Can anyone confirm that this suspension will fit my 1993 Lexus SC400? https://www.proimporttuners.com/part...coilovers.html

 

Best to go directly to the TEIN site and use their configurator to double check. Typically Supra and SC suspension parts are interchangeable but not 100%….

I have the Street Flex models (now discontinued) on my SC and they have been nice….

 

just fyi, pretty much any supra coilover will give you a lower drop than an SC coil. I got the KW V3 for my SC that are meant for an MKIV supra, according to the paperwork, they are supposed to be at factory height at their highest setting (for the supra) but on the SC the highest (tallest) setting is about a 1.5 inch drop. Keep this in mind when you are getting supra coils.

 

Hi folks, thanks for your feedback. I confirmed with the seller than these will fit Lexi but I didn't ask about ride height. This seems like it could be a serious problem for someone who lives in VERY hilly/bumpy terrain. Will I be bottoming out? I wasn't looking to slam the car on the ground, just a high performance replacement for my failed struts. Your thoughts? I've asked the seller to hold my order while I sort this out...

 

While i dont know how low the teins will run, my KWs at their highest setting give me about 4.3 inches of ground clearance at its lowest point. I still clear driveways and speedbumps but i have to go extra slow to avoid scraping. My perfect height would be about 1/2 inch taller from my current height on all 4 corners. The FlexZ coil does have a version for the SC specifically according to the Tein website but is currently out of stock. Based on their specs, the SC variant has a max recommended ride height that is 1 inch lower than stock which means that if the version you are buying is the same as the SC variant, your tallest ride height is going to be a 1 inch drop. As in all cases when you're lowering a car, you will sacrifice suspension travel in favor of a lower ride. When you say bottom out, if youre referring to your frame hitting the road, that is unlikely to happen unless you do something extreme like hit a speedbump at 50 mph. However, depending on your spring rate and shock, you will likely hit the bump stop every now and then. In my case this only happens when i hit a severe dip on the highway. The main thing to look out for is manhole covers that stick up from the ground. If those stick out far enough, you could hit your oil pan.

Also, I'm not sure how much importance you assign to ride comfort but you're going to be more than doubling your spring rates which will make the car very firm. Even with my KW setup which is considered to be one of the most comfortable set of coils to put on our cars, its still significantly less comfortable compared to stock, especially when taken onto bumpy roads. Yes you'll get a handling boost, but it will come at the cost of comfort.

There is one other issue you will run into with a moderate drop that I haven't seen mentioned. Everyone knows that you need an alignment to fix your camber issue (as much as possible with stock suspension components) after you lower your car but one thing I haven't seen mentioned is that you won't be able to do it in a normal shop. Most shops nowadays use sensors that attach to the wheels with arms that lock on to the face of the tire. These arms are designed to work with a specific minimum amount of fender gap. When you lower your car and close that gap, they will not be able to attach the sensors to the wheels anymore. You'll have to take the car to a shop that has sensors that attach to the face of the rim rather than the outside of the tire.

Here is an example of the common 'normal' sensor:
https://gatormotorsport.com/sites/de...3c551954225097
and here is one for the sensors that attach to the face of the rim:
https://www.hollenshades.com/wp-cont...-336810517.jpg

 

Ugh, this is getting more complicated than I expected. So I will definitely need an alignment after the swap? And it sounds like I'll need to find a shop who can do it with the non-standard sensors.

Has anyone else put the TEIN setup on their rig? I'm wondering how that experience went and if you know the specific body drop amount for the TEIN setup?

Thanks for all the great info folks!

 

Yup, I researched suspension and coilover setups for years before finally deciding on which once to get. If you have the ability to pay more, I would say go with BC or Fortune Auto. FA allows you to upgrade to a 2 way suspension later on which is really nice if you decide to tinker with your ride more.

While you could technically drive with the tires cambered out, it will cause uneven tire wear. Depending on how low you go, you may not be able to avoid that without replacing suspension components to allow for greater camber adjustment but you won't know until you take it to a shop to get it aligned. Coils have a 'settle' period so give your suspension time to settle and have it set to your desired ride height before you get it aligned.

 

So I'm a bit confused. On one hand, it's Christmas day and I'm trying not to freak out, thinking I may have made a $900 mistake and giving myself an ulcer. I'm in Hawaii so shipping these back isn't really an option. I tried to hold the order but it was too late - they're on the way. I thought these would be an easy direct swap for my failed rear struts. Now I'm feeling all kinds of stupid.

