Tag Archives: Shock Absorber

Piston Rod Polishing

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One major component for a damper is a piston rod that has to be low friction, but also robust enough to handle stress loads and high temperatures. Typically material-wise, it has to be a high-strength alloy.

In our case, we use cold-drawn chrome-moly steel rods. The cold-drawing method helps to produce a near-finished surface that only needs to be polished (done by centerless grinding). In doing so, the piston rod, which is in contact with several components like our dust seal, some o-rings, and our piston rod guide, which is PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) coated.

This shows are centerless grinding of piston rods during production.

Over time, especially from high mileage use, this polished piston rod surface can start to see some wear. Debris being kicked up from the road will contact the piston rod surface, scratching and, in more extreme cases, pitting the surface. This can create proud bumps on the piston rod. When portions that are subjected to this scratching/pitting contact other parts of the damper, like the dust seal, it can damage it, allowing dirt and debris to enter the damper.

Even such light scratches as shown below can cause problems like noise during operation.

Light scratches can cause problems such as noise during operation.

During periodic inspections of your suspension (you are inspecting them, right?), it is a good idea to inspect the piston rod surface, especially portions under the dust boot and at the top of the damper body (where the dust seal is). You may notice that this portion of the piston rod may have a much more finely polished surface compared to other parts of the rod that do not actually enter the damper. At this “working” section, you should inspect for any light scratches or pitting.

In many cases, these scratches/pits can be corrected by polishing using an abrasive compound (we’ve actually used Mother’s Wheel Polish) and a cloth to rub the compound back and forth over the piston rod surface. You’d be surprised how good a finish you can put back onto the piston rod just by polishing by hand.

This used damper has some small scratches on the piston rod causing noise during operation.


Front Street Media’s Article on Suspension

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Although we’re glad to have our own audience reading our blogs and following us on Facebook and Instagram, we know we have a very niche customer base. Whenever we have a chance to reach different consumers through other forms of media, we find it to be a great opportunity to get the word out on TEIN and what separates us from other suspension manufacturers.

Front Street Media is a relatively new outlet in the eastcoast that is doing their part in reaching their readers and informing them on all things related to automotive performance. Working closely with their parent company, Turn 14 Distribution, they’re able to have hands-on experience with performance products.

However, they also have access to manufacturers and can get an inside view into how each company runs and develops their products.

They recently reached out to us and Bilstein for information on suspension and what a damper does, as well as what separates us from other companies (in terms of what goes into building a quality suspension).

Read their article here.

 

The Importance of Damper Maintenance

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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”

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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?:

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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

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.

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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.

img01img02   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!

FLEX Z Coilover Testing Has Commenced!

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Oscar_Flores_CZ4A_FLEXZYou’ve probably already read our posts about upcoming new products. One, in particular is the new FLEX Z coilover kits which will be here by Spring of this year. We’ve already had a head-start in developing FLEX Z dampers, testing on some of the more popular vehicle applications and working our way down the list, including new vehicles.

FLEX Z

I’m sure many of you have questions regarding these dampers, wondering what is so different about it and why we probably have to test.

Well, in short, we’re always testing. Just because a new product may be similar to the items they’re superseding doesn’t mean we should simply copy and remanufacture from an older design. Our products are always evolving. We develop products based on customer feedback and work towards making an even better product.

Here are a few FAQ’s:

How does this FLEX Z coilover kit differ from the current STREET FLEX?

-The only difference is that the new FLEX Z dampers are fully sealed units, rather than the rebuildable setups we make. All other components and features have remained.

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Why has TEIN gone with a fully sealed unit?

-The biggest benefit of a fully sealed unit is that we are able to change out a few components that add the the production cost of the coilover kit. We understand that our customers are looking for a more affordable coilover without sacrificing features such as damping force adjustment, height adjustment, and exclusive upper mounts (camber adjustable in some applications).

