tein Flex help
03-01-2005, 08:38 PM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: st louis
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tein Flex help
i searched for this but still confused i have the Tein flex on my s14 for about 2 weeks now and i like them alot but they are really bouncy to the point you have to drive 20 mph on some concrete roads and i was wondering what i can do to adjust them to be not so bouncy everywhere else they are pretty stiff but when hitting joints and on concrete roads the bounce bad any ideas on what to do? im new to the coilover world so sorry for the dumb question lol oh yeah there at the standerd settings and i have been messing around with the damping to try to fix it and there at 10 10 now any help would be great thanks.
03-04-2005, 09:52 AM
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Socal, 909/626
Posts: 6,587
Re: tein Flex help
Originally posted by zenki24de
i searched for this but still confused i have the Tein flex on my s14 for about 2 weeks now and i like them alot but they are really bouncy to the point you have to drive 20 mph on some concrete roads and i was wondering what i can do to adjust them to be not so bouncy everywhere else they are pretty stiff but when hitting joints and on concrete roads the bounce bad any ideas on what to do? im new to the coilover world so sorry for the dumb question lol oh yeah there at the standerd settings and i have been messing around with the damping to try to fix it and there at 10 10 now any help would be great thanks.
i searched for this but still confused i have the Tein flex on my s14 for about 2 weeks now and i like them alot but they are really bouncy to the point you have to drive 20 mph on some concrete roads and i was wondering what i can do to adjust them to be not so bouncy everywhere else they are pretty stiff but when hitting joints and on concrete roads the bounce bad any ideas on what to do? im new to the coilover world so sorry for the dumb question lol oh yeah there at the standerd settings and i have been messing around with the damping to try to fix it and there at 10 10 now any help would be great thanks.
You will feel a lot more road imperfections, and you will have to slow down to a crawl for some railroad tracks, if you have Flex installed (but not as bad as other coilover setups).
The reason? Simple - first of all, the Flex shocks are dampened to match the Flex spring rates. And what are the Flex spring rates? 200 to 400 percent stiffer than OEM stock S14 springs. Do the math.
BTW 10/10 is pretty stiff for daily. I have really bad railroad tracks and Industrial areas where I live, I run 32/30 daily. I switch to 17/15 when I feel frisky on the freeway, and 02/00 when it's Touge time.
(Take those numbers, divide by 2 if you don't have EDFC)
Did you get an alignment after installing the Flex? Do you have RUCAS?
03-04-2005, 03:29 PM
#4
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: st louis
Posts: 30
thanks good info, so they are supose to feel like blown shocks on concrete roads? they only bounce once then level out again but im just worried that they will be ruined i guess? and i have no idea what RUCAS is, and alignment is comeing next week (had to save up some more money lol)
03-05-2005, 04:47 AM
#5
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: MA
Posts: 1,703
wattup fellas,
I just recently stuck some Tein flex on my S14 also. I too found the ride rather harsh. The manual says the shocks are shipped from the factory at their stiffest setting so I've "clicked" the settings counterclockwise about 9 times on each shock just so I can get around the potholes 'n' what not in our New England winter. not exactly sure which setting this is, but it's A LOT better than before....
I just recently stuck some Tein flex on my S14 also. I too found the ride rather harsh. The manual says the shocks are shipped from the factory at their stiffest setting so I've "clicked" the settings counterclockwise about 9 times on each shock just so I can get around the potholes 'n' what not in our New England winter. not exactly sure which setting this is, but it's A LOT better than before....
03-05-2005, 05:17 AM
#6
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Cali
Posts: 1,055
Originally posted by zenki24de
thanks good info, so they are supose to feel like blown shocks on concrete roads? they only bounce once then level out again but im just worried that they will be ruined i guess? and i have no idea what RUCAS is, and alignment is comeing next week (had to save up some more money lol)
thanks good info, so they are supose to feel like blown shocks on concrete roads? they only bounce once then level out again but im just worried that they will be ruined i guess? and i have no idea what RUCAS is, and alignment is comeing next week (had to save up some more money lol)
Please tell me you bought EDFC with the Flex's.....it's a must have if you have the Flex or Super drift
03-05-2005, 08:14 AM
#7
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Socal, 909/626
Posts: 6,587
Yup - on Flex the factory camber bolt won't have enough adjustment to correct the rear camber. RUCAS are needed bro... around $125 +/- on Ebay.
