# tein ride



## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

i installed my tein baics and am kinda suprised w/ the ride. i can feel every little bump. i want it a little smoother. would pillowballs help or could i buy softer springs or something?


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Pillowballs will not help. THey will only make your ride harsher since they effectively hard mount your suspension to your car. 
Since you have the basics which are not adjustable for dampening, there isn't anything you can do except get smaller rims with tires that have larger sidewalls. 
For ride quality and handleing, in a B14 do not go larger than 16".

Seth


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

I would contact tein. I coulda swore someone said that you could get a different spring rate spring for the tein's. 

But yeah the adjustability isnt there. Even though I can feel bumps alot more than before which i expected with any lowering I'd do its rather smooth to me and I have the front pillowballs installed as well with 16" wheels with 45ser tires. The biggest notice for me is that the tires are considerably louder than stock at highway speed.


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## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

would a lower spring rate spring be a little smoother?


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

any car with lowering springs is gonna have a kinda rough ride... you need to get either kyb agx's shocks or koni adjustable..


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

/\/\
Or if you don't want to lose the ride advantage that coilovers have pay the $200 more for the Tein SS not basics and you get damper adjustments. If only they had the HA or whatever they are called, the ones where you can adjust the ride from the interior.
I'm currently in the market for TEIN basics, but do not want to spend $1000 including shipping for them. MSRP is $1000, and shipping is extra, but I want to pay the $700-750 max really like there was for the GB. I'm not picky about the extra $100 difference. 

Seth


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

sentra_hilo said:


> *i installed my tein baics and am kinda suprised w/ the ride. i can feel every little bump. i want it a little smoother. would pillowballs help or could i buy softer springs or something? *


The rates are 336/280 for yours, right? (I think you can ask for softer springs, but those are the default ratings) If so, they're going to be on the harsh side on less-than-perfect roads, especially in the rear. Harsh, that is, relative to the kind of feeling you'd get from most street springs. That's coilover set-ups for you though.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

sentra_hilo,
Of course the ride will be like that. You have real suspension now. What did you think you were buying? The spring rate on the BD is alot stiffer than stock for perfromance reasons. If you are complaining about the ride then you are obviously not tuning your car for performance.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

BTW, If you choose to go with softer spring rates(which you can get) you are just ruining the setup, why bother get it in the first place.


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## Dynamitega (Feb 24, 2003)

If they were softer and you lowered it like 3 inches, I imagine you'd hit your upper wheel wells over big bumps quite a bit (not to mention bottom out a lot). I've had mine on for a month and they've improved a little as the springs have settled. But, the ride is much nicer than any other of those combo set ups... from what I've read, no weird noises or anything, other than hearing the gas struts adjusting to the road.

I love them and I have no use for the Tein SS's. Everyone has said they love where my car sits and most think it's stock until I tell them just because it looks like it's supposed to.

The Teins, plus sway bars, plus strut bars = one mean handling Sentra.


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## Dynamitega (Feb 24, 2003)

sethwas said:


> */\/\MSRP is $1000, and shipping is extra, but I want to pay the $700-750 max really like there was for the GB. I'm not picky about the extra $100 difference.*


Seth, MSRP for the Basics is $890 (USD of course). That's what Tein's website says. I got mine for $780 shipped from the Turboevo gb. That's a great price for such a nice set up.


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## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

ok i was just wondering cuz my friends civic with teins rides alot smoother so i thought something was wrong. don't think im not happy with the setup.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Well, what other suspension modifications have you done? Also, what wheels and tyres are you running? There's a possibility that it's not the coilovers that are causing your harsh ride.


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## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

thats pretty much it. stock wheels and tires.


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

on the side does anyone hear a slight "clank" noise if hitting a bigger bump? I'm not sure if its something in my car or the suspension making the noise. Its not incredibly annoying but noticeable.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Consider putting in braces, most likely strut tower bars for the front and rear of your car. 

The reason for this is that the B14 Sentra body, like the old EG series civics, tend to suffer from a lot of chassis flex. It isn't too bad with the stock setup, but with stiff springs and better dampers, the car's body will be put under a lot more stress, which translates to more chassis flex, which in turn causes the wheels to skip more frequently. Basically, if the body flexes, the springs and dampers can't do their jobs of keeping the body suspended on the wheels well. Strut bars and maybe even a lower control arm brace will help mitigate this problem.

That alone won't make your ride silky smooth, but it will help counter wheel hop under high load.


