# New Tein coilovers for the B14, B15, 240SX



## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Im looking at the new Sport Compact car mag. pg. 190-191 it a Tein ad. They have a new set of coilovers coming out. They are called Basic Damper. The Ad says this: 

A great entry level tuned coil-oever suspension

Ride height adjustible without damping force adjustability

Twin tube structure availible for overhaul

Priced from $750.00 MSRP

Available April 2003

These look very promising for the budget crowd. Ill try to get more info from my Tein dealer ( www.ilpperformance.com )

Nissan applications are listed in my subject line.


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Hmmm,
MSRP of $750? This is for a coilover set. As in just remove your old setup and bolt these in?
Sounds too good to be true. A spring shock combo usually costs more money thatn that. 
Sportline+AGX+koni bumpsotops+motivational rear mounts= waay more than $750. 
I see that you can adjust the ride height, but not how stiff they are. How stiff are they, and does it change based on ride height?
Whats the catch?

Seth


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

No catch. Full coilover setup remove your old struts and springs and bolt these in. I dont know the spring rates yet though.


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## cburwell (Oct 11, 2002)

sethwas said:


> *Hmmm,
> MSRP of $750? This is for a coilover set. As in just remove your old setup and bolt these in?
> Sounds too good to be true. A spring shock combo usually costs more money thatn that.
> Sportline+AGX+koni bumpsotops+motivational rear mounts= waay more than $750.
> ...


Tein's setup (for the b15 atleast) is known for not having the strut shortened enough, so you still loose some wheel travel. the setup you described will probably perform better on the track. Tein seems to be good for lowering your car and riding around town.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

The setup he described doesnt have shortened struts at all. I do not see how it would perform better at the track then a set of Tein coilovers which are shorter even if its a small amount. With the Tein setup at least you will gain some back, with the AGX's you wont.


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## Teknokid (Jun 1, 2002)

Pat, the link doesnt work. Anyways, if the spring rate is right, i would definitely go for them. Can we lower the car with these??


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Its fixed now. Man I am a horrible speller.


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## Teknokid (Jun 1, 2002)

If they turn out to be "budget suspension", you think you could get a GB going with your contacts??


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Its a possibility. I just installed windows xp and my comp is on the fritz. I gotta get AIM going again. As soon as I do Ill get ahold of him.


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## 200silvia (Jun 12, 2002)

pat i know youve had a good experience with your contacts but they were horrible with me. They took 3 months to ship me springs they said were in stock!


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Oh yeah,
I fogot to ask:
Do they bang, bump, clang and clunk like the rest of the coilovers, or are they silent like a normal suspension?

Seth


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Silent, the reason others are noisey is becasue they are sleave on strut setups. Its the sleaves that are noisey. With real coilovers like Tein, AD, ME, ect. The threaded sleave isnt really a sleave, its made onto the damper body. I e-mailing Tein right now. I know what questions to ask, and ill try to get some good 411


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Nice,
Since this setup is cheaper than a component setup (and allegedly rides better, although hopefully not too much stiffer) I may be looking forward to owning a set this summer.

Seth


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## CHI-B14SENTRA (May 1, 2002)

I'LL be down for these once PAT finds out about everything, GB sound even better!!!!


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Im trying. Should ride alot better than a component setup. I doubt it will be overly stiff either. Mike Young was telling me about Mike Saki's car. He said that rode better than stock with spring rates that are ALOT(100-200%) stiffer than stock(Motivational set-up of course). Travel is the key to a good ride. You can have soft springs but without travel it will be very harsh. Thats the problem with Lowering springs. They are soft and you have no travel. I think 99% of you would be happy with the ride of these if the rates are anywere near what Im thinking. I would almost dare to say that even these lower cost Teins would out perform GC/AGX with the same spring rates. By perform I mean: handeling, ride quality, ease of use, price, and noise. Remember though with this setup you may not have alot of spring rate options and you can not adjust the damping, only ride height. For someone looking to lower a Sentra the "right" and not a racer, these sound like they would be the ticket!


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Ah ha!
But would you still use motiv. rear mounts with these?

Seth


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Ah ha what? I dont understand. As for ME mounts, I dont know at this time if they would work with the kit.


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## MP2050 (May 1, 2002)

WHOA...this sounds very promising. But Ive got to at least give the GC/AGX a try first though....


