Little interest in the past had come for damper kits on minivans in the U.S. If any inquiries, most were for the Honda Odyssey 95-98 RA1 and Toyota Previa (Estima) TCR20/21 90-97.
Many years later and minivan interest has gone up. Why? Utility. Small families need a vehicle with ample room, easy access, and convertibility. However, they need something more economical than the typical Chevy Suburban. The minivan provides that. And these days, minivans are equipped with more than just power windows and am/fm radio. Now, you can find full entertainment systems, passenger HVAC controls, and even individual seats (compared to bench seats). Minivans are starting to look way better than the Conversion Vans of the past (WAY BETTER). So many vehicle manufacturers have learned to grow with the trend, and now there are many minivan offerings.
In Japan, and some other countries in Asia, minivans make a lot of sense, especially for the aforementioned reasons. If you only have room for one vehicle, why not make it a true utility vehicle? As we have been told, minivans are even popular with the younger generation. So, this eventually led to an aftermarket for the minivan crowd. TEIN has been manufacturing damper kits for minivans for years. One of our most popular, but now discontinued, was our HYBRID DAMPER kit, which looked similar to a SUPER STREET/STREET ADVANCE setup but had a hydraulically controlled lower bracket to adjust ride height ~40mm up/down. This gave lowered minivan owners extra ground clearance, especially important for owners who had minivans with body kits (true story; you can see some kitted vans in these pics).
The minivan may not necessarily be badged as the “Soccer Mom” vehicle of choice, with SUV’s, and even crossover SUV’s, having continued to grow in popularity in the U.S., but they’ve been catching on in the U.S. One common inquiry we receive is for the Toyota Sienna. Consumers asked for damper kit availability for this application. Previously, another JDM vehicle model (Toyota Alphard) damper kit had been confirmed to work with the Sienna. However it did have some slight complications with the rear damper mounting assembly angle causing noise issues.
Finally it looks like we may have hit the nail on the head, as damper kits are now being produced for the 2011+ Sienna’s. The product was designed and tested in our TEIN Hong Kong branch. The vehicle was actually an imported U.S. model Sienna, and the current Sienna is also being imported to other countries, including Japan, which gave them a chance to also confirm testing. With these considerations in its favor, we have decided to release a STREET FLEX damper kit.
The STREET FLEX offers a full-length adjustable body, damping force adjustable with EDFC compatibility, and Hardened Rubber Style Uppermount assembly for the front allowing for an increase in steering response and handling compared to the OE mounts, as well as noise dampening for added comfort when compared to coilover systems with the Pillowball Style Uppermount assemblies. As the “STREET FLEX” name implies it was designed for the streets which means a comfortable yet sporty ride for a daily driven minivan.
So now it would be a fight between moms and dads as to who gets to drive low down spec minivan to soccer practice or the grocery store. For further details on this kit please use the weblink below, or contact us direct to 562-861-9161.
