Moto IQ’s Project Supra Updates (EDFC ACTIVE)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Paul P.

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to try out our ADVANCE NEEDLE for damping force adjustment (which became an addition to our STREET FLEX setup when they superseded the older Flex setups).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

Moto IQ’s Project VAF Subaru WRX

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Paul P.

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

SEMA 2015

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Paul P.

Geeeez. 2015 is already closing out??? We can typically feel this when SEMA starts to come around, and we’re getting to work on our displays.

This year marked the launch of the new FLEX Z coilovers. A bit later than expected, but nonetheless it is now available! It’s done really well, too! In fact, a bit too well, and we’re now running into an issue with backorders. Whoops!!!

We were also planning on the launch of the new STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z for 2015. These two new products are to come from our new TEIN China factory, which is still doing preliminary manufacturing runs. However, due to an increase in orders for the FLEX Z, along with a year-long sale we had on STREET FLEX kits (and a reduced price for current STREET BASIS & STREET ADVANCE kits), TEIN Japan has been backed up with orders from each of their branches.

We mentioned several times that we have a new manufacturing plant in China. However, everything isn’t up and running 100% just yet. Again, we’re focused on maintaining that well-known TEIN quality, and that trickles down to our STREET BASIS Z & STREET ADVANCE Z lineup, which the TEIN China factory will be producing for us. So, until it is perfected, we will hold off on releasing this product line. Expect to see the new “Z” lines to hit the U.S. shore by Spring 2016!!!

Anyway, back to SEMA. That is our biggest show for the year. Typically we’ll take a year off (skip a year). But this year we return to get the word out to vendors and distributors that some new products are soon to arrive. Afterall, that is what SEMA is- a place for manufacturers to showcase the latest and greatest. And, in our case, showcase a well built Evasive Motorsports Nissan GT-R on our Super Racing dampers w/ 3-way. Yowza, that’s a mouthful to say.

We hope to see many of you there. We know that the show is technically not open to the public, but from what we understand, the SEMA group opens up the last day (Friday the 6th) to consumers. So why not try to make it anyway!!!

A look back at TEIN’s SEMA past.

We like American cars. So what?

If you can make it, stop by our booth in Central Hall (Racing & Performance; booth # 24817), right next to Toyota!!!

The Importance of Damper Maintenance

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Paul P.

Well, by now you know that we are able to service our suspension, whether it is a damper rebuild, or in the case of the new STREET BASIS Z, STREET ADVANCE Z, & FLEX Z- replacement single dampers can be purchased.

So then, why is it still important to maintain your suspension?

Quite simply- cost. Just because we can service our suspension, it doesn’t make it a wise idea to run them dirty or to not periodically inspect the dampers and all its components for any wear, or to make sure they’re torqued properly (spring seats/seat locks, nuts, etc.). We don’t feel it to be necessary to spend a lot on overhaul. I mean, we appreciate the business and all, but we don’t appreciate your screaming when you get shocked by a rebuild quote. Lol.

We say this because it isn’t uncommon for an overhaul customer to complain about our overhaul prices. Yes, we do have a base overhaul fee. This fee covers the replacement of seals and o-rings, refreshing damper oil with new damper oil, recharging with nitrogen, and of course the labor to do this work. But, components such as the piston shaft, ring nut, piston guide, piston valve, these are all extra components that get added above the base overhaul fee’s cost if we find it necessary to replace. Lately, we’ve been seeing 5-10 year old coilover sets hovering around the $200 (each damper) range for a rebuild. That amounts to about $800 a set. Nearly the cost of a new coilover kit, depending on the model.

One of my favorite pics from Jonathan Wong at Driving Line when he came to check out our overhaul service. Damper oil should never look like this. That is way too dirty and shows that the damper was drawing in dirt as it cycled (probably through a blown seal). This can wreak havoc on the dampers’ internals, and bring overhaul costs to some exorbitant amount.

Don’t get me wrong. If I personally saw a rebuild quote near that amount, I’d probably bust a vein on my forehead. I’m no different than a lot of consumers. Money is tight, yo! I can’t be spending on unnecessary things.

