I have had my Tein S- tech springs on know for a couple of weeks. I decided tonight to go on a little Saturday night cruise thru lower Downtown Denver. Man oh man I thought a couple of times that my suspension was coming thru the floor of the car. VERY VERY rough!!! It felt like the suspension was bottoming out! The narrow cracks and small pot holes are not to bad but it is when the concrete ends and the asphalt starts. There is sometimes a 2 to 3" lip at this transition. WHAM! The manhole covers are recessed any where from 2"to 4" so the snowplows won't catch the covers. WHAM AGAIN!!! I am running 19" rims with Goodrich tires. My mechanic said the Tein springs would drop the car 1 1/4" I measure the car the day before the install and again after. It was lowered a solid 1.5" in the front and I am sure it will settle a little lower. I really like the way it looks but really hate the way it rides!! Is there anything I can do to help the ride? Is having the stock shocks screwing up the ride? I was thinking about putting on my stock 17" rims to see if that improved the ride. I would go with the Aspec springs but to lowe the car 1/2" seems like a waste. Is there any springs that would lower the car 1"? If I drove on the highway all the time it would be OK but I am always in the city. Anybody have any suggestions or is this what I have to deal with having that lowered look?

 

I just recently installed S-techs on my ride along with the Koni Yellows and the ride is better than I expected to be. Shocks will help the comfort of the ride a whole lot because of the adjustability from soft to firm. I believe some people in this forum blew their stock shocks after a period of time running S-techs, so I do recommend purchasing aftermarket shocks along with these springs when installing them.

 

definatly go with aftermarket shocks (konis) thats the only thing that i can think of...

 

I feel ya, take my advice and get rid of the s-techs! I have the stock 17's and its does not sound any different from you. go w/ the koni / eibach setup. heard nothing but good things

 

Is that the problem? Am i bottoming the shocks out? I have researched the tein htech springs. They claim the ride is more like stock. Will they give me a lower ride than stock? I already have $500 invested in the stechs and am not sure which way to go. I would not mind keeping the stechs and investing in shocks if the ride became better. ACB45 are you running 19' rims?

 

well....if ur a very hard driver....then i think it is a problem....the stock shocks arn't meant to hold so much weight at such a height...thus blowing them out slowly over time....thus a bumpy and bouncy ride....but on the other hand...some people don't really have a problem....but EVENTUALLY you WILL need after market shocks..

 

500$ invested?!?!?!!?!?!?!?

what the heck how was it that expensive? miens was only 200 installed....

maybe its just your roads that cause the bumpiness... when i'm on bad roads its teeth jarring ride but on smooth roads its pretty nice.. i got used to it already.
Your shocks shouldnt be blown already... no matter how hard you drive stock shocks should last you at least 10k miles after you put the springs on maybe even more..

 

I'm currently running stock 17" rims. How many miles are on your car? and did you cut your bump stops when you installed the springs on all 4 corners?

 

Yes Yes I know I took it in the shorts on my install. Not only did I pay too much but the Dumb *****s broke my seat clips taking the seats out then would not fess up. He also left greasy hand prints all over the leather. I have no Idea if the bump stops were cut off. Is that critical? I will have to ask Mr Greasy Hands.

 

Sounds like you had a half ass job done on the TL. With all those install errors, I'm pretty sure he didn't cut the bump stops. It looks like he doesn't know what hes doing. If you don't cut the bump stops, the ride will be harsh or not settle correctly as stated in this thread https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ech+bump+stops

Look at post #10 for an explanation to bump stops

 

Thanks to all the helpful responses on my spring dilema. I will have to ask if he cut the bump stops. Can I see anything if he puts the car on a lift? I had a conversation with Dan.....k today and he said the quality of tires can also influence the ride. I really like the way the car sits and handles and would really like this setup to work out. I think that I need to get used to the ride quality of a car that has been lowered .

 

do yourself a favor.....since you're getting back under the car anyway to cut the bump stops (if he didn't do it the 1st time), you'll save alot of time and money in the long run by just installing some koni's while you have your suspension in pieces. If the problem isn't the bump stops, you're better off changing your dampers anyway to the koni's or similar.

I'm riding koni's with tein-S and no issues whatsoever. Just wish I would have installed the koni's in the first place instead of using the stockers......major f*cking pain. Do it right the first time....

 

Yeah, they probably did not trim the bumpstops at all......


They should ride really good.


See Page 2

Marcus

 

Sounds like I will have Koni's installed and maker sure my bump stops are cut and certainly never going back to the shop that did the spring install. What am I looking at in the way of $$$$ for the Koni's and to have them installed?

 

u could get a set of konis on ebay for like 500-600 ish....and then expect the same u payed to have the springs installed.....

 

If you can, do it yourself. It can be a little time consuming (and a work out) depending on the type of spring compressor you use but other than that, it's easy.
All you really need is a torque wrench, metric socket/deep socket set, a breaker bar, and at most a 3" extension (this will help you get to the bolts to remove the back seat). Also a razor knife (one of those retractable ones) to cut the bump stop and a tape measure to determine where to cut the bump stop off at. You'll also need a jack and some jack stands.

For the price you would pay for install, you can at least get yourself started with a solid but basic set of tools with change in your pocket. The cheap spring compressors are usually loaned out by places like Autozone, Pepboys, etc. You put a deposit down and as long as you return it, you'll get your cash back. Better yet, if you have a buddy that has the tools, cop it from him/her for a weekend.

 

i heard a lot of people have been havin difficulty with S-techs. not just on this car, but other cars as well. Thats why I went with the H-techs. Nice even drop and has the rims fit perfectly in the wheel well. Also gives a bit better ride.

Some guys with RSXs and EVOs were complaining about the S-techs on the track as well, They kept sliding too much.

The guy that installed my springs asked me which ones I bought and I told him Tein springs. First thing he said was "I hope you got the H-techs and not the S-techs cause we've had a lot of complaints about the S-tech"

 

Thanks for the post. I was looking for someone who was running the Htechs. I guess I will ebay the Stechs and go for the Htechs. I am going to take a photo of my TL as it sits now with the Stechs and then again with the Htechs and will post for all the people wanting to do a spring mod. I think the drop will be fine for my taste and the ride will improve. Do you have pictures of your car with the Htechs you could pm me? Thanks

 

i'll take some shots this week. its dark now and a bit late.

 

The S-tech seems to have springs rates that are way too soft and too short. I'm guessing your springs are compressing too easily and bottoming out the struts.

Tein lists the front spring rate at 5.5 kgf. For comparison, the Super Street is 12 kgf in the front. I can't find the OEM spring rate, so draw your own conclusions.

With the 19"s and thinner profile tires, I would recommend avoiding driving until it's fixed (from what you're describing, it seems pretty serious), or start dodging potholes like it's your job. Once the suspension bottoms out, the remaining force of the impact has to go somewhere and guess what? It's going straight to your tire/wheel.

 

the Stech seems to be loose, thats what the rsx guys are saying. thats why they are sliding all over the place on the track

 

When you do springs you can't cheap out and leave the stock shocks. You need to also replace your shocks. If you don't you will get a sub-par suspension setup, and you will most likely blow out your stock shocks in no time.

 

I didn't know you had to take the seats out in order to install a suspension...are you talking about the back seats?

 

The rear strut top mounts are only accessible by removing the seats. But it's not that hard.

 

^ thanks....That would explain the greasy hand prints on the back seat...and why the head rest were up! all this time i thought they took my tl for a ride with mad people in it (the installation people)

Do you think they had to take the seats all the way out (out of the car)?

Any suggestions for taking minor greasy hand print off my back seats?

 

Anyone riding with Tein S Techs and Konis. Let me know how you like the ride. How many miles have you had the setup for.

 

Look at the bottom of page 2 https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...7&page=2&pp=25

 

ayetheteinse... how is ur H.Tech riding? How much did it lower the car? Ne suggestions on them?

 

I have this setup, but is still brand new, just put about 200 miles on them. The ride is excellent after I had an alignment today. I can definitely say the ride is better and handles better than stock.

