TEIN Equipped Cars of SEMA 2015

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Paul P.

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!!!

JCCS THIS WEEKEND (Sept. 19, 2015)!!!

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Paul P.

It will be our fourth consecutive year attending the Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) out by the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA! Event starts at 9a and goes until 3p and is free to the public!!!

Japanese Classic Car Show Website

While not known for really being related to older vehicles, we do have our Specialized Damper Program. This is the perfect program for such vintage vehicles that no longer have a strong aftermarket support program. We’ve used this for many older vehicles in Japan, and it continues to grow Stateside!

Apologies, but we didn’t have a Japanese classic last year. Hopefully this year??

Anyway, we’ll have our booth setup with TEIN goods for sale. We hope to see plenty of you there!!!!!

DrivingLine.com Gets a TEIN Overhaul

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Paul P.

Like that title picture??? Pretty gross, and this is what can happen when you wait to long to service your TEIN dampers! LOL. Actually, that’d be more like worst-case scenario.

We recently got to work with Jonathan Wong of Driving Line, an online magazine focusing on all aspects automotive related.

Several years back, when Jonathan was still at Super Street magazine, we had provided him some of our SS-P coilovers for his ED Civic Hatchback project, a vehicle that he wanted to maintain a lot of JDM appeal. During that time, we had revalved the dampers for more track use.

Now, Jonathan uses the car for occasional street use, and comfort is more of a concern than track-like handling. It was an ideal time for him to come in, get his dampers revalved, and also see what that type of service entails. *The title picture isn’t his actual damper, btw. He does a good job of maintaining his ride.

Although we talk quite a bit about our overhaul service, Jonathan points out something very true- not a lot of customers are aware of this service. With some of the new coilover lines we’re introducing, such as the FLEX Z, STREET ADVANCE Z, & STREET BASIS Z, which don’t require rebuilds, chances are that customers will never really know what else we can do with our existing products. It isn’t uncommon for customers to get our kits second-hand, and most don’t know much about our brand after that.

As for all TEIN suspension owners out there, we must mention that there is no set rule for when a damper should be sent in for servicing. Some customers may send in their set well before 30,000 miles of use. We’ve seen others come in with well over 100,000 miles of use. We do recommend inspecting your suspension every 30k miles, though. Really, it’s up to the customer to inspect and maintain their suspension. Surprisingly enough, simply keeping the dampers clean may extend the life of the dampers. An area prone to causing damper leaks is at the top of the damper body (not the piston shaft). At the top of the damper body is a dust seal where the piston shaft slides past as it functions. Spraying this area with water, or even with WD-40 or something similar, helps keep the dust seal debris-free and prevents it from getting damaged and eventually leaking any of the gas charge. Doing this also keeps the piston shaft from scoring from such debris. A damaged piston shaft can be anywhere from $40 and up depending on the model (on top of the base overhaul fee). If you’re doing this type of maintenance, it’s also good to inspect the rubber dust boot and polyurethane bump stop for any damage. They can easily be replaced and are a good insurance to maintaining a long lasting damper.

Here’s R&D Assistant Chris A. disassembling a FLEX damper for service.

We’re glad that Jonathan was able to see himself what we could do. Definitely some good insight for customers with our products and to know what we can do for them!!!

Super Lap Battle by Global Time Attack Results

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Paul P.

We’re glad to see some of our friends back at it at this past Friday’s Super Lap Battle by Global Time Attack, which took place at Buttonwillow Raceway Park!

As far as TEIN-equipped cars go, we had Sportcar Motion’s Acura Integra Type R on Super Racing dampers, which ran a 1:52.886 just last year. We also had Pradana “Ping” Wilianto’s Acura CSX on our Mono Flex dampers, who had ran a 2:01.314 last year, and Bobby Lane Racing’s Honda Accord on Mono Flex dampers (1:59.158 last year).

During the off-season, if there even is one, we hadn’t received any special requests from these guys. Normally, we’ll at least get a damper refresh/rebuild request. Instead, they all focused on a few other modifications to get their car ready for this year’s event. With the exception of Sportcar Motion, who hadn’t really touched their Type R since last year except to rebuild their transmission and try a different rear diffuser. They are using a different tire for this year, however.