Back to damper maintenance- It’s actually really easy to do. And, if you can’t do it yourself, take it to any of our authorized dealers for service.

Pretty crusty, mang. That’s way too much dirt on the threads. May not look like a big problem, and for the most part it should come off easily. But it some cases where this type of dirt gets lodged into the threads and seat locks/spring seats, it can cause them to seize. The only way to remove- cut them off.

Honestly, simply keeping your suspension clean is the easiest step. Suspensions sit inside the vehicle’s wheelwell. This exposes all its components to the elements. Road debris such as dirt, gravel, mud, road salts (in places where it snows heavily), and such, can all adhere to the damper body. This can get lodged into so many places that can cause damage- threads where the seat lock/spring seat assembly adjust for ride height, around the dust seal at the top of the damper (where the piston shaft slides in and out of), around the pillowball mount (if applicable for your coilover application). This dirt can get stuck in any of these places and cause seat locks/spring seats to seize or piston shafts to get scratched.

Why this is a problem is excessive wear. A seized seat lock/spring seat will be increasingly difficult to remove and adjust. In some cases customers send in their dampers just so we can cut them out and purchase replacement pieces. That’s an unnecessary cost to me. Those things should last about the whole life of your suspension.

Scratches on the piston shaft can cause the nitrogen charge to leak out, affecting damper rebound, and eventually affecting damper life as oil can eventually leak out. And when oil leaks out and owners continue to drive for several hundred or thousands of miles, it causes more internal components to wear out, only adding to overhaul costs.

A piston shaft scratched, but not by dirt. Actually, the customer tried using pliers to hold the piston shaft in place while they tried to tighten down the nut to secure the upper mount to the coilover assembly. Still enough to cause problems to the damper and excessive damage to the dust seal.

Worn threads due to cross-threaded nut installation. Again, not typical wear and definitely not something we’ll be able to repair. A new piston shaft needs to be ordered for this case. That’s an extra $40 on top of the base overhaul fee.

We realize this sounds like a lot of work. After all, you’d have to get the car off the ground, wheels out of the way, then go into each wheelwell and clean up the dampers. But, so it goes in the world of adjustable suspension. You pay good money for high performance handling, but it doesn’t mean your car is maintenance-free.

Seriously, take the time to clean your dampers. It can be twice a year (in areas where it doesn’t snow), or 4 times a year. Be adamant of making sure your suspension is in tip-top shape. Also, while you’re down there, inspect your dust boots and bump stops. Those should have good pliability and no tears. Dust boots are a good preventative measure in keeping dirt away from the piston shaft and dust seal.

We hope this helps all you performance suspension owners a little bit, for whatever it’s worth to you. In the end we want you to enjoy your suspension for as long as possible, without having to spend a bunch of money to make sure it runs properly.

“Yeah, I’ve got a set of TEIN Coils”

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Paul P.

Whenever we hear that (blog title), we tend to understand that a customer has a set of our lowering springs. However, for some strange reason, people online or that call us are referring to our suspension kits as coils, whether it be a complete suspension kit like a STREET FLEX or STREET BASIS, even a SUPER RACING setup.

We must ask- WHY ARE YOU REFERRING TO THEM AS “COILS”?!

We’re just as guilty, using different terminology than what some people may understand. For example, saying “coilover” implies simply that- a coil over a damper. This is how most people know of our product since our height adjustable setups are typically coilover, but is this a coilover?:

STREET FLEX for 2003-2009 Nissan 350Z

As pictured above, this “coilover” kit uses our Height Adjust System (H.A.S.) for the rear, as pictured on the left. So it is in fact not a “coilover” with exception of the fronts (pictured on the right). We’re wrong for ever referring to such kits as a coilover package. Instead, this is a suspension kit. But, for simplicity’s sake, and in acknowledging what are customers know us for, we continue to call them coilovers. It’s easy, and it won’t confuse our customers.