Those of you who have S-techs, I highly recommend getting an alignment after because of the Toe being off spec, which happened to me. When the toe was off spec, I experienced slipping in the rear when driving over pot holes just like other members were having problems with. But after getting an alignment, slipping dissappeared and the ride is much much better! I'm very happy with the combo and setup

 

I not only had hand prints on the seats but on the headliner. Spray n wash on a soft rag rubbing with the grain on the cloth headliner worked well. Im a Lexol kinda guy, use the cleaner then the conditioner to clean the seats. Perfect!

 

hey ACB45...
could you please post the alignment specs for your car...before and after...i am curious to see how much the rear is still off with out camber kit

 

FRONT LEFT

| Actual | Before | Specified Range (same for front right)

Camber -1.2 -1.2 -1.0 - 0.0
Caster 3.6 3.6 2.5 - 4.0
Toe 0.01 -0.06 -0.08 - 0.08


FRONT RIGHT

Camber -1.0 -1.0
Caster 3.5 3.5
Toe 0.01 -0.14


REAR LEFT

Actual Before Specified Range (same for rear right)

Camber -2.1 -2.1 -1.5 - -0.5
Toe 0.09 0.51 0.00 - 0.16


REAR RIGHT

Camber -1.8 -1.8
Toe 0.09 0.43



As you can see the TOE in the rear was way off, thats the reason why the rear of the car was sliding when hitting pot holes.

 

It lowered the car about an inch. its a bit less then an inch, but from what I hear. It will settle to an inch. just makes the rim and wheel fit perfectly in the wheel well. Still rides pretty well. S-tech woulda been too rough in my opinion.

here is a pic of the front. sorry car is really really dirty and i just took this shot in my garage




here is the back

 

Oops didn't come up right... here I fixed it...


FRONT LEFT

....................Actual.......Before........Spe cified Range (same for front right)

Camber'''''''''''-1.2'''''''''''-1.2'''''''''''''''''-1.0 - 0.0
Caster'''''''''''''''3.6'''''''''''''3.6'''''''''' ''''''''2.5 - 4.0
Toe'''''''''''''''''''''0.01'''''''''-0.06''''''''''''''-0.08 - 0.08


FRONT RIGHT

Camber'''''''''''''-1.0''''''''''-1.0
Caster'''''''''''''''''3.5''''''''''''3.5
Toe''''''''''''''''''''''0.01''''''''''-0.14


REAR LEFT

....................Actual.......Before........Spe cified Range (same for rear right)

Camber''''''''''''''-2.1'''''''''''''-2.1'''''''''''''''''''-1.5 - -0.5
Toe''''''''''''''''''''''0.09'''''''''''''0.51'''' '''''''''''''''0.00 - 0.16


REAR RIGHT

Camber'''''''''''''-1.8'''''''''''''''-1.8
Toe''''''''''''''''''''''0.09''''''''''''''0.43



As you can see the TOE in the rear was way off, thats the reason why the rear of the car was sliding when hitting pot holes.

 

acb45 did you get a camber kit for the front or rear or both...

 

thxs thats exactly how i wanted my car to be. Not too low but low enuf to look good. Aite thx again. I will post some pics when I install them too.

 

Nah, I didn't get a camber kit. The front camber looks good, only off by a little. The same for the rear. I will see in a couple of months and check the rear tread, if it starts to eat away, then I will buy a camber kit for it.

 

As long as you got an alignment you should be ok. You might see a little more advanced wear in the rear, but it should not be anything dramatic. The tires should still last a long ass time!

Marcus

 

Thanks Marcus. I have a prelude with negative camber thats worse than this, and the tires still have hella tread left. I think the major concern is the TOE. Camber does effect it, but not as much as TOE.

 

Thanks for the photos. When changing out the stock shocks for the Konis do you have to order a certain shock for the amount of your drop? How easy is it to adjust the shock? I will most likely try the Konis first to see if the ride improves. If I decide to go to the Htechs will I be able to use the Konis I installed for the Stechs or will I have to replace the shocks again. I will take some pictures at the same angle to show the 1.5 drop of the Stechs so folks can see the different drops. I shure hope my car does not settle another inch! I scrape the plastic piece under my bumper enough as it is!!