eluzion

I was debating between the Tein SS and Megan coilovers for a few weeks and ended up going with the Megans. Price wasn't a factor since both are pretty close in price range but I wanted the better buy. After having installed them, I can say I am extremely satisfied with the choice. Not too many people are running these coilovers and on these forums so I figured I'd write my own review on them for anyone that might be considering them.

The Megan coilovers are made by a company called Bor-Chuann (www.bcec.com.tw). This same company makes coilovers for other "name" brands as well. It is said the Apexi N1 ExV are exactly the same coilovers Megan sells, just rebranded. Some of the reasons I decided to go with the Megan's versus the Tein SS:

- Mono-tube design
- Pillow ball upper mount
- Pre-loaded spring
- 32 level rebound adjustment

I was very impressed with the build quality of these coilovers. Installation was straight forward as well as the height and damper adjustment. The recommended rebound settings are 1-8 for track use, 9-16 for mountain/aggressive use, and 17-32 for common street use. I tried out 20 front / 21 rear which was great but I wanted a slightly softer ride so I ended up with 22 front / 23 rear. At this setting, the ride quality is excellent for daily driving but definitely stiffer than my previous suspension (Eibach Pro Kit with stock shocks). Compared to my previous setup, you can definitely feel the road a little more and there is slightly more road noise (which I was expecting). I'm sure I could soften it up to a stock-like ride, but I was aiming for something just a little more aggressive.

At this point I only have about 80 miles on them so this is all initial impressions. The drop is about 1 finger gap all around but I'm assuming they will settle slightly. I will follow-up once I put more miles on them since I'm sure the biggest question is the longevity. Based on what I can see and have heard from other people using these coilovers, I'm not anticipating any issues.

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

... I am concidering these sooooo badly... I am thinking what would happen if you put it on 1... is that the one that makes you feel the bumps on your back... the one that makes you bite your tongue over a line on the road? if so I am sooo sold... the fronts look very durable... they even made it so that it is impossible for them to slip off the fork... thank sooo much for posting this up... I am very much thinking of this setup... best part is they will be very easy to install since it is mounted and ready to go

eluzion

I'd imagine 1 would be extremely stiff (so to speak). There was a guy on here who ran them on 1 -- I remember reading about it when trying to find more reviews on these coilovers. I can't imagine that would be too much fun driving around in NYC.

Also, you can order different springs from Megan if you want to run different spring rates. The ones they come with are exactly the same as the Tein SS (afaik). Every part of the coilover can be ordered directly through Megan as well.

Some more information regarding mono-tube versus twin-tube design. As mentioned in my first post, Megan's (as well as Tein's higher end coilovers) are mono-tube designed versus twin-tube which is found in the Tein SS.

I did not write this but just thought I'd share since it is good information:

Source: http://www.rs-performance.no/faq.php...c48bae96854c43

"Mono-tube suspension structure is a design where both the oil chamber and gas chamber are completely separated inside a single cylinder. Dampening is created as the piston moves up and down inside the cylinder. Dampening is maintained by applying constant load to the cylinder with the use of high pressure gas. There are many characteristics to the mono-tube design, which results in high durability, and comfort even in the harshest driving conditions. Mono-tube suspension structure requires an intense level of research and development as well as advanced manufacturing.

Twin-tube suspension has dual oil chambers inside the cylinder, enabling the oil to move from the inner chamber to the outer chamber as the damper strokes. Subtle dampening adjustments are more difficult since the oil level is lower and piston area that receives pressure is smaller than compared to the mono-tube design. Since the cylinder is covered by an outer tube, it cannot dissipate heat well, which can cause the oil to deteriorate quicker. Twin-tube structure is commonly used by other manufacturers because of its cheaper manufacturing costs."

milk man

Timeless

The finish on the Megans looks amazing!! Great review and when it comes time for coilovers I know which direction I'm going now. Give us a follow up after you've had them on the car for a while.

djbonsu

iTrader: (3)

wow....this is very interesting and good stuff to know!! i really do wonder what the ride was like on a setting of one...lol. Great review nontheless!

vipTL

iTrader: (2)

HELL YEA!!!!!!!! u made the right decision!!!! ( i got megans also )

ILLustriousUA6

iTrader: (2)

if u want to slam or better performance, i think megan's would be the choice.. but for dd and decent drop, i think tein's would be the choice... Tein's are really comfy comared to these.. I know this because my cousin has megans on his RSX...

eluzion

I disagree about the ride quality.