There are other things/terminology we may use that may be either incorrect to some, or just named differently. For example, the name “Shock Absorber”. It is in fact a “Damper”. Shock Absorber is incorrect because it isn’t absorbing shock. What it is doing is turning kinetic energy (the up and down motion of the vehicle and unsprung mass) and converting it into thermal (heat) energy. Nothing is really being absorbed. It is a transfer of energy from one form to another. However, most people understand them to be Shock Absorbers, so we just roll with it.

And yes, it is “Damper” and not “Dampener”. They may share some similarities in meaning, but they’re in fact used differently. Dampener is typically used to describe a wet or moist condition. But it can also be used to describe a deadening or depressing. Damper, on the other hand, is mainly used to describe a reduction in oscillation or amplitude of force.

We also hear people ask for “Pillar Ball Mounts”, which is easily understood to be (how we know it) Pillowball Mounts. Not a big deal.

Another one that we hear is when people refer to our Seat Locks and Spring Seats (where you can adjust a spring’s setting and vehicle ride height) simply as “rings”. Sometimes we hear them being called “collars”. We use collars, but they are usually much smaller and are used as a spacer in our upper mount assemblies.

That’s another one- upper mounts being referred to as “top hats”. Not really a big deal, and some upper mounts kind of look like top hats. So, [top] hats off to you for using that description!

Willy Wonka wears a Top Hat. He can also be condescending sometimes.

There are some less obvious things that we cannot fault a person for. For example, our inverted dampers for strut type monotube setups, like our older MONO FLEX and our SUPER RACING. People will refer to the shiny part of the damper assembly as the piston or piston shaft. Again, although that is incorrect, we cannot fault the customer for that. Since the damper is inverted, the whole assembly is upside down. The piston shaft is now on the bottom side and inside of the threaded shell case.

MONO FLEX for 2002-2007 Subaru WRX

In the above picture, the shiny rod coming out of the threaded shell case (black) is in fact the damper body and not the piston shaft. The piston shaft is itself inside the threaded shell case and completely out of view.

There’s also the use of the name “Serration Bolts” which we use for the studs in our upper mounts (that secure the upper mount assembly into the strut or shock tower). We realize that confuses a lot of people when they need replacements of these components. Sorry!

The use of “Strut” may also be confusing for some. The above picture of the MONO FLEX for Subaru WRX shows struts, which this chassis of Subaru uses for front and rear. When we say strut, we’re referring to the MacPherson Strut design, which other than being a damper, also serves as a structural member of the suspension by supporting the knuckle assembly. The knuckle assembly comprises of the wheel and brake components. Struts have to be a bit larger in size and be able to handle large side forces/loads.

In comparison, a “SA” type of damper (short for “Shock Absorber”), which is used in Double Wishbone or Multi-link type suspensions, doesn’t have to support such side loads. They are used strictly to control vehicle motion. This is also why we don’t make camber adjustable upper mounts for our SA dampers. It’s position or angle will have no affect on wheel camber.

Can you see the difference between these two suspension designs?

For sure there are other things we hear from customers, but this covers a majority of terminology we hear.

Hopefully that helps break down some of our terminology for suspension components!

First Set of Evasive-Spec SRC w/ 3-Way

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Paul P.

Our friends at Evasive Motorsports have a date at the race track later this year. And while their S2000 is still in pieces, starting to be reassembled, they had sent in their very own Evasive-Spec Super Racing (SRC) coilovers for a rebuild.

But wait, there’s more!!!

They got wind of our new 3-Way units designed specifically for our Super Racing coilovers. They figured since they’re going all out on this S2000 this year, they wanted to upgrade their SRC’s to get the most out of it. Of course, we still needed to test it. Just having received the units a few months ago, we have now been able to start work on them.

We just recently posted about the 3-way units and their benefits. This car is going to Buttonwillow for the end of the year event- Global Time Attack’s Super Lap Battle. This is a great venue, and the course has plenty of challenges. It’s also less than perfect, with plenty of rough surface transitions, bumps, curbs, etc. This is an grueling test for both driver and machine, and this easily this makes Evasive’s S2000 a great candidate for the 3-way modification.