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## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

cool i didnt know that. i thought it just helped cornering.


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Really? $890?
Hmm, my SuperStreet advertisement says $1000. Maybe I was looking at the SS not the Basics. Cool. so $780 shipped is perfect. Where do I sign?

Seth


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

sentra_hilo said:


> *cool i didnt know that. i thought it just helped cornering. *


Oh yeah. A stiffer chassis will help all around: Acceleration, braking, cornering... If it puts enough stress on the suspension system, reinforcing your chassis will help it.


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

actually seth that same guy TurboEVO is running a groupbuy on all the Tein setups at www.groupbuycenter.com


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## Dynamitega (Feb 24, 2003)

Most sport tuned suspensions are going to be sort of bouncey or bumpy. You just tend to feel the road more. They're not made for people that want to ride in comfort, that's for sure. Overall, I'm happy with mine...

Neil, I don't hear any clanks in mine... the only noise I hear from mine is from the front struts when I go over bumps.. "Pssh"


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## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

is there a good brand of strut bars or are they mostly the same?


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

Hehe the "psssh" sound is cool. I'll have to do more investigating on the clank. I hope something isn't loose. I think they are real good overall, the cornering is night and day with were i was last week. The car is just more fun to drive now although I admit I'm much more cautious about any imperfections in the road.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

sentra_hilo said:


> *is there a good brand of strut bars or are they mostly the same? *


Some of them have different sizes, diameters, and construction. As for simple 2-point strut braces for our cars, I like Courtesy Nissan's. I'm not sure if the front will fit a 99 Sentra, so you might want to ask them first (I've never seen a 99 with a courtesy front bar), but if it fits, you'll get off really cheap ($59.95 for the front, $79.95 for the rear). I'd use the money you save over say, Stillen bars, for a ShigSpeed front control arm brace to tie down the front (I'm actually looking to invenst in one myself, but Scott has yet to get back to me on the availability of it).

Either way, you should be able to tell the difference under cornering and hard acceleration or braking.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

I have an older style 95-97 courtesy STB on the front of my 99. It took a little tweaking but it works fine. I think they have since updated the design to better fit 99s.


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## Stiletto (Aug 7, 2003)

Hey sentra_hilo (or anyone else with the Tein Basics), whats your overall impression with them? Any problems with bottomning out? Suspension is next on my list of things to tackle. Im leaning towards either the teain basics or GC sleeves with AGXs. Both around $800. Any recomendations?


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

My impressions:
Ride is rougher than stock (as expected) but not harsh at all. I don't feel any discomfort when going over bumps. It has made me much more cautious though of bumps n holes in the road as I don't want to mess my wheels up.

Cornering is absolutely sick now compared to before. There is this turn that when I didnt have them on i could feel the whole car lean and I would have to move my body when I turned. Now I take it like a go-kart and I just go around the corner like its nothing.

I have heard a "clinking sound" but I am unaware of what it is. It happens over large bumps. I removed some tools from the trunk thinking it was them but it persisted. I now removed the change from my car thinking it might be them clinking when i go over a bump. I will wait a couple days and hopefully its nothing.

As far as bottoming out. I havent bottomed yet and I've hit some fairly large bumps not by fault. I have the car pretty darn low too, probably around 2" drop in the rear and nearly 3" drop in the front. Looks badass though.

Was easy for the tuner shop to get the alignment back in spec and I also have the front pillowball mounts on. 

I havent tried to adjust the ride height myself as I've only had them about a week and its fine so far like it is. Hopefully thats not too difficult.

From what I've heard of the GC setup I'd say these are obviously better as they are components that are made to go together, not a matched bunch of parts like the GC's. If you seek damper adjustability then you may want to go with the GC or the Tein SS setup.


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2003)

sentra_hilo
How low is your set up? If it's more than 2 inches, you might want to bring it up to 1 3/4, 1 1/2 or even 1 inch ride height . This will solve some of the bumpiness of your ride. Remember, the lower the hieght, the harsher the ride. Spring rate will increase as you compress the spring.


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## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

my ride isnt very low at all. i just was alittle suprised that i could feel everything on the road. BUt i would recommend them. They are a good setup and cornering is much better. Stiletto if i were you i would get the tein basics. its a full coilover setup and you dont have to do the extra work to reduce the noise of GC's. 

overall im happy because i had arospeed coilovers before and these are much better.


