I've been searching all over the message board. Not really any information comparing both coilovers. I just read about how both are pretty good. For people who had both, what were your impressions, in terms of ride quality. I know a lot of people say the TEIN rides like stock, but is this true if you drop the car about 3 inches? How do the coilover ride and stiffness compare with the aftermarket springs out there? Any information will be great.

 

I've compared them at least two or three times so you didn't search well. Also, I tried several times to reply to your PMs but your Inbox is full.



Well these Teins ride great but you just have to be really careful about hitting the bumpstops when you come across bumps in the road (which you can't always see in time to slow down).

Truly the best setup is to get Comptech sport springs and Koni yellow 5-way adjustable struts.
That is the tried-and-true suspension setup for the CL TypeS. Everyone who has it enjoys better suspension performance without any real danger of bottoming or anything like that.

It'll cost you around the same price as the Teins, maybe slightly less. I highly recommend that setup. The chief tech at my dealer, who installs all my mods, has done 3 or 4 peoples' CLSes with the Comptech/Koni combo and they all love it. It's what I SHOULD have done instead of these Teins.

The only upside to my Teins is that I can adjust height so I can drop my car lower than theirs, but again, I have more headaches with bumps, etc, because of the soft spring rate on the Tein SS coilover springs.

Pretty much any coilover setup, while allowing a customized drop, is going to be more hassle than a simple sport spring and strut setup.

The Nex were a little bouncy, but nice and stiff. The Teins are softer and bottom more easily, but ride very nice.

The Nex offer a wider adjustment height. I don't think the Teins can go quite as low as the Nex, but should be able to do a 3" drop.

Hope this helps!

ps - don't forget to include the cost of camber kits, unless you like to go through a set of tires every 10k miles.

-J

 

yea thanks for the info. i've tried 3 different suspension setups and I been tired of getting to the perfect ride height and quality. I've had the eibach's alone, then eibach w/ koni, then h&r race w/ koni, then h&r race w/ koni on the low perch. Basically, i went from a pretty stock ride quality to nice and stiff ride quality. I want to go lower than what I currently have, without killing to ride quality, so I've decided to go w/ coilovers. It sounds like I should stay away from the teins, if I want to go as low or lower than what I already have. So the only bad side is that the NEX is bouncy? Are we talking about H&R race springs on stock struts bouncY? How stiff compared to stock would you say the NEX coilovers are? Thanks

 

What about the APEXi coilovers? I haven't heard much about them recently, but the few people I can remember commenting on them were happy with them.

 

I have Tein's but I don't have it lowered too much, so I never hit the bump stop. But I do know that the Tein SS setup for our cars comes with a slightly stiffer springs if you ask for it ahead of time. That might be a good solution for you. Also, have you checked out Zeals? I have a friend who got them, and they ride pretty nice.

 

Tein SS are made for the Accord even though they fit our car. The spring rate is way too soft for some roads and you WILL hit the bumpstops (sometimes very disturbingly hard) even with a modest 2" drop if you aren't careful (and it can be a headache to always be watching the road carefully for bumps/dips/etc). There is rumor they are going to be upgrading the springs on the SS because even they admit they are too soft for the CL/TL. I still might get the upgraded springs at some point if they offer them (or the stiffer springs that are already available for the SS).

Nex SS are not as bouncy as H&Rs on stock struts. But still too stiff-bouncy for my taste. They do offer excellent height adjustment. Maybe their SR are better? Maybe you will find the SS to be just right? I may be pickier about ride quality than you.

Zeals or Apexi are more expensive but hopefully with the higher price comes a better quality ride with good adjustability.

 

JRock,

They do offer them now.. I ask my friends at the shop to check on them for me, and they found out from Tein that for $200, they will swap out your springs for a higher spring rate set. I didn't do it because I'm not having the bumpstop problem right now.

 

Aren't the APEXi coilovers priced about the same as the Teins? If anything $1K, I think. Not like the Zeals which are about twice as much.

 

Honestly the only person so far with problems with the Tein is JRock, I'm not knocking him or anything....perhaps his road conditions are much worse than other people, but everyone else I know that have Teins, have no complaints.

 

let me chime in here....

I've had the TEINs since June 2002. I love them for our cars because it's a good balance between sport and luxury ride.

I've autocrossed with them too w/ the struts at the hardest setting. The car handled like a board...well a 3500lb board, nevertheless it performed well.

I have experienced the bottoming out issue too on my car, but it only happens very rarely. You also have to understand Pittsburgh is notorious for potholes.

I've lost:

• one Integra due to engine/tranny damage from slamming into the road with the bottom of the car
• one bent rim on my Integra
• three bubbles on my Integra
• one bubble and scratched rim on my CL-S (yes, the tire pinched so much on the pot hole that the metal made contact to the asphalt.

 

Yes, the roads I travel are ridiculously bumpy and annoying. I hate MD roads. I banged one of the front bumpstops quite hard the other night on a road I wasn't 100% familiar with. Most driving it's perfectly fine, but backroads are CRAP in MD.

 

I havent had much of a problem with hitting the bumpstops here in NYC. I've bent one of my 19's 3x before replacing the wheel entirely, but havent noticed the bumpstops problem.

 

Road conditions do vary -- ALOT!

It is quite possible to step the rebound and compression up so high, that the car will just skip across the road when the non-complaint suspension hits some nasty bumps in a turn (been there, done that).

I mentioned this before ... they do have the higher rate springs; they will re-valve the shocks; they are going to modify their more expensive units (or so they claim) in mid 2003 to accept the stepper motors and will have user selectable damping (presets and all from inside the car) to suit various road conditions...