TEIN Flex Z Release!
 

Guys, this is what you have been waiting for! CounterSpace Garage had to be quiet about the TEIN Flex Z and could only release a little bit of information at a time, however, we wanted to make a big announcement on the TEIN Flex Z release!

As you know, CSG has been requested to be a 3rd party tester since the prototyping phase for suspension products to varying degrees. TEIN had allowed us to provide a brief review of the suspension kit in the past, but also required us to remain quiet on any other details other than the opinions of the product alone. CSG is proud to announce the new TEIN Flex Z for the Subaru BRZ and Scion FRS!

CSG Mike's TEIN Flex Z Review

http://counterspacegarage.com/media/...z_products.jpg


Front / Rear

Spring Rates: 6kg/mm / 6kg/mm

Recommended Drop: -1.2" / -1.0"

Max Range: -2.2" to 0.0" / -3.2" to 0.6"

Recommended Drop Range: -1.6" to -0.8" / -1.4" to -0.6"



TEIN Description Page:

High-End Top-Quality Ride Height Adjustable Shock Absorber at Amazingly Low Price!

- Full-Length Ride Height Adjustment Feature
- Twin-Tube Structure
- Damping Force Adjustment System
- Complete Kit with Upper Mount
- Comes complete with Camber plates, rear top hats, springs, and shocks.

The Flex Z followed through with 13 concepts after continued R&D through the Flex and Street Flex models:

1. Incredibly Low Price & Made in Yokohama!
2. Twin-Tube System for Comfortable Ride on Streets!
3. Full-Length System for Ride Height Adjustment w/ Minimal Change in Ride!
4. Damping Force Adjustable to Change Ride to Desired Settings!
5. Compatible with EDFC Series to enable In-Car Damping Force Adjustment!
6. Upper Mounts Included for Easy Installation!
7. Highly Durable & Reliable!
8. Thoroughgoing Rust-Proofing!
9. Highly-Rigid Bracket & Shell Case!
10. Smooth Ride Height Adjustment & One-of-A-Kind Adjusting Wrench!
11. No-Sag Springs!
12. High-Spec Damper Oil!
13. Replacement Service to Bring Used Shock Absorbers Back to Life!

The shocks are no longer rebuildable (like the Street Flex), however, replacement cartridges can be purchased when the shocks are worn. This saves a tremendous amount for the owner and leads to very little down time!

http://counterspacegarage.com/media/..._image1_en.jpg

Please don't hesitate to contact us for any questions regarding the TEIN Flex Z!


TEIN Flex Z

I've had a production spec set of these on my car for awhile, and have been very impressed with their performance. :)

Sincerely,

Zach
Delicious Tuning

CSG: i guess these are something customized/valved in collaboration and according to your specs, or same coilovers sold everywhere? If former, how they might differ from ones made for/purchasable in other DMs and for what uses/roads which might be preferable?

Imho it's worth to extend featurelist also with some basic settings presets advises for few common uses + add info on spring rates & length adjustment range numbers.

Also those 'replacement cartridges' .. maybe some youtube video about describing them & how to DIY replace them may benefit to potential customers?

These are standard off the shelf models for the North American market coming direct from TEIN USA and are the successors to the Street Flex. The Street Flex was well received after a few vocal users in the community actually discussed the benefits of them over other systems. As you have noticed already we only make posts on product and information that are noteworthy.

Can anyone comment on the TEIN rustproofing vs. KW?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

All suspension systems will rust with sufficient amount of agitation. TEIN parts are tested via salt fog test environments.

http://www.tein.com/classroom/surface/index.html

It's like they're answering the folks asking about $1k dampers over here. Well played Tein! :clap:

What are the main differences between USDM and EU/JDM versions of these dampers? Are the springs rates and valving unique to each market?

Valving secrets. :respekt: TEIN USA supplies all TEIN products to the North American market. :thumbup:

I seriously wonder if europe and japan really have smoother roads on average... I think @juliog would know

Yes. It's not even close. US roads are an embarrassment clearly laid by some corrupt union masters who flunked out of highschool.

