MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Check these out!

http://www.d2racing.com/flash/


36 way adjustable, aluminum body, pillow mounts, full length height adjustment....These are like Tein RS at a discount, and they are even offered for the TSX! Never seen them before.....

Marcus

xizor

I posted this thread a week ago after I saw the D2's on Ebay. Do you know anything about D2. The threads on clubrsx about their application were only mild about them.

vwong mentioned about needing to have them revalved eventually, and d2's website mentions that, do you know how true that is though?

xizor

what makes them more like the RS than the flex btw?

vwong

Aluminum (RS) rather than steel (Flex)

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Well, any damper will need to be replaced or rebuilt eventually.....that is just a given! Anyone who thinks shocks last forever is misinformed.

As far as revalving, that only needs to be done if drastic spring rate changes are made. Revalving and rebuilding are entirely different things.

The important thing is that the company will actually do it! It is for this reason I only recommend Tein. To get anything else rebuilt is like pulling teeth or very expensive.

Marcus

cmf

How long does a normal coilover system last before needing to be rebuilt? On average.....

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

I have one customer who put like 120,000 tack day miles on his Tein HA. Yeah, they are getting pretty soft on him, but no leaking.

They will last a good lone while. It really depends on:

1) road conditions you drive
2) geographic locations ( salt is the bad stuff, and dirt is not good either like if you live in AZ )
3) do you track a lot?

vwong

I've had the TEIN HA on my Prelude for over 6 years now. They were revalved in 2003 because I was going higher rate springs for auto-x. They were (had about 80k miles at the time) still very good, and no leaking at all. Now that they have different valving, they're still working very good (no leaking). I will revalve them again when I go with even higher rate springs for road racing (hopefully in the next couple years).

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, Teins really are the bomb...

I think the fact they are made in Japan versus the D2 which are made in Taiwan is an advantage. This despite the fact I think some good product comes out of TW.

xizor

have you ever corner-weighed your car w/ your coilovers? just wondering how it affects the handling.

vwong

Yes, the car handled more equally between left and right turns. Before the cornerweight, my car tended to understeer a bit more on right turns, but more oversteer on left turns.

cmf

For the slow guy.... what are you talking about? Curious to know.

Dan Martin

Most people buy coilovers so they can just lower their car however they want but they can also be used to adjust the weight at each corner of the car. Here's a very good description of the process: http://www.hotrod.com/howto/113_0309_scale/

cmf

Good info, thanks Dan.

So with my coilover set-up, if both rear wheels sit at different heights based on the fact my coilovers aren't set the same (same for front) it's gonna change the performance. Question is, how do I ensure the rears match up and the fronts match up in regards to height adjustment? Can any shop do that, or is there a specific machine to help out with that? I can eyeball it, but it could be off by as much as a 1/4 to 1/2 inch without probably even noticing... I'd think anyways.

Dan Martin

You'd need to take it to a performance shop like one that specializes in tuning race cars. They need a computerized scale to do it acurately. Here's what they look like: http://www.intercompco.com/pdfs/SWDELUXE.pdf

Your typical alignment shop won't have one so you'll probably have to call around.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, the scales need to cornerweight are kinda ewxpensive. Not everyone has them.....I know of a few south OC shops if anyone is interested.

cmf

Thanks for the info guys. When I started this car, I wanted to do things better than on previous cars. Seems like I always miss something, no matter how much research I do. Either way, sorry for jacking the thread, but good information learned on my part!

Slip-Stream

Re-Building TEIN coilovers is also plenty expensive. But you are right, at least they do it...

-eric

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

On the contrary! $100-$115 per shock is a lot cheaper than buying a new one! That price includes making it like new again and revalving however you want!

vwong

I paid a little over $400 in 2003 to rebuild my TEIN HA's. That was to revalve all 4 shocks and 2 new higher rate springs. IMO, not bad at all.

xizor

so while we're talking about suspension setup, how important is "Full-length adjustment and height adjustment for separate setting of the height and spring preload" that coilovers like the Tein Flex or D2 offer?

Can you just not corner weigh a height adjustment only coilover like the SS?

How does having full shock travel help in day to day driving as well as racing?

xizor

and I saw a post on H-T about urban import who is the official north american dealer for D2. they're doing all the warranty and rebuilding service work. they mentioned you can choose the spring rates of the springs when you buy them

Slip-Stream

I was quoted as follows: "When we get the hardware, we break it down and let you know what needs to be repaired." I was also told by an authorized TEIN dealer it was around $150 per shock, not $110. You also have to factor in shipping costs and tax. When all is said and done you are looking at around $700 - to me that is expensive.

-eric

Slip-Stream

Did you guys go straight to TEIN USA or through a dealer - what was the down time like?

(this is funny I have to come to a TSX board to get advice about my RSX shocks)


-eric

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

If is was $150 plus shipping and tax then that is a bad dealer you are referring to. They are marking up the rate, and charging tax when it is a non-taxable sale (labor is non-taxable).

I would find someone else. A lot of times shops mark stuff up a lot so they can avoid the hassle of helping you. Not every dealer is like that

Still, I might recommend going through the dealer you bought them from if they are not going to jack you. I know that I have a little more pull with Tein than Joe-schmo off the street because they know me over there. If something comes up, a problem or something, it is better to have the dealer handle it than you yourself.

Marcus

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

They are the importers and soon will be the eclusive distributors (from what I am told). And they are looking for wd/wholesale accounts (hence I am bringing it up to see if anyone is interested in them).

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

You can change the settings like on an SS, but if you change the height too much on that the shocks will bottom out. The full height adjustment allows the full damper length to be adjusted, retaining the optimal stroke of the shock.

On the street, this translates to the baility to get a lower ride with a better ride quality.

vwong

Well, since I live about 20-25 miles from TEIN's headquarter, I went straight to them. The down time was 1 week.

vwong

Exactly the reason why my TSX still has very nice quality ride with the aggressive drop I have.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Same here....part of the reason why I never have an issue either Not with warranties either.



But, if you have the HA those are not full length adjustable.....or are you referring to another setup like the FLEX?

vwong

I have HA in my Prelude (also had HA in my Integra), and FLEX in my TSX. I was referring to the ride on the TSX. It was very comfy even with the aggressive drop.

Don't even talk about the ride in the Prelude. I can barely take the ride now, I don't know how much longer my back can handle. It's real stiff for the streets (but very nice for auto-x'es and track days ).

xizor

that pretty much sells me on the flex or d2s. i'd be interested in the d2 if you want to give me a special rate so I can review it for everyone

xizor

appendum question, can any coilover system be corner weighed, or only ones where the spring and strut are independently adjustable?

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Cornerweigthing is just adjusting the height of the car for optimal weight balance. Any coilover will allow cornerweighting. The difference is that adjusting the spring pearch to adjust the heigh can have adverse effects on spring preload and travel. The full length adjustment helps significantly in allowing cornerweighting with less comprimises.