SuperPro Polyurethane Bushing Install

Posted on by

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.

Installation of 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.

Hydraulic Press Removal

Pressing In with an Arbor Press

Pressing In with a bench vice

<object width=”480″ height=”385″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/dqo43St5fu0&hl=en_US&fs=1&”></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/dqo43St5fu0&hl=en_US&fs=1&” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”480″ height=”385″></embed></object>

Rally xD with Specialized HG Dampers

Posted on by

Just got back from Portland Oregon. Myself and Mr. Nakai went out to support 0-60 magazine rally entry for Rally America – Rd. 4 Rally Oregon. The three day event started Friday and ended Sunday afternoon.

Gordon T. of 0-60 had a Scion xD modified for Rally competition. It features custom TEIN HG dampers which are designed for rally usage.

The kit features external reservoirs, two-way adjustment, extra large piston shafts, and other internal parts made to handle the harsh conditions.

The team was quite large with many support personnel who are here to ensure this experiment is a success. This is the first time the car has been run. It was completed by Design Craft only a few days before the event and put on the trailer immediately after. The support team is comprised of Rally virgins besides Mr. Nakai who has supported rally worldwide for the past 3 years.

The car has a stock motor, stock transmission and no testing. Major modifications are the roll cage, HG dampers, Volks, and plethora of Sparco parts. The car was kept simple for a reason – so that it would finish.

I will post a more detailed account of the weekend in the days to come.

Here is a short video clip found on YouTube. Not bad considering the car is one wheel drive (open differential).

TEIN Damper Maintenance

Posted on by

Hey everyone, just here to give everyone tips on proper maintenance of your TEIN coilovers.  Before that I just want to mention a couple  Overhaul Customers who may have had a chance to read up on my previous post regarding the packing of dampers being sent in for repairs. Check out the pics below of the creative packing that did not go unnoticed.

Two thumbs up to Jason M. and Marshall J. for the unique and well packed repairs.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

A lot of folks seem to think that overall maintenance is not required for you coilovers but that is wrong. OE shocks and struts may not require maintenance since they do not have adjustable adjustable parts.

Overlooking the maintenance can cause issues with seized parts such as seat locks, lower adjusting brackets, pillowball mount bearing and casing, etc…   Even though we use special coatings on various components it is still possible for debris and/or moisture to build up and cause serious damage.

Periodic maintenance of dampers and components can prevent many future issues such as thread damage, seized parts, rusting and blown seals.  Regular maintenance will definitely save your high dollar investment and prolong product life.

Routine Maintenance while the units are still on the vehicle:

– Basic wipe down or dirt removal. Can be down with a plastic bristle brush, rags, compressed air, etc…

– Lubrication

Specific areas to clean are the threaded section, upper mounts and lower brackets.

At this time we also suggest a visual inspection of dust boot, mount bushings, spring seats, and bolts/ nuts.

Seasonal or annual major maintenance – with the dampers off the vehicle.

– Full dis-assembly of unit to clean and lube all parts.

– If there is really stubborn debris  or damage you can use a wire wheel brush*.

– If rust is found, the rust should be completely removed** and the effected areas repainted.

*When using a wire wheel do not put too much pressure as it could brush away the coating which would allow corrosion and rust to form easily. (The picture provided below demonstrate the removal of some oxidation and rust on the threaded sleeve portion. The seat locks should be removed when cleaning all damper conditions).

**Parts cleaner or any heavy duty de-greasers are not recommended as they could eat away at the powder coating, stripping the damper to bare metal, as well as erase the ink print on the stickers and maybe even remove some coating on the threaded body.

Lubrication

Lubrication should be applied to threaded sleeve, seat locks , and other parts.

For lubricant of choice, we use either a light film of Lithium Grease or a Rust Inhibitor.True the grease may attract more debris but it will keep a longer lasting barrier than some Rust Inhibitors.  Just be sure to wipe off any overspray or excess grease to avoid any confusion  thinking the dampers are leaking oil or build up of debris. For Pillowball Mounts the grease is the best choice as it would help decrease the bearing  noise and provide protection against protection.

All in all keeping the dampers clean and lubed will save you from any expensive repairs, down time, and headaches.

Employee owned: EVO 9

Posted on by

This car has been in a few previous posts. It is owned by one of the staff here at TEIN USA. Originally bought brand new to be a fun daily driver / occasional track toy but soon took on a life of its own. Since we are the exclusive distributor for a variety of top brands (Carbing, Fujitsubo, Defi, SuperPro, and Takata) it was easy to build a quality car, plus employee discounts never hurt.

