Suspension Question for P11

[b-b00gie]

hey jason... as you're one of the few who have the Tein kit.. what can you tell us about it?

how's the ride?
quality?
any tips on setup?
what settings do you have? height.. damping.. etc
would you recommend different settings after riding yours?
any things you dont like?
any install problems?

i for one am always curious to hear about opinions on all available products, especially those which i havent tested myself..

thanks...

[G-Forces]

Originally posted by b-b00gie
hey jason... as you're one of the few who have the Tein kit.. what can you tell us about it?

Lots. OK here we go.

how's the ride?

It's pretty good. A but harder than stock but you can tune it to suit you tastes with the adjustible shocks. Anywhere from slightly bouncy (soft) to kidney pounding (hard).

quality?

Excellent. I ordered Intrax springs for my old Escort GT and they were just chucked in a box. The TEIN was well packaged and came with excellent (in Japanese) instructions. Everything looked in order. Check out http://www.g20.net/mod_sus_tein_na.html for pics and details.

any tips on setup? what settings do you have? height.. damping.. etc

I've set it on the lowest height setting and it doesn't look slammed but it looks sporty low. The rear wheels are just barely tucked into the rear fender and the front I can maybe stick two finger height between the top of the wheel and the bottom of the fender. I believe my shocks are set, from softest 6 clicks front and 4 clicks rear. Any higher and it gets too stiff for daily driving.

I also have the rear top strut mounts from www.motivational.com. These make a difference as the rear had a tendancy to 'hop' over speed bumps. With the motivational strut tops it's noticably smother. These strut tops add an extra 1/2" of suspension travel.

would you recommend different settings after riding yours?

Yes. I'm thinking of raising up to the second last height setting. This should give me an extra 1/4" of travel front and rear.

When I raise it I'll also look at cuting the bumpstops in half. This should add some suspension travel as well. Only problem is the dust boot is integrated into the bumpstop. I have some ideas about this too.

The new motivational strut tops are squeeking like a rally car. It's cool sounding but not on a car like the G20. I'll be checking this out when I raise the suspension and cut the bumpstops.

When I do all this I'll be taking a sheit load of pics and updating g20.net with it. If the weather's nice I might do it next week.

any things you dont like?

Terminal understeer under tight hairpin turns. I think this has to do with a lack of front suspension travel. See above.

any install problems?

None.

[b-b00gie]

thanks for the input.. someone @ my local shop was looking to get them, but was debating on the tein or the koni/gc setup i have... i want him to get the tein lol.. just so i can experience it first hand. sounds like it's pretty much the same type of ride i have...

i tried that Motivational site... it was down =(

[i_rebel]

I wanted a Tein kit for my P10 . . . I ordered them once, can't remember who from, but after they didn't arrive two weeks later, I called back and the told me that they didn't exist??? I couldn't understand (especially after they took my order already), but scrapped the idea . . . Are they available for the P10? G-Forces??

I's like to have Tein, if I can find them. It's got something to do with the road less travelled.

Anyhow, I now have GC's with KYB AGX's. I just received my setup about two weeks ago. Nothing is installed yet.

I'm surprised that no-one here seems to mention GC/AGX as a preferred setup. The AGX's allow for adjustment while on the car, without difficulty. Can the same be said for the Koni Yellow struts?

Tell me something good . . .

Stevie B
P10:sun:

[b-b00gie]

i havent seen a listing on the Tein site for a P10, so i dont think so.

also, there may be someone out there using gc/kyb but everyone here was speaking of P11 setups.. =)

[i_rebel]

gotcha . . .

the suspensions are that different? front or rear?

Stevie B
P10:sun:

[b-b00gie]

not sure, never looked into the p10 much... but they are different

[G-Forces]

Fronts are exactly the same. Rear's are totally different.

[Nismoboy1]

As far as P10 and P11 suspensions go, the only thing interchangable is the front suspension. and TEIN-wise, the only thing offered for a P10 are the S-Tech springs in soft or medium grade. Another thing I've notice about TEIN is that they don't offer the Type-NR setup anymore only the Type-NA setup for a P11. Prolly not worth getting a non-adjustable damper(NR) when the adjustable ones(NA) are only a few hundred more. I'm guessing demand is the issue here.

i_rebel - let us know how your setup turns out, in terms of ride quality, handling, likes/dislikes, the whole nine yards if possible I'm kinda wondering how the front AGX's would do if they were installed on a P11 instead of a P10 like yours, I think I might try it out, since they do fit and I can get them for pretty cheap. Also part numbers on other front shocks (bilstein, koni) for a P10 are exactly the same for a P11, so I figure the valving in the front is exactly the same no matter what car P10 or P11. I don't know...anyways...take care and good luck.

[i_rebel]

I'll definately post my results. Whenever I get around to the install.

I'm waiting till I can find out more about ALL of the suspension components. I still have no idea what camber plates, pillow-mounts, bump-stops are and what part they play in my suspension.

As a side note, I've heard people say that they have a lot of noise from the GC springs. One dude told me it only made noise in the winter . . . Is there a way to keep them quiet? Is this even a problem to begin with?


Stevie B
P10 :sun: