Tein Basic VS Tein SS good review

User Review: TEIN Basic versus TEIN SS Coilovers

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My Car: '06 Acura TL
Experience:
-Rode the stock suspension for 500 street miles

-Installed TEIN Basic and rode for another 500 street miles

-Installed TEIN SS last night and have done just about 50 miles of testing in various street conditions since.

-Been riding lowered cars since the 80's.

-Most recently: had Eibach ProKit springs on E36 BMW M3, and Neuspeed Springs on VW GTI IV

-Know a little bit about suspension and settings (mountain bike and super bike racing)

-Cars I've owned in the past: all of them, it seems, lol.

Where I ride: SoCal/OC

OBJECTIVE:

--- Well when I got the TL one of the first things I wanted to do was lower it so that I could improve both the looks as well as the performance. They were of equal importance to me.

--- I did not want to go with just lowering springs because I knew how it was from my cars before, and it would be far to bumpy for my needs (I'm not young anymore and my kids are always riding in the car, everyday). Bottom line, while I could tolerate the typical bumpy ride from a lowered car, I did not want a bumpy ride for my passengers. So what was I to do?

-- The reviews from the net are confusing, since suspension is VERY subjective and really depends on each individual. I figured my best alternatives were to choose from either the TEIN Basic or TEIN SS, because I have heard many positive things about TEIN for its quality, and also, very important was the price as well.

TEIN Basic:
The TEIN Basics were the first coilover set I had ever tried. Everything I had before was just springs. I found the ride EXCELLENT in comparison to any lowered car I have had in the past. The handling of the car was transformed, and the TL was on RAILS in comparison to stock.

I could not believe I could have my car lowered this much and still have a relatively smooth ride, that is hardly noticable in MOST road conditions out here in SoCal.

The Basics take small bumps very well, actually not very well, but excellent. You can drive through most speed bumps even and hardly tell the difference from stock - it's that good.

My conclusion is that being a person that is accustomed to lowered cars, I found the Basics a very good buy, and worth the extra money (versus just going with Lowering Springs) since I am confident the shocks will hold-up well, they are matching, and also the added bonus of being able to adjust height.

My problem with the Basics:

It's simple, I frequently have passengers, everyday. And my passengers are my kids. The Basics are stiff enough so that when there are medium to large size road surface changes, particularly a SERIES of surface changes one-after-another, you will DEFINITELY feel the stiffness.

While I don't particularly mind this as I am accustomed to it, I don't want my passengers to be bouncing there in the back seat whenever we do ocassionally run into these "unfavorable" conditions (note that the rear passengers are sitting right on top of the rear wheel, so they will feel it more than the driver). Also I am not young anymore, and I would definitely appreciate a smoother ride - but I still want my car lowered!

And so, I made the decision to spend a few hundred bucks nessary to switch to the SS in the attempt (or hopes) to have a range of damping adjustment to smoothen-out the ride, something not possibile on the Basics.

TEIN SS:

My TEIN SS was installed last night, and I have since put about 50 miles and tested on various conditions I am very familiar with. When I was on the Basics, I made sure to take note of how they were reacting to certain conditions.

First: What setting should I start with on the SS? Well, I "guessed" or "assumed" that the Basics were set right around the middle of the 16-click range of the SS.

Since I am familiar with suspension or "click" adjustments due to my backgroud in downhill Mountain Bike racing, as well as SuperBike racing, I guessed that what I would start with on the SS to achieve my goal was the following settings:

If 0 is STIFFEST and 16 clicks is SOFTEST:

I set it to 11 FRONT (5 clicks away from SOFTEST)

and 13 REAR (3 clicks away from SOFTEST)

I noticed the change in my ride in less than 1 minute, even just pulling away from Mr. Heeltoe's driveway. From that point I had a good feeling we got it right, and just what I wanted... but still I had to test it in my "areas."

I took the car out and tested it last night, and got up early this morning to beat the traffic as well.

The difference, to me, is night and day, and THIS is what I wanted out of my lowered car. It is perfect, and takes to the bumps, what can I say, just perfect, for MY needs. The car is much smoother now, ever closer to stock... but not quite!

Like the porridge and the 3 bears, the SS at the settings above is "just right" for me, and my precious kids in the back.

The handling has suffered a bit since it is softer and rolls a bit more on the curves compared to the Basics, however, still MUCH better and tighter than stock. I believe I can or "may" tighten it up for the curves by installing a sway bar, so I can still enjoy my "fun time" when I am driving alone.

Bottom line:

TEIN Basics are excellent and highly recommended if you are on a budget, accustomed to a lowered car and do not have frequent passengers in the BACK of the car. It's really very good that way.

TEIN SS is worth the extra money if you are PICKY about suspension (like me) and can really notice suspension changes, have frequent rear-seat passengers, or if you really want a nice range of adjustability for various needs (street, track or what not).

Hope this helps, and thought I'd share some info since Acurazine has been a great source of info for me too.

Last note: Mr. Heeltoe is the man - and I highly recommend him for no less than excellent price and beyond-excellent service.