Tein Street Flex Review!

[Mikepage]

Corner balance done :



50.05% with me in the car, am very happy of the setup

[Mikepage]

I want to share an important detail we found with these Tein coilovers.

Since the installation, I had an clicking clunking metal sound coming from the rear at low speed, like under 50km/h and over bump only. We have very bad roads in my country...

I think also many users experiments the same thing with others brand...maybe read the point I explain below.

For me, the problem was the stock preload. If you looking in the Tein book, you will find the preload by subtracting measure A by B like below :




85-18= 67
125-34=91

Then in my case, the stock preload is supposed to be 91 on the back and 67 on the rear.

I have removed 10mm on both sides on the rear then now I have 81mm on the rear and the front was already at 57mm from the previous owner... No more clucking clicking sound from the rear now. I can enjoy my coils!

The stock preload advisable by Tein made causes the springs staying loose and you can easily move them with your hands when the car is jacked... I can't imagine over bump how much they probably move...

Note: Am now at the maximum drop on the rear because of the new preload.

http://teinusa-blog.com/preloading-it-up/

[Mikepage]

Finally my rear clunk sound came back 2 days after...and I don't know why... Everything is correctly tight and perfect... At this point, I think I will live with them as is, this is probably normal for pillowball mount and it's nothing I can't support. It's only on very bad road without the radio and at low speed over bump...like I said before...

I think I will keep my preload at 10mm anyway.

Am just curious to know why, directly after the corner balance and a quick clean up, everything was silent... Maybe it's because I have very cold weather and dirty road here and when the oil damper is cold and or when the dampers are dirty, they are more noisy... Need to test it again after an clean up or need to wait the summer

Anyone running these coilovers experiment an sound like me in the similar conditions?

I know some other guys experiment the same thing on BC...and others brands...

Just for info, am running on setting 15 now, just to have more traction during the winter... Don't think that can change anything to my sound...

[Mikepage]

Could be my whiteline end link wrongly configured? I was dropped around 1 inch before on Mach V springs without any troubles...i don't have any play on the link too...

Am now at 1 po 3/8 of drop all around.

[Mikepage]

Bump?!

Am at the conclusion this is caused by the solid top mount....or because they are pretty dirty and cold during winter...

Quick video of the sound

Anyone?

[Mikepage]

Update: we got some good weather here last weekend and after 2 hours of driving and trying some bad road, no more sound... Then when the outside temps is near 0c, they are pretty quiet.

Conclusion, nothing wrong with these coilovers or my setup, they are just more noisy during winter and cold climat.

The are pretty more quiet after long distance trip also probably when the oil is more warm.

[shellslinger]

Nice review, hopefully my flex z will be just as good

[Mikepage]

Originally Posted by shellslinger

Nice review, hopefully my flex z will be just as good

Yea let us know...

If i can add something, the ride is stiff...then not for everyone who want to have an comfort ride like oem... Anyway this is not the goal with coilovers.

[Mikepage]

Got new alignment and added -2.0 degree of camber on the front, this is the maximum of the Tein top plate... The car is crazy now, he turn on a dime compare to 0 camber...

I have also -2.0 on the back but I have no adjustment for the moment... Next mod will be LCA.

I have reinstalled my OEM rear link because my Whiteline just failed... Too much coilovers stress I think and maybe the rust... They had only 2 years...

[Vten]

I think you go more that -2 up front by moving the top bolts to the slot next to it. But I'm on -2 too , stock tein factory setup.

Did you ever find the clunking problem, Mike ?

[Mikepage]

Yes, i just not moved the top bolts... -2 is enough am at the maximum with the first hole.

The clunking problem is the normal sound on the 86 with coilovers setup... The platform is noisy when you have metal pillow ball... A lot of others users with many different coilovers brands experiment the same problem..

[Mikepage]

I have juste replaced the Hex top plate camber adjustment bolts by normal 10mm bolts today... Look better now and more safe to avoid stripping...

[Blue Gt]

Hey Mike, any help for a basic set-up is appreciated with these "voodoo" coilovers. I am struggling with trying to get even ride height front to rear (measuring at bottom of pinch welds). The factory instructions are crap, I set mine up initially per the diagrams and lost right rear LCA travel and also got some clunking noises in warm weather?

I think these could be really nice CO units if they had just deleted the lower body threaded adjustment feature. If I had a drive on lift I am sure it would be short work to get these dialed in. But armed with just a floor jack, stands and having to remove the front wheels I see many hours of trial and error labor in the cold / dark garage. TIA DP

[Mikepage]

Did you set the preload properly like in the instruction? He take time to understand the instruction but they help... Post a picture of the page and I will help you.

Thx!

Mike