
Subaru STI 04, 05-07

Toyota Prius 10+
Toyota Yaris 07+

With many more popular vehicle applications to follow in February.

Below is a link to our website with some information regarding the new Street Advance dampers.

http://www.tein.com/products/street_advance.html

We’re happy to be bringing these over starting January 2012! Keep posted with us as we continue to add new applications to the Street Advance damper list!

2 popular street racing comics in JAPAN

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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/

350Z Tie Rods and Lock Plates

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Hey everyone.  This was recently brought to our attention that the replacement lock plate used on the Nissan 350Z  inner tie  rod lock plate is only sold as part of a new replacement kit from Nissan.

After further research on the web few online auto parts retailers do sell just that replacement lock plate at a reasonable price. The lock plate was never provided in the kit as the item can easliy be obtained through the a Nissan dealer in Japan, of course not knowing that the U.S. would sell this item in a kit.

Provided below would be a few links to the online retail websites which offer the locking plate for purchase.

WWW.DRIVEWIRE.COM

http://www.drivewire.com/vehicle/nissan-350z/tie-rod-lock-plate/?2004&OES_Genuine&location=Inner&dwnissan350z20042004oesgenuinew0133-172239297935004tirolopl&dwcid=B1266309530W4b7a599a692e4

WWW.AUTOPARTSNETWORK.COM

http://www.autopartsnetwork.com/shop/-part_Steering_Tie_Rod_Lock_Plate-make_Nissan-model_350Z-year_2004.html

WWW.PARTSGEEK.COM

http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/WC/6656-01068590.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_term=2003-2004+Nissan+350Z+Tie+Rod+Lock+Plate+OES+Genuine+Inner+03-04+Nissan+Tie+Rod+Lock+Plate&utm_content=YN&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Base

I hope this helps solve the hassle of locating this item on its own through the dealer. It may not be OEM but it will get the job done rather than reusing a damaged piece.