Suspension fitted ...

[White Lightning]

Managed to finish the installation of the Tein coilovers today. Also, fitted my new rear ARB whilst I was there. Plus, I *think* I may have worked out why my suspension was sitting low on one side at the back ...

Anyway, first impressions of the Teins are that the car seems to handle much better. I have only taken it for a quick spin around the block so far though.

Will get some photos up tomorrow ... front end looks much better now :thumbsup:

[Spirit]

Hey great news mate, well done.....look forward to seeing the pix.

So come on then.....what was the issue at the rear ?

[Nick Mann]

Well done bud! And an apology - I said I was going to measure my ride height and adjuster ring height for you. I never did. /pan

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I am enjoying mine!

[White Lightning]

Hey great news mate, well done.....look forward to seeing the pix.

So come on then.....what was the issue at the rear ?

Yeah, will get some up tomorrow. I have got the height set on the "out of the box" setting at the moment so the rear is actually the same height as before at the moment. But the front is definately much better ... :pimp2:

Well, this is what I found ... I removed the shock/spring assembly on both sides and the ARB and there was still a noticeable difference in the height that the hub was sitting on both sides. Closer investigation suggested this was something to do with the upper arm. So I removed the bolt holding the knuckle to the hub from the upper arm and the two upper arms were definately sitting at completely different heights ...

... there was about 2 inches difference between the two sides of the car :speechles

So, I have now very carefully re-aligned the NSR upper arm and the car seems to be sitting more level. However, I can't be 100% sure until I find somewhere completely flat to park and then take some measurements ...

Some progress though ... :scholar:

[Spirit]

Well, let's hope that sorts it mate.....time to find a nice flat car park tomorrow then /yes

[White Lightning]

Well done bud! And an apology - I said I was going to measure my ride height and adjuster ring height for you. I never did. /pan

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I am enjoying mine!

Yes, you did /pan

No worries.

I have some other questions that you may be able to help with though ...

1). I assume that you do actually adjust the height of the coilovers by just shortening and lengthening the springs? Longer for lower and shorter for higher?

2). What dampening have you got your's set to? I am 6 clicks from HARD at the moment ...

3). Did you use the rust proof stuff? What's it for?

Think that's it .... :thinking:

[Nick Mann]

1. That's how I see it.
2. Using the EDFC,so I don't think the clicks all add up to the same... I have 0-16 on the EDFC. I find anything over the mid point gets a bit jittery over bumps unless I have extra weight on board. Most of the time I have it set on soft, although when Vicky is out of the car I put it to mid-point or slightly harder. Hard is great for smooth roads, but upsets my eyeballs when going over rumble strips!
3. Didn't use it. I couldn't figure it all out! I used grease and threadlock on the EDFC fittings and the shock setting adjustment, but nothing on the rest. There didn't seem to be anywhere logical to apply it?

[Spirit]

Is this the stuff ?

uploaded/2/1192916963.jpg

If so it says "Just spray on threading part to create thin layer of film for protection against corrosion. "

[Kieran]

Tein rust proof.... The Japanese will market anything!

A film to prevent rust.... Hmmm, like WD40 or similar then!

[Wakaba]

The rust proof stuff is good! It is Teflon based not oil as in WD40, but it is just as good as any other Teflon spray.

Tein's historically had issues with rust problems, and this is their fix. I have been using their suspension for about 10 years now, and found that when the rust gets set it, it's time for rebuild. So, I use it for a timer for builds. Be sure to spray the stuff on the threads and the lower portion of the shocks where they mount to the fork, and rear suspension. These are the most prone to rusting.

The factory settings for ride hight are typically about 20mm higher then where anyone would like. This is the combat some of the laws here in japan regarding lowered cars. Depending on what model Tein you have will determine how you adjust your ride height. The Flex/Mono-Flex use a threaded shock body, and ride height is best adjusted by moving the lower mount up or down. HA/HR, and some of the other lower models use the spring perch adjustment. If this is what you have, then do as stated above and adjust accordingly. Remember that when you drop the car too low you will start to reduce the efficiency of the shock, and place your ride zone withing the bottom of the shock throw. By this you will be riding in the stiffest region of the shock and may bounce off the bump stop.

If you are looking for super low, then this is fine. IF you want the car to corner better, stay within 10-25mm of the factory recommended settings.

[White Lightning]

Yep, that's the stuff Pete.

Thanks for the info Wakaba. I will get the stuff sprayed on just in case then ...

I've got the Super Wagon kit fitted. I'll get some photos later before I do any adjustments so that others can see what the factory setup is in the future. Not looking for super low though. Just looking for a more purposeful look and better handling. The factory ride height is not that far off although I will probably tweak the rears down a little.

[White Lightning]

Here are a couple of photos ...

[Spirit]

In my best Bruce Forsyth voice.......lower.....lower /lol

Looks good mate :2thumbsup

So, is your arse straight now then ?

[bradc]

needs to be about 20mm lower at the front and 10mm at the rear :)

[Subaru ETA]

gotta love the white sedans!

[White Lightning]

So, is your arse straight now then ?

Straighter .... only 4mm difference at the rear now but I have got 10mm difference at the front (drivers side still higher). But there are two things to consider:

a) it is pretty much impossible to tell if a parking space is completely level without taking a very long spirit level to it first ...

b) I have been ferking about with the upper arms at the front now ... so maybe one of those is out of alignment ... I will check them when I get the new rubber boot from Mitsi.

Regardless, once I have re-done the front upper arms I will take it for a full alignment check.

[White Lightning]

needs to be about 20mm lower at the front and 10mm at the rear :)

Maybe. I am a bit worried about whacking my nice shiny new downpipes though ... /pan

[Wouter]

Just a quick note...

My Teins started making weird noises a few weeks ago, it sounded real bad when hitting bumps and even when getting in and out of the car.

This weekend I finally managed to have a look at it......

The plastic dust cover inside the spring section was not seated properly... /pan

All that worry for nothing!!

[White Lightning]

Good tip Wouter ... will bear that in mind if I get any problems :2thumbsup

[The Vee]

Gonna get a panning for this.................................but I like that ride height. No longer looks like it's on stilts!!


/ err do I know that car park/pan /pan

[White Lightning]

Gonna get a panning for this.................................but I like that ride height. No longer looks like it's on stilts!!


Thanks mate. Me too /yes


/ err do I know that car park/pan /pan

I don't know what you mean? :inquisiti /haz :scholar: