Tein Superstreets

[tets]

just wondering if anyone can give me any experience of these with the electronic damping adjustment?
I believe the springs are 4 / 6 which are too soft for me really but I bought them anyway as they were quite a bit cheaper than buying new budget ones and 2nd hand are non existent!

Good or bad opinions please

[Dev]

I have them and love them. They are made for the street and not the track however they can hold up well for mild track use. They are not flexible at all and do not have a good way of adjusting the ride hight or damper setting. If you adjust them to the recommended hight and damper settings they are supreme for both ride comfort and handling because they are a researched set unlike 90% of what is out there. They are also very durable for longevity and have corrosion protection.
 The EDFC is mostly a gimmick because there is only one or two settings that match the spring rates for proper damping but this is true with most coilovers but with these the adjustments are far more limiting and that is why they do not need frequent rebuilds which is a good thing. 

 If you want better the Cusco Zero 2 and the KW V3 is the way to go for flexibility. Any of the cheap Taiwanese sets are not good for street use compared to these.  If you plan to track then I would avoid using these because they would be considered too soft.



 

 

[Roj]

@tets do you have past experience of these or other dampers with similar spring rates?

[tets]

I have a lot of experience of rally cars but not the MR2 on a hillclimb or sprint.
For wet rallies I would always drop the spring rates and i'm bargaining on the UK sprint and hillclimb series being wetter than dry!
I may have made a mistake but i'll try them. For an extra couple of hundred quid I could have had the budget BC's so i'll take my chances and report back accordingly
i think i'd get my money back if I needed to pass them on
Thanks Dev for your feedback and please let me know your thoughts Roj

[Dev]

I have a lot of experience of rally cars but not the MR2 on a hillclimb or sprint.
For wet rallies I would always drop the spring rates and i'm bargaining on the UK sprint and hillclimb series being wetter than dry!
I may have made a mistake but i'll try them. For an extra couple of hundred quid I could have had the budget BC's so i'll take my chances and report back accordingly
i think i'd get my money back if I needed to pass them on
Thanks Dev for your feedback and please let me know your thoughts Roj

 People have did well with these on track even though they are not design for it. They are far better than the Koni cartridges and BC coilovers from my experience of driving these set ups from other owners cars. 
If you want direct comparisons.

They are stiffer than the Koni cartridges on lowering springs even on full hard.
They are softer than the BC coilovers yet they have better road holding, are far more comfortable and controllable that you can kick the rear end out progressively.
 
However if you are looking for adjustability its not there because the body of the shock is not independent from the adjusters. The higher the ride hight the stiffer it gets, the lower you go it goes soft. Its best at Teins  recommended hight.
For your use case I think they will be better than the BC if the road is irregular because the damping will be superior to the BC and if you need it to be stiffer I would opt for a set of swaybars. 

[tets]

great perspective Dev
I have new Whitelines, superpro, bracing and camber bolts so there's loads of adjustment.
I did fancy the better damping as opposed to the stiff not really well damped budget shocks but would have prefered stiffer.
I wanted the BC ER's but at £1600, the Teins were less than half the price so couldn't say no - I've got someone wanting my TTE springs / standard shock set up so it lessens the blow somewhat!
I will give feedback as the sprints are generally smooth but hillclimbs can be a bit bumpier - got to be an improvement either way!

[Dev]

great perspective Dev
I have new Whitelines, superpro, bracing and camber bolts so there's loads of adjustment.
I did fancy the better damping as opposed to the stiff not really well damped budget shocks but would have prefered stiffer.
I wanted the BC ER's but at £1600, the Teins were less than half the price so couldn't say no - I've got someone wanting my TTE springs / standard shock set up so it lessens the blow somewhat!
I will give feedback as the sprints are generally smooth but hillclimbs can be a bit bumpier - got to be an improvement either way!

Im just giving you a informed  opinion with some of the drawbacks with flexibility but in actually the you don't need flexibility if the research was done right. You might actually find them to be very stiff if you are coming from TTE springs so that might surprise you. They can also be re-valved from Tein to be stiffer with the harder springs if you ever want to evolve with them.
  Just make sure you don't go past 16 on the adjuster which is counted from full stiff as being number one and to the desired setting going backwards which is actually best at 8. If you do go past 16 you can damage them so make sure you read the manual on these.

 As far as the budget BC goes the Koni set up is far superior for control and comfort. The Tein is better than both because of the superior damping.
 
Please let me know your thoughts after you install them.


