We will close all operations in observance of New Years, starting December 31st, 2015 through January 1st, 2016.
We will resume our operations on January 4th.
From all of us at TEIN USA, thank you for your understanding and have a great New Years holiday!
In observance of the Christmas holiday, TEIN USA Operations will be closed on Friday, December 25th so that all staff can be with family during this time.
We will resume all operations on Monday, December 28th.
From all of us at TEIN USA, thank you and have a wonderful Christmas!
We’re glad to see Moto IQ’s Project Supra make a return to their webpages! It’s a long-going process for this car, as it has essentially received a full makeover, from engine/trans, to body, and of course suspension. Just like real life, the crew at Moto IQ are taking the time to really sort this Supra build out. I mean, don’t you all take your time with your builds?! I’d hope so! No half steppin’ your project cars, no cutting corners, guys and gals!!!
Just over a year ago, we had taken in their TYPE FLEX coilovers for a rebuild. At the time we were addressing the rebuild, we wanted them to try out our ADVANCE NEEDLE for damping force adjustment (which became an addition to our STREET FLEX setup when they superseded the older Flex setups).
However, we also thought this car to be a good candidate to try out the [then new] EDFC ACTIVE setup we had released at around the same time. So, now it’s installed, and all they need to do is get the EDFC ACTIVE controller calibrated for its mounting position!
We’re looking forward to other updates on this car. Again, they’ve done a full build on the motor, so we really want to see what this street hulk can do! We may be suspension guys, but horsepower and torque are other things we love too 😉
*pictures courtesy of MotoIQ
One of the biggest things for the TEIN group this year was the introduction of our FLEX Z dampers. A new product line starting at well under $1000 (starting at $800, to be exact!), and with most all of the same features as the existing STREET FLEX dampers, we figured it would be a good hit for us! What we didn’t anticipate was how well it would be doing. Now we’re running into an inventory problem for some of the most popular applications. Please know that we’ll do our best to get our kits to you, our anxious customers!!! Thank you for your patience!!!
Anyway, what we wanted to post about was MotoIQ’s Project VA Subaru WRX. We recently supplied them with a set of our FLEX Z dampers. This vehicle’s modifications are fairly mild, with a strong emphasis in trying to maintain good driveability for the street but with weekend warrior capabilities.
This project’s aim made it a perfect candidate for our FLEX Z dampers. This recently released item has been set up to offer great handling and comfort for street use. We wanted this exact emphasis to be shown. Along with the mods that MotoIQ has already done (Polyurethane bushings, sway bars, big brakes, larger & wider wheels and tires, and a small gain in power), the FLEX Z’s will make for great build!
For those not yet familiar with the FLEX Z line, it is essentially a STREET FLEX damper kit- full-length adjustable for separate spring preload and ride height adjustment, 16-way damping adjustable using our ADVANCE NEEDLE technology, included upper mounts for front and rear (camber adjustable for the WRX), as well as EDFC series compatible. What differentiates the FLEX Z from its big brother is that the FLEX Z uses fully sealed dampers. This makes them non-rebuildable. However, we can still service the dampers by providing customers with replacement dampers that they can purchase through authorized dealers.
Although we cannot rebuild them, customers can request custom valved FLEX Z kits or custom valved replacement dampers which TEIN Japan can manufacture for us (ETA ~8 weeks).
Other than that one difference between the STREET FLEX line, the FLEX Z’s have been valved to be less harsh in comparison to our previous FLEX damper lineups. We did this because we know that customers looking for this type of setup, especially one under $1k, still maintain their vehicles for road use/daily driving. Having an affordable damper kit that rides like our N1 dampers, which sounds kinda cool to some, may not sell very well for us. However, the use of our ADVANCE NEEDLE technology gives the customers a wide range of tuning possibilities for handling such various road conditions. It truly offers a night and day difference from the softest to the stiffest damping settings.
Read more on our new FLEX Z line here.
Again, thinking of what the MotoIQ guys had in mind for their VA WRX project, we feel we’ve paired them up to the kit that matches their needs.
Keep posted with MotoIQ as this project progresses!!!
*VA WRX pictures from MotoIQ
That’s messed up! We can’t even get any credit for some vehicles that were on TEIN suspension!!! Lol, we’re just kidding. But, only partly.
There were a few projects we helped out on for this year’s SEMA show that went unnoticed. And that’s because the springs we custom made were paid for by Toyota’s Motorsports division, who were in charge of prepping their booth cars. In total, we made custom springs for 3 vehicles- 2015 Corolla, 2015 Avalon, and 2015 Highlander. Remember the post we made about custom made springs through our Specialized Damper Program? Those springs that were powdercoated red? Yeah, that one was specifically for the Highlander.
The red color was due to the fact that these cars were to have Toyota related parts, and that meant TRD red for the suspension bits. Since these cars were to be “TRD” modified, that means they are void of any other brand affiliation. So no TEIN decals for these show cars :'(
That was a fun little project for us. HOWEVER, these cars, and most of the Toyota Motorsport projects, tend to run a bit to the last minute. We were in such a time pinch to get the springs made by TEIN Japan. If that wasn’t already a problem, maybe the fact that TEIN Japan was closed for a week-long holiday, pushing our order request back even further!
Fortunately, after air freighting the springs over, we’re glad to have been a part of these project cars. Actually, I really like how those cars turned out, especially that Highlander!
We completely agree that Thanksgiving is a time to be spent with family and friends. It’s the one time out of the year (other than Christmas, maybe) where you get to do that. Afterall, there’s a lot to be thankful for! So why not share that with friends and family!
Here at TEIN, we’re very thankful! Each and every year, we have found good fortune, and each year we’re doing our best to bring the latest and greatest to the customer! Black Friday for us is a great way to bring our customers some great deals.
For the record, TEIN USA, Inc. will be closed November 26 & 27 in observation of Thanksgiving.
Since we know there are still plenty of people looking for the best deals on TEIN suspension, we will be bringing our Black Friday sale back to eBay where, if you’ve got the time, we appreciate you looking into!
So again, please take this holiday to give thanks to the ones you love. And if you have the spare time and are looking for TEIN suspension at great prices, please check out our TEIN USA eBay Page
All items will start going on sale at 12pm November 27th. TEIN USA staff will process all orders upon our return from the holiday on Monday, November 30th.
From everyone at TEIN USA, thank you for your continued support and happy holidays!
Below is our list of items to be listed on our eBay page on November 27th (click on the list to enlarge)
:
All product descriptions list vehicle by chassis code.
SS-P = Super Street Coilovers with Pillowball Mounts
SS = Super Street Coilovers
BS = Basic Coilovers
STBN = Street Basis Coilovers
STAA = Street Advance Coilovers
STFA = Street Flex Coilovers
MNSA = Mono Sport Coilovers
FLZ = Flex Z Coilovers
CST = Comfort Sport Coilovers
S.Tech = Lowering Springs (green)
H-Tech = High Tech Lowering Springs (gold)
Once again we’re proud to see some TEIN equipped vehicles to make MotoIQ’s list of top tuner cars of SEMA 2015! One of them, Evasive Motorsports’ Nissan GT-R, happened to be our booth car for the show (OH, DID YOU KNOW THAT ALREADY?! ;)). That’s definitely something for us to be proud of! Evasive’s GT-R uses our Super Racing dampers (which also has our 3-way unit for low-speed and high-speed compression adjustment) and EDFC ACTIVE PRO.
Another vehicle to make the list was Whiteline USA’s Scion FR-S owned by Jonathan Polidano, Technical Sales Manager for Whiteline USA. He’s using our MONOSPORT dampers and EDFC ACTIVE PRO.
While we took no part in physically building these two cars, we are honored to have our engineered suspension grace these builds. Evasive Motorsports plans to use the car for local Time Attack events in California (and possible out of state events), while Jonathan Polidano plans to use his FR-S for NASA series events. Make no mistake, neither of these cars were meant to be show cars!
Congrats to Evasive Motorsports and Whiteline USA! We’re certainly glad to be a part of your beautiful cars!!!
Ryan Millen, who is campaigning in his TEIN equipped Toyota RAV4 had a guest spot on Jay Leno’s Garage!
Leave it to Jay Leno to take you on a tour through Los Angeles! Looks like a lot of fun, especially taking a rally prepped front-wheel drive car with automatic transmission through the streets!
Ryan Millen comes from a family born in racing. His father is famed driver Rod Millen. The same Rod Millen that drove the Pikes Peak Toyota Celica up that mountain in record time.
Ryan’s brother, Rhys Millen, has also made a name for himself as a drift, hill climb, and rally racer! He’s also a stunt driver for movies on the big screen!
Ryan’s uncle is Steve Millen. Yep, the same Steve Millen that drove the IMSA 300ZX most of you had on posters plastered on your wall.
I guess it was inevitable for Ryan to start piloting some race cars of his own. Except Ryan chose off-road racing has his forte.