To make a long story short, we said “OK” then they said “Cool”, and we were like “Awesome”. After several rounds of back and forth acknowledgement, we got to work.

While we do not have details on the cost of the units and revalve service just yet, Evasive shelled out some [MAJOR] ducats and got them installed while we refreshed their dampers.

A simple glance at the coilovers wouldn’t reveal a whole lot. The 3-way unit itself is adapted directly to the External Reservoir, but it looks different (noticeably larger) than the Base Valve adapter it replaces.

EVS SRC with 3-Way (assembled) 015 resize

A Front and Rear SRC side by side.

Also, the SRC dampers still maintain EDFC series compatibility. It is just that it only works for Rebound and Low-Speed Compression. High-Speed Compression will be left as a manually adjusted setup.

EVS SRC with 3-Way (assembled) 025 resize

Front damper with EDFC Motor on Compression (External Reservoir) and Rebound (Top of piston shaft).

EVS SRC with 3-Way (assembled) 020 resize

Rear damper with EDFC Motor installed on compression and rebound.

We’ll try to get you guys some updates on this as Evasive’s project car nears completion. They have a test day planned, which I’m sure they’ll document. We’re looking forward to getting these units fully evaluated by them!

3-Way Damper Customization for Super Racing Suspension

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Paul P.

This has been a long time coming. We’ve actually had 3-way damping (Rebound, Low-Speed Compression, & High-Speed Compression) technology for a long while now, made for our N1 suspension. But, it is very expensive and mainly reserved for race teams only. We also developed one for our Gr.N and 4×4 dampers, which are much more robust units, but these offered a wider range of tuning possibilities due to rally suspension needing the highest available tunability because of the higher piston speed range these dampers have. As you can imagine, this was an even more expensive unit.

Here’s a 4×4 Damper with 3-Way Unit installed on the External Reservoir.

As you can see, the 3-Way Unit for our 4×4 Damper doesn’t look much different than the newer units we’ve just come out with. That’s because the new ones are nearly a direct derivative of the 4×4 Damper (and Gr.N) units, just much more affordable in terms of manufacturing cost. The technology, which is proprietary, is just about the same.

Now, we’ve developed a much more affordable (in comparison to the original units), less complex, and effective unit based around the Gr.N 3-way unit’s design that we will start doing testing on very soon!

The 3-Way Unit (Silver) is made as an adaptive system to our Super Racing coilovers. We replace the original ADJ System, as we refer to it (or Compression Adjuster, if it’s easier) with our 3-Way Adjuster Unit. As you can see, we have two different designs depending on how we mount the external reservoir.

What’s so special about 3-Way damping? Well, this specifically affects the compression side of damping. The thing is, while we can easily tune a damper for what we believe to be the most ideal conditions, race cars see various changes in track surfaces that can affect their elapsed time. Race tracks can be a mix of glass-smooth surfaces followed by huge bumps or kerbs, and even expansion joints, or just rough surface transitions. This can unsettle a car quickly, and the less time on the throttle means seconds being added to the elapsed time.

Such surface transitions require a damper that responds to such instances by allowing the compression side to actually soften for a brief moment. If you think of it from your car’s tires’ aspect, an increase in damping force as piston speed increases can cause the tire to momentarily lose contact with the surface (hop). That means a loss in traction. Remember, a car maintains its best mechanical grip when all four tires maintain contact with the surface it rolls on, and that means the driver can keep on the throttle for a longer duration.

Many of you may have heard of “Digressive Valving” for dampers. What this means is that as damper piston speeds increase, the damping force has actually decreased (instead of increasing exponentially as this speed increases). Many dampers, by design, are technically digressive valving. However, the drop off in damping force may not be as much as some manufacturers are expecting. So, some may use some type of blow-off valve that opens extra ports as piston speeds increase instead of just relying on the shim stack assembly, and this creates a greater drop off in damping force as piston speed exceeds a certain level.

Low-speed, both in terms of vehicle speed and damping speed, is easier to control. There is very little resistance to the tires contact with the road surface. It is when vehicle speed or surface changes occur that mechanical grip becomes more of a concern.