The exterior is comprised of Voltex bodykit and wing. Volk TE-37 18×9.5+12 with 8mm of spacers on front and rear wrapped with 275/35/18 tires.

Sitting on Super Racing coilovers with 14kg front springs and 12kg rear springs. The dampers have also been revalved with a few “special” parts to test out. Could be lower for appearance sake but this ride height works well for performance reasons.

Power is provided by Tomei ARMS turbo, Cosworth head and top end internals, plus a few HKS parts. You can find out HP/TQ and power curve in the current issue of Import Tuner magazine (July 2010) which go into detail about the Tomei Arms M7960 turbo, Cosworth 272 cams, and Okada Projects Quad Pac ignition coils. Drivetrain is comprised of Carbonetic carbon fiber clutch and carbon differentials.

Interior is filled with DEFI meters, Bride GIAS seats, Greddy boost controller, Alpine headunit, and of course dual EDFCs.

Having fun and testing at Willow Springs raceway in 2009.

2008 EVO vs STI Shootout at Buttonwillow raceway. Ran a 1:59 on config. CW13 with Rob Walker driving on Hankook RS-2 street tires.

Car on the cover of Modified magazine back in August 2008.

Photo credit for the action shot to Larry Chen at driftfotos.com

TEIN’s 2005 Ford Mustang GT

Posted on by

TEIN’s global involvement in producing aftermarket suspension goes well beyond the Japanese Domestic brands, such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda, etc.  In 2003, we started developing suspensions for European and U.S. Domestic brands. Soon after, we started campaigning our line of suspensions for these markets and had demo cars, like the E46 BMW M3(on TEIN SS-P) and MkV GTI widebody(on TEIN Euro Damper). But, my favorite one to date would be the 2005 S197 Ford Mustang showcasing our TEIN Type Flex dampers.

Other than our Type Flex dampers as suspension modifications, some of my favorite modifications are ProCharger cetrifugal supercharger, custom 3″ exhaust by Fujitsubo, massive Wilwood 6 piston front and 2 piston rear big brake kit, a host of Defi Red Racer gauges, and the 19″x8.5″ front and 19″x9.5″ rear  Volk GTF’s. The list of modifications goes well beyond those and definitely contribute to a very unique car build for the TEIN group.

Below are a few pics

Mustang Interior w/ Defi Red Racer Gauges

Sparco seats, steering wheel and shift knob. Clarion DVD/ Navigation Double DIN, and of course DEFI Red Racer gauges.

Mustang Engine BayPolished Procharger kit along with polished piping. Exedy clutch and flywheel. 496WHP

Wilwood 6 piston BBK kit.

JBA Longtube headers feeding custom Fujitsubo exhaust. BMR Fabrication subframe and front control arms.

Mustang Underside RearTorsen Differential, more BMR suspension links and chassis bracing.

Did you know?

Posted on by

Did you know that TEIN was established by two rally racing enthusiasts, a driver and co-driver. TEIN was not established to make tons of money and take over the world of suspension. It was actually started because the founders could not find a high performance suspension for use in their rally car.

2nd generation Isuzu Gemini. Driver, Fujimoto. Co-Driver, Ichino

_____________________________________________________________________________

The co-driver is TEIN Inc. President, Mr. Hakaru Ichino, and the driver is Managing Director, Mr. Yoshio Fujimoto.  Mr. Fujimoto later went on to become a works driver for TTE (Toyota Team Europe) in the WRC.

The ST185 Celica Fujitmoto drove to win the Safari Rally in 1995 on display at the Toyota History Garage in Tokyo.

_____________________________________________________________________________

TEIN Inc. had our own in-house rally team from 1994- 1999. The team was comprised of three vehicles and a full support crew of TEIN Engineers.

WRC spec Toyota Corolla piloted by TEIN Managing Director, Yoshio Fujimoto. 1998 Asia Pacific Rally Champion.

_____________________________________________________________________________

TEIN is still active in motorsports throughout the world especially in rally. For P-WRC support TEIN created two 20ft. service containers and now owns 3 services trucks. Motorsports support is where TEIN develops, tests and perfects our new products and product features.

TEIN’s Europe based service truck at Rally Finland to support TEIN product users in P-WRC competition.

_____________________________________________________________________________

2010 marks TEIN’s 25 year anniversary. First established in 1985 outside of Yokohama, Japan.  All our coilovers are still made in-house in Yokohama Japan. In 2004 TEIN invited magazine editors from US, Canada and UK to our factory and in 2008 Ricky Chu of then Riceboy TV stopped by as well.

