NoTLoud

Hey All,

I suspect I may be one of the first people here to have installed Tein's new Street Advance Z coilovers. I am not sure exactly when they came out, but I don't believe they have been on the market for too long.
I picked them up from HeelToe Auto and purchased the top hats and pre-install along with them. I did not want to mess around with compressing the springs and switching the top hats. I do not currently have access to air tools as I am living in an apartment. So thank you to HeelToe! The cost of assembly was only $40, which I would gladly pay any day of the week for another seamless install.

Cost:
Tein Street Advance Z Coilover: $589
Base TL Top Hat bushings: $141
Pre-assembly: $40
Total: $770 (free shipping)

Install:
Front: This was super easy, all you had to do was remove two bolts from the fork and the sway bar. I installed both fronts in around 2 hours.
Rears: A little more tricky. I fiddled with getting the first rear strut out for probably 2 hours. Then I removed the clip for the brake line to allow that bracket to move freely and it came out pretty easy. Other side probably took an hour and 30 min.
Total Install time: ~6 hours
Money Saved: ~$500.
Lesson Learned: The only issue I had besides the first rear strut removal was trying to put in the tension bolt back in on the front fork. Was going from the wrong side. I stripped the bolt a tiny bit, but it threaded fine and torqued fine as well. This was my first coilover install, so I thought it went relatively smooth. Again, the pre-assembly was worth every cent. I have replaced struts before and avoiding the hassle of compressing the spring and removing the top hat was worth it.


Initial Review:
First, I should mention, that the rear struts on my car were definitely bad. I could hear at least one of them making noise whenever I would hit bumps a certain way. The fronts probably weren't great either. The car handled less than desirably on the highway. I would feel like I was getting tossed around by the road. I knew things were pretty bad. I was starting to get steering wheel vibration from 70mph and upwards, which I was attributing to the struts not absorbing impacts properly. The roads here in Charlotte are pretty atrocious, so this was also a contributing factor.

I drove around a little yesterday and to work today on the SAZ's. No real surprises, but the car drives and feels SOOOO much better. It corners a hell of a lot better. It honestly felt like the car was going to flip if I took an on ramp at 40mph or higher. The steering feels a lot tighter on the highway. I no longer have the shaking at 70mph+. At least I didn't when I hit 85 on the way to work today. Car needs new LCA Compliance bushings, so I imagine things will feel even better when I have those done, hopefully this week.

I clicked the dampening setting back 10 clicks from max, per the recommendation from Tein. I am fairly happy with how stiff the car is. You definitely notice the larger bumps in the road, but it's not so harsh that it's jarring. I still am cringing a little when I hit them, but I would try and avoid that stuff even on the stock suspension. Car seemed much more comfortable and in control on the highway. Steering is pretty tight, even considering I need the LCA bushings.

Questions/Concerns:

I accidentally got the preload settings a little off during the install (I think). Anyone have any recommendations on how I should go about fixing this? I would prefer not to take the coils off again, but hopefully I can get a fairly accurate measurement from the top to bottom of the coil. I found in another thread someone said the preload Tein recommended was 198-200mm in the front and 249-250mm in the rear. It probably tells me in the instruction book, but if anyone knows off top, that'd be great!

The car is off by a half inch or less (haven't measured yet) on either side. So the front right and front left are off by maybe a couple centimeters and same for the rears. Should I adjust that immediately, or wait for the coils to "break-in" a bit before going and re-adjusting the heights.

Anything else I should be aware of?

Appreciate any help! Thanks!

EDIT: I will be posting some pictured of the car, time permitting, when I get home today!

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

I was the one providing the preload numbers but that's only for tein flex. Your coilovers do not have a preload adjustment so you didn't mess anything up because it's not adjustable haha.

Give your car a few days to settle and then adjust ride height and get an alignment asap.
Enjoy!

NoTLoud

Ah, forreal? So I was thinking the preload was adjusted by turning the top collar right or left. Height adjusted by turning the bottom collar right or left. If I don't have to worry about it, then that alleviates pretty much all the worry I have.

Plan was to get the car in ASAP this week to have the LCA compliance bushing done since that would require an alignment as well.

So wait for coils to settle and then get alignment or do alignment ASAP and coils will settle over time?

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

sorry let me rephrase what i said: the street advance z do not allow for independent preload adjustment. as you adjust the height, you will be changing preload but you can't change that independently at all. your height will determine your preload. that is acceptable for most people but some people choose the flex to be able to go as low as they want (or as high as they want) and get the preload they want (better ride for any ride height).

waiting for an alignment depends a lot on mileage...if you have a short commute i would just wait. if you are driving over 100 miles a day i'd probably do it asap. the best of both worlds is to have a lifetime alignment at firestone that way you can do it whenever you want, as often as you want i get the lifetime alignment on every car i have, it pays for itself very quickly

NoTLoud

Ahh, that makes sense! Thanks! That makes me feel a lot better. After reading some on it, it seemed like having the preload off could cause some negative affects. While I am still learning, I don't need anything that fancy. Plus, this is a daily, all I really wanted to do was add coils and wheels for minor driving improvements and looks.

Nothing fell off the car this morning or felt off, so I am confident I torqued everything down and installed everything correctly. I think I will double check that my two collars are tight on the rears today, since I cannot 100% remember if I made sure those were tight against each other. The fronts I double checked.

I think my commute is something like 15 miles each way and around 20-30 min depending on traffic. I didn't notice the car pulling right or left, but I will certainly have an alignment done.

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

nice, you should be good to go! the street advance is good for like 90% of owners out there, it's a great system!

'm sure you already did, but i hoped you waited until the car was on the ground or fully loaded with a jack on the knuckle before torquing down any suspension components. if they weren't i would go through and loosen and retorque everything once under load

NoTLoud

I'm not sure if I had the suspension fully under load, but I did have a jack under the knuckle when I torqued everything up. For piece of mind, I may go through and double check everything today as well, time permitting.

BROlando

I read how were confused about the preload (your thought was that the top ring controlled preload and the bottom ring controlled height)...you did tighten the two jam rings against one another when you were done, right? That's how you lock the spring in place.

NoTLoud

Yes, I had double checked my fronts yesterday to ensure I had tightened them before putting the wheels back on. I wasn't 100% sure I had done the same on the backs, so I double checked last night and they were good as well.

Having my LCA compliance bushings done today along with the alignment, so hopefully the car is driving better than new after I get it back today. Still waiting on my APP sensor and have to double check my transmission mounts and I am hoping any of the weirdness I am still experience with shifting will go away. It only has a noticeable shift from 1st to 2nd at lower RPM's.

Oh Sickest TL

iTrader: (3)

your dampening is 10 from full stiff and its not bouncy at all?

Fuck i have my flex at 4 from stiff and its pretty rough sometimes lol. Im also pretty damn low too so i dunno.. Im thinking my preload needs adjusted. How low did you go ? what are your fender to ground measurements. Id adjust them all so they are even heights on all 4 corners, then let them settle a cpl days max and if your happy with the ride height then go get an alignment.

Dont do what I did, which was install then went to the alignment shop right away, decided I wasn't happy with the height, lowered it more and had to get another alignment. I did that once more after that and I need to adjust them again once summer hits

BROlando

Yall don't just buy lifetime alignments?

NoTLoud

After driving it all week, I think I will go 4 clicks stiffer, so 6 clicks below stiffest. I have noticed the coils feel a little less stiff as the week went on. Maybe I have just got more used to them.

Doesn't look like I can independently adjust the preload on the SAZ coils. I have about a 2 finger gap or so. Not quite even on all sides yet, about .5in off on either side in front and rear. I believe my front fenders are 24-24.5in off the ground and the rears are 25-25.5in off the ground. Pretty sure my axles are not liking it because I am getting some shudder/shaking at 20MPH now.

This weekend I plan on adjusting the heights to get them all the same. So I am guessing I will need another alignment? I have wheels I need to put tires on, so I think I'll wait to do that before I worry about another alignment, since I will surely have to adjust the height again. Probably get the lifetime from Firestone going forward. Just need one more TPMS before I can throw tires on.


I think that will be the move next. The shop I had my LCA compliance bushings done at is an independent shop and they said they didn't offer it.

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

my car is feeling pretty good right now, whenever i get a chance i'll measure the preload on my tein flex and let you know. i know i'm more than the recommended from tein, i think i might be 5mm more all around for the preload. it's not perfect, but it feels pretty damn good.

agreed, i always get lifetime alignments for all my cars...it pays for itself in no time. when i put my coilovers on, i got an alignment like every other week when i was messing with the height...so convenient!

NoTLoud

Wondering if anyone can help me out on this issue I am having.