So, with our fully sealed units, we’re able to cut MSRP down from current iterations of STREET FLEX dampers by nearly $500!!! That’s a massive savings! Starting price for our FLEX Z dampers is $800!!!

FLEX Z Sealed

Any downsides to a fully sealed unit?

-Obviously that is a great concern for a lot of our customers, especially ones that are already familiar with our overhaul service.

As all of our current coilovers are rebuildable, the customer can send any damper that may have blown a seal, or just needs to be refreshed, and we can do that in-house. We also have the ability to revalve the dampers for different spring rates, should the customer want to match for a specific spring rate in mind. Our engineers have motorsports experience too, so we can work with a customer who has very detailed concerns with damping for specific tracks or driving conditions.

We’re very proud to be able to offer this unique service to our customers, as many suspension manufacturers do not have a damper service option. However, it is not as common a request from our customers. In fact, a majority of the dampers we receive are really for damper revalving and customization, and not just rebuilds. If anything, that serves as a great testament to the durability of our products.

With a fully sealed unit, we cannot open them up again. So, overhaul service will not be available for the FLEX Z line.

So, what happens if one of my FLEX Z dampers blow out? Can I get a replacement?

-You can absolutely get replacement FLEX Z dampers! Contact us for pricing on individual dampers (damper sub assembly), should you ever need one! While we cannot sell direct to the public, we can at least give you this information and even help you find a nearby authorized TEIN dealer that you can purchase replacement parts from. All we will need from you is the part number and lot number from the damper, which is placed on a silver label on the damper itself (label may be placed on lower bracket).

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But I was hoping to be able to get a customized set, one with my own valving. Is that still possible?

-Actually yes, it is still possible! You can special order a custom setup for the FLEX Z dampers. It may take some time, since it is coming from Japan (eta is 3-4 months).  Since we cannot open the dampers, it will have to be manufactured with another lot. Time frame is dependent on current order/manufacturing schedule. And yes, this does mean that the FLEX Z, as well as FLEX A, coilovers will continue to be made in TEIN Japan’s Yokohama factory.

In fact, if you already have a FLEX Z coilover kit, but are really considering purchasing a specially valved set of dampers, you can just order those specially valved damper sub assemblies separately. Of course, that means you end up with two sets of damper sub assemblies (one out-of-the-box valving, one custom valved). However, that saves you from having to order a complete coilover kit and essentially means you have a back up set of dampers. Mind you, there is still an average ETA of 3-4 months for the custom valved damper units.

Does this all translate to FLEX Z being an inferior product?

-Not at all! In fact, the quality of our dampers has to be even better if we’re going to make a fully sealed unit. That’s our challenge, but we’re very confident in our technology, and we feel that we can provide the same warranty against any manufacturer’s defects with these new FLEX Z dampers! Should you experience any problems with your dampers within the first year of the purchase, send it in to us along with a copy of your receipt from an authorized TEIN dealer and we can take of replacement parts for you, once our claims department has handled all necessary paperwork and questionnaire.

Is the current STREET FLEX better than the FLEX Z?

That isn’t necessarily the case. What we’ve done here is now offer a product to match a customer’s price point. In fact, all of our products are listed in terms of customer budget, as well as features.

Prior to deciding what coilover you want to use, we typically want to find out more information from the customer:

-What is the kit being used for?

-Is this car mainly a street car, occasional track (how often), track only?

-What kind of tracks do you drive on, and can you describe the course and road surface?

-If you are already experiencing any concerns with your current ride quality, please tell us what they are.

-What suspension features do you need?

-What is your budget for new suspension?

Those are just some of the questions we ask. Again, ultimately it is about how much you can spend to get the features you need.

We’re very proud to bring this new product for 2015, and most of all, we’re excited to receive such great responses from customers, especially knowing that TEIN quality and technology can be had at a much more affordable price!

Got questions? Give our sales staff a call at 562-861-9161 for more information!