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

And now the stuff youve been waiting for:
Thank you for your interest in TEIN High Performance Suspension Products.
The Basic Damper for the B14 comes with a spring rate of 6 kgf/mm for the
front and 5 kgf/mm for the rear. The dampers are shorter then the OEM
suspension. They are 35 mm shorter in the front and 10 mm shorter for the
rear. As for the ride height adjustment range:


Ft (from OEM height):
Max low: -3.6 in.
Max high: -2.1 in.


Rr(from OEM height):
Max low: -2.9 in.
Max high: -0.6 in.



Staff @ TEIN USA INC.
7631 Somerset Blvd.
Paramount, CA 90723
Phone: (562)633-7387
Fax: (562)633-7291
www.tein.com


So we got front rates of 336lbs/in and rears of 280lb/in. Front dampers are almost 1.5" shorter and the rears are almost .5" shorter. Sounds pretty good to me(same as SS coilovers BTW) The rears are not as short as one would hope, but it beats AGX's. If I didnt want damper adjust I'd buy these. Just to compare Im gonna try to find out how short the SS dampers are. Overall I think it might be a way better setup than GC/AGX. Probly cheaper too.


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## LIUSPEED (May 29, 2002)

basic coil overs... hmm.. what about the TEIN SS dampers any info about those patt?


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

You can get all the info on the SS at Teins website except for damper leangth, which I am waiting on an answer from them. I dont think the site says so, but there are pillowball mounts for the SS kit. The front pillowball mounts have camber adj as well.
www.tein.com


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

Remember one thing... Those $750 TEIN's are low cost for a reason.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

What would that be Mike???? BTW hows your setup holding out? 

Seriously though, I think they are low cost due to the fact that there is no damper adj, and judging by teins other prices they are not that expensive overall. I would rather get the Basic Damper setup over the GC/AGX setup becase of cost and simplicity. I dont think quality will be an issue with Tein stuff.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

PatScottAKA99XE said:


> *What would that be Mike???? BTW hows your setup holding out?
> 
> *


Well obviously for $750 your not going to get a very high quality full coil-over setup...no matter what the name on them are.

I'm still running the GC/AGX w/ ME Mounts. It's a decent setup for the price. 

I've had this setup since about July of 2001 and the rears still feel as good as they did when they were first installed, I'm a little disappointed with the feel of the front AGX struts now.. They've gotten a bit harsh, seems as though they aren't rebounding near as good as they did early one. This setup still leaves you very limited on the front travel distance and the same would be true for the rear without the ME mounts.

I plan on changing over to the full Motivational Setup in the next month or so... The custom ME setup uses special customized Koni dampeners, Eibach ERS Springs and a few other goodies. 

I seriously thought the AGX GC setup was decent, especially for a lower cost coilover setup, But after driving a car with the ME setup I was sold. The 200 I drove was at least and inch lower all around than my car and was so damn smooth it was amazing. I made my mind up that day.

Read what Mike Kojima wrote about them in the Sentra.net tech section: http://www.sentra.net/tech/garage/suspension.php?S=95b0cdbdf7dd4972fba8181d198d3733


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Mike I was just "ribbing" you about your stuff. I do agree with you. You get what you pay for. I was thinking that these coilovers would be a much better choice than lowering springs and they are a more attractive to those that dont want all out performance. Those that want a lowered car and thats all. I would much rather cosmeticly lower a car with these than with lowering springs. At least with these you would have a matched spring/damper combo and would gain back some lost travel.

In case I have not been clear, I personally would not buy these because I want a little more handeling and set-up options than these offer. IMO these are for looks, but they lower a B14 "right" by my deffenition. NOWHERE in my deffenition of lowering a b14 are lowering springs included, everyone knows that by now. LOL


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

I have no doubt that the Motivational stuff is above these, but they are out of reach of some. If I could afford the ME setup I would have gone that route intstead of the SS coilovers that I ordered, but who knows maybe you will see a SS coilover kit in the classifieds one day while Im rolling on the ME equip.