I currently am having issues getting the ride height even on all 4 corners of the car. My front left corner of the car is not wanting to sit at the same height as the other 3 corners. I have measured all 4 corners and the rears and front right sit 25in from ground to the bottom of the fender arch. The front left was sitting at 24in. I did get it to raise to 24.5in off the ground. I have measured the distance between the collar and the locking tab (terminology check) and it seems that the front coils are set at the same height. If anything, at this point, the distance on the front left side is larger now. So unless I have broken something or have a defective coilover, I am not quite sure what to start looking at next. I was using a measuring tape with inches, so I know my measurements were not entirely accurate, but the process I used for both sides was the same. I plan to pick up a micrometer this week to get more accurate measurements. I did try and get the collar to locking tab(?) distance to the 1.6in that Tein recommends for the TL.

The only thing noticeably wrong with the front left suspension right now is that my stabilizer bar bushing is torn in half. I have placed an order last night and hope to receive and replace it this weekend. Beyond that I am out of ideas. Again, this is my first coilover install, so any and all help is greatly appreciated.

BROlando

They're threaded for height adjustment. They don't all have to be evenly adjusted. Just adjust them so the ride heights of the car itself match.

In this case, thread the LF up about 5/16" (8mm) to get about 1/2" of resultant increased height at the wheels/tyres.


Its kind of peculiar that your LF is lower since the engine biases to the right side. But maybe the LF corner or LR corner is heavier for some reason and is dragging that side down a bit.

Things to check if you're worried:

When you did the install, did you loosen, and then re-tighten your pivoting bushings at your new ride height?

Did you install the correct springs to the correct corners? The springs should have markings on them for you to check.

Any tophat spacers missing?

Are you saying the coilover adjustment is evenly adjusted by measuring threads? Or measuring spring length?

When adjusting height, first put the car on the ground. Then go for a short drive. Then park the car...and re-check the height. You can't just put it on the ground and check height...unless you're on an alignment rack that has the plates unlocked.

Are you sure you are measuring the height on level ground? A garage built on a concrete slab is semi-level usually, and should get you close enough. A driveway or road or parking lot or parking space are almost never level.

BulletToothTony

Great job, would love to see pics!

NoTLoud

I didn't do any of the assembly of the coilover. Heel Toe did all of that, so it was a direct bolt-in for the install. I would imagine they did everything correctly, but I did not inspect each coilover for any differences. Nothing was blatantly different.

Which bushing is the pivoting bushing? I only removed 2 bolts when I did the install, the fork bolt and locking bolt, plus the top hat bolts. I did have my LCA compliance bushings done, so the shop removed the LCA to press them out. Everything looks to be re-installed correctly. The car was lower on the front left corner prior to having this done.

I am measuring the thread distances from the bottom collar to the locking tab that Tein said to measure to.

I was just dropping the car and re-measuring. Was doing all of this in my apartments parking lot. Surface was not terribly even. However, the gap between wheel and fender was certainly less on the front left.

So what you are saying is that the thread lengths are not what I am concerned on being even, just the ride height? With the SAZ coilovers, will adjusting the thread lengths to different lengths affect the preload on the spring?

I can check again today after work to try and get the height more dialed in using the information you have provided!

Thanks! I would like to get pictures up, but for some reason my PC is not recognizing my iPhone. I haven't had time to do the research to figure out why the drivers aren't installing on my PC.

BulletToothTony

That sucks, just email them to yourself from your iphone then download them from your email on your pc.

BROlando

Yes...adjusting height will inherantly adjust preload since there is only 1 height adjustment on the SAZ. Don't get hung up on this. Just adjust the height til you get it where you want.

FWIW, the stock springs had 1-2"+ of preload.
SA's seem to work well with a large amount of preload (higher ride heights)....but this has less to do with preload and more to do with position of the bumpstop.

May I ask why you're concerned with adjusting preload?

Anyway, you really REALLY should measure on a level surface.

The bushings that need to be clocked are many. You cannot just lower the car's ride height significantly (more than 1/2" or so) without re-setting ALL the pivoting bushings to your current ride height. And you cannot tighten the bolts related to those bushings while the tyres are just drooping down with the car lifted in the air.


I have a suspension install thread that shows a lot of this in detail; if you'd like the link, LMK.

NoTLoud

Good idea! Thanks!

I will try and trouble shoot some tonight because I would like to put some music on the phone. Got it the same weekend I bought the car and still haven't synced it with my PC.

It's not even like I'm technologically illiterate, I do IT related stuff for work. Haha

BROlando

Look at your control arms. They all have rubber bushings.

Even when you had the shocks off, the reason the suspension was hard to move up/down by hand is because those bushings resist movement.

What the factory does is tighten all those bushings at static ride height. If they did not do this, the bushings would bind. They would act like torsional springs and raise the car because they resist deflection. The bushings would eventually then tear because they are constantly being forced to twist by the weight of the car.

hopefully you're with me so far.

When you alter the car's ride height (lowering it, in your case), you now have to loosen all those bushing bolts. Then put the car down on the ground at its NEW lowered ride height. THEN tighten the bolts. This would make some of the bolts impossible to reach.

So...the other alternative is to jack up the control arm high enough to simulate the car's weight (while the car is still on jack stands). Then tighten the bushings.

If you do this correctly, you take bushing bind out of the equation at static ride height. The car's ride height will be more accurately controlled by the springs themselves instead of being lifted slightly by the bushings. And this will also GREATLY extend your bushing life.

NoTLoud

I haven't done a ton of research on the topic, but from my understanding, you want the preload to be relatively the same between each side of the car. I guess a better question would be what are the affects of adjusting the preload because I am confused by it.

By clocking the bushings, what do you mean? Re-torquing them? I did not torque any bolts with the car sitting on the ground because I could not figure out a way you would get the torque wrench in there. What I did was put a small jack under the LCA and jack that point up until it was about 90 degrees with the frame of the can.

Upon seeing your latest comment, I will go about re-torquing all the bolts on the LCA and fork when I get time using the jack method. I probably need to go grab another torque wrench since my current one is huge and only goes down to 50 ft/lbs.

The link you mentioned would be helpful! Thanks for the help!

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

when i did my coilover install i measured everything like you did before install and then when i put them in the car was definitely lower on my front left. don't go by what's measured on the coilover. that's only to get it close all around, then when you actually put it on the ground check to see what you need to adjust. now you're going to measure how high each side is off the ground and continue adjusting until you get them all to your liking. it's a lot of trial and error but you'll get there.

don't mention anything more about preload haha!! you do not have a coilover where you can adjust that so take that out of the equation haha

BROlando

You don't have the option of adjusting preload independently on your coilovers. You are adjusting height AND preload at the same time.

Even if you could set preload independently of height; cars don't weigh the same at each corner. So why set preload the same for each axle or each corner?

Independent preload and other features are used to tune suspension characteristics that you shouldn't really be concerned with. Its all extremely complex. And your coilovers don't even have the feature.

You're just lowering your street car. So just set the heights as you need them. Just make sure you don't lower it so much that you're banging off the bumpstop all the time.

Here. This may help.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/detailed-coilover-suspension-install-07-tl-s-6mt-952619/

NoTLoud

haha okay, good to hear! Yeah, I'll adjust the front left a little more when I get home today. It's roughly a half inch off the other 3 corners still. Since I raised it even just a half inch, I am noticing less axle vibration/shudder from 20-25MPH during acceleration that I mentioned in your Raxles thread.


Awesome, thanks for the info! I haven't got a chance to read your thread yet, but I definitely will. I always am trying to expand my knowledge on cars. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't screwing anything up by adjusting the height differently on either side. First time on coilovers, so I want to make sure I have done everything correctly.

I've actually raised the front of the car back up. It's not super low, I probably have an inch or so of wheel to fender gap right now. About two fingers on all 4 corners, with slightly less on the front left currently. I was scraping the front splash guard if I wasn't careful coming out of certain spots.

NoTLoud

Finally got around to getting some pictures of my car posted! Yes, I am one of the few (maybe only?) rocking the DMM. I call it Grandpa Gold. Not my choice in color, but I had very short time to find a TL (totaled only vehicle) and this is what I found!

First picture is right after I got all 4 coilovers installed, so the front drivers side is a little lower than the remaining pictures. You can also see the exhaust tips were not polished yet.







I like the way the car is siting right now. I do have some wheels, just waiting on my final TPMS. They were on backorder until Feb 23rd, so I gotta call tomorrow about that. I have some XXR 18x8.75's in Matte Bronze that I am going to throw on. I think that they will look pretty good contrasting with the gold.

Car does have some cosmetic issues. Passengers side rear door and fender had a good scrape on something. Paint's missing in some spots. Front and rear bumpers could use a re-spray. If I ever get the A-Spec kit, I would need to have those painted, so I would probably have both done at the same time. All 4 wheels are also curbed quite badly. I hit one curb the first week I had it , but the previous owner seemed to run over them like it was his job. One of the main reason I wanted some other wheels for the car.

Other cosmetic plans for now are the rear Type-S indicator lights and to make the front grill and rear badge bronze to match wheels. I cannot find bronze colored PlastiDip though. If anyone has seen any, please let me know!

DarkTower19

Looks great dude You don't see this color too often around here. You could throw some spacers on there, makes the stock wheels pop more and less sunken in.

Can't wait to see the matte bronze on there though

NoTLoud

Thanks! I appreciate it!

Dude, I am getting anxiety about getting the wheels on. Of course the one part that got back-ordered was the damn TPMS that is keeping me from getting them on. Luckily thoiboi hooked me up with the other 3 for a good price. I am also still trying to determine what tires to go with. Roads here are shit, so I want a stiff sidewall to avoid bending the wheel as much as possible.

The paint looks really good in these pictures. I've done a quick 1-step paint correction since I got the car. I need to go back and tackle some parts again. There's what appears to be some really hard water spotting on the rear windshield, you can kinda see it the the rear picture above. I even got the polisher out and glass polish this weekend and it didn't help. Fresh coat of Collinite 845 was put on this weekend as well. Always liked the depth it gave to the colors that seem to shine less, like silver and gold.

Just need to find that matte bronze PlastiDip!

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Looking fantastic! Thanks for the shout out! Hey you might be eligible for a rebate on your kit, since you have such a good review and bought from Heeltoe. Email me at Marcus@heeltoeauto.com ...

NoTLoud

Finally got my tires this weekend and put the wheels on!! Below are some pictures.




These aren't the greatest pictures, but I really like the the way the car sits right now.

I will probably run these for awhile, but I bought these as a set of "starter" wheels. I will sell these and upgrade eventually, I'm sure.

Not running any center caps for now. Not sure what I want to do for them. I may try and make some using the XXR center caps.

BROlando

Car looks great

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

drop and wheels look awesome! i also did xxr 530s as a starter wheel and i still think they look great.

one suggestion and it may be a little expensive, but i think your car's look would increase a lot if you color matched the mud guards!

Oh Sickest TL

iTrader: (3)

dave report on preload

​​​​​​​haha

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

haha i did in that long other thread. i have 5mm front and rear and i'm good to go (not perfect but i'm happy with it...just the nature of coilovers) instead of tein 1mm and 2mm. i'm satisfied with it!

DarkTower19

Drop and wheels look good dude! Hard to see the color in these shots though

I agree with Sockr1 regarding the color match mud guards - it would flow better. But if you plan to get the Aspec kit at some point, they'll come off anyways.

Le7316

OP , looks like im going to get that SAZ too budy ....how you like it so far ? here is my thread below . Do you have any pictures of your ride ?

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-t...bating-955830/

NoTLoud

Thanks! And thanks for the help answering my questions!

Thanks! Paint matched mud guards would be sweet! They are at the bottom of my list right now though. Type-S rear side indicators and blacking out the headlight housings are my top currently. Well, also replacing some items that are broken.

Yeah, the lighting is definitely not the best. I will try and get some better pictures up soon. Ah, can you not run the mud guards with the A-Spec kit?

I definitely like the coilovers. I do not feel like I am sacrificing too much ride quality for a daily driven vehicle. The coilovers significantly improved my car's cornering abilities. As mentioned, I did get them pre-assembled from HeelToe Auto with new OEM tophats. It definitely shaved a significant amount of time off my install. Since I only had limited time over one weekend, I needed the install to be speedy, so the additional cost was worth it for me.

Pictures of my car are a couple posts up in this thread! The ones with my wheels installed aren't the greatest. Will try and get some better ones up ASAP.

Let me know if you have any additional questions!

Le7316

I'm not sure if its just because my computer at work but I didn't see any pics in this thread but I will check when I get home tonight. Thanks buddy !!I

Leonel Arriaga

What height did you go with for this look? The recommended 1.6inch/40mm it says for the seat lock?

Marsalis Simms

I've heard rumors saying these types of coilovers will seize up after a while. Is this true?