Tein Flex Z opinion

[GT86_PRAGUE]

Could anyone tell me how Raceseng 1|2" top hats affect drive quality?

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by jdiego

First of I am a new member but have been lurking reading about the z flex opinion thread and from the opinions of the users here I was piqued enough to purchase a set.

I just wanted to get other users opinions about the coilover with regards to a loose knocking sound that seems to be coming from the upper mount.

I am in the Philippines and our roads are somewhat notorious for uneven payment and potholes. In saying that when I first installed the set it was done by a local dealership and I was present during the installation with instructions on hand. The set was not purchased through them and was imported through the local distributor the problem being he doesn't have a shop who could have done the installation. Anyhow, we set the height, damping and tried to follow everything to the t on the instructions except torque down the pillow ball nut. During my first test drive immediately upon hitting some uneven pavement there were loose sounds coming from the front coilovers. Its the type of sound that I would normally associate with a loose bolt somewhere and have heard it before on a car with worn out suspension bushings. There is definitely play in the system.

So after several days of searching on the web i came across several instances of the pillow nut not being torqued down enough. I went back to the shop had the suspension pulled down retorqued the pillow nut to 45lbs.ft or as stated in the instructions manual. Cant remember the exact figure and true enough things quieted down enough and the car ran beautifully. Until two days ago where in the driver side started up again.

The question is: do I have to keep torquing this nut as part of maintenance every two days? Or is there possibly a product defect?

One of the things I am thinking of doing is taking down the front coil overs again, undoing the pillow nuts applying some thread locker then torquing it down once again to the right spec.

Any assistance from the group would be great as Ive had no luck with the local distributor (his recommendation is keep running it as it may just be settling in and after a month if its still there he will file a warranty claim) and Ive emailed japan but have still not heard back from them. Possibly because my email was in English.

Properly torque the top nut, and use thread locker. You can slightly overtorque it if you need to, but that's your call.

[keb86]

does the Flex Z also need to settle in first before going to preferred height or you can go straight away to preferred height upon installation.

[Mars2]

Originally Posted by jdiego

First of I am a new member but have been lurking reading about the z flex opinion thread and from the opinions of the users here I was piqued enough to purchase a set.

I just wanted to get other users opinions about the coilover with regards to a loose knocking sound that seems to be coming from the upper mount.

I am in the Philippines and our roads are somewhat notorious for uneven payment and potholes. In saying that when I first installed the set it was done by a local dealership and I was present during the installation with instructions on hand. The set was not purchased through them and was imported through the local distributor the problem being he doesn't have a shop who could have done the installation. Anyhow, we set the height, damping and tried to follow everything to the t on the instructions except torque down the pillow ball nut. During my first test drive immediately upon hitting some uneven pavement there were loose sounds coming from the front coilovers. Its the type of sound that I would normally associate with a loose bolt somewhere and have heard it before on a car with worn out suspension bushings. There is definitely play in the system.

So after several days of searching on the web i came across several instances of the pillow nut not being torqued down enough. I went back to the shop had the suspension pulled down retorqued the pillow nut to 45lbs.ft or as stated in the instructions manual. Cant remember the exact figure and true enough things quieted down enough and the car ran beautifully. Until two days ago where in the driver side started up again.

The question is: do I have to keep torquing this nut as part of maintenance every two days? Or is there possibly a product defect?

One of the things I am thinking of doing is taking down the front coil overs again, undoing the pillow nuts applying some thread locker then torquing it down once again to the right spec.

Any assistance from the group would be great as Ive had no luck with the local distributor (his recommendation is keep running it as it may just be settling in and after a month if its still there he will file a warranty claim) and Ive emailed japan but have still not heard back from them. Possibly because my email was in English.

Same problem here!!!

[SilverFRS]

I had a metallic knock in my left front, thought it was the pillowball. I took a video and sent it to Tein, they said it was the damper and sent me a replacement damper. They were right, replaced the damper, kept original pillowball, works fine now, no noise. Good warranty service from Tein!

[tracerit]

I got my final alignment done after installing SPC LCAs last week but when I went to adjust the dampers yesterday I noticed the front passenger nut below the twist thing was loose. Video is below. Basically, the nut below the knob is supposed to be stationary but when I turned it counter clock wise, it would turn the nut too very loosely. Turningthe knob clockwise would just freely turn the nut not clicking. I had to turn it all the way clockwise and then some to kind of lock the nut in place. That's how it is now but should I be concerned about anything at this point?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6iIXmrlg9o"]Loose nut - YouTube[/ame]

[jdiego]

Originally Posted by tracerit

I got my final alignment done after installing SPC LCAs last week but when I went to adjust the dampers yesterday I noticed the front passenger nut below the twist thing was loose. Video is below. Basically, the nut below the knob is supposed to be stationary but when I turned it counter clock wise, it would turn the nut too very loosely. Turningthe knob clockwise would just freely turn the nut not clicking. I had to turn it all the way clockwise and then some to kind of lock the nut in place. That's how it is now but should I be concerned about anything at this point?

