Today I went into the GA mountains with a couple of other guys for a drive. It was the first time I'd really 'tried' my car with the coilover setup. Previous to having the Tein Flex coilovers installed I had the L-Tuned setup (KYB shocks and Eibach springs) which was a big improvement over stock.

If you've been up highways 180, 348, or parts of 129 or 60 in GA, you know they're KILLER roads. Twisting, banks, up and down hills, it's incredible.

When I had my coilovers installed the shop set them up a bit lower than I'd expected and I think the car has settled a bit more since then, so I was actually a bit concerned before going today, thinking my car was too slammed to handle well. Boy was I in for a pleasant surprise.

The coilovers are MUCH more capable and composed than the L-Tuned setup. The amazing thing about them is they're so much more predictable and give you such a great feeling of being in control. The handling is flat, the rebounds are fast and not 'overcorrecting', and they never leave you feeling like the car is unsettled or off balance.

These coilovers have FAR exceeeded my expectations by being comfortable in normal driving and amazingly capable when really tossing the GS around. And with the EDFC (electronic damping force controller) I can set the stiffness from inside the car by pressing a button. 0/0 (hard) for the mountains, and 14/16 for a cushy ride on the highway when cruising. How cool is that?

For anyone thinking of a suspension upgrade, I highly recommend Tein Flex coilovers with EDFC.

 

Nice writeup bit, glad the coilover surpassed your expectations, I truly dont know how I ever rode around without them. They are the perfect mod for us "control freaks" LOL

 

I am still in the "break in" stage of my tein cs and I have to say honestly that I wish I had gone this route from the begining!!The ride is considerably better than my eibachs and even though I'm lower, I scrub alot less!!I would recomend to anyone who is considering lowering their car to save the extra money and go strait to the coilovers and having comfort and control...I will do a complete write in a few weeks..

 

hehe, imho, tein rocks

 

i just ordered my tein cs and edfc what are you talking about break in process ??

 

I have to concur with BitKahuna! Tein Flex with EDFC absolutely rocks! Even though I have not had a chance to test the handling with my Flex setup, the feeling of control (ie being able to change the stiffness of the shocks) so that you can either toss the car in corners or set it soft for city driving is just incredible!

I wish I had gone straight to coilovers instead of the L-tuned setup I went with at first. Cost aside, there is absolutely no reason not to go with the Flex coilovers. Advice to anyone modding their GS, save up for the coilovers and don't bother with L-tuned or other springs and shocks combos.

Mine just developed a very loud and highly annoying 'clunking' sound coming from the front passenger side over every bump in the road. I have to schedule an appointment at the dealer to have this looked at...... I just hope it's nothing major and the Suspension just needs to be reseated or something like that.

 

Nice one Paul!!
Any pics or vids of the drive?

 

Paul, you have just sold probably 10 sets of Tein coils. Your word is golden in the handling realm. Great feedback.

 

to quote manaray
"shocks and springs are for noobs"

 

i have the same set up (teins flex/edfc/sways) for some reasons, my rear feels loose and not planted even in firm 4/2 setting, did you ever have this problem. and how can i correct this? i don't feel safe taking hard turns w/ my flex. thanks

 

That's because bitkahuna also has some rear bracing (and some front). I think a set of Tom's rear brace will help you a lot. Either the 6-link or the rear LCB.

 

just wondering, is that common w/ out the brace and links?

 

I already had the braces on when I put on the Daizen sways so I could not tell. BUT, whn I initially had L-Tuned and the TRD sways, the rear end was a little scary when pushed. Once I put on the RLCB, things were OK again.

 

We need to do some side by side comparisons to sort out your handling problems. I don't think bolting on the toms stuff is going to make them disappear. Could be a combination of tires, tire pressure, tein setting, how you have your sways set up or even your alignment.

When I had my old S-03's on and before I had my last alignment my car was very oversteer happy. I used to intentionally break the rear free when cornering hard because a controlled slide was much more predictable than waiting for the rear of the car to slide out on it's own.

 

i had the same problem with the flex too, and now wth the cs i stil have the problem. the rear seems like to go out easy. i guess it's time for both of us to get some braces