One of my friends has Tein SS on his TSX and another on his TL. Having driven the TSX and ridden in the TL, I still ended up going with the Megan's and happy I did. Ride quality on both the Tein SS and Megan's can be great, in my opinion, if you take the time to dial in the damper settings to a comfortable level. Spring rates are identical on the Tein's and Megan's, afaik.

Having drove to work for the first time on these coilovers today, I took the back roads instead of the freeway to see how it felt. If any of you have driven through U-District, you'll know the roads can be absolutely horrible in certain areas. Again, I'm riding on 22 front / 23 rear damper settings and the car felt just slightly stiffer than my previous setup (Eibach Pro Springs on stock shocks), which is exactly what I wanted. With a softer damper setting, I'm almost positive it would ride similar to the Eibach Pro Springs on stock shocks.

I was also driving home from a friends last night and was able to test out the new suspension on a on-ramp (big 270 degree turn). Definitely feels much better with less body roll and just more authority over your turns, again with a 22 front / 23 rear damper setting.

I'll keep posting updates as I get more miles on them. I have been driving in dead silence (no music) since I installed them just to see if I can hear any strange noises or anything. I know the Tein SS are notorious for squeaking when going over bumps, so I'm definitely keeping my ears open.

jguerra23

I want these

deltaboxxx

iTrader: (1)

megans are crap.

lights

iTrader: (1)

care to explain from experiences??

firstacuratl

iTrader: (2)

Don't hold back deltaboxxx....what do you really think of the Megans??? LOL

eluzion

Haha

Thanks for your thread/posts from way back when you installed them. They were really the only source of information on Megan coilovers for the TL, anywhere. If it wasn't for them, I probably would be riding on Tein SS right now.

Boosted_Brian

Had Megans on my RSX and I loved them

juruki

iTrader: (2)

Do Megan coilovers offer any tipe of EDFC? I want to be able to adjust them from inside the car.

vipTL

iTrader: (2)

nope thats the only bad thing about em, u have to manually adjust damping yourself.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

So, how is Megan for rebuilding services in the event you get a leak or need to change the spring rates?

Marcus

vipTL

iTrader: (2)

no clue... lol i havent had to rebuild em yet

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

So that';s 2 bad things about them...you have no idea whats going to happen when/if one of them leaks.

vipTL

iTrader: (2)

have u contacted megan? im not a speed shop owner or anything so i never had the need to contact them about rebuilding coilovers.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

I have not, but it seems like if they did this service they'd mention it.

I grant you there is nothing really specifically wrong with these dampers. If so many other companies are using them, they can't be that bad, you are right. I just don't like the idea of this sort of thing going on now a days. Rotora, Megan, blah blah blah. They are MARKETING companies. That's about the summation of it. I'd prefer to get my suspension from a suspension company! One that knows more about the dampers than what the manufacturer tells them about it in their brochure. One that you can approach with a project like this:

http://heeltoeauto.com/httech/YaBB.pl?num=1180828940

We had actually gotten a project started and finished from the ground up working directly with Tein administrations and Engineers (with loose English and everything). Dedication to customers and products. A company who'd make my paltry run of 20-30 kits at a reasonable price to meet the needs we had. If I wanted Megan to "make" me coilovers I shudder to think what that situation would be like and how many I'd need to buy to get their attention (since the SE Asian seem to like to produce parts in the thousands).

Long and the short is, I know what's inside the Teins. I know the people there. I can order any part inside a damper if I really want it. They are lifetime serviceable parts. Megan and all the offshoots may indeed be rebuildable, but who is going to do it? Odds are, they'd just toss a new shock at you in the event of failure. Which has its merits, but mostly it tells me they shock is a widget, not an engineered part by a specific company to perform at a specific level.

Anyway, I hope this is not coming off as badmouthing. It's just to give you an idea of where I am coming from. Maybe being a business owner I have a different perspective. Plus, I have brand loyalty coming out all orifices. Always have.

Marcus

Spiritman

On your tl? If yes, how many miles? How bout some details????

deltaboxxx

iTrader: (1)

im comming up on 10K miles. and no probs so far,completely great and comfy.

i think all my old megan posts are gone since the new acurazine but,i have a nice setup on knob adjustment. no removing panels to adjust.

vipTL

iTrader: (2)

some info about how long ive had em are on the megans vs tein SS thread. if people are gonna keep bad mouthing them heh what u gonna do

eluzion

I do know every specific piece (down to each bolt, washer, etc.), can be ordered through Megan. They also offer different spring rates if you need to alter your setup. I also know they offer a one year warranty. We know Megan doesn't manufacture the coilovers so I'm not sure if they have some 3rd party company they work with to offer some sort of rebuilding service (I doubt they would ship them back to Taiwan... or maybe they would, who knows). I'm sure we could give them a call and ask.

