k2rd coilovers vs tein
 

which would u guys get and why?

the tein shocks and springs and matched to each other. The shocks are valved to the springs. The AGX shock isnt that great, and with heaver springs, the shocks could be out of the range of dampening. I forgot which ones are the HE's are, are those the non-adjustable ones? i would go with the HA's just because they are adjustable. The RA's i think would be a little to much for the street (over 500lbs+ springs) and i dont know if you want that much hassle tuning them, since they are 2 way adjustable. And its not as simple as 'make them stiff and go'. If you want to know how to properly adjust 2 way shocks, let me know.

Im sure the K2RD setup is fine, but its not the best. If you go the tein route, its going to cost a bit more, but you will get better stuff in the end. It will cost about $1400 to get the tien HA's coilovers, the mounts, which i think include camber plates, and the rear camber adjust link.

im thinking of going with the RA or HA shocks, i havent decided yet though. If i go with the RA's i wont be doing much street drving, so i think ill go with the HA's just for better streetability and the sake of simplicity. Though the HA's arnt much softer.... 450lbs front springs...

also, this is going to make your suspension so stiff that chassis flex might become an issue on handeling.

the HEs are the "drift" coil overs that come with mounts already on them, not as extra

I cant even believe that this is a poll, TEINS! no question about it, ALL the stuff oc mentioned above, plus they are rebuildable.

-Chris

dont get the drift setup for the steet. youll get in trouble in a emergency situation...

I ahve the full K2rd kit. If I could decide before I purchased my K2RD I would have chosen the Tien Coilover system.. Reason why is that the K2RD setup is a great bang for the buck but its not as good as a true coilover system like Tien. And The Tien system has more settings for dampness..

I wouldn't mind selling you my K2rd kit and purchasing the Tien..

tein but it's 2x as much... no mounts with the cheap tein one.

TEIN HA's:
:drool:

Seriously? PM me if you want to talk numbers. :)

what about a JIC Magic setup? i thinking about this setup when i get my fc. 2 of my friends have this setup it rides so nice and its not too harsh

whats wrong with the k2rd stuff? they are height adjustable, use inexpensive off the shelf struts, and the spring rates can be customized for the car while being cheaper than the teins. if you were going for something a lot better than the k2rd why not go for ohlins or penske or something really nice?

mike

truth is that most people wouldn't be able to distinguish between the two by driving the same car and changing setups keeping all else equal (including spring rates). Sure they can tell if they are stiffer or not through each respective adjustment range but they couldn't tell you which set really feels better. That said, most just judge them based on looks and price. Which leads to"They look better and are more expensive so that will make me and my car faster" :p: lol
That being said, unless you are track driving, go with the K2RD set.

TEINs, all the way. I have a set of HA's on my FC and they are frockin' dope.

I believe M5150 went with the JIC FLT-2.

What about the Tein Flex damper kit? That also fits the 7's, is it better or worse for street then the HE's/HA's? Reason I am wondering is that those are the only ones compatible with an EDFC for 7's and I would like to be able to get that if/when I do get the Teins next winter. (just going off what it says on the Tein website, so if the HE/HA set is compatible just say so. :) )

And in response to the poll I would say go with the Teins, you know they are gonna be awesome quality and are gonna be worth spending that extra cash to get.

HA's are the entry level coilovers and HE's are drift specific coilovers. I think the Flex has more adjustibility then the HA.

For the money the teins are AMAZING

For the money, do the Tein's give you that much more performance?
I've seen really crappy shock dyno sheets from all those Cusco/Tein/JIC type of coilover systems, while the KYB has one of the widest adjustment ranges in the business.  I just love when people post opinions that have no objective backing for their conclusions.  I'd like to see a real suspension shoot-out, but I don't think anyone has that kinda money to do a comparo right now.  Paul Ko @ K2RD used to be the head Advance Design shock tech up at Ground Control, and I bet he knows a thing or two about shocks.  He also races an FC NA that uses all his suspension parts, so it's all race tested.

The Tein Flex system is also a comfort type damper system - Tein even prints this in their brochures, so it's more a street set-up versus a serious race set-up.  I just love seeing all the cars in the magazines have the Tein Flex dampers and try and pass the car on as a "race car".