Revue hosted by 5Axis and Scion Evolution

Posted on by

Attended the Revue event at Five Axis over the weekend (May 1st). The event was held at Five Axis in Huntington Beach, CA and organized by both Five Axis and Scion Evolution. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere was laid back and there was a great mix of cars.

The event included giveaways, raffle, vendor area, food trucks and of course cars.

Typical Southern California beach city weather. Gathering of mainly Scions and Lexus with a little bit of everything else mixed in including Porsche GT3, Aston Martin, Vette ZR1…

The Scion xB DJ 2.0 which was blasting tunes all day long.

RAFFLE RAFFLE RAFFLE. Proceeds went to a great cause, JDRF – research leader for type 1 diabetes.

We represented with an EVO 9 and provided a few items for giveaway which went into “The Claw” xD.

TEIN Sponsored EVO 9 SE complete with SRC coilovers, Voltex body kit, Diamond Black TE-37s, Carbing Flip Up Tow Hook and Mini Dampachi Doll.

Aston Martin
Aston Martin with a Veilside Bodykit. This thing sounded awesome.

Vendor area which included booths from Auto Fashion, Island Motorsports, ARK, Greddy, Bowls and many more…

Troy of Five Axis also opened up his facility so people could check out their many demos cars, his personal vehicles, garage sale items and his 5-axis CNC machine.

From left to right – xD, Prius, xB, tC and IS250. Most of these cars are outfitted with TEIN coilovers as Troy has been a supporter for a few years now. (The tC which is actually turbo charged is actually for sale – contact Five Axis for details).

5-Axis CNC Machine. This is one of the reasons why Five Axis products and vehicles always have perfect fitment. Off to the side of this machine was a mold of an entire compact car.

Lexus GS-F that debuted at SEMA 2008. The matte paint is awesome.

Garage Sale area which is usually where cars are assembled and dis-assembled. The natural light and overhead lighting ensures you can see everything perfectly.

For lunch or an afternoon snack the organizers arranged for the Kogi truck and The Shrimp Guys to come. The line was about 30mins for the Kogi truck.

TheShrimpGuys serving up variations of garlic shrimp and rice plus Hawaiian style fruit punch.

Thank you to Troy, all the guys at Five Axis and Scion Evolution for putting on a great event.

2010 Mazda 3 Lowering Springs

Posted on by

S.Tech Spring testing on the 2010 Mazda 3 has been completed.

For testing we used currently available TEIN Japan High.Tech Lowering Springs (gold colored springs).

The final US Spec S.Techs will be available sometime in the Summer of 2010. The specification will differ from the TEIN Japan spec springs we used for testing due to the differences between the US and JDM model vehicle.

Expect the ride height drop to be: Front -40mm and Rear -40mm

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

We take measurements at all positions of Compression and Rebound with and without the tires installed.

Above we have the tire installed and damper fully compressed to check for any clearance issues. Our products do lower your vehicle a considerable amount as compared to stock and we wouldn’t want any unnecessary damage to occur due to too low of a ride or too little clearance between parts.

Note: these are the Japanese Spec Lowering Springs, our final US Spec S.Techs will be Green.

A staff of enthusiasts

Posted on by

The TEIN USA staff is filled with automotive enthusiasts from different age groups, backgrounds and levels of interest.  Tuning philosophies, budgets and experience vary greatly but it makes for some interesting conversations. It also gives our product development section a chance to hear feedback from a wide range of opinions. Here are just a few of the staffs cars’.

Philip’s EVO 9 SE. Street/ track toy with the main goal being balance of all parts. Utilizes many parts in which TEIN USA distributes including Carbing, Defi, Takata, SuperPro and rocking Super Racing coilovers. Basically built/ tuned like a traditional shop demo car in Japan (trying something different than the normal US build).

Paul’s WRX. Custom valved TEIN FLEX with 8kg/ 5kg spring rates. Nothing crazy here but lots of bolt-on parts with total tuning in mind. Mainly a street car with an occasional track event.

Jon’s FC. A true do it yourself build including motor rebuild, tranny rebuild, paint and all the maintenance. Mono Flex dampers keep this a fun track toy while still maintaining good ride comfort for street driving.

TK’s Eclipse. Not the most popular model in the Eclipse family but purchased because this car was not offered in his home country of Japan. TK has previously owned an Integra DC2, JDM GC8, Skyline GTS-Type M, D32A, and Opel Omega. This daily driver uses Super Street dampers.

Ryan’s Civic Si 4dr. This daily driver features Super Street coilovers, Fujitsubo Legalis R exhaust, and a host of bolt-on parts. Ryan has been tuning his car on the local mountain passes and will be soon hitting the circuit for the first time.