Blown shocks? How long have you had the Flex on your car? Do you drive around the city like you did before you got the Flex? I'm asking because a lot of people don't adjust their driving habits after putting on a performance upgrade, thinking that "because it's better than stock, it can handle more abuse". Not necessarily - some stock components are better and prove stronger for daily driving.
Remember:
- Tein Flex is still labelled "for off-road use only"
- Tein Flex may be soft enough for daily driving, but not exactly for U.S. roads - it's for Japanese roads (which are taken care of a lot better than ours). If you want comfort similar to OEM, you go with regular shocks and springs
- Tein Flex removes the large rubber isolator mounts up top and replaces them with solid pillowball mounts, so more bumps and road imperfections will be felt by the occupants, and it will be more of a jarring feel than a nudge
- Tein Flex still has springs that are 250-300% stiffer than your OEM springs. Stiffer springs combined with internal dampening that is higher than OEM = slower shock compression when you hit bumps.
... that's all I can think of right now.
Blown shocks? How long have you had the Flex on your car? Do you drive around the city like you did before you got the Flex? I'm asking because a lot of people don't adjust their driving habits after putting on a performance upgrade, thinking that "because it's better than stock, it can handle more abuse". Not necessarily - some stock components are better and prove stronger for daily driving.
Remember:
- Tein Flex is still labelled "for off-road use only"
- Tein Flex may be soft enough for daily driving, but not exactly for U.S. roads - it's for Japanese roads (which are taken care of a lot better than ours). If you want comfort similar to OEM, you go with regular shocks and springs
- Tein Flex removes the large rubber isolator mounts up top and replaces them with solid pillowball mounts, so more bumps and road imperfections will be felt by the occupants, and it will be more of a jarring feel than a nudge
- Tein Flex still has springs that are 250-300% stiffer than your OEM springs. Stiffer springs combined with internal dampening that is higher than OEM = slower shock compression when you hit bumps.
... that's all I can think of right now.
03-05-2005, 02:44 PM
#9
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: st louis
Posts: 30
Originally posted by l2aine
Yup - on Flex the factory camber bolt won't have enough adjustment to correct the rear camber. RUCAS are needed bro... around $125 +/- on Ebay.
Blown shocks? How long have you had the Flex on your car? Do you drive around the city like you did before you got the Flex? I'm asking because a lot of people don't adjust their driving habits after putting on a performance upgrade, thinking that "because it's better than stock, it can handle more abuse". Not necessarily - some stock components are better and prove stronger for daily driving.
Remember:
- Tein Flex is still labelled "for off-road use only"
- Tein Flex may be soft enough for daily driving, but not exactly for U.S. roads - it's for Japanese roads (which are taken care of a lot better than ours). If you want comfort similar to OEM, you go with regular shocks and springs
- Tein Flex removes the large rubber isolator mounts up top and replaces them with solid pillowball mounts, so more bumps and road imperfections will be felt by the occupants, and it will be more of a jarring feel than a nudge
- Tein Flex still has springs that are 250-300% stiffer than your OEM springs. Stiffer springs combined with internal dampening that is higher than OEM = slower shock compression when you hit bumps.
... that's all I can think of right now.
Yup - on Flex the factory camber bolt won't have enough adjustment to correct the rear camber. RUCAS are needed bro... around $125 +/- on Ebay.
Blown shocks? How long have you had the Flex on your car? Do you drive around the city like you did before you got the Flex? I'm asking because a lot of people don't adjust their driving habits after putting on a performance upgrade, thinking that "because it's better than stock, it can handle more abuse". Not necessarily - some stock components are better and prove stronger for daily driving.
Remember:
- Tein Flex is still labelled "for off-road use only"
- Tein Flex may be soft enough for daily driving, but not exactly for U.S. roads - it's for Japanese roads (which are taken care of a lot better than ours). If you want comfort similar to OEM, you go with regular shocks and springs
- Tein Flex removes the large rubber isolator mounts up top and replaces them with solid pillowball mounts, so more bumps and road imperfections will be felt by the occupants, and it will be more of a jarring feel than a nudge
- Tein Flex still has springs that are 250-300% stiffer than your OEM springs. Stiffer springs combined with internal dampening that is higher than OEM = slower shock compression when you hit bumps.
... that's all I can think of right now.
03-05-2005, 03:28 PM
#10
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Socal, 909/626
Posts: 6,587
Originally posted by zenki24de
i have had them on for about 3 weeks now, i drive alot slower then before and try to find different routes around to work for a smoother ride so i dont know but these concrete roads are really awful can you compress the springs alittle more to be more stiff then bouncy? man i hope i didnt ruin them already sniff
i have had them on for about 3 weeks now, i drive alot slower then before and try to find different routes around to work for a smoother ride so i dont know but these concrete roads are really awful can you compress the springs alittle more to be more stiff then bouncy? man i hope i didnt ruin them already sniff
If you preload the springs (what you call 'compress the springs a little more') then you'll make the spring react faster to every little bump and dip in the road. You're storing more energy by preloading.
It''s generally not the spring that makes a car bouncy - it's the shock valving. The shock controls the speed and movement of the cars weight. The valving (and likewise the dampening setting) determines how fast the shock reacts to these same bumps and dips. Heavier (slower) dampening makes the shock require a more constant force to compress, lighter (faster) dampening allows the shock to move and react quicker to quick jolts.
There's more to it... but yeah. Try going softer on the dampening.
03-05-2005, 05:14 PM
#11
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: st louis
Posts: 30
Originally posted by l2aine
not to sound like an ***, but did you buy the Flex for their intended purpose, or did you just want to lower your car more than springs can?
If you preload the springs (what you call 'compress the springs a little more') then you'll make the spring react faster to every little bump and dip in the road. You're storing more energy by preloading.
It''s generally not the spring that makes a car bouncy - it's the shock valving. The shock controls the speed and movement of the cars weight. The valving (and likewise the dampening setting) determines how fast the shock reacts to these same bumps and dips. Heavier (slower) dampening makes the shock require a more constant force to compress, lighter (faster) dampening allows the shock to move and react quicker to quick jolts.
There's more to it... but yeah. Try going softer on the dampening.
not to sound like an ***, but did you buy the Flex for their intended purpose, or did you just want to lower your car more than springs can?
If you preload the springs (what you call 'compress the springs a little more') then you'll make the spring react faster to every little bump and dip in the road. You're storing more energy by preloading.
It''s generally not the spring that makes a car bouncy - it's the shock valving. The shock controls the speed and movement of the cars weight. The valving (and likewise the dampening setting) determines how fast the shock reacts to these same bumps and dips. Heavier (slower) dampening makes the shock require a more constant force to compress, lighter (faster) dampening allows the shock to move and react quicker to quick jolts.
There's more to it... but yeah. Try going softer on the dampening.
03-05-2005, 07:19 PM
#12
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Socal, 909/626
Posts: 6,587
Originally posted by zenki24de
thanks i will try that, and i searched along time to try and find a coilover that best suits me as a driver and what i do and tein flex was the best for me, since my car is a daily driver and i like to touge the lowering is just a extra, i also knew that it was going to make the ride very different on regular roads it is pretty nice on decent paved roads but those dang concrete roads suck o well hopefully bringing the dampening down will help it thanks for all the help and info l2aine.
thanks i will try that, and i searched along time to try and find a coilover that best suits me as a driver and what i do and tein flex was the best for me, since my car is a daily driver and i like to touge the lowering is just a extra, i also knew that it was going to make the ride very different on regular roads it is pretty nice on decent paved roads but those dang concrete roads suck o well hopefully bringing the dampening down will help it thanks for all the help and info l2aine.
03-09-2005, 12:48 PM
#13
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Boston/New York
Posts: 140
If you were really into comfort you should switch back to stock, and if you didn't get them for a sport aspect, im not sure why you got them. Did you want to have them for spirited driving or what? If your dampen your car the wrong way, depending on how low you are, you could end up bottoming out, like here in Mass, its a nightmare trying to drive around with all the potholes. I think from what I remember comfort usually comes fromt eh rear anyway so try adjusting those first. And don't lower your car past the point where your control arms are angled up to meet the wheels, you want them even. I dont know if this is info you wanted but you said you were new to the coilover thing so I hope I helped...