To correct for such instances, race dampers have some form of high-speed damping control, and mainly on the compression side. This is where our new 3-way unit comes into play.

As mentioned before, we have already had versions of this, the most popular being on our Gr.N coilovers for rally. Think about the road surfaces that rally racing has- loose gravel, gaps, jumps. These are all things that can make a tire lose contact with the surface quickly. We’ve done really well with our 2-way adjustable Super Racing dampers, but as race cars get faster and faster, their suspension needs to cope with potential road surface transitions and react at a much quicker rate. We’ve been trying to get a 3-way version of the Super Racing dampers out to market, but it was just too expensive with our previous technology. So, we now hope to have something a bit more reasonable! However, we’ll only offer this as an upgrade under our overhaul service.

Also, if you’ve ever heard people talking about unsprung mass (weight not being supported by the suspension under gravity) as a concern, it is because heavy unsprung mass (tires, wheels, brakes, knuckle/hub, etc) can cause great upward deflection momentum, and that means a tire can lose contact with the road surface for much longer (in terms of fractions of a second). While we can try to combat that upward momentum by increasing spring rate (to try and speed up rebound force), it doesn’t benefit the compression side. In fact, this only exacerbates the problem with lost traction. What we want is a damper that has the ability to control a wider range of compression speeds. This will help keep the tires in traction, or as some people say- keeps the car planted.
For now we have only developed them as optional units for our Super Racing setup, and we’ll have one of our closest sponsored parties using them for this year’s Global Time Attack Super Lap Battle finale for the 2015 season. The racetrack, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, is a great test for us as the road surface has all sorts of transitions and undulations that can really hamper a vehicle’s ability to be fast.

This 3-Way Unit is specifically for our “SA” type dampers, or dampers for double wishbone or multilink suspension. Basically it is directly mounted to the damper body.

For our Strut Type suspension (Inverted monotube design), or where room doesn’t allow us to mount the external reservoir and 3-Way Unit directly to the damper body, we can do a remote setup, this give us some flexibility in mounting the external reservoir/3-Way Unit to the vehicle. As much as possible, though, we try to keep the remote hose as short as possible.

Stay tuned for more updates on our 3-Way testing.

Another Set of TEIN Specialized Dampers Made!!!

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Paul P.

Honestly, our Specialized Damper program hasn’t really taken off like it has overseas. However, there are a few customers stateside that have interest in getting a completely custom suspension made by us, instead of having to piece together their own coilover using damper inserts and some spring setup they’ve found online. Nothing necessarily wrong with that setup. In fact, it’s quite common since that is pretty much the only option available for consumers.

We, on the other hand, pride ourselves in designing kits specifically for each vehicle application and to the customer’s specifications.

Not too long ago, Troy from Five Axis Designs, the guy responsible for many of Scion’s prototypes, as well as some of Toyota’s prototypes (like the FT-1 concept), contacted us about his personal project. He’s currently working on a Datsun 240z.

His car is all original, including paint, and Troy wants to avoid doing anything really crazy to the car. In fact, he’s planning on keeping the paint as-is, even with a little fade after all these years! It’s also a relatively low mileage car!!!

Anyway, Troy had an extra set of factory suspension that had damper inserts. He wanted to get a set of TEIN dampers made after he saw one of our posts on a similar project TEIN Japan posted on Facebook. Troy essentially wanted the same thing. And since TEIN USA really wants to show what we are capable of doing for customers stateside (even though the manufacturing still has to come out of TEIN Japan’s factory). So we ordered up a set for Troy!

For this particular application, we still needed the factory suspension since we needed to cut and remove the damper inserts, then send the factory assemblies to TEIN Japan to have the bottom front spindles and rear hubs retrofitted onto our dampers. This means that the factory components must be inspected and have to be in serviceable/usable condition (in other words, TEIN is not responsible if they receive components out of factory specifications).

A few months later, we received the completely assembled coilover kit from TEIN Japan. Below are some pictures:

First, we took the factory suspension and inspected them. Again, this should be done by the customer prior to sending them to us (and before we send to TEIN Japan).

For the rear factory dampers, we had to press out the wheel bearings from the hub.

After sending to TEIN Japan and having them work on retrofitting a completely customized damper setup, this is what we ended up with:

Each Damper is individually serialized.

This helps us whenever the customer may send them back to us for either rebuilding or revalving the dampers, especially if they decide to change spring rates, or if they just want to alter the handling characteristics of their dampers.

Also, if the customer plans to reorder another set of the same dampers, we can refer to our catalog data from this part number and determine what components we used, what spring rates we used, as well as the damper specifications we used just for this customer.

We’re looking forward to updates from Troy, as he continues to do a mild restoration to this car! Stay tuned for those updates!!!

If you’re in the market for custom suspension, whether it be because no one offers a suspension kit for your vehicle or if you need something that isn’t exactly like the factory suspension, or if you just need some customized components like upper mounts only or custom wound springs, give us a ring at 562-861-9161 and speak with one of our sales staff. We’d be happy to help you in creating your very own TEIN damper kit made to suit your needs!!!

Reginald Cunanan’s EVO X

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Paul P.

We’re glad to sponsor Reginald Cunanan and his Mitsubishi EVO X for the 2015 season! This young guy already has a well-built show car and even had some coilovers already on his car. Fortunately for us, he was in the market for a suspension kit to improve his ride, since he didn’t find satisfaction with what he was previously using.

Being that our new FLEX Z suspension was hitting the market, he was a prime candidate to get on our suspension and give the new coilovers a real-world test!

While he was at it, he got our EDFC ACTIVE PRO to pair with his new suspension kit. A great pairing for his new performance suspension, and one that he really enjoys so far! Glad to hear, because we took a great amount of time trying to perfect this new “Z” line of suspension.

Here are some pics of his beautiful ride!:

You can catch more of his pics on his Instagram feed: @regwaslike

We also look forward to having his EVO as our booth car for Formula Drift Rd. 7 at Irwindale Speedway, and seeing his car at SEMA this year!

Identifying FLEX Z Coilovers

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Paul P.

Honestly, there really isn’t much of a difference from FLEX Z to STREET FLEX dampers physically. Really, the only thing, other than verifying the part number on the bottom bracket (silver Caution sticker), is to check the damper itself.

As we have mentioned, the FLEX Z dampers are fully sealed units, which mean it cannot be rebuilt. However, identifying what a fully sealed damper looks like may not be so easy for some. So, here are a couple things to check for:

Silver (Caution) Sticker-

This sticker not only shows the product by name, but also the part number (where “SAMPLE” is listed), listed as a 10 digit alphanumeric (ex. “VCQ54-U2531”). If, for any reason, you can only see a part number and not the product name, give us a call and we can verify what kit it really is. As you can see, we also list the vehicle application (typically by chassis code), and the lot number (bottom 5 digits, alphanumeric).

But, if you have a chance to inspect the dampers yourself, you can check out the top of the damper body shell case-

As you can see in the picture above, the STREET FLEX coilovers (and current models of STREET BASIS & STREET ADVANCE coilovers) use a Ring Nut to seal off the damper. This allows us to fully disassemble the damper and service the unit. This also lets us revalve dampers by giving us access to the piston and base valve assembly.

The FLEX Z, on the other hand, has been fully crimped and capped. This means we cannot reopen the dampers at all. In the event the customer has a worn out FLEX Z damper, they can simply purchase a replacement damper body only (no need to purchase the bottom bracket, seat locks & spring seat, spring, or upper mount). Then all that is needed is to swap some of the original components back on to the new damper body.

We certainly hope this helps you find any major differences between the two FLEX line of coilovers, especially down the road when people may resell their FLEX Z coilovers and list them as STREET FLEX. We believe it’s worthwhile knowing how to spot any major differences.

As always, if you are not sure of how to identify our products, give us a ring! We’ll be glad to help!!!

TEIN USA Blog

The latest news and info from TEIN USA

Tag Archives: Damper