I know a good amount of 4th gen owners have TEIN Basic Coilovers and it seems most are happy with them. Yet they are seldom discussed on the Org. I am considering buying a set and would like some people to weigh in.

How is the ride? Are the 7 kg/mm front/6 kg/mm rear springs good for riding around town? I am mainly interested in a 1.5" drop without losing suspension travel like you do with a regular lowering spring/strut combo.

How do the dampers hold up over time and many miles? Any problems? Anyone had to have them rebuilt? Do they make noises like other coilovers (I'm assuming no because they use the stock rubber top mounts)? Do they stay tightly in their setting or do they come loose like K-Sports and others can?

How about the installation? Did they ever correct the problem with the bolt holes being too small? How easy is it to adjust ride height?

Post any relevant info here, but please don't post about other suspension options except as comparison.

 

bump bump coilovers help over bumps

 

Try pming thismaxistight if all else fails.

 

I would like to know this information too.I just got a wrecked Maxima with a strut/spring combo but I am still thinking about coilovers later.

 

I am also very interested in this setup.

 

..no one get it.

 

ksports are much better. why not get those?

 

I'm definitely considering Tein Basics also.. I got the Ksports on the org during the second gd.. I was happy at first but as time went by i started hearing things .. When i gave up my max i parted out and i took em off and sold em..They never messed up on me but after reading about all the problems on the org i don't think Ill be going back with ksports.. Me personally riding Ksports i think they're good enough for the price.. Most my other tuner buddy's also ride damper systems and ive seen most installs.. Ksport is the only coil over I've ever seen that is adjustable 36 ways and to me that's a bad thing... For one its not at all necessary and you'll get confused trying to do it.. Second every single piece on that system moves which is weired.. Ive had the chance to have hands on looks at other coil over systems like JIC, TEIN, and the HKS damper systems and they're all pretty straightforward.. On the Ksports you can adjust the height that the inner tube sits on the lower strut mount which to me didn't feel to safe.. Ive had the chance to ride in 2002 Altima with tein basic and it rode real smooth on low drop... no noises what so ever.. anyway ksports are good but i don't think they're better then the Tein Basics.. I just recently got my max back and I'm looking into what system I'm getting and so far I'm going with the Tein Basic Damper, my second choice would be Ksports... I would like to have JIC but they're way out of my price range, so Tein and Ksports are the only setups I'd use.

 

I've ridden in a car with Tein Basics and I can definitely say it rode more smoothly than my car with Ksports. That's not really a surprise considering that they re-use some stock suspension parts and come with significantly softer front springs.

As far as the noise issue, Tein Basics have an advantage because, in addition to having softer front springs and re-using some stock suspension parts, they're so simple. The lower mount is fixed on the damper body and you adjust height by raising or lowering the spring, which means there is really only one rotating piece. Tradeoff: The lower you set them, the less suspension travel you get. You also have no way to increase spring preload with a big drop, which means there's no way to compensate for the higher chance of hitting the bumpstops.

By comparison, Ksports have pillow ball upper mounts in front, very very few soft parts, and stiffer front springs (if you get the default rates), all of which add up to transmitting more noise over bumps and uneven surfaces. They also let you adjust height by changing the position of the lower mount, which gives a LOT more possibility for noise if you do a slap-dash job of the install. The tradeoffs: Pillow ball mounts give you camber adjustability, a lower number of soft parts increases feel and precision, and adjusting the height via the position of the lower mount lets you have the same suspension travel no matter what your ride height is.

It's all about priorities, I guess...

 

Because they are not?

 

you should tell them about your D2's, its about the same isn't it?..

 

i have tein basics, had them over a year and i have no complaints whatsoever... install couldnt have been easier and i have my car real low, over 2.5" in the front and the ride is super smooth and no noises... never ever hit the bumpstops.... i had one of my buddies ride along w/ me once he says it feels even smoother then the stock setup... im super impressed and would highly recommend these to anyone... amazing setup and definately really affordable

 

my ksports make no noise. i have seen cars with D2's that make lots of noise. Ksports are very good coilovers..... better than Tein IMO. Tein basics really got nothing on ksports...

 

...as long as you install your Ksports correctly and don't mess with them in stupid ways.

Teins are just harder to mess up because they don't let you adjust anything but height. As long as you don't slam them, you'll be fine. Ksports can be much much better, but they also provide more opportunity for stupid mistakes. Again... It's all a matter of priorities.

 

My k-sports are fine. no noises at all, and it rides real smooth compared to my tein s-tech and agx i had before. Alot of people who bought the k-sports donot like them because theyhave no clue what they are doing. Just like the guy above, "Ksport is the only coil over I've ever seen that is adjustable 36 ways and to me that's a bad thing... For one its not at all necessary and you'll get confused trying to do it".

See if someone who spent all the moneyon the k-sports would just read alittle, they would not be confused. the only reason this setup was not good for him was because he did not read about it, and had no clue what he was doing. If you do not set it up right it will not be the best ride you can get. so if you going to buy coilovers make sure you know how to use them and dont be ingnorant saying they were not that good whenyou have no idea how to use them.

There use to be guy who came to atlanta meets that had the basic coilovers. The thing i do not like abot the basic coil overs, is first off you have to re use your factory mounts. The tein basics you control the height of the car by the spring perch. so if you change the height of the car you also change the suspension travle(lower you go the less the travel) and sometimes spring rate(the higher you go, the tighter the spring, higher the rate).

The k-sports and d2 are hiehgt adjustable by the lower strut mount. You slide the shock body up and down through the lower mount; this makes it where no matter how low you are, you have the same suspsension travel, weather you are stock height or 4 inhes down. The lower spring perch only controls the spring rate so no matter where you are up or down you have the same spring rate. You have alot more optins with these coilover setups.

The guy who i rode in his max, his car was rode pretty god with the tein setup, when he was not to low. He slammed it once and i rode in it and it rode like utter crap. Just make sure when you buy a set of coilovers make sure you read about how to use them. there is a 10000 page thread on the org about coiloers that covers alot of the aspect of them. Also coilover are not for people who want to install them and not worry about them for 5 more years. It take alittle work. You have reitghten and check things over every once in awhile(also why people start hearing noises, cause they don;t take care of them)

 

Shudder to think someone would actually have to read up on something that costs hundreds of dollars, is adjustable in more ways than they can imagine, and able to make the car do things it was never intended to do.

Another KEY point. You pay for what you get.

 

Mine have about 40k miles on them. Still rides great. No problems during installation, straight bolt on and go (just need to install stock upper mounts). No problems adjusting the spring perches. They stay where I set them, just make sure you tighten them firmly.

In all honesty, I feel these ride very comfortably, perhaps too comfortable sometimes. I was expecting a stiff ride due to the higher spring rate. I actually prefer a stiffer ride, but the ride is not as stiff as my previous Eibach/AGX setup. These have plenty of suspenion travel, which is maybe why the ride seems so comfortable. I was almost thinking of switching to Ksport or D2 which have dampening, height and camber adjustability. But don't get me wrong. The handling is still amazing, noticably improved over the spring/shock combo.

Edit: Also, don't go too low on Tein Basics. I had mine set rather low (less than 1 finger front wheel gap) it rode like poop so I raised it back up a bit (barely 2 finger gap) and it rides/handles much better.

 

Yeah he's got them and does nothing but rave about how awesome they are. I would definitely talk to him about these.

 

I'm sorry but KSports FTW.. ManualMaxima definitely has some good tips there though.

 

Thank you both very much, this is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. That's impressisve that you've been riding on Basics that long with no issues to speak of, and great coilover performance.

D00df00d laid out some great fundamentals and it's true that the TEINs have less travel the lower you go. But that will not be an issue for me because I am not going to be slamming. I would probably set the front to the minimum drop (1.7") and the rear to 1 or 1.5". That would give me plenty of travel, way more than I have now with a spring and strut combo. The reuse of stock mounts and limited adjustability are huge pluses for me as well. I don't need camber adjustment and pillowball noisy stuff (which I know are essential for serious handing when dropped, but I'm looking for respectable handling and drop but smooooth quiet ride).

Well, from the two testimonials already posted, the Basics are for people who want to install them and not worry about them! Let's everyone understand that many people want *****-out handling, but many others would rather have a drop that gives them great ride and handling and minimal attention to settings and maintenance. For us, the Basics sound like just the ticket.

Keep the info coming. What's been said so far is great, but let's be careful not to get into other coilover systems too much. There is a massive thread d00df00d started if you want to talk about KSports, for example.

 

1.) I am not bashing KSports because of my particular situation with D2's. I would not rule out going D2's again but I would just be more prepared to service them often and perhaps run them half the year.

2.) Tein as a company destroys KSport as far as suspension tuning goes, again not bashing but this is a fact IMO.

3.) I am not going for zOMG Slizzamed ride so the whole thing about losing suspension travel to me when slammed doesn't matter. The car doesn't handle at it's best when the control arms are at those angles anyhow.

4.) I have spent literally hours reading "join teh orange hotness, KSport coilovers chat, as well as threads a few years old on D2 Racing Sport coilovers. I have read plenty of people with clicking/popping so acting like it doesn't happen to people is humorous to me.

5.) I never hear about people having to be "proactive" with JIC's or Teins like you have to be with the D2's or KSports. Blown dampers on the JIC's I have heard about. Please don't cost compare between the two to justify clicking, popping and random creaks.

I have nothing against KSports. I was excited when they came out, but as I have watched set after set go up for sale in the for sale sections for as little as $400 I am thinking D2's all over again.

 

VQuick, I apologize for going off topic.

I am very happy to hear that Ewuzh got 40K on the Teins.

 

i am not saying clicking never happens with k-sports, but it has been along time since i have heard a sound out of mine. the ride is worlds better than my old strut/spring setup. but you just have to know what steps to take to maintain them, and most of all know why you have to do these steps, cause you will not get the point if you don;t.

i honestly did not get them for handling. i got them so i could go real low. i picked k-sports cause no matter where you are on your car height the ride will be the same, unlike the basics. From whta i heard people have heard from people who own them, they like them alot.

alot of people tend to buy coilover for the same reason as i did, and to me the teins are not the best coilovers for a real low car, hence why i did not get them. They are all good systems, but just look at what you want, and how to take care of them to come to you descision.

 

I agree that most people have unrealistic expectations.

 

Has anyone bought and installed the Basics recently? I'm still wondering if TEIN corrected the problem with the bolt holes being too small.

 

bump. bump for this thread. intresting. pm with your 2 cents im new

 

I just bought Tien basic coilover kit so I cant really tell you the ride quality I'm sure its good. Since I have the same coilover kit on my eclipse it rides really smooth. That's the main reason why i bought tien over k-sport. The eclipse is a lot smoother then my current set up. Tokico Illumina and Tokico springs

 

After you install it, post back with your impressions of the ride compared to your current Tokico spring/strut setup. Also, let me know about the bolt holes, and if you have to drill them, what size.

 

How low and what setting are you riding on becuase my cousin's max on Ksports feels like garbage to my teins.. .. it feels like his car is riding on bricks

 

I have experienced with Ksport. Maybe I was unlucky, I didn't like the ride with 8/6 setup. It was bouncy, when I adjust the dampening, then it'll be too harsh. I can't find anything in between. Then the setup will not stay the same on day to day basis, so I constantly adjusting them everyday.

I only experienced one great ride, where I found a good settings or "perfect" setting where it stiff enough to handle the corners but soft on the bumps. But then again, the setting will not stay. After about a year, my right rear leaked oil.

Lesson learned: I should have gone for quality or reputable brand!!!