GSTRANCE

If anyone is knowledgable of Tein coilovers, please help me out.Here are my questions. Is the car gonna be able to be aligned say with a 2.5" inch drop in ride height? What versions are available for my car ('00 GS400) and what are the features of these different models? What should I expect to pay for each of the different sets? Am I gonna go through tires on a monthly basis? And an overall feeling of the ride opposed to something like Eibach springs? If anyone can help me out with these questions I would really appreciate it.

Manaray

www.tein.com has infor on teh differen models...basically, it's about ride comfort...some are stiff for track/drift and some are soft for street use....prices are on there too. When you're ready to buy, talk to Steve Ganz for a ClubLexus price....

As for the alignment, well I just had mine done and I didn't notice any alignment issues yet. As for tire usage, you shouldn't go through tires any more than you do now...unless you change your driving habits (like hitting the canyons every day or something)

Overall ride depends on which ones you're talkinga bout...the CS and FLEX offer the best ride quality w/o sacrificing performance...the HA's ride stiffer and unless you're tracking the car, you won't realize any performance gain over the CS or FLEX.

JWgs430

iTrader: (2)

manaray,
i am deciding between the cs or the flex. however, their is not a big difference in price. any suggestions on which one to get? pro and con?

GSTRANCE

thanks for the response, i'll look into it

Manaray

Personally, I picked the FLEX system for the GS...the reason being twofold...

First off, it's gives a near-CS quality ride. The spring rates are just 1 pound apart (the FLEX being just a little bit stiffer)...this was an important factor because I already have 20's on the car and I don't really need to stiffen my ride any more...I like some comfort...

Secondly, it's WAY more adjustable in terms of height and it can retain the "factory" spring height and shock travel. The CS system uses the standard "spring compression" method to lower. In other words, you compress the spring more (an adjustment ring and a lock ring) to get the car lower...when you compress the spring, you also lessen the shock travel...both of these factors cause a stiffer than "normal" ride ("normal" being the "factory recommended" settings for the CS by Tein)

The FLEX system is different because you can lower the car by the BOTTOM of the shock (it has a fully threaded lower body) rather than using the standard "spring compression" method (which is still available if you want to lessen shock travel). With this type of system, you can lower the car and still retain full shock/spring travel (which can have a pitfall...more on that later).

With my 20" wheels, I lower it just 3/8" and 1/2" MORE THAN Tein's "factory recommended" settings. With that setting, my front wheels WILL only have a 1/2 finger gap...that's approx. 1/4" spacing from the top of the tire to the edge of the fender. On the back end, it should just sit the fender right on the tire (maybe a tucked just a bit). I say "will" and "should" because the suspension is about 1/4" higher than that right now but the system, like any other, will eventually settle after a month or two.

Now going back to the disadvantage of have full shock travel after you car is lowered...let's say you have a SUPER LOW kit or you set your coilovers super low...if you hit a decent dip or bump, you suspension my compress to the point where a part of car hits the pavement due to the shock travel. So when you lower it, you have to find a balance between shock travel and lowering height in order to prevent that...and that will depend on your kit and the type of roads you're driving on...something you'll have to find out for yourself!

GSTRANCE

Very impressive knowledge.Thank you, what width are your wheels and what size tires are you running btw? I saw this GS at a show and he said he had TEIN's and he lowered his car approximately 3". He was running 20by9" Lowenharts's, but he had fairly narrow 245/35's all the way around.I would like to retain my 255's but get the stance of his car. So in your opinion, is this an extreme drop with the FLEX system, like the kinda of thing that eats tires and rides like a wagon? Or do you think it is managable? This is a pic of the rear of the car I was talking about.

Manaray

Well I run a 20 x 9.5 rear with a 275/30-20 (+37 offset) and my drop is almost as low as that photo (about 1/4"~1/2" higher), I have no rubbing, and the car drives fine...

I'm still on the same set of tires (has about 10K miles I believe) and my tread still looks fine...Nitto NT555 Extremes)...

As for the ride, with 20" wheel, the ride is going to be a little harsher, however, with the Tein FLEX coilovers (or any other coilovers that are in the same spring rate/dampening numbers), it rides smooth enough for me...

The best thing to do would be to ride around in someone's car who has a similar setup. Now remember, if they have stiff coilovers (like the Tein HA), the ride would be worse than with they Tein CS or Tein FLEX in the same car...

GSTRANCE

thanks again