Tein Mono Sport Suspension settings for Street / Track

[nova.86]

Hi, Nova here.

Been a few years since I posted on my hyperblue brz. Hit 106k, and my front passenger side strut is blown. Ordered Tein Mono Sport Coilovers, since I got quoted 500$ for each strut replaced, getting these coilovers was cheaper than replacing every strut for a total of 2000$ and still having stock shocks.

My question is, as I'm fairly new to fully adjustable suspension, what settings should I ask for in the shop I'm installing them at for a street/ minimal track set up? I would hit canyons every other weekend but its normally a DD. With maybe a few track sessions a year. Currently on stock wheels still, but with 225 / 45's for tires. Summer Sports Tire to be specific, Kumho Ecsta PS31.

I went on the manufacturer's website and saw the recommend settings, but am un-sure if I'm reading this.

https://www.tein.com/srch/us_search...._JEyd4Pp_MvOU0

Am I reading that the coilovers install without any settings would drop the car 1.4" in the front and 1.6" in the rear?

Also I hear conflicted info, should the drops be equal on both sides? Or More in the front? Or the rear?

It seems the recommend range after the assumed initial drop from the install (If I was correct on that assumption) based from the link above is:
-1.6 to -0.8 for the front,
&,
-1.8 to -1.0 for the rear. So I'm un-sure what to ask for during the install.

also what kind of camber?

And how important is 'corner balancing' ? For a daily driven set up priority?

The shop I was going to take it from doesn't know what that is so I'm assuming they don't have it, I don't know too much about it either so that's why I'm asking as well. Thanks for being patient with me and reading this, I am a suspension noob for the most part and only know names of components, like LCA's. Are Toe links, toe arms, and end links the same for instance? This is separate from my question from the thread but might as well get extra knowledge if applicable. Recommended to get a front sway bar? I read that for RWDs you need a front sway bar and not a rear one since that's for FWDs. And getting both would cancel each other out. That might be a question for a separate thread though. Thanks again for reading this. Appreciate any help in clarifications.

[x808drifter]

The shop doesn't know what corner balancing is?
Avoid that place at all costs.

Even if its something they don't offer, they SHOULD know what that is.

B6's and RCE Yellows.
Don't waste time/money. on low end adjustable coils.
That is all you really need. Maybe camber bolts if you need ore adjustability up front.

Also for the love of god DO NOT put big ass heavy 18x9.5 wheels on your car.
Also don't run wider than 225 on the stocks.
Personally for what you are describing id get a 17x7.5/8
Stock wheel/tire size are fine too. Just need better rubber.

[ZDan]

You don't need any of that stuff. For street, I agree with x808drifter, springs and Bilsteins. FWIW I'm running Bilstein B8s and Swift lowering springs street/track. It's a pretty good compromise...
How low do you wanna go? RCE springs will lower you 0.8", Swift springs by well over an inch (1.5" in my case)

I voted wheels, but IMO 17s would be a better option. 17x8s with 225/45-17 or 17x9 with 245/40-17

For some track, get camber plates as well, factory front camber is woefully inadequate...

[strat61caster]

Slap em on and learn as you go, read read read, buy parts as you need them
imho newbie alignment
Front: zero toe, if you have camber adjustment -2 degrees, to -2.5
Rear: eighth inch toe in, -1.5 degrees camber, give or take

With the mono sports you might just have to take what you can get unless you buy camber plates/bolts, and rear lcas. At the very least get camber bolts for the front. You don't need anything else imho to enjoy the car, a good alignment can be transformative.

[Racecomp Engineering]

You should talk to a real suspension shop.

- Andrew

[nova.86]

Originally Posted by x808drifter

The shop doesn't know what corner balancing is?
Avoid that place at all costs.

Even if its something they don't offer, they SHOULD know what that is.

B6's and RCE Yellows.
Don't waste time/money. on low end adjustable coils.
That is all you really need. Maybe camber bolts if you need ore adjustability up front.

Also for the love of god DO NOT put big ass heavy 18x9.5 wheels on your car.
Also don't run wider than 225 on the stocks.
Personally for what you are describing id get a 17x7.5/8
Stock wheel/tire size are fine too. Just need better rubber.

I already ordered the Tein Mono Sports coils, I was told they were a good set and brand, I even read reviews, I assumed they were mid end coilovers not lowend?

I don't think I'd get 18x9.5s until I have a header and e85 set up to help put power down on bigger tires..

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Slap em on and learn as you go, read read read, buy parts as you need them
imho newbie alignment
Front: zero toe, if you have camber adjustment -2 degrees, to -2.5
Rear: eighth inch toe in, -1.5 degrees camber, give or take

With the mono sports you might just have to take what you can get unless you buy camber plates/bolts, and rear lcas. At the very least get camber bolts for the front. You don't need anything else imho to enjoy the car, a good alignment can be transformative.

I thought the mono sports are camber adjustable since they come with top-hats / upper mounts ? Unless you mean get camber bolts for the front for more camber? I don't really want that stanced look, just a street comfortable set-up thats good enough for a minimal track set up and spirited driving in mountain roads.

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

You should talk to a real suspension shop.

- Andrew

Yeah I'm gonna have to find a good suspension shop near me.. The place that did my tires also does suspension and they said they can install coilovers, but I want to do things in a proper way to ensure good results.

Thanks for the feedback so far though from everyone.

[nova.86]

Originally Posted by ZDan

You don't need any of that stuff. For street, I agree with x808drifter, springs and Bilsteins. FWIW I'm running Bilstein B8s and Swift lowering springs street/track. It's a pretty good compromise...
How low do you wanna go? RCE springs will lower you 0.8", Swift springs by well over an inch (1.5" in my case)

I voted wheels, but IMO 17s would be a better option. 17x8s with 225/45-17 or 17x9 with 245/40-17

For some track, get camber plates as well, factory front camber is woefully inadequate...

I got the Tein coils already they arrive Monday, and I'm not sure how low I'd want to go, not too low, if the install already lowers the car by a bit, no more than an inch or so I'd say, I just don't want to scrape everywhere and just want enough of a drop for street / spirited driving, and not an aggressive set-up

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by nova.86

I got the Tein coils already they arrive Monday, and I'm not sure how low I'd want to go, not too low, if the install already lowers the car by a bit, no more than an inch or so I'd say, I just don't want to scrape everywhere and just want enough of a drop for street / spirited driving, and not an aggressive set-up

1" sounds good

[nova.86]

Originally Posted by ZDan

1" sounds good

equally on both ends? Looking some stuff up, people drop more on rear, and some people drop more on front, just am a bit confused on that.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by nova.86

equally on both ends? Looking some stuff up, people drop more on rear, and some people drop more on front, just am a bit confused on that.

Equal is fine, what I'm running fwiw

[strat61caster]

I didn't know mono sports came with camber plates. How aggressive you want to go is up to you. fwiw I'm on -4/-2.5 and am thinking of going back up in front.

[EndlessAzure]

@nova.86

Alignment: -1.5 front/-1.0 rear has decent balance of performance and wear for the street and track. A good shop will also ask what toe you want, so be prepared to answer that question as well

Ride Height Adjustment & Rake: For ride height adjustment, doesn't really matter as long as you maintain some positive rake. Either lower the car equally, or front a little more than the rear, and you'll be fine. Just stay within the manufacturer's recommended ride height adjustment range

Corner Balancing: Corner balance the car if you want peace of mind, but it's not required. If you don't get rear lower control arms (see below), it will also make matching the left-to-right rear camber easier for a good alignment shop

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Poll responses

1. Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arms
For the type of alignment you have listed and the amount of ride height reduction you are seeking on the car, you'll want to invest in adjustable rear lower control arms. The factory rear arms have practically no adjustability, and the rear camber is strongly influenced by ride height due to the suspension geometry. The lower you go, the more natural rear camber you have.

2. Adjustable Rear Toe Arms
Depending on how low your car is and how close to zero camber you're looking for, you may also need rear adjustable toe arms as that is also part of the linked geometry equation.

3. Wheels & Tires
These are really your preference. I like 17's for their look and long-term price advantages. Some people like 18's styling and stiffer tire sidewalls. I think the most three important pieces of advice I can give you here is: 1. buy good quality and buy once for street wheels & tires, 2. Get a second set of wheels for the track (or even start off on your stock wheels), 3. Don't buy the grippiest, highest performing tires for your first track outings; you will mask and hang onto bad driving habits.

4. Unlisted: Rear Adjustable End Links
One thing you didn't list on there was rear end links. This is one thing that is lacking from the factory and worth upgrading since there is unwanted preload/binding from the factory ones.


Most everything else you listed is not needed in my opinion. They are nice to have; add them as you go along depending on your style preference, budget, or evolving needs.


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-1. Do not upgrade: Sway Bars
Don't touch the sway bars until you've driven the car on track and run out of adjustability on the coil overs. Sway bars are a very common "first" upgrade on the car. However in my opinion, they are a very drastic change that can negatively impact the car. Do not touch these until you have a clear vision of how you want to change the car's handling characteristics.

[Capt Spaulding]

@ EndlessAzure make a good point on the sway bars. It's pretty easy to mess the car's behavior up with those and then spend a boatload of time chasing your tail trying to sort it out.

What you can do and fairly inexpensively is replace the sway bar bushings with somebody's poly replacements. I put Whitelines on my car and the difference in behavior was noticeable. Not night and day by any stretch, but the bars' effect were noticeably more linear. Rather then having to compress the bushing and then bend to bar, the bar effect was immediate. For my purposes (enthusiastic street driving) it was just what I wanted. If you haven't done the poly bushing/insert polka, there's a lot of improvement to be had from those.

The rears sways are dirt simple. The fronts will take a little while. I found it worth the time and effort.

[jflogerzi]

Do 1 change at a time! Get the car dialed in and then see what needs to be changed vs throwing parts at the car!