 
 

[Roj]

My personal preference will likely be different to yours, but when I'm learning a new track or course I prefer a wee bit of body roll as it allows more linearity in the build-up and drop off in grip, and gives me a bit more confidence to push right on and find the limits early. That's useful for me. Could be useful for you too as you find your way around the new sprints and hillclimbs. But I appreciate not everyone likes it that way - most just go for as stiff as they can get it... "because race cars"!

Sounds like you have some adjustability with the rest of your set up so I'd give them a go and see how you get on. As you say, if they're not to your preference you won't be short of buyers.

[Alex Knight]

I've got these, and have had them for some years now.

As most of you know, I've been using Tein Superstreet with EDFC for years now.

Really, I echo the comments @Dev made, perhaps with the exception of track capability. I find them really quite capable. Don't get me wrong, something a bit stiffer would be better suited to track work, but I don't find them out of their depth at all.

In my opinion, they do what they say on the tin. A damper that you can drive to the track in decent comfort, run laps all day with the dampers wound up, then drive home again.

I really couldn't be happier with them. So much so that I'm going to get them fully rebuilt soon, instead of going for new suspension.

Also, I think the above quoted spring rates are incorrect. The correct spring rates are:

F=3.0 R=4.0 (kg/mm)

[Dev]

 My spring rates are 3/6. They are different depending on region. I was told the max you can go without a re valve is 4/6.  I also thought about upgrading to KW but I reconsidered since I have been satisfied with this set so I sent them out to be rebuilt. You will like the rebuild service, very professional how the process went and not expensive.

[Alex Knight]

How much did it cost for the rebuild (I understand that it's a case-by-case basis)?

[Dev]

How much did it cost for the rebuild (I understand that it's a case-by-case basis)?

It might have changed. When I did it there was a chart that listed how much depending on the type of strut.
If they find a rod is not true as in my case it will run you more for the part.
Let me see if I can find the chart.

[Dev]

Here is the US chart.
https://www.tein.com/service/price_list.html
I remember it was $75 for each corner. It might be the same for yours unless pricing is different in the UK. You don't have to send them the entire strut just the body which saves you on shipping.

[tets]

Yeah Roj, a bit of compliance will make it easier to learn and I can always dial the whitelines in or out! I don't do stiff for the sake of it! I doubt i'd get up Scammonden hillclimb with a super stiff set up - it's bumpy in places!

Thanks Alex, sounds like they are going to be a great buy and the rebuild costs don't look bad at all Dev!
 
They guy i've bought them off told me 4/6 and i'm guessing it will be printed on the spring so no need to doubt him yet - They are due to arrive today so i'll have a look.

Only thing I didn't see was a manual but i'm guessing i'll find one online somewhere!!

cheers chaps for all of your comments / feedback
 

[Dev]

My personal preference will likely be different to yours, but when I'm learning a new track or course I prefer a wee bit of body roll as it allows more linearity in the build-up and drop off in grip, and gives me a bit more confidence to push right on and find the limits early. That's useful for me. Could be useful for you too as you find your way around the new sprints and hillclimbs. But I appreciate not everyone likes it that way - most just go for as stiff as they can get it... "because race cars"!

Sounds like you have some adjustability with the rest of your set up so I'd give them a go and see how you get on. As you say, if they're not to your preference you won't be short of buyers.

I agree with this. Having the car super stiff is where many people fail with their set ups. You need some compliance even in the chassis. When people add high spring rates with poor damping it is a recipe for a poor handling car that is always on the edge of traction with no feel to inspire confidence.
 The reason why BC coilovers have to have stiff springs is to account for the lack of shock oil in the poor design of the body.
  Also the twin tube of the Teins allows for more stroke with plenty of shock oil and that is why they are firm yet not jarring.
 I like that my car rolls a little because it lets me feel where the suspension and tires are well before they are tested instead of having to feel the after effects of the inputs like a short leash.

[Zspeed]

Yeah Roj, a bit of compliance will make it easier to learn and I can always dial the whitelines in or out! I don't do stiff for the sake of it! I doubt i'd get up Scammonden hillclimb with a super stiff set up - it's bumpy in places!

Thanks Alex, sounds like they are going to be a great buy and the rebuild costs don't look bad at all Dev!
 
They guy i've bought them off told me 4/6 and i'm guessing it will be printed on the spring so no need to doubt him yet - They are due to arrive today so i'll have a look.

Only thing I didn't see was a manual but i'm guessing i'll find one online somewhere!!

cheers chaps for all of your comments / feedback
 

@tets have you put these on now? What do you think?

[tets]

i've been over the water for the last few weeks and although they're on, the cars not been out of the garage!!

[Zspeed]

Ah, im looking a set myself and interested to see what you thought. Its a second hand set, anything you would advise looking out for?