Best coilover for the money

[CT]

Tein Flex or Tein SS if you can't afford Flex. They will kick the arse of anything else in the same price range and will do all the things you want.

[Babalouie]

Thanks
Do either of them have both bound and rebound adjustment seperatly?

No the Tein SS and Flex adjust bump and rebound together. You really don't get the separate adjustment unless you're willing to spend about twice what the Teins will cost.

[Brad]

I spent a lot of time hunting around before I went for the Tein's. For the money I think the offer the best solution and are tailored for our roads and are ADR legal.

Most of the Race guys use AVO coil overs with Race valving and generic springs with excellent results for around $1300, though hardly what you would call road friendly like the Tein SS are.

[Brad]

No sorry I don't. Might be worth a call to Fulcrum Moorooka to talk to their tech guru's about it.

I've seen others running the SS on the track but I don't know if their springs rates were different to the 392/280 standard.

[Sheck]

From what i have read the cheapies are actually pretty good (D2 on ebay right now for 1050!!). If you like a stiffer spring/shock i'd got for the cheapies as the tein SS are really too soft for lots of track work (just my opinion).
I was going to get Racing Logic for mine but couldnt get them in time for the event i wanted them for so i got aragosta coilovers from japan (second hand set me back 2k delivered, new is more like 3.5k from a NZ website plus delivery).

HSD dont make them for our cars but i think they may be able to knock something up if you give them time.
Also look for the one with the least amount of clicks in the adjustment - alot of them crank it up to like 52 way adjustible but that is just way too many!! Even on my suspension, which has only 15 clicks, i need to click over two before you can notice something in the handeling.

A couple of the US drift guys say the Megans are pretty good even the first version that had 10/10kg springs were actually quite comfy for the road which says the shock is a pretty good unit. But most of them prefer to run a set called \"Stance\" - these have been revised a couple of times but i think they are good now (had problems with lowering the car). These stance units are said to be better than the Tein Flex units, but the only guy who has dríven on both is part of the company that sells the stance coils.

Just remember teins are made in china/tiawan too (nowadays), your paying for the R&D they put into the coils and possibly some better qualitly control. The ceapies just copy the better guys, that way they dont have to pay for R&D which is where a big chunk of the money goes.

Dave

[CT]

None of the race cars in NSW use AVOs. All the fast turbos are using Teins except Brian who is using bilsteins while the NA cars mostly had koni yellows or clubman bilsteins . Having dríven on both AVO, Teins and konis in a race car, in a race......Tein flex are far superior to either of those in damping control. Seperate bump and rebound is a toss unless you are running a profesional race team and plenty of them don't understand it either! Do not waste your time with the taiwanese ones - they are pretty much crap

[Brad]

None of the race cars in NSW use AVOs. All the fast turbos are using Teins except Brian who is using bilsteins while the NA cars mostly had koni yellows or clubman bilsteins .

Must be why they (non-turbo) are loosing to the Qld boys then huh?

[Brad]

HI Brad
What spring rates do you use?
Where do you do most of your racing?

Rates are 7/6kg or 392/336lb

I don't race myself. just trackdays, but have a few friends in the Production Sports Car series.

[Cal]

HI Brad
What spring rates do you use?
Where do you do most of your racing?

Brad does most of his racing around the bedroom, trying to throw a leg over the Mrs.

Cal.

[Brad]

HI Brad
What spring rates do you use?
Where do you do most of your racing?

Brad does most of his racing around the bedroom, trying to throw a leg over the Mrs.

Cal.

or your mrs when you're off racing

[Cal]

With regard to spring rates, I use Kings on AVO's at 350lbs fronts and 250lbs rears.

Cal.

[Sheck]

I think ride quality would be pretty good, due to the adjustibility of the shock - you dont reallly need seperat to get comfort. My coilovers came with 5/4kg springs standard and i put 8/6kg in there and on the softest setting they were smoother than my old teins. While this doenst coment on the quality of the G4 units i'd say they would be plenty good, try it and see!!!

Dave

[CT]

CT
I have been led to beleive that with bump, and rebound, i would be able to run harder springs, and yet get them to ride softer for the road.

With the ability to have soft bump and harder rebound ,to give ride comfort, not handling, Or to crank up the bump for better handling.

I'm happy for you to tell me how wrong i am,But if you do please try to explain.

Don't disagree totally but in a light car, you need compliance in the suspension to keep all the tyres in contact with the ground firstly and then to control the frequency of the spring movement. You do not want to run super hard springs as it will make the suspension work against the chassis. The USA spec miata guys run 700lb fronts. Locally, about 400lb is all you need because any stiffer and the front wheels will bump off the track surface thus losing you grip and increasing braking distance. That's because our tracks are bumpier. Like our roads.

So for most of us, combined bump and rebound is fine because it adjusts within an acceptable range. That said, some shocks have better damping curves (the way they react when adjusted) than others. I believe this is where Teins are very good. )

[CT]

Not totally true but it depends on your chassis. For example:
NA cars are softer in the chassis and require a softer rear spring. A spread of 100-150 pounds in not abnormal front to rear assuming a matched sway bar set. I had 392/260lbs in Tein Flex on my racer but only ran an 11mm rear sway because it had a welded in cage and the rear was stiffer than a road car would be.

NB cars are much stiffer in the mid and rear of the chassis due to extra gussetting and bracing. They can run a stiffer rear spring so a spread of 50-100lbs is probably more suitable. I have a road NB8B with Tein SS 283/200 or something similar in them. They are great for a street car. The SE race car has 396/336 Flex. The PSS9 bilsteins have the same rates front and rear (383 I think) but may also require a thinner rear sway to keep them neutral.

Tyres and driving style will also make a huge difference on how you like the car to feel - so will alignments. But from my tinkering over the past 7 years or so with MX5s, I think the above is a reasonable guide. The SS coilovers in the NB8B totally transformed the car and increased balance and grip so I reckon they must be pretty good things.

[Cal]

I think you should get a nice light set of 15's and I'm sure Chris will agree. The wheel is about the worst place on a car to carry weight. Some Volks I have weigh 4.6kg each.

Cal.