Tein Basic Integra 94-01 448f/336r
Tein Basic EF and DA 448f/224r
Tein Basic EK 448f/224r

These rates looks fine. Kinda low but fine.

now come these :

Tein Basic Civic 92-95 392f/168r

How can they give 92-95 civic a lower rate then on 4th gen civic ? I don't get it. Generally, EGs are heavier then EFs.

Reading this, I'm also wondering if 94-01 spring rate on a 2000 lbs 92 Hatch would be too high for daily drive...not that i am scared of bumpiness (I've ride H&R race for a long time), I just would not want to give the hatch a too high rate and be scared at every bump i take while in a curve....

Is it screwing up the balance Tein gave to the coilovers to use a higher rate, or will i just be happy w/ choosing this integra rate for my light hatch ?

Note that I am going to the track 1-2 times each month for the 5 months we have w/o snow , and I am not asking for a lap-record maker. I want normal confort, and i don't want my glasses to fall off at everybump....but i would HATE to regret choosing 92-95 civic rates if i find them way too soft (ie softer then H&R Sport...)

Thanks a lot for your time.

Patrick

 

i recently emailed tein to ask them why they pick such bizzare spring rates. here is their copy and paste response:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tein &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When we perform the R&D testing, we measure the wheel travel, perform a
corner balance on all four corners to get the true weight of a stock
vehicle, and determine what kind of suspension design the vehicle has (ex.
double wish bone, multilink suspension, or a true strut style suspension).
When the prototype damper in produced, we install it on the vehicle to test
proper fitment, insure it has the enough suspension travel, damping force
and has the right spring rates. The vehicle is then driven on multiple test
drives to ensure proper ride comfort and performance. When the R&D
department feel's they have designed a coilover kit with enough suspension
travel, damping force and has the right spring rates without sacrificing
that much ride quality, Tein Japan will then take this data and start mass
producing the coilover kit. The reason why we do the R&D testing this way is
to insure the best performance in a coilover kit. One piece of important
information that most consumers forget is the damping force of the shock. We
produce the springs to match the shocks to ensure proper spring control.
TEIN takes a lot of pride and years of experience in all of the products we
manufacture.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i don't recommend tein basics at all - way overpriced. not even the ss is worth it. every seasoned autoxer i've talked to higly praises going with koