Tag Archives: Group N.

Inside Ryan Millen’s Workshop

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While Ryan Millen and his team are busy and en route to their next event, Gorman Rally, we went to his shop to take some measurements of our dampers, which we recently finished up for them and are now installed onto his other RAV-4.

Here are a few pictures of the car while it was on jackstands:

Still some final prep before this car goes into its next event.

Still some final prep before this car goes into its next event.

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We needed to take a few measurements of the dampers installed, as well as check the settings.

Kind of surprised to see OEM disc brakes and sliding calipers on a full-fledged rally car. Then again, this probably is a great testament to the factory equipment.

Kind of surprised to see OEM disc brakes and sliding calipers on a full-fledged rally car. Then again, this probably is a great testament to the factory equipment.

Rears were harder to get a good look at, since they've buttoned everything up, including gravel guards.

Rears were harder to get a good look at, since they’ve buttoned everything up, including gravel guards.

Kind of hard to not get distracted in this shop. I mean, its filled with race cars and parts. Rod Millen (Ryan's father) has his old Pikes Peak Tacoma. That kept getting my attention!

Kind of hard to not get distracted in this shop. I mean, its filled with race cars and parts. Rod Millen (Ryan’s father) has his old Pikes Peak Tacoma. That kept getting my attention!

 

Jay Leno’s Garage with Special Guest Ryan Millen

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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.

rod-millen-celica-620

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!

turp_0507_05_o+d1_grand_prix_usa+rhys_millen_gto

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.

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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.

rav4-rally-suspension

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!

mt-hood-rav4 Ryan Millen RAV4

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:

Another Rally xD Podium at NEFR

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Our favorite rally team, the TEIN-supported Rally xD, had a pretty good weekend at round 6 of Rally America,  the New England Forest Rally event. Although not at the top of the podium, they were able to secure a 2nd place finish.

As they had dealt with in past events, a few troubles came their way. This time, a transmission swap was necessary to keep the xD in competition. After about 35 minutes, the team got the car back on the gravel.

xd nefr 3 (Custom)

By then, the damage had already been done. Driver Matthew Johnson had a lot of ground to cover. He and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey did well, cutting the margin to within a couple of minutes. Again, enough to garner a second place finish.
As always, the hard working driver and crew pushed beyond their limits to get the car to the finish.

xd nefr 1 (Custom)

 

Great job, guys!

 

 

We Like 4×4’s, Too!

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If you follow our TEIN Facebook page, then you probably have already seen some photos of what looks to be some off-road vehicles. You were probably wondering what this had to do with TEIN, a company synonymous with lowering Hondas, or drifting, or Time Attack, or basically anything other than 4×4’s.

For the most part, you’re right. But, if you think about it, it’s not a far cry from TEIN’s start in the suspension business. Founded by a couple of rally competitors, TEIN knew there would be a demand for the perfect suspension for road conditions considered to be less than ideal for a daily commute (but for some reason perfect for racing). Considering the pounding that rally cars take, a properly built rally suspension can make a world of difference in performance.

Our Group N Dampers were developed directly through involvement in domestic and international rally (FIA PWRC, ERC, Rally America).

Gr. N Gravel Dampers

Gr N. Gravel (Custom)

Gr N. with F.R.S. (Fast Rebound System) Tarmac

Gr N. FRS Tarmac (Custom)

I guess it would be a natural progression for us to venture into the 4×4 suspension market, which is surprisingly very strong, especially overseas.

The pics that we shared are related to our involvement in the China Cross-Country Raid rally (think Paris-Dakar rally as a comparison).

Here’s a pic of one of the 4×4 developments we created for a customer.

CCR 3 (Custom)

Another 4×4 set

CCR 7 (Custom)

However, some setups are a bit more gnarly, requiring something more unique. Like this double damper setup.

CCR 4 (Custom)

Being that this type of racing was relatively new to us, we had engineers fly out to China to do testing with the teams and help them develop the suspension.

CCR 5 (Custom)

CCR 6 (Custom)

Other than this Mitsubishi Montero/Pajero, we also built suspension for a VW Tuareg

CCR 1 (Custom)

CCR 2 (Custom)

I also know that we’re putting our EDFC Active Pro to the test with a few of these 4×4’s. Talk about having the ultimate advantage- fully active suspension under some of the harshest conditions!

Although a new experience for us, the demands are still relatively the same, just with varying degrees of complexity. So, 4×4 suspension is definitely within the realm of possibilities for us. However, I must make mention that we do not manufacture leaf springs or torsion springs. Through our Specialized Damper Service and our involvement in motorsports, TEIN always looks to bring our very own technological advancements in getting the best out of every racing environment.

TEchnical INnovation- that’s what we’re all about!

 

*If you’re looking for suspension for your 4×4, let us know if we can help! We obviously love the opportunity to help our customers in obtaining their ideal suspension.

Give us a call at 562-861-9161!

A Slight Change in Fortunes

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Our favorite competitors in the Rally America series, the Scion Racing Rally xD team, put in a great effort this past weekend at the Oregon Trail Rally. Gearbox gremlins prevented from giving the xD a full-fledged attack, and driver Matthew Johnson did his best to baby the car through the stages. The onset of this eventually trickled down to engine problems, followed by a retirement from the race.

xd OTR1 (Custom)

Ford-backed driver Andrew Comrie-Picard was able to nab a 2nd place finish, allowing him to pull away as championship points leader for the 2wd class as of this event, for the time being.

I don’t think that is much to worry about. We’ll see the Rally xD team back in proper form for the next event, STPR Rally in Wellsboro, PA on May 30-31.

xd OTR2 (Custom)

Please lend your cheers to this hard working crew as they do their best to bring home their first ever championship this season!

xd OTR3 (Custom)

Links:

Rally America

Scion Racing Rally xD

 Scion Racing

2013 WRC2 Production Class 2nd Place Finish in Monte Carlo!

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This past weekend, Stohl Racing, a TEIN-sponsored team, took a great podium finish in the first race of the WRC2 Production Car Cup, taking home a 2nd place win!

Racing conditions during the event changed drastically, with mixtures of snow, rain, mud, and in some cases, black ice was a major concern for all drivers. It was, without doubt, a very difficult event.

We’re glad to report that our Group N. dampers held up fine to the ever-changing conditions. A well-prepped rally car and the expertise of driver Armin Kremer and co-driver Klaus Wicha made for an exciting finish to an already difficult race!

The last two stages of the event were canceled. Therefore the final positions and times after SS16 were declared as final.

Congrats to Stohl Racing for a great finish for the first race of the season. Up next is Rally Sweden taking place February 7-10th.

More information on this event, as well as some great photos, can be found on our Facebook page!

www.facebook.com/teinusa

Just Another New Year,,,,, FOR RACING!

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Not only is 2013 an exciting year for TEIN in regards to new products, but we are also prepping for a great year of racing. One of the teams we assist in Rally America, and who we are quite fond of writing about, the Sparco Rally xD team is starting to put the finishing touches on this year’s chassis.

Aesthetically, it may look to be just about the same. But, as the saying goes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And this chassis lives up to that saying!

Much more fabrication is going into this new car. As it is, the Rally xD team are facing some serious competition. Some of which are tried and trued platforms used internationally. The Rally xD is one of few cars that doesn’t have that sort of background. For the past 4 years, this team has been the guinea pig in getting a Scion xD into a competitive vehicle. As I’ve stated  before, and as I say again, these guys are doing such a great job at it.

Although I don’t feel at liberty to cough up the details on the new car, I will say that their TEIN dampers for 2013 are a big step up from the HG-based dampers of years prior. This year, they’re using 2-way adjustable dampers based loosely off of the Group N. dampers. Basically, it is height adjustable and compression and rebound adjustable. This damper project was completed through our Specialized Damper Program- a program also available to the public!

Below are a few photos of the team’s progress on the vehicle, as well as their new TEIN dampers.