On the other hand, I've read some reviews that people really like these coilovers and they make for a good ride. But I'm unclear about the complications. So I'm trying to understand what to expect. As I now understand, it sounds like my car is going to be dropping something like 1-1.5 inches (although I'm probably already riding a bit low with completely failed shocks, so maybe it won't be so bad). But what other considerations do I need to be making?

- V - says:
This is freaking me out...camber adjustment? Uneven tire wear? Trying not to hyperventilate here...

I understand about the alignment issue: get the car aligned after install and adjustment by a shop with the proper sensors. Is there anything else I need to know? I guess I'm losing suspension travel because the car will be lower - bummer. I'm concerned my tires will rub the fenders, as I'm replacing those this week too. Did I just totally screw up here? Can anyone offer any consolation to someone who feels like a jackass for making a huge mistake on parts he clearly doesn't know enough about? I was hoping to bring these to my mechanic, have him pull off the old shocks, put these on, and drive away with minimal complications... Feeling like a pretty big dummy here...

​​​​​​​Merry Christmas y'all

 

No need to worry too much, worst case scenario you can always return them for a tiny loss in return shipping.

When you lower your car, your wheels will have negative camber, this is just how wishbone suspension works. To correct it, there are special bolts and spacers on the lower control arms that push the bottom of your wheel in and out which changes your camber but the stock suspension was designed with a fairly narrow camber adjustment range so if you go too low, the stock suspension will not be able to bring camber back within proper spec. I recommend doing a bunch more research about suspension alignment so you know what you're getting into.

For rubbing issues, that entirely depends on the wheel and tire package you plan to install. Our wheel wells are pretty large so you can get pretty wide with the wheels before running into rubbing issues but you have to be careful with the offset of the wheels.

ITs also important that your bushings on the suspension are in good condition to avoid issues later on
the only other problem you MIGHT face is inside the driver side front wheel well. There is a wiring harness that runs behind the shroud which, if your car is super low, can end up getting chewed through if your wheel rubs on it. You'll know if that's an issue if you see scuff marks on the shroud after you start driving with it lowered. Relocation is easy though, some people do it anyway just to be safe even if they don't rub

 

Ok, so I guess it would be good to get feedback who has used this exact set of coilovers so I know how much the car will be lowered. If I can keep it to only 1-1.5" it sounds like it shouldn't cause too much trouble...

 

You dont need to speak with anyone with tein coilovers to confirm anything they are a well known brand. what you bought is fine and will work with no compilcations. unless you plan on lowering the car until they are tucked your camber isnt a big deal. find a shop that does a 4 wheel alighnment and print out from online all the adjustments points so there are no exscuses for the shop. literally nothing to even be nervous about let alone freaking out relax a 1.5 inch drop is nothing.

 

Agreed that your purchase is fine.

Moving from the OEM struts to coil overs come with features covered above. I did a lot research, as well, that prepared me for the impacts of this decision.

I wanted to avoid any fender mods so consulted with the shop beforehand. You also want to ensure the stops are set in the front so the lowered tire does not rub the inside fender well (which shields an electrical harness). And yes, the whole idea of coil overs are to lower the car to improve handling (which is quite noticeable). The alignment is a must.

The ride will be a lot stiffer for sure but the trade off is impressive cornering. The TEIN allows for 16 way adjustment and I was advised to set the front coils stiffer then the rears. For example, if you set the fronts to “12” the recommended setting for the rears is “8”. To do this it is best to tighten down the adjustment to the stiffest setting and back off clicks to the desired setting.

In reading the sticky about tire and wheel options, I had the coil overs done first and then acquired the new wheels (19s) and staggered setup afterwards where the shop dialed in the final setup for ride and clearance. Another alignment was performed. I also had planned for the BBK so the new wheels would accommodate the larger front calipers . This was done over 18 months…

I can’t stress enough about reading/studying the wheels/tire sticky thread on wheel and tire options. The details about wheel offsets are critical to select wheels to get the desired look; don’t go and buy cheap wheels because they look cool…. You will learn a lot about spacers, Big Brake Kits (BBK), and hub rings and an assortment of topics you never knew you had to know about. Some of us think these are fun to learn and then apply to our cars; learning this stuff after is stressful and expensive. Take your time and make good decisions for your goals on the car.



Starting point; stock.

After the coil overs.

With wheels and tires.

 

Thanks for all the encouragement folks. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all comes together - anxiety mixed with excitement. I'll keep you posted

 

Duck, your wheels are100%
and Ethan, I just installed Tiens, There is a settle in time, for a while I was getting 2 extra bounces per bumps than I paid for ha ha .And it took me a while to get used to the new ride, but right now it was all worth it

 

Is this what you mean by "all the the adjustment points? https://zinref.ru/avtomobili/Lexus/2...nglish/818.htm