You have to tighten the nut underneath the adjuster. You need a really thin 8mm wrench.

This link may help

http://teinusa-blog.com/quick-click-fixes/

[shiumai]

So, over the past two weeks i've been trying out the different settings on the Flex Z's, and have come to the conclusion that there's no 'one best setting', since road conditions and preferences vary so much. but having the option to adjust the damping is definitely worth the cost over just lowering springs and the OEM shocks.

For daily driving to work, no highway, i actually find semi-boat mode to be actually quite practical. there are only a couple of aggressive turns that i take on the short journey, but having the setting soft (10 clicks from full stiff for both front and rear) just makes for a smoother ride over rough roads without going 'full bounce/float'. it's slightly floaty/bouncy at 10 clicks, but it's a compromise. same setting for the freeways of los angeles or maybe 10 clicks in the rear and 11 clicks in the front - primarily for reducing road noise and comfort.
for twisty roads, it also depends on the quality of the pavement. i'm finding 5 or 6 clicks from full stiff is pretty good for twisty but rough roads. for smooth, twisty roads, the settings can go stiffer. also note that i'm running wider wheels/tires. the fun part is making the adjustments and seeing the differences.

coming from OEM shocks with Swift lowering springs, the improvement in ride quality and handling is really quite eye-opening to me. i guess i didn't know any better until i tried it.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by shiumai

So, over the past two weeks i've been trying out the different settings on the Flex Z's, and have come to the conclusion that there's no 'one best setting', since road conditions and preferences vary so much. but having the option to adjust the damping is definitely worth the cost over just lowering springs and the OEM shocks.

For daily driving to work, no highway, i actually find semi-boat mode to be actually quite practical. there are only a couple of aggressive turns that i take on the short journey, but having the setting soft (10 clicks from full stiff for both front and rear) just makes for a smoother ride over rough roads without going 'full bounce/float'. it's slightly floaty/bouncy at 10 clicks, but it's a compromise. same setting for the freeways of los angeles or maybe 10 clicks in the rear and 11 clicks in the front - primarily for reducing road noise and comfort.
for twisty roads, it also depends on the quality of the pavement. i'm finding 5 or 6 clicks from full stiff is pretty good for twisty but rough roads. for smooth, twisty roads, the settings can go stiffer. also note that i'm running wider wheels/tires. the fun part is making the adjustments and seeing the differences.

coming from OEM shocks with Swift lowering springs, the improvement in ride quality and handling is really quite eye-opening to me. i guess i didn't know any better until i tried it.

It makes me really happy that you're playing with the settings to find your preference, rather than having a "set it and forget it" mentality.

I always get weird looks when I adjust dampers before driving away from a meet.

[shiumai]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

It makes me really happy that you're playing with the settings to find your preference, rather than having a "set it and forget it" mentality.

I always get weird looks when I adjust dampers before driving away from a meet.

I'm learning, mike. thank you for the guidance - it's much appreciated!

[SilverFRS]

I like playing with the settings depending on the "mission", makes me think about going with the edfc control so I don't have to stop to adjust. @CSG Mike, do you know the part numbers for the complete kit for our cars? Looking for basic version, not the auto sensing adjusting version.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by SilverFRS

I like playing with the settings depending on the "mission", makes me think about going with the edfc control so I don't have to stop to adjust. @CSG Mike, do you know the part numbers for the complete kit for our cars? Looking for basic version, not the auto sensing adjusting version.

Standard EDFC will work.

Contents of EDFC Controller Kit
Part Number EDK04-K4469

Contents of EDFC Motor Kit
Part Numbers: EDK05-10100, EDK05-10120, EDK05-10140, EDK05-12120, EDK05-12140, EDK05-14140

Contents of Strut Kit:
Part Number EDK06-K4474

MSRP for everything together is 451.

[bfrank1972]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Standard EDFC will work.

Contents of EDFC Controller Kit
Part Number EDK04-K4469

Contents of EDFC Motor Kit
Part Numbers: EDK05-10100, EDK05-10120, EDK05-10140, EDK05-12120, EDK05-12140, EDK05-14140

Contents of Strut Kit:
Part Number EDK06-K4474

MSRP for everything together is 451.

Mike, what's your opinion in the newer EDFC with g sensors - where it stiffens the dampers as they load. Is that actually beneficial at all for handling? I can imagine it would at least help reduce weight transfer during braking. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[banane63]

EFDC pro is easier to install, as you don't need a half din space for the controller neither routing four cables from the controller to the dampers... Just a power needed in the motor bay and in the trunk.
I have EDFC-Pro but I don't do track and I don't have Flex Z but Street Advance.
I keep it to the stifness position (16) as base setup for city use or 4 clics less otherwise, and the EDFC-Pro do a damned good job when you turn, brake or accelerate, keeping the car horizontal.
The only limit is on big bumps, as it is not a PASM or other dynamic suspension, it only use one G captor in the controller, not on the dampers, so it won't get harder on it.