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From what I remember the tools I used for the install were:
Jack + jackstands (duh)
1/2" drive impact gun
1/2" drive torque wrench
Vise grip wrench
Electric drill
1/2" & 3/8" breaker bars (with a 4ft pipe- needed this for the bottom shock bolts)
1/2" & 3/8" socket wrenches
12mm deep socket (for rear top hat nuts)
14mm regular + deep + impact socket + wrench (various)
17mm regular + impact socket + wrench (various)
19mm impact socket (various)
21mm impact socket (OEM lug nuts)
Again use the DIYs above... only things I would add are to disconnect the front knuckle from the UCA; that saved tons of time. Also use the vise grip wrench to hold the shock shafts while you remove/replace the OEM top hats (these reuse them).
Install was straightforward and made even easier with their instructions.
Ride Quality/Handling
Suspensions are complicated systems. Bushings, wheels/tires, springs, shocks, weight distribution etc all play a part. But in the context of coilovers there are really 4 major design points:
Ride height adjustability- obviously this is why you get coilovers over springs/shocks; you want the ability to fine tune the height. There are 2 ways to do this though- you can make the spring perch adjustable or you can make the shock body adjustable. The shock body adjustability is preferred, but more expensive- so you know what Tein went with for these. Overall though the range of adjustment is pretty good- in the pictures below I basically have the rear at max height and the front at ~1.75" from min height. So you will have room to play.
Spring rates- this sets the tone for the suspension. It's pretty much impossible to build around the wrong spring rates. Here I think Tein's choice of 9K/8K were OK. They are slightly soft, but a good compromise for a daily driver, and appreciably stiffer than the stock G37S spring rates. Thinking about it I would maybe do 10/10K, but I would need a shock upgrade for sure. Can't complain though.
Low speed damping- this is what a lot of people would call "handling feel". This is what makes the car feel planted. I think Tein got this perfect. The stock suspension felt floaty and unsure of itself. Lot of hairy moments. Now the car feels anchored, with mild understeer at the limits. Here I think Tein got right what a lot of other manufacturers get wrong. I have a Civic on ST coilovers and they don't feel anywhere near as good.
High speed damping- this is what a lot of people associate with ride quality. Here I think Tein compromised a bit. High speed compression over bumps is a little choppy and over less than great roads the ride can get a bit busy. I live in the Southeast so that's not a huge concern for me; roads here are good and free from frost heaves. But if you live up north I could see these taking your fillings out. To be fair though all other coilovers are either as stiff or stiffer so that's something to keep in mind. It's not awful or unbearable but it's definitely worse than stock.
Summary/Recommendation
What do I think overall? For the money, these are a steal. Even better, thanks to the G's suspension design, they are easily upgradeable. At some point in the future I would like to get Koni Yellows, which will work with these (with Koni sleeves and perches up front). But as is, they are a great budget coilover. Easily worth the extra $200-300 over lowering springs with what are probably tired and definitely mismatched shocks, and more than likely a better choice than many more expensive offerings with 1024 way damping w/crosstalk and inconsistent adjustments.
Now I wouldn't recommend these for slamming down to the ground, but I have my car at ~26.5-26.75" at all corners and it rides and handles great. With the right offset you will definitely get a very aggressive look, and with or without them you will get better handling with a tolerable ride on decent roads. For ~$500 that's really hard to fault. I have had various other suspensions on other cars.... others have definitely ridden better, but these handle really well and ride well enough. I'd say this rides and handles almost exactly like my stock 2004.5 Z.
My only wish is that Tein gave us the Street Advance Z shocks which have some adjustability.
Good. I've lowered the car a little more, but they have held up fine. I am probably going to upgrade them in the spring as I just want a little more stiffness and better damping, but I'm picky. For the money you won't get a better new setup.
So are they a smooth ride or super stiff? Do they do well carrying passengers?
It's weird. They are definitely more planted than stock, but not all the way buttoned down. They are mostly smooth, but you definitely feel the bumps more. To put it more technically, the spring rates are probably OK, but the shocks are not digressive enough. Low speed could be stronger, high speed could be weaker.
Originally Posted by Lego_Maniac
How did your alignment end up with these? Did you have to install camber arms or anything?
I put camber arms up front and got them to -2.2. I haven't done anything with the back yet. I think part of the problem was that the back was too low and uneven, even at max height on both sides.
Which reminds me- I added spring spacers to the back. For whatever reason my rear end just sat too low. I think I was able to raise it about half an inch and even it out. Strangely that seemed to help my FUCA clearance issues. But for ~26.25" FTG I don't think you need adjustable FUCAs. I wanted more negative camber up front so my wheels (9.5 +25) would clear.
Just read this thread end to end...lots of good information. I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger on these. It looks like 26.5" to 26.75" seems to be the sweet. Based on my floor to fender measure, I'm looking at 1.5" drop on the front just to get rid of the wheel gap and now this...smh.
I’m in the market for coilovers and this review makes me a believer that $440 coils will do the job instead of spending an 700,that price difference is another mod! I also want them to last because my G only has 22k miles,should I pull the trigger or what’s the next best?
I'm about to pull the trigger on these. My car currently has 116k miles so my suspension is more than likely not what it used to be. If these last me a few years or more then they are a worthwhile replacement/upgrade. You'd spend more on new OEM suspension depending on where you got it from.
Last edited by jpowersjr2; 04-18-2018 at 11:34 PM.
I would say these are a no brainer alternative to springs on stock shocks or even a stock shock replacement. The only issue I had with them is the rear springs are too short. As I said above I got a coil spring spacer which worked perfectly. Added about 1" to the spring height which I think translates to 2" at the fender.
It's been 9 months so I might as well give some "long term" impressions. Overall these still work well. Feelings from my initial impressions haven't changed much, except to say that as I got more comfortable pushing I have found that these are a bit too soft for real performance driving. The spring rates and low speed damping just leave a little too much vagueness on the table. But for just regular street driving they are pretty much perfect.
I'm a little bummed because on 5/2 I am doing a little track event at our local NASCAR track... would have loved to have moved to the Flex Zs before then but I made some other purchases and just didn't have the time or money. But I think I'm gonna move to the Flex Zs. Roads are smooth enough here that I think I could live with the added spring rate, especially for added damping control.
07-20-2017, 09:46 AM
