Hi everyone-

Looking for some flexibility. Planning on buying Tein Basics so I can lower them in the summer and raise them up for the winter. I'm worried about any corrosion from water and salt during the winter though. I've heard about using Boeshield T-9 to protect them, but I am looking for firsthand experience.

I'm especially worried about the threads rusting up or seizing.

With coilovers in general, and Teins in particular, how would they hold up in Minnesota for a daily driver? What should I look out for, and what steps can I take to protect them?

Thanks

 

I had issues with using coilovers in the winter (and part of the reason i never used them again). After 1 winter they were pretty much unadjustable in the spring. You could try to lather them with a grease or a white lithium grease or like a motorcycle chain lube which has a wax in it to protect and stick (basically the threaded area) to help protect them. I stick to a nice set of springs and shocks now and never worry about it. I drive lowered all winter. Oh and you do realize that adjusting them isnt as easy as just raise it up for winter. Getting all 4 corners the same, then having to go have an alignment just to do it all over again in the spring.

 

Yea I was figuring an alignment after adjusting was the norm, it can't hurt to get an alignment more often than not anyway. I was worried about the non-adjusting.

If I go with a set of springs and shocks, do you worry about centering on high snow? I'm getting snow tires but that won't help if I get stuck where the wheels don't turn.

Thanks for the response!

 

If you are looking to raise and lower your car each season it would be much better to go with a set of coilovers that is independently height adjustable and not one that involves changing the spring perch which then changes the dynamics of the coilovers.

 

What type of coilover would you suggest then? I know the difference between adjusting the damping ability but I didn't know anything about spring perch. Thanks!

 

an example of what CCC said would probably be like.. BC Racing... Megan... Function Forms.. Zeal... AMR etc etc.

 

Well I am not sure what car you have so I am not sure what models are available for you.

 

I have NEVER gotten stuck (where i have used my head and not tried to drive thru a 3' plowed snow bank) We just got 16" of snow and i never had any issues. I drove into my office parking lot which was a solid 10-12"s where i was plowing snow. I stopped and started no issues. Snow tires will make a WORLD of difference.

 

My bad, an 07 TSX.

 

Alright for an 07 TSX you have tons of options and you happen to be in luck cause I own an 04 and pretty much know all of them.

So lets see here.

TEIN Type Flex and Mono Flex
Zeal Function X and Function Xs
Buddy Club Racing Spec and N+
BC Racing
Function Form
KSport
Megan Racing Street Series
HKS HyperMax III
D2 Racing RS Series
HT-Spec
Type 1 Racing B-Max


I am sure I have missed 1 or 2 but that covers a majority of them. I left out a few of the small race companies in Japan that have sets available as well. I unfortunately have a feeling this is going to get moved to the TSX section at some point though.

The ones listed above can range anywhere from about 1-3k a set based on quality, damper style, and brand name.

 

Not worth it. Total pain in the ass if you do it yourself, way too expensive to get a shop to do it. Buy some good shocks and springs and call it a day. I drove slammed through 2 chicago winters in a fwd rabbit and I was fine. Ill never buy coils for a dd ever again...

 

I disagree with this at least from my experience. I drove my TSX with TEIN Flex coilovers for two winters before retiring it from winter duties. I don't know about all coilovers but at least the TEIN Flex have a special coating on the shock body. All I did was to hose the into the wheel wells once a month at each shock body. At the end of the winter I then use a wet rag to clean the threaded bodies before attempting to losen and adjust the perches. After doing this I had no issues just as if they were new.

Also regarding it being a pain to adjust them each yeah up and down and keeping everything the same it is really not that difficult. Set your summer height and have an alignment. Then when you want to raise the car in the winter measure and record the distance between the bottom of the height adjustment perch and the top of the perch the spring sits on. Take this distance and raise the car between 1.5 - 2in depending on how low it was to begin with. Make sure you raise it exactly the same amount all around by adding what every you decide to the original measurement. When it comes back to summer reverse this to lower back to original height.

I am not sure why you say it is a pain when if it makes you feel better about driving in the snow then why not. The very first time I did this after getting them it took maybe 2.5-3 hours. By the time I last did this I was able to do it in 1-1.5 hours tops. I did this more than most though as when showing the car and having to pack the car to travel I would have to raise the back of the car up and the lower it back down at shows so I would do this sometimes 8-10 times during the summer as well.

Just my

 

I have owned many vehicles, from cars i race to daily driven cars. I have spent thousands on top of the line coilovers to similar priced spring shock combos. Really once adjusted there is no reason to change it. People talk like "oh just go out and raise it" sure its not "hard" but it takes time like you said. Especially if one were to actually take the time to set up the suspension the way it should be and not just bolt it on and set the height. (im talking corner weighting, adjusting the rebound and dampening correctly) I have been driving lowered vehicles longer than you have been driving . Unless you are planning on putting the car in the weeds, a typical 1.5 to 2" drop wont have issues in the snow and no real reason to have to raise it. Tires Tires Tires. They will play a larger roll on how you get around in snow than your car being 1-2" lower.

Oh and as for a coating or just washing them off. Depending on what they put on the roads makes a big difference. Around here is Rock salt by the tons and sand. It destroys front bumpers and wheel well components. My last set of TEIN, 2 of the shocks (of course they were opposite corners) were pretty much junk after driving 1 winter and i couldnt adjust the height when i tried adjusting them for a lapping day

 

They use rock salt in PA too. I guess I was just lucky. I have to say though how many people that are not actually going to the track with there cars actually have them corner weighted? Also yes my car was in the weeds so a raise was indeed necessary. I guess it really depends on how much the OP depends to lower his car as I agree with you a simple 1-2" drop is just going to remove most and not even all of the wheel gap so it shouldn't be an issue. My experience is not in the norm then which is fine.

And yes I know you have been driving lowered cars longer than I have been driving

 

You dont have to have things corner weighed but you know what there is much more to the ride and handling by actually set up the rebound and dampening correctly. Point was is that just like stated above, its not as easy as going outside turning a wrench and bam its adjusted. Unless you dont mind spending 1-3 hrs changing it just to bring it into the shop for an alignment then by all means go for it. I like to set it up optimally once and be done.

 

 

Wow. I was hoping that this would be a simpler solution to the winter dilemma. I may end up just getting the Neuspeed Cup Kit with race springs (2.25") so I can fiddle a bit before I put them on. I have a rear camber kit already.

Thanks for the opinions guys I may not go the coilover route if it isn't necessary to adjust suspension much to accomodate the weather.

 

So for Function and Forms, do you guys think power washing the wheel wells every now and then during the winter will suffice?

 

wouldn't it be... damping?

not dampening?

hehe

 

I had D2's over last winter, they were very hard to adjust once spring time came along (which was partially my fault for not washing them often enough) and I managed to blow a shock too. Apparently D2's are known for that in really cold weather on stiff settings, though.