-Ted

I have Tein's and there a great suspension, but I don't think there any better than the others... Its a stiff F'n ride and great for the road course, but they suck for the street (generally) .... K-Office, Cusco, K2Rd, KYB, GRound Control, etc. make good stuff... I also have some Blistein's that I really liked... There all over priced.

care to explain?

To all those who don't understand why people pay for the Teins: when you're at a car show, what gets more respect (and maybe points)? JDM.

I have the tein HE's and love them.. but I can safely say that I havent gotten a chance to take them to the limit yet. I chose these because they came with the mounts (was looking at HA or HE at the time, and I was unaware of the K2RD package).

Stop talking out of your ass. Teins make great coilovers and they work well for racing. They are not as cheap as K2RD or GC but they're still on cheap side of coilovers compared to JIC, HKS, A'pexi, etc. I also didn't know that you get scored on what brand your coilover is at a carshow? :p:

who looks under the car to see what shocks you have anyways?

yeah. That, too :D

i guess i'm the only one who looks to see what suspension setup they have. true the teins are cheaper than HKS apex'i and JIC, but its tough to compare them since the HA and HE don't have a height adjust and give up a few points of ride adjustibility to the others.

Please do not give out misinformation like that... Teins ARE height adjustable. Also, how do they give up ride adjustability? Do you have any personal experience? Please explain. I don't think they would be much inferior than others since HEs and HAs are 16 way adjustable.

EDIT: Double post owns me :p:

i apologize, i went to the site and they are height adjustable. my mistake

the hks does offer 30 levels of damper adjustment vs the tein's 16, thats what i meant by the ride adjustibility

If I'm not mistaken, the K2RD race car has two seasons on their coil overs and expect another season or probably two. Pretty damn good. With real coil overs(TEINs included), you can expect a shorter lifespan, a severely shortened lifespan on the street, not to mention the TEINs are known to leak, have had issues with the adjustable bits being "frozen" and aren't that great of a step up. Great introductory coil overs for sure, but so are the K2RDs. AND they'll survive the road. If your car is being built for the track only, then I could see justifying the TEINs, but otherwise, forget 'em.

Steve

The HA's are discontinued by the way.

HA's are only special order from japan...its the SS that are now the new entry coilovers for tein(in the US). i would rather get tein.i believe theyre the best bangforbuck true coilovers.

To me, those bazillion adjustment ranges don't mean crap.  Those adjustments allow for very fine increments, but most of you can't tell the difference between setting #10 and setting #11.  The "drift" cars I help, one of the runs Teins, and we're adjusting then in jumps of 4 or 5 clicks at a time.  If you've ever seen the KYB AGX shock dyno sheets, each click moves damping in a very WIDE range - wider than Illuminas and anything I've seen on a "street damper".  I'd prefer a damper with a very wide range versus one with a baziilion amounts of adjustment.

With that said and done, you want to concentrate damper adjustment to rebound and not much to compression.  ALL of those dampers mentioned adjust both rebound AND compression at the same time.  Only custom Koni's are available with independent compression and rebound adjustment in this price range - almost any serious SCCA Pro and Club levels racers use them; almost none of them run Tein/Cusco/JIC/ etc. rainbow anodized "fashion" shock systems when racing - think about it.

I can understand buyers of these particular brands will get very defensive about their purchases, as this stuff will easily cost over a grand for a set.  Please people, don't confuse what real race equipment is.


-Ted

Go with the JIC FLT-A2.

I'm with TED,
Who among you has had one set of coilovers and can honestly say that you found sufficient differences between brands to warrent changing to something else?
Another question:
What adjust ment is really necessary for your street cars? Get it set where you like it and leave it there for how long? Is anybody really futzing with their ride height on a weekly basis? How adjustable does it need to be?
I figure there must be a lot of people justifying their large $ expendature by assuming brand loyalty.

