TEIN Coilovers – Which Kit Do You Need?
In my opinion, there are too many kit of TEIN Coilovers. Its confusing and the differences between the kits are so small that in my opinion, TEIN could cut the range of coilover kits in half.
In this video I cover the main points you should look for in a coilover and then identify which TEIN coilovers match these requirements for each price range
TEIN Coilovers – Short Version
Check the table in the video, the right column is the S&C Choice coilover kit for each price range
Up to 700 USD/EURO – Street Advance Z (alternative Street Advance)
Up to 1200 USD/Euro – Flex A (alternative Flex Z)
Up to 2000 USD/Euro – Mono Sport (alternative Comfort Sport)
Why Did These 3 Kits Come Top?
From my experience of coilovers, these are the features I look for. The coilover kits listed above come closest to meeting my criteria for their price.
TEIN Coilovers – Top Mounts
Do you need adjustable top mounts?
There are pluses and minuses to both
OE Top Mounts
Much, much, much cheaper to replace. eg 20 dollars versus 200+ dollars
Better ride, small bumps much less noticeable
TEIN Top Mounts
If they are not adjustable, not sure there are any benefits
If they are adjustable for camber/caster, it’s easier to alter the suspension geometry
Kits
Street Advance Z – Original Top Mounts
Flex A – TEIN Top Mounts
MonoSport – TEIN Top Mounts
TEIN Coilovers – Height Adjustment
Height adjustment with spring seat or with bottom mount?
Spring Seat Height Adjustment
Much less likely to make a mistake. Adjustment range much smaller, more or less guarantees your suspension will be working at the optimum height
Downsides, less adjustment, no problem for a track car but if you want your car slammed you may run out of damper travel
Bottom Mount Height Adjustment
Set the height anywhere you want but extremes may cause problems with suspension geometry.
No effect of damper travel when you adjust the height
Easier to make a mistake when setting the ride height ie suspension too high or too low
Kits
Street Advance Z – Spring Seat Adjustment
Flex A – Bottom Mount Adjustment
MonoFlex – Bottom Mount Adjustment
TEIN Coilovers – Damping Adjustment for Softness/Hardness
IMO, essential. Control how comfortable the car is AND it allows you to adjust the balance of your car between understeer and oversteer
Kits
All three kits are damping adjustable. However the MonoSport comes with more advanced valving which gives a wider range of adjustment while maintaining good damping control for small movements.
TEIN Coilovers – EDFC (Electronic Damping Control)
Adjusting the dampers from inside the car in nice but it is another thing that can go wrong and it massively complicates the installation of the suspension.
Nice to have but not essential. If you are on a budget, Id give this a miss. If I had the money for EDFC, I would spend the money on a more expensive coilover kit, instead of bolting EDFC to a cheaper coilover kit.
Kits
All three kits are compatible with EDFC
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