Tein Flex Z review (2017)
05-19-2017, 11:15 AM
#1
Tein Flex Z review (2017)
Okay, so at first I struggled finding a good suspension setup for my 2011 g37 journey sedan (35k miles) I read review after review. Finally I decided to go with Tein S-tech's and stock shocks, just to kind of get a feel for things and get the ride height where I wanted it. I still had the stock sways at this point. The ride was better than expected, fairly smooth on good roads. However; if I ran across a big road imperfection it felt like I was crashing into it instead of absorbing it. I felt like this was partially due to my shocks but I'm not an expert and wondered if it wasn't the whole combination together causing this. So back to researching.
I decided to open my wallet a bit farther and run some coilovers. A hand full of options came up. KW, Tein, BC, Tanabe etc. After researching for a couple months I was still puzzled. Every single combination had something that wasn't right, or a bad review all together. KW sags in the rear, tanabe supposedly felt like a boat and was too soft. BC has noise issues. Tein's higher end Mono Flex was too harsh, and so on. Now don't quote me on any of this. Some people had no issues, their were many mixed reviews.
Finally, I found a set of Tein Flex Z's for $800 shipped. I thought this was a pretty good deal and I couldn't find any negative feedback on them at the time, so I put the order in. When the box finally arrived at my door I was quick to inspect everything for damage. Every piece was individually wrapped and seperated from all other pieces. No damage was found, and the finish/build quality seemed pretty darn good. After seeing them with my own eyes I could help but get a little excited.
INSTALL: I read the whole booklet before i began the install which was pretty straight forward. One problem I I found was the spring pre-load on the fronts where completely different with no Instruction on what it should be set at. This was already supposed to be pre-set by Tein for the vehicles weight and model. I got them matched up identically and as close to how they came as possible. The rest of the install went smooth. I set my ride height to 26" on all four corners. The shocks were set to the recommended 12 clicks from full stiff.
30 DAYS LATER: I have to say these coilovers are very noisy in the rear. The adjustment collars rattle, even after retightening. The fronts do a good job of operating quietly. Even on the recommended setting it handled like it was on rails. However; I had upgraded my sways before I installed these so that was a big contributer. The ride quality was absolute crap, the crashing feeling was even worse now. The rear springs settled at a different rate so I couldn't use the same thread count to get back to my 26" ride height. I also had to adjust the ride height 3 seperate times before they were done settling.
FINAL THOUGHT: I'm not sure if all coilovers are this much of a pain but wow. I could see these being great on a track but not on Oklahoma roads. Our roads suck and this was a horrible decision on my part. I hated my car after installing these and the noise was just embarrassing. After my experience I went back to my S-tech's combined with KYB excel-g shocks and couldn't be happier. Excel-G's are amazing for the money. Very firm ride but not harsh, body roll is minimal. I have art pipes, smooth tubes, grounding kit, and Stillen pulley. The traction from a full throttle dig is very good with this setup. I was going to go with Koni yellows at first but I think they are a little overkill for my needs. I never track my car and don't need adjustability. I was not happy with my experience with Tein Flex Z coilovers but maybe others will have a better one.
I decided to open my wallet a bit farther and run some coilovers. A hand full of options came up. KW, Tein, BC, Tanabe etc. After researching for a couple months I was still puzzled. Every single combination had something that wasn't right, or a bad review all together. KW sags in the rear, tanabe supposedly felt like a boat and was too soft. BC has noise issues. Tein's higher end Mono Flex was too harsh, and so on. Now don't quote me on any of this. Some people had no issues, their were many mixed reviews.
Finally, I found a set of Tein Flex Z's for $800 shipped. I thought this was a pretty good deal and I couldn't find any negative feedback on them at the time, so I put the order in. When the box finally arrived at my door I was quick to inspect everything for damage. Every piece was individually wrapped and seperated from all other pieces. No damage was found, and the finish/build quality seemed pretty darn good. After seeing them with my own eyes I could help but get a little excited.
INSTALL: I read the whole booklet before i began the install which was pretty straight forward. One problem I I found was the spring pre-load on the fronts where completely different with no Instruction on what it should be set at. This was already supposed to be pre-set by Tein for the vehicles weight and model. I got them matched up identically and as close to how they came as possible. The rest of the install went smooth. I set my ride height to 26" on all four corners. The shocks were set to the recommended 12 clicks from full stiff.
30 DAYS LATER: I have to say these coilovers are very noisy in the rear. The adjustment collars rattle, even after retightening. The fronts do a good job of operating quietly. Even on the recommended setting it handled like it was on rails. However; I had upgraded my sways before I installed these so that was a big contributer. The ride quality was absolute crap, the crashing feeling was even worse now. The rear springs settled at a different rate so I couldn't use the same thread count to get back to my 26" ride height. I also had to adjust the ride height 3 seperate times before they were done settling.
FINAL THOUGHT: I'm not sure if all coilovers are this much of a pain but wow. I could see these being great on a track but not on Oklahoma roads. Our roads suck and this was a horrible decision on my part. I hated my car after installing these and the noise was just embarrassing. After my experience I went back to my S-tech's combined with KYB excel-g shocks and couldn't be happier. Excel-G's are amazing for the money. Very firm ride but not harsh, body roll is minimal. I have art pipes, smooth tubes, grounding kit, and Stillen pulley. The traction from a full throttle dig is very good with this setup. I was going to go with Koni yellows at first but I think they are a little overkill for my needs. I never track my car and don't need adjustability. I was not happy with my experience with Tein Flex Z coilovers but maybe others will have a better one.
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qwntn (01-17-2022)
05-19-2017, 01:58 PM
#3
Yes, they told me to double check tightness with the spanner wrenches. I made sure everything was as tight as I could get it. The noise remainded the same on both sides. I double checked to make sure I installed everything properly, it all looked good. Still not sure why they rattled over bumps. It wasn't real loud or anything but you could definetely hear them working.
05-20-2017, 06:56 AM
#6
the noise could be the preload maybe not set tight enough? so the spring is moving around. jus my guess. i got the tein basis z and its perfect. one of the reasons i went with it is i jus wanted something that works without having the headache of having to constantly adjust things to get it to feel right.
05-20-2017, 11:08 AM
#8
A friend of mine just put the same coilovers on his (2010 Coupe) and the result is completely different from what you are experiencing. The ride is smooth, comfortable, and quiet.
05-20-2017, 12:08 PM
#9
Registered Member
So I recently installed mine an I was having the same issue. A rattle noice in the rear. I come to find out that you have to tighten the nut that's connected to the damp adjustment ****. Turns out that was the issue. Preload wise I adjusted the fronts and they feel better. I still need to adjust the rear. They're a decent coilover and if you're looking for comfort you should go bags.
05-20-2017, 12:18 PM
#10
Thanks for all the feedback, I have these sitting in my garage still. I may have to slap them back in and readjusted by a suspension shop. It's good to hear it was probably just operator error lol! This is why the forums are so helpful.
05-20-2017, 12:24 PM
#11
So I recently installed mine an I was having the same issue. A rattle noice in the rear. I come to find out that you have to tighten the nut that's connected to the damp adjustment ****. Turns out that was the issue. Preload wise I adjusted the fronts and they feel better. I still need to adjust the rear. They're a decent coilover and if you're looking for comfort you should go bags.
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PNW_IPL (11-07-2020)