Tein Flex Z opinion

[Hyper4mance2k]

sold...

[Phantobe]

Just got my tax return so I'm in the market for coilovers...haven't done too much research yet.

Wondering if these would be a suitable option for a few Track days a year with some Auto X

[Sugi]

@CSG_Mike - I ordered the Tein Street Flex and just received it a few days ago. Unfortunately the box was pretty damaged and I'm waiting on a response as to how to handle the situation. I may return the item and I wanted to ask your opinion on if you feel that this setup was equal to or better than the original street flex? Also, on the system you tested, did it have the upper pillow ball front mounts? Tein's website states that it depends on the application.

[JGalp]

Originally Posted by finch1750

With this price point I think the biggest comparison is what would you reccomend between this and a Swift/RCE spring paired with Koni/Bilstein struts? Both for DD or occasional autox/track time?

This

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by JGalp

This

Originally Posted by finch1750

With this price point I think the biggest comparison is what would you reccomend between this and a Swift/RCE spring paired with Koni/Bilstein struts? Both for DD or occasional autox/track time?

I'd take coilovers over springs any day...

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I'd take coilovers over springs any day...

There's nothing magic about coilovers...springs + shocks are just non-height adjustable coilovers anyway. There are plenty of crap coilovers and crap springs out there.

Good valving, functional spring rates to match to the rest of the system, and adequate travel are what make a "good" set-up. The rest is details.

- Andy

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

There's nothing magic about coilovers...springs + shocks are just non-height adjustable coilovers anyway. There are plenty of crap coilovers and crap springs out there.

Good valving, functional spring rates to match to the rest of the system, and adequate travel are what make a "good" set-up. The rest is details.

- Andy

Well... some cars are not "coil over dampers"... but you know what I mean

[Calum]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I'd take coilovers over springs any day...

With the plethora of horribly damped coilovers on the market, that is terribly advice.

You've said many times that good damping is the key to any good setup. Why do you constantly try to convince people of this and then turn around and say "I'd take coilovers over springs any day"? The factory dampers have been shown by many educated and experienced people to be decent, and better than a large portion of the coilover market. Koni and Bilstein both offer dampers that are better than the factory ones. What difference does it make if someone decided to match spring rates to these dampers to get an effective setup instead of getting a decent coilover setup? Other than the fact that coilovers cost more to buy if you're going to get something decent, they cost more to setup, and they cost more to maintain.

And please don't tell me that you're trying to sell these because most of the BRZ/FRS owners track their cars. Most don't, and these are clearly aimed at a crowd that would be better off with a good fixed perch setup. Well, that or the stance guys, and they're going to do whatever they want anyway.

I used to like you, Mike. But recently you've been coming off as either hypocritical or just an ass.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Calum

With the plethora of horribly damped coilovers on the market, that is terribly advice.

You've said many times that good damping is the key to any good setup. Why do you constantly try to convince people of this and then turn around and say "I'd take coilovers over springs any day"? The factory dampers have been shown by many educated and experienced people to be decent, and better than a large portion of the coilover market. Koni and Bilstein both offer dampers that are better than the factory ones. What difference does it make if someone decided to match spring rates to these dampers to get an effective setup instead of getting a decent coilover setup? Other than the fact that coilovers cost more to buy if you're going to get something decent, they cost more to setup, and they cost more to maintain.

And please don't tell me that you're trying to sell these because most of the BRZ/FRS owners track their cars. Most don't, and these are clearly aimed at a crowd that would be better off with a good fixed perch setup. Well, that or the stance guys, and they're going to do whatever they want anyway.

I used to like you, Mike. But recently you've been coming off as either hypocritical or just an ass.

Let me rephrase. I'd take these coilovers for this platform over just springs on OEM dampers any day.

Yes, the coilovers in the OP are not aimed at a performance segment, but the ride quality improvement over stock is so substantial that I actually prefer it. I still don't recommend anything else in the Tein lineup outside of the SRC. Under hard performance driving, I think the life of these dampers would be significantly reduced, and I wouldn't recommend these to anyone looking to mod for hard driving.

[jumbaco]

I don't think these are made in Japan... not knocking the product but I don't see how they can make a quality product like this and have it at this price.

http://teinusa-blog.com/tein-brings-...ring-overseas/

[Bigmaxy]

Tein clearly state the Flex Z are manufactured in Japan. The Flex A on the other hand, does not state this.
I think it's safe to assume that the Flex A is manufactured outside of Japan but the Flex Z is still at least assembled in Japan. Where the parts come from could be open to interpretation since they say "Made in Yokohama".

I personally don't care as long as the quality is still there.

[DeliciousTuning]

I have gone out and acquired this particular set of coilovers for my FR-S and while I'm still trying out different settings, I'm in agreement with Mike here. I don't think there is anything else near the price point of these coilovers that compare. The ride is very controlled and composed. I have ridden on several other of the cheaper Tein setups on different cars and was very skeptical considering those experiences were downright painful. These coilovers have me quite impressed. The car is being aligned and corner weighted at West End next week and I can't wait to see how the car feels after it's all dialed in there.

fyi - Each damper clearly states made in Japan on the damper body itself.

Sincerely,

Zach
Delicious Tuning

[Hyper4mance2k]

1 are they for sale yet?
2 is MSRP finalized?
3 did I just mess up by going with Bilsteins & Swift Spec Rs instead of these?

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Hyper4mance2k

1 are they for sale yet?
2 is MSRP finalized?
3 did I just mess up by going with Bilsteins & Swift Spec Rs instead of these?

1) Nope, but they're coming soon. ETA is June 2015, but this is highly dependent on the situation at the port. We are taking preorders if you want a set.
2) Nope, still TBD.
3) We haven't track tested these, and we don't plan on it. While I'd speculate that they would be okay at the track, they're not designed with track performance as a design goal.