I’m sure I can dig up a few more photos of the car build. But I’m sure they’d appreciate if you gave them a follow on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@RallyxD,,, easy enough to find!), which they are very active on. Tons of photos for all of you to see! So, please do so and be sure to wish this hardworking crew the best of luck for 2013!

Other than this team, we look forward to another great program of events for the year ranging from Time Attack to the Formula Drift series. As always, we’re glad to be involved!

URT are Russsian Rally Champions for 2012!

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We received an email today from one of our friends from Uspenskiy Rally Tecnica (URT) in Russia. They operate a rally team that has competed in PWRC, and we have supported them as their suspension suppliers with our Group N dampers. For the 2012 season, they are the champions for the “Russia 2012” series!

From the email:

“The team of Sergey Uspenskiy and Marina Danilova triumphal acted in Russian Rally Championship “Russia 2012” in Novorossiysk. They managed to win the stage and become absolute champions of Russia.

The final stage of Russian Rally Championship “Russia 2012” was held from 28th to 30th September. 34 crews from Russia, Estonia and Latvia compete on the track settled near by the Novorossiysk city.

This is not the first time for such big tournaments held in Novorossiysk, two years ago on this track took place the final stage of East Europe Cup. For the final stage organizations chose well known settlement Abrau-Durso which became a “capital” of the final stage in the championship.

The race happened to be very strained both for sportsmen and cars. The last 80 high-speed kilometers of the track which racers passed in the final day of rally was the most complex ones. It was not clear who will be the winner of the stage and absolute champion of the rally until the last special stage. The results are striking! Such a tight battle and this exciting final!

Sergey Uspensky – 13-time champion of the Russian Rally, Head of URT Team and CEO of the Group of Companies “U Service +”, raced clean and accurately which left no chances for the rivals.

The victory on the last stage brought to the crew of Sergei Uspenskiy and Marina Danilova title of absolute champion of Russian Rally Championship meanwhile Subaru Impreza R4 – the first victory on the stage of the national championship.

Three medals of the Championship – in four points! And Sergey Uspensky wins 14-th title of the champion of the country.

Young pilot from St.-Petersburg Nikita Filippov in a duet with co-driver Sergey Gerasimenko and Grigory Tregubov with his co-driver Elena Vasilenko made a company on a podium  to Sergey Uspenskiy and Marina Danilova.

Sergey Uspenskogo and Marina Danilova crew raced on rally car Subaru R4 built by «Uspenskiy  Rally Tecnica» on the basis of Subaru impreza  WRX STI Spec C. R4 was service and carried out by the team of mechanics from URT.

Russian Rally Championship “Russia 2012” in Novorossiysk was prepared with the support of Group of the companies « U Service + » and “URT” which took part in the organization of the stage.

Fabulous result and fabulous final!”

 

Congratulations to the URT team for their hard work and for their victory in Russia!

Patrik Flodin and the Uspenskiy Rally Tecnica Team Gain 1st Win for 2011!

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Congratulations to the Uspenskiy Rally Tecnica team and Patrik Flodin on their victory at this year’s Wales Rally GB! As has been proved in past events, it wasn’t an easy victory. But Flodin and co-driver Goran Bergsten pulled through with an amazing race to the finish.

As posted by wrc.com

“Flodin, from Sweden, feared his chances of winning the category were over when his Subaru Impreza suffered a front puncture one kilometre from the finish of the penultimate stage, which he completed with an advantage of 2.3s over Kosciuszko.

Despite the Pole going faster than him on the event-closing Power Stage in his Mitsubishi Lancer, Flodin did just enough to secure victory, albeit by a slender margin of 2.0s.

“We were really struggling yesterday with the driving on Tarmac,” said Flodin. “Last night we reset everything and tried to do our best today and the driving was working better. We tried to go a bit smoother, braking earlier and really focus on the exit of the corner. I saw in the fast sections we were faster than him and we could see that on the split times. Without the puncture it could have been quite safe. We did just enough.””

We’re definitely proud of their victory and for their continued support for TEIN!