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

BTW I am in no way trying to "push" Tein stuff. Just sharing my opinion. Lets get nasty for a moment and say Im bull-headed and in love with Tein stuff.
(Not really the way I feel, just humor me)
Dude.. Tein stuff rules I ordered me some SS coilover that will kick the crap out of any GC/AGX or ME setup Heck these Basic Dampers are better than the GC/AGX setup. PROVE ME WRONG
(done now)


You know what I think the problem is? I dont think anybody has tested Tein stuff. I wish we could get some test results on the Tein B14 stuff, It would be really helpful to the members of this board. Mike Y has very good points and knows his crap, but its not based on experence with Tein stuff as far as I know. I am in NO way saying he is wrong or off track.. heck its probly me thats off. I think we should get some testing done to see what Teins offereings are all about.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

PatScottAKA99XE said:


> *
> You know what I think the problem is? I dont think anybody has tested Tein stuff. I wish we could get some test results on the Tein B14 stuff, It would be really helpful to the members of this board. Mike Y has very good points and knows his crap, but its not based on experence with Tein stuff as far as I know *


Well first off... I'm no expert when it comes to suspension. But I know what feels good and I do a lot research and listen to people that either know what the heck they are talking about or have direct experiance with certain setups... I do a lot of listening and learning..

You are right, not many have had the opportunity to try the TEIN setup. I'm sure they are fine. Of course that's always relative to to ones personal likes and needs.

I also agree they have to better than just lowering springs and I would suggest just about anything before that. These and other forums are full of people that used cheap springs or coil-overs and 4 months later can't understand why their stock shocks and struts are crap now. Once you learn the limited travel we have stock then you are on the right track to choosing the proper setup for your needs and that has to be based on your budget.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

*Tein stuff rules I ordered me some SS coilover that will kick the crap out of any GC/AGX or ME setup Heck these Basic Dampers are better than the GC/AGX setup. PROVE ME WRONG* 

hahahah to play along:

Dude read something else in the mag besides the pictures in the ads.....lol...


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

The mag I read says anything from Japan is cooler than stuff made here because its JDM. Everybody knows JDM is the best.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

PatScottAKA99XE said:


> *The mag I read says anything from Japan is cooler than stuff made here because its JDM. Everybody knows JDM is the best.  *


hahaha yeah but you're not reading that in a JDM magazine....lol

of course all JDM stuff is cool....just look at the Toyota Echo..


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

myoung said:


> *hahaha yeah but you're not reading that in a JDM magazine....lol
> 
> of course all JDM stuff is cool....just look at the Toyota Echo.. *


OWN3D!!!


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## MP2050 (May 1, 2002)

PatScottAKA99XE said:


> *The mag I read says anything from Japan is cooler than stuff made here because its JDM. Everybody knows JDM is the best.  *


LMAO!!!


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## PatScottAKA99XE (Apr 30, 2002)

Pic:








http://www.tein.com/badamp.html


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2003)

Myoung,
I'm the very first one to install Tein type HA suspension on B14. You can ask anybody that knows me and they will tell you. There's another person on this board that has the same set up as mine except, his spring rates are 6 and 5 and It has 24 front and 22 rear and rebound only adjustments(I think). Mine is 7 and 6 with 24 front and 22 rear compression and rebound adjustments. Give me a call anytime(909)212-5375 and I will let you test drive my car. I'm pretty sure my friend will let you drive his car too. Then, you can tell everyone what you think about Tein. This is an offer you should take to clarify a lot of questions. 
Just to let you know, Tein suspension is one of the respected name brands in Japan that won of championships. Check one of the old issues of SCC, I think they did a topic on Tein Corp. It will tell you how they make their suspensions. If that's not quality, then I don't know what quality is. For $750.00, that's a lot of race proven suspesion for less money. 

This is not a flame.
Bob 
P.s.
I've met Mike S. and test drove a car that has his suspension(pretty good) as well as cars that has G/C set ups. I also had a personal experience with eibach/tokico, S/T and KYB, and H&R/ AGX/ motivational plates set-ups. These are nice sets but not good enough for me.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

I would love to try out you car sometime... maybe at the next local meet..

I'll I was trying to get across is that for $750 I can't imagine they are very top quality...they have to be cutting cost somewhere to offer it so low... heck just GCs are $400 and that's without dampeners.... but I could be way wrong ...they could be great..


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## viprdude (Jun 27, 2003)

so has mike tried out those tein's? cause i just brought back one old thread.


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## McLaren F1 2003 (Jan 2, 2003)

mike young? no...he has motivational's now i think...


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## xt_out (Jun 23, 2003)

> Mine is 7 and 6 with 24 front and 22 rear compression and rebound adjustments....For $750.00, that's a lot of race proven suspesion


whoa, i haven't seen 'em that cheap. any good sites guys?


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## nismo-vzr (Sep 14, 2003)

I'm hoping to meet him this coming convention. My offer still stand Mike. 
bobse007


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