Most of the best roads in Europe have been due to back handers from the EU.... The roads in the UK are probably worse than yours ;)

As you point out, the UK isn't part of Europe. We don't have roman cobblestones or Downton Abbey dirt 'roads', but we have Los Angeles.

http://www.scpr.org/blogs/economy/20...a-drivers-nea/

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2015/0..._condition.php

https://bikinginla.files.wordpress.c...-pothole-1.jpg

https://cdn.static-economist.com/sit...6_USP005_0.jpg

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/47586729.jpg

This is Japan

https://adventuretocarson.files.word...9/img_0567.jpg

http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/word...Expressway.jpg

http://mikeshouts.com/wp-content/upl...-544x408px.jpg

one of the first things i noticed when i visited Japan was how nice the roads were... big city, small town, country, and everything in between.

U.S. roads are a joke however. im sure we dont have the worst roads here in LA, but does it really matter? a fucked up road is a fucked up road.

I practically lived in Denver for a couple years. The roads there are utter crap. I do sympathize though as it is hard maintaining the roads in that climate.

Looks like a decent set of affordable coilovers.

What about the Flex A? Wondering if they are worth the extra money.

LoL at the road comments. Let me know when all of you want to pay Japanese / European gas prices and then we'll have plenty of money to do road work...

Yes it is!

I think the Flex A have the hydraulic bump stops and are rebuildable, but does anyone know how these compare performance wise?

We're not really, we didn't get any EU funding for our road network like our neighbours all did.

I believe the A and Z are similar bar the HBS.

Is it worth it to upgrade from street flex to flex A ?

How do these compare with the KW V3? The price is insanely low so just wanted to see how it compare to similiar (?) products.

A is rebuildable and can be revalved.

If nearest tein dealership is outside of country anyway .. i probably would prefer cheaper non-rebuildability with changing just damper part to spare one, as in flex Z.

Meanwhile reading product's description page over in ft86speedfactory shop ..

Height Adjustable Range
Base Ride Height Drop: Front -1.2 inches, Rear -1.2 inches
Max Low / Hi: Front -2.3 inches to 0 inches, -3.0 inches to 0.4 inches
Recommended Low / Hi: Front -1.6 inches to -0.8 inches, Rear -1.6 inches to -0.8 inches
Spring Rates Front: 6K Rear: 6K

It answers my own questions of height adjustment range and spring rates .. but another arose. I wonder why spring rates on front/rear are same, unlike different rates of OE? Won't it change car handling/balance to different?

I don't think they are similar products. I say it maybe comparing apples and oranges.

I showed this to a buddy and he honestly said that for suspensions you really pay for what you get.

The price for these are very attractive and am sure it is a great product, however I don't think these can be comparable to high end coils. If so then high end coils would be out of business already.

It is not a fair comparison between a 2-way suspension kit and a 1-way suspension kit. :)

I should have the web guy add that too as that may be helpful as well. This is a street coilover and was not developed for absolute performance in mind even though it achieves it quite well. The weight transfer is going to be less "dramatic" per say for those who are not as seasoned, but the valving is definitely superior to those in its price point or even near its price point. ;)

Alot of coilovers have square setups. Even the CGS spec SRC are only ~20% firmer in the rear. OE is 76%!! (GT86/FRS)

Look though some of the suspension the threads, this has been answered countless times before!

Calculate the motion ratio. :)

Was wondering what the comfort is like compared to stock or stock w/ springs?

Only reason I'm staying away from coilovers is because the stiffness in day to day driving.

Yes indeed! And if you consider corner weights the wheel frequencies come out Slightly rear biased which is not true for many after market coilovers except the trd japan ones.

TEIN Flex Z Release!
 

You haven't go on a trip? You should, now is a great time since U.S.D. is strong.

I believe most of the U.S. Use crapy kind Tarmac or something. Cuz even Canada's road is much better, probably has something to do with the fact they have more icy weather then most of the U.S. So they don't cut corners as much when it comes to road. Just saying this cuz as I drive up the pacific the road got really good by Washington. 👍
In Japan you can file a complaint on a pothole & it will be fix on the same day. 😂



Since these tein Z are not rebuildable, how long will a set last before you need to get new tubes? Any info on this?

^ I have, just not Japan or Europe. Its the same in Singapore and Taiwan roads are smoother, even if its really easy to get lost. Only straight roads they go there are the airport runways it seems. Taiwan has excellent canyon roads in terms of "twisty fun-ness" comparable to the stuff we got in socal, but there are speeding cameras around every corner.

Probably a good idea for you blokes to get the stuff valved for the US market.

AFAIK, the less you work the dampers, the longer they'll last. Driving on bumpy roads often or doing track days and canyons will wear them out faster than commuting on smooth freeways.

The stock shocks on my 120,000 mile S2000 feel pretty damn good because the original owner mainly used the car for commuting. But there's other cars out there with shot stock dampers at less than 60,000 miles.

There are good roads and there are bad roads. They are everywhere and you can't always avoid them. All we can do is just drive and enjoy our time on the road.

With that said, longevity is really dependent on application. If you intend to rally with these coilovers, then don't expect them to last a relatively long time. I say relative because some people can manage OEM shocks for 100k+ miles, yet some people blow them after 10k miles while driving on the same roads. When it comes to TEIN's reputation, they would not bring something to market if the quality wasn't strictly controlled. :thumbup:

Much, much more comfortable.

CSG guys knows when is Flex A gonna come state side? 😅 man I really want the A but if the wait is too long I guess I will go with Z.

cant decide between megan street and flex Z now that Flex Z is cheaper.........
but spring rate 6K all around wont that be TOO soft?

Ok, so my question is, these or the ST's for daily and a few track days a year? These seem like the better value since it includes camber plates and 1-way damping adjustment, but are they a better shock all around than the ST?

That sounds good to me that these are comfortable, but do they decrease body roll from a full stock setup? I'm looking at these + LCA's since they seem to be highly recommended, but I was initially looking just at RCE Yellows to kill some wheel gap and from what I've heard, slightly increase handling performance. I autocross 3-4 times a year, but other than that this is my DD. Kind of nervous on dropping a lot of coin (relatively) on something new and relatively untested, whereas lots of people recommend the RCE's. Thanks!

Megans are junk. At least they were in the cars I have sat in. They were either too soft at low speed or too stiff at high speed, never had a good middle ground. They were bad for both comfort and for spirited driving. Megan makes everything. There are plenty of reviews, some bad, some "satisfied for the price", some happy. megan streets and track use the exact same shock and just swap the springs. :bonk:

The best companies usually stick to what they are good at. Tein makes suspension and that is it. I've never seen a bad review on Tein products(except the springs being too soft and bottoming out on worn stock shocks). They make different suspension for different levels of performance/price points. Z's are a budget street coilover with camber plates, adjustable and replaceable sealed shocks. Ask megan for a replacement shock or a rebuild. :lol:

6k soft? Depends on the application. 6k is a mildly firm street setup. If you want to slam your car, these aren't for you. Too soft for slammed setups.

At this point there isn't many people with them. But all the information points out that they are the new budget coilovers to have with the camber plates and replaceable shocks. I would lean towards the Z's because of camber plates, and the stiffer rates and adjustable/replaceable shocks. I rode in st's in the street and they were very comfortable but slightly too soft for my taste.

Yes body is roll reduced.
Autocross it depends on what class you plan to run and how competitive you want to be. RCE's are 5k/5k rates and designed for stock shocks. Z's have 6k/6k rates, camber adjustment and height adjustment and shock adjustment. In this case, a full coilover setup is better than just springs alone, but that comes with a price. There are plenty of people happy with rce yellows. If money is an issue and you don't need all the adjustments, get the yellows.