Anyway, it was still an event for us to attend with our in-house engineer, in hopes that we could provide some trackside support to these guys and any other teams/drivers using TEIN dampers.

Just like previous years, we ended up just looking like the Maytag repair man with nothing to do except take notes on each vehicles suspension setup.

We were absolutely impressed with each teams performance. Their results are as follows:

Sportcar Motion’s Integra Type R (Limited FF class)- 1:51.916

2nd Place Finish!

Pradana “Ping” Wilianto’s Acura CSX (Street FF class)- 1:59.639

2nd Place Finish!

Bobby Lane Racing’s Honda Accord Limited FF class)- 1:55.241

3rd Place Finish (behind Sportcar Motion’s Integra)!

Each achieved personal best times, which was great news! As you can expect from their placement in their respective class, competition was stiff. In Limited FF, Point Zero Autosound and Performance trucked their Acura RSX all the way from Ontario Canada for this event! They finished in 1st place with a 1:51.789! Just a narrow margin between first and second place!

*We must note that the Sportcar Motion looked to be on pace for an even better time. But, on the last stint out on track, a brake failure caused the Integra to spin. Fortunately, driver Tim Kuo was able to recover from the spin without any further damage to the car. However, the damage to the brakes was all that was needed to prevent another fast lap.

Pradana “Ping” Wilianto had one goal in mind- a sub 2 minute lap. Why? He’s one of the few Street FF cars that is a legitimate street car. He retains full interior and air conditioning (you gotta maintain some amenities on the track!). Last year, he was under Enthusiast FF with a 2:01. Now under the Street FF class, he clocks in a 1:59, and not much else has changed to his CSX’s setup!

Bobby Lane Racing also kept their car relatively the same. Last year, we revalved for much stiffer springs to compliment their new aero package. A 1:59 was a very respectable time last year. This year’s 1:55 is even more impressive!

Overall, we’re very happy for these guys. Of course, we’re impressed with the out-of-the-box performance our Super Racing set for Sportcar Motion’s Integra and Mono Flex set for Ping’s CSX did. But, it always comes down to overall vehicle preparation, which each of these guys did a stellar job at! We won’t be satisfied until they stand atop the highest podium. So you can bet we’ll do what we can to get them there next year!

It was also great to see some of our other friends, such as Evasive Motorsports Scion FR-S and Will Wattanawongkiri and his S13 at the event. Unfortunately for Will, mechanical issues plagued him from staying in competition.

We also fancied the Spoon Sports Civic Type R being piloted by Dai Yoshihara! Ran a super quick 1:48 in Unlimited FF!!!

And this year’s overall winner- GST Motorsports’ GC8 piloted by Jeff Westphal! 1:38!!!!! Whoa

The 2014 SEMA Show

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Sergio M.

The 2014 SEMA Show is in full swing. Many exhibitors displaying this years must have products. Just as great as the years past.

Check out these other pictures taken of a few TEIN Sponsored cars which are looking sweet seating on TEIN suspension.

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For new photos of the show, check out the TEIN USA facebook and Instagram pages. Thanks to those who have had the chance to stop by our booth this year. If you havent and would like to their still is time to stop on by and see whats gonna be new for 2015. We’ll be in the South Upper Hall in booth #34291. Hope to see you there!

Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) 2014

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Paul P.

Another year has passed. This time, however, is more like “hurry up and go already!” Why? Because JCCS is just around the corner, and with it comes some of Southern California’s (and some out of state visitors!) finest examples of vintage Japanese cars and motorcycles, and everything in between.

While not always associated with vintage cars, we have made a few applications through our Specialized Damper Service. A program that lets a customer build completely custom suspension to their requirements. Perfect for the old car owners who are having a hard time finding a high quality replacement suspension, or just wants to take their vintage ride racing!

Back to the event- It will be held near the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. as usual. Free to the public, the gates are open from 9a-3p.