For 2015, Ryan started working with Toyota and took a new RAV4 and converted it for rally racing duties.
Ryan stumbled upon a set of our Group N dampers, obtained through Global Rally Cross driver Stephan Verdier. We originally sponsored Mr. Verdier when he was campaigning his GDF Subaru. So, the suspension wasn’t necessarily a direct bolt on into the RAV4.
Ryan got a hold of us about servicing the dampers, which we thought to be an interesting use of our dampers in the first place. We figured if he was going to be putting these dampers through the same abuse as Mr. Verdier, we should give him some more support! So started our sponsorship with Mr. Millen!
He’s had great successes so far, clinching several spots atop the podium. That’s impressive, considering the RAV4 has the most minimal of modifications- fully caged, TEIN Group N suspension, minor brake upgrades, but no power adders (unless you count a loud exhaust as one).
We hope this only means more rally racing for Ryan Millen for 2016, and we hope you be his suspension supplier for the New Year!
Some of the photos, and this awesome in-car footage of the RAV-4 through bustedwallet.com:
Each year we are very fortunate to be able to attend SEMA (either as an exhibitor or a visitor). We always look forward to seeing all the great aftermarket parts so many manufacturers are putting out, and we also always look forward to the vehicle builds that manufacturers and individuals bring to Las Vegas. Each and every year we attend we get to see some of these cars using TEIN, and that makes us very proud. It is truly an honor to have our suspensions grace some of the most beautiful builds!!!
This year, we had the opportunity to assist with several builds. Starting with:
Evasive Motorsports’ Nissan GT-R:
This is actually a vehicle we have had on TEIN Super Racing since last year (it was in the Volk Racing/Rays Wheels booth for 2014 SEMA). This year, we wanted to showcase our Super Racing dampers with the new 3-way Unit (for low and high-speed compression adjustment). However, for 2016, we will convert back to 2-way as Evasive rebuilds the car for Time Attack Duties (as part of their class requirement).
Mackin Industries/ Project Mu Nissan 204SX:
Brian and Julia Duong of Mackin Industries built their 240SX for Project Mu. Unlike other 240SX’s, this one is not all hacked up and fitted with some crazy widebody. That is a large part of this car’s appeal- just how clean the body looks and with just some simple modifications! Looks great with our STREET FLEX damper kit.
Evasive Motorsports’ 997 Porsche GT3:
This vehicle is using our custom Specialized Dampers made through TEIN Japan. We hope to do more testing on this platform soon and bring the kit to market!
Nissan GT-R Nismo:
This was in Mackin Industries/Rays Wheels booth for SEMA. Very tastefully done and using our MONO SPORT suspension.
Whiteline’s Toyota FR-S:
Owner Jonathan Polidano took his personal FR-S and made it into Whiteline’s occassional track car. Using our MONO SPORT dampers with EDFC Active Pro.
X-Force Exhausts Ford Mustang GT:
This 2015 Mustang GT is currently on our prototype set of S.Tech lowering springs. Sitting on 20″ Volk G25’s, this has the perfect stance!
Lexus GS-F:
Built by Gordon Ting, this brand new Lexus GS-F is on a prototype set of our STREET ADVANCE coilovers. Another tastefully modded car still incorporating most the the car’s natural body lines.
Evasive Motorsports’ Evasive-Spec S2000 Ver.3:
A customer car that was just freshly built from the ground up and using Evasive Motorsports’ very own Evasive-Spec Super Racing dampers. Such a beautifully executed build. Nothing spared, everything to the highest quality!
DC Sports Subaru WRX:
Using our newest FLEX Z dampers and paired to our EDFC ACTIVE PRO setup, this simply prepared WRX looks good and has the performance to match its appearance!
Toyota RAV-4 Rally Car:
And let’s not forget the Rally RAV-4 of Ryan Millen! This was sitting across from the TEIN booth. We love it in all its dirt and splendor! Using a customized set of our Group N dampers.
It was a great SEMA for us, and one that had TEIN’s presence wherever we walked! Glad to be a part of so many great cars!!! We hope to be just as prevalent for next year’s SEMA, if not more so!!!
Super Street Magazine (or Online, for that matter) has put out a list of some of their favorites from SEMA! One segment, favorite Nissan’s, shows two of our sponsored vehicles:
The S14 240SX of Brian and Julia Duong made the list, as well as Evasive Motorsports’ R35 GT-R which happened to be our booth car for the show!
Congrats to both! I mean, it’s quite obvious that both cars look great, so it should have been easy enough to both be favorites!