I've had mine on for a couple months now and just passed about 3,500 miles. How are they holding up?

Short answer: Excellent. Zero issues.

I haven't changed the damper setting (22 front, 23 rear) and I find it to be a perfect blend between comfort and a slightly more aggressive ride. The tires have yet to rub and my car is sitting fairly low. I've had the car packed with adults (had some family in town visiting) and even then the ride was good and no rubbing. There has been a lot of construction on some of the freeways here (405 for you locals) with these huge sudden dips that has my ass off the seat for a good second or two but still the tires have yet to rub the fender. I was also under the impression they would settle a bit but even after 3,500 miles, there hasn't been any significant change in the height (maybe a couple millimeters). I've yet to hear any creaking or strange noises when going over bumps. Car still feels solid with minimal body roll through turns.

For a lowered car on 19's with 245/35 tires, I am very impressed.

Here's a picture of how my car to get an idea of the height I'm at:

Trew

iTrader: (1)

Nice. This info is very much appreciated. I'm in the market for new coilovers.

What offset are your wheels?

eluzion

+38 (5Zigen SC3000's)

Trew

iTrader: (1)

eluzion, thanks to you and Deltaboxxx, I had enough information to make a decision on coilovers. I went with the Megans.

I originally was leaning toward them because the look nice, but that's a silly reason to buy them. It was only after reading the posts by you and Deltaboxxx that convinced me to pull the trigger.

Plus the Microsoft cashback made it that much easier ($875 shipped - $200 cashback = $675!!)

ifirahse

iTrader: (6)

+1. Trew thanks to me and you a bunch of random Megan threads were bumped up out of nowhere hehe...

HQTL6SPD

where did you find this deal? i might have to upgrade sooner than i thought!

Trew

iTrader: (1)

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...=641891&page=8

See Post #305. There's a link to the item being sold on ebay. You will pay $875 shipped up front and the $200 cashback will be given to you by Microsoft within 60 days. If you read the above thread from the beginning, it will tell you how to get cashback from Microsoft.

Also, $875 shipped for Megan coilovers is a pretty good price by comparison.

HQTL6SPD

^hey thanks!

eluzion

Just completed a 3,300 mile cross country drive from Seattle, WA to Columbus, MS. I've had these coilovers on for almost 10,000 miles now. Driving south on I-5 right when you enter California, I was able to have some "fun" taking those downhill turns for a good 10 miles or so. The car remained planted through the turns with very minimal body roll on a 22/23 front and rear damper setting and I was hauling about 400-500lbs. I haven't changed the ride height since I first installed them. No weird noises, squeaks, creaks, etc. Car feels great when pushing 140mph as well. I've had comments from dozens of friends on how well the car rode, especially for 19's on 35 series tires.

So bottom line after a 3,300 mile drive and almost 10,000 miles - zero problems, 100% satisfied so far.

Houston

I had did my research and wasn't 100% sure, but was gonna get them reguardless. Now I feel more confy. I'm glad this review came out possitive. Thanks for the review. I should have mines on by the end of Feb.

By the way, if some part went bad on them, you would still have to take the whole c/o off. If Megan decided to send me a replacement c/o instead of just the part, I'd rather that and have every part on there new.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

We do prefer brands with more corporate presence and backing than Megan, but we do offer these to those specifically interested in them.

http://www.heeltoeauto.com/_search.p...q=megan+racing

ILLustriousUA6

iTrader: (2)

jus so you know.. another one of my friends has Megans on his RSX.. i forgot what was wrong with it, but something kept on coming loose, i think it was the dampers or w/e... so he calls up megan and they agree to "fix it" for him. He sends them in and took them like 2-3 weeks. They gave it back to him. guess what? Same problem comes back and is still loose.. Iono what to say but, it seems like they didn't fix shit for him...

This is just something i heard from a pretty close friend.. Just a heads up, guys.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

This sounds pretty vague...

jdmitr22

i tried to order megans, but they are apparently discontinued from Megan racing. (i tried to order direct from them and they told me that)..so i got D2's!

cotmfk

I hope they are not discontinued!!! I had these on my old Evo... and was planning on getting them for this car eventually.