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## Jay (Apr 29, 2002)

*NEIL and the CLunk!!*

Hey Neil that noise you're talking about is the just price for being able to have an alignment. Since me and you both have pillowball mounts on, once the car hit a big bump the contact between the mounts and the car makes that annoying clunk noise that you're refering too. I dont think there is a way to remedy this but hopefully someone else here does.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Hmm, I have the pillowball mounts and I havent had any clunks on big bumps.


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## Jay (Apr 29, 2002)

Really Pat??? Maybe i was mistaken but then where is that clunking noise coming from??? The rears are perfect and i've doubled checked (so did a shop) the installation and found nothing wrong with the setup. Can someone shed some light on this????


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

Mine almost sounds like something is loose as its more of a "*****" sound but I checked and nothing is loose and I had it professionally installed at a tein authorized tuner shop. I didn't notice the noise till like a day or two later. Its really hard to tell where its coming from or if its even the suspension at all, maybe its just something in the car, at least with mine. Its hard to test because I have to hit a big bump before it usually happens.


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## McLaren F1 2003 (Jan 2, 2003)

bobse007 said:


> *sentra_hilo
> How low is your set up? If it's more than 2 inches, you might want to bring it up to 1 3/4, 1 1/2 or even 1 inch ride height . This will solve some of the bumpiness of your ride. Remember, the lower the hieght, the harsher the ride. Spring rate will increase as you compress the spring. *


the minimum front drop is 2.1" for both the basics and ss's


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## Dynamitega (Feb 24, 2003)

PatScottAKA99XE said:


> *Hmm, I have the pillowball mounts and I havent had any clunks on big bumps. *


Me too, no clunks here...


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## Jay (Apr 29, 2002)

Just curious, which holes are you guys using on your pillow ball mounts???? 

OOOO
1234

I's using one and three right now and the bolts clear the center barely. Was wondering if this might be the cause of the noise.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Question for you guys with noise in the rear. Is this the first setup you have used for lowering you car? Do you have stock exhaust. I dont want to make you guys sound dumb, but if you have aftermarket or custom exh. on your car and it wasnt lowered before, you exh may be hitting the rear beam.

Another possibility...
If your car is set low enough the springs may not be tight in the seats when your suspension is at full droop. This may be causing the spring to come unseated and then snap back into place once the suspension is compressed again. Easy to check: Jack up the rear of the car(from the stock jack location, not the beam axle) so that the tire is off the ground. Is your spring loose???. Right now mine is set low enough so that the rears do that. I dont hear noise like you guys, but my car is stripped(interior) so its loud in other ways. This may make it hard for me to hear the noise.


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## Jay (Apr 29, 2002)

1) ITs not coming from the rear Pat, it's coming from the front. I had the GC/KYB setup before this. I has nothing to do with exhaust.

2) Are you saying my car is too low??? If you count from the bottom of the threads, my car is about 18 threads high up front and 16 in the rear. 

3) can you answer my question about the pillow ball mount location please.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

1. I was talking about Neil's clunk in the rear.

2. No

3. Are you talking about the allen head bolts that hold set the camber? If so I am using L: 00XX R: 0X0X "X" denotes where my bolts are. Those shouldnt matter anyway, they dont move.


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## Jay (Apr 29, 2002)

another theory then.

Are you suppose to tighten the center nut, the big one in middle of pillowball mount,all the way??? I stopped 3/4 of the way because some residues, which looks like the nut or bolt stripping, started coming off.


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## Dynamitega (Feb 24, 2003)

Jay said:


> *Just curious, which holes are you guys using on your pillow ball mounts????
> 
> OOOO
> 1234
> ...



3 and 4?? which ever side I had to adjust it to... I put it the farthest away so that there was room to slide them to correct the camber.


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

actually PatScott, its not in the rear it was in the front and its more of a clink sound like tinny or metallic sounding. I really think now its just my car making noises or maybe something moving around in the car, i just can't find anything with the tein's that would be moving around but like you said perhaps its too low. Mine is pretty low much like how you lowered yours when you first got it, probably closer to 3" lower.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Jay said:


> *another theory then.
> 
> Are you suppose to tighten the center nut, the big one in middle of pillowball mount,all the way??? I stopped 3/4 of the way because some residues, which looks like the nut or bolt stripping, started coming off. *



The nut needs to be fully tight. What you saw was probly the plastic from the lock section of the nut....Normal. I belive there is a torque spec for that nut, use it.


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## Jay (Apr 29, 2002)

Werd Pat, I'll try it. THanks


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