Make sure to bring some cash as there will be plenty of vendors selling classic car parts, nostalgic items like old magazines and car-related toys, and we’ll be bringing some goods to sell at discount!

So, stop by and enjoy the beautiful Long Beach weather!

See you there!

2013+ HONDA ACCORD COILOVERS

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Sergio M.

YES! YOU READ CORRECTLY!!

Thank you to all those patient customers and dealers that have been waiting for TEIN to release a coilover system for the 2013+ Honda Accords. Your long wait is finally over.

We will be receiving the Street Basis and Street Advance coilover kit set ups mid this month. THAT’S BY THE END OF THIS WEEK!!

Street Basis

Street Advance

Contact your nearest TEIN AUTHORIZED DEALER for purchase.

2014 Honda Civic Coilover Caution

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Paul P.

Hello all,

We wanted to give warning to owners of 2014 Honda Civic’s. Not too long ago, we conducted some more testing on the late model Civic, only to find that coilover fitment is not the same. This is due to a difference in knuckle/hub design from the 2012-2013 over the 2014 models.

Current Civic body style for 2014:

Here is the Front Strut from the 2012-2013 Honda Civic:

Here is the picure of the 2014 Honda Civic Front Strut:

As you can see, the bolt holes have a different alignment. That means that an attempt to install any of the GSHC0- coilovers will not be able get the correct camber angle, among other issues.

Because of the differences, our current line of coilovers, the following list of part numbers will be listed as 2012-2013 Honda Civic only.

-GSHC0-1UAS2 (STREET BASIS DAMPER KIT, FB6/FG4

-GSHC0-2UAS2 (STREET ADVANCE DAMPER KIT, FB6/FG4)

-GSHC0-5UAS1 (STREET FLEX DAMPER KIT, FB6/FG4)

Please keep posted with us for updates on 2014 Honda Civic coilover development!

Thank you, Heeltoe Automotive!!!

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Sergio M.

We would like to thank Heeltoe Automotive for their Blog Post on our TEIN Street Basis and Street Advance.

I had a bit of free time at home and was looking over a few of our dealers websites and see what new and interesting things they have or have to say. I saw this blog post on TEIN product and gave me an idea on about a blog post lol.

If you ever wanted to see in other peoples words about the difference in the TEIN Basic(discontinued) and the new Street Basis and as well as Super Street (discontinued) and Street Advance then I would highly recommend this post. It also show a great deal of the knowledge that Heeltoe Automotive with our product. Thank you, Marcus and David for assisting your customers with the best knowledge possible about our product and service.

Purchasing products through our TEIN Authorized Dealers not only guarantees that you are purchasing authentic TEIN product but you also will have a guarantee that you will have a very knowledgeable person to assist you with any questions you may have.

Street Basis for the Honda Element

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Sergio M.

We recently went forward with testing of the Street Basis coilover which will replace the Basic. The Basic kit had some consumer concerns when it came down to the kits valving and also spring rates. Many consumers sent in the dampers to have the rears revalved to both a more aggressive spring rate and valving to match the spring rates. This time around further testing had been made to find the optimal ride quality for this kit, and being that another TEIN Staff member (Andres) and I already had the vehicles with an excessive modification to the dampers and the other in its stock form, we had a chance to throw in our own 2 cents.

The initial valving of the Basic was softer than expected for the rear. We both felt that the spring rate and valving should be changed to be more aggressive possible matching our past experiences. The first new spec was not to most of our expectations, not just coming from me but other staff who had a change to test drive the vehicle. They changed it many more times even asking to use my vehicle for the testing as it differed in ride feel from the SC models. Finally they came to a damping spec which, to my surprise, was extremely smooth and balanced for the spring rates used. Let’s just put it this way, the rear would actually still be carrying the same spring rate as the Basic but the fronts were change.

The Street Basis is expected to be released around mid to late February and would be priced around $900.00 MSRP but not confirmed yet. For future updates on the kits release date and pricing, please check back with us on the TEIN websites “New Applications” tab or follow us on Facebook.

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