CW
has never had coil-overs.

if you are a daily driver...stick to shox/springs. if you like to take your car autoxing then coilovers would be really convenient.of course daily driving,there wouldnt be any need for hieght and damper adjustment.but lets say you wanted to go autoxing..if you had coilovers,you can lower your car and stiffen/soften up your suspension just for that particular event.if you ask anyone that has coilovers now and recently owned shox/springs setup(tokico,kyb,entry koni shoks,and whatever springs),theyll tell you theres a big difference between the two.

the shock has to match the spring, theres a window where the shock is matched, any stiffer and your just bruising your kidneys. so theres no real need for adjustment once you get it in the right range, or change springs

Thank you Ted, for the most objective opinion i have seen in this entire thread.

KYB has been developing dampening systems for decades and have probable some of the most thorough research and most up to date quality manufacturing facilities...they also carry several patents on valving and check valve designs to ensure reliable operation.

A company that offers rebuilds and necesitates the need to open up a rebuild facility in the US screams of unspoken quality control issues-- a good coilover will not be requiring frequent rebuilds...

These people aren't seeing through the green danpachi marketing lenses to realize that TEINs are just an average system that is produced in Taiwan and Korea. Not very highly regarded in Japan...I can't wait until one of the magazines over here does a suspension shootout using an actual suspension dyno...it will finally show everyone what actually performs.

I think a lot of people get suckered in to the "30 way adjustments"

the "adjustments" are a simple valve that opens and closes-- one equals fully open, the other fully closed.

This is why most major suspension manufacturers only offer 4-8 settings because all others, as ted and j9 have stated, are quite pointless.

8 = closed, 100%

36= closed, 100%

to most people, the bigger number would seem better, but in actuality, it is no different than the smaller number.

well put! thats why im going with a ZEAL setup better than TEIN and an actual coilover.

very nice! Btw I saw your car sitting at Jeff's shop a few weeks ago

JIC ?

that must of been when i was getting my new clutch put in :D EXEDY BABY!

Just wondering for those considering coil overs or those who have them. Have you or will you have your car corner weighed. And then adjust your coil overs to even out the weights?

James

Which one? Hyper Single? Twin plate?

none of that hardcore stuff yet, all i got was the single plate organic. 37% increase is good enough for now, untill i get upgraded turbo and whatnot..

For serious??
 

JDM KDM QVC STD. Who F'in cares? If you really care about stuff like that then don't ask what set up to get, just pay someone lots of cash and be happy in the knoledge that everyone who doesn't know anything will be REALLY impressed with your nice expensive paperweights. The Teins or any other off the shelf coil over are matched damper and spring rates but you get what they give you. The K2RD set up is made here meaning if it doesn't fit right or you have a problem you can actually talk to someone who can help you. No long wait for the slow boat, and person to person help with selecting spring rates and settings for your needs. How do I know? Well I used to run GAB SPORT coilovers and camber plates on my 91 TII, not because they were JDM but because I thought they were good. And they were, untill they bent and the bearings on the hats blew out. After installing the K2RD setup my car handles great at the track or on the occassional mountain run and even though I run her hard so far The K2RD stuff has outlasted my GABs. Despite my constant annoying questions there was always some one available to help me dial her in. As for the "Bling" factor? Well, why not take the money you save over the other brands and put it aside to buy some pretty JDM wheels that people can actually see when the car isn't on a lift or fliped over at the track?

Ooops.
 

I should clarify that I agree most people without tons of experiance and or a data logger with suspension sensors can't begin to use 60billion way adjustable suspension even if it does work. There is no "Uber" suspension, just some that work better for certain applications and budgets. If you want something that is proven to work on the track or the street and wont break the bank my vote is for K2RD.

Way to go, you resurrected a thread that's over 5 years old reccomending a no longer available setup from a company that, as far as I know, doesn't exist any more.

For the record, you can get most Teins rebuilt and re-valved in the US (of shocks that'll work with the K2RD setup, only Konis and Bilsteins can boast that too), they'll sell you additional springs to change the rates and they're quite durable. They've also got some pretty good damping characteristics (as seen from the many shock dynos I've seen of them) and they have independent shock body length adjustment, which is a good thing. No they're not the best, but for the price, they're a very good setup. I've got Tein Flex and am very happy with them and they handle track use very well.

Jesus I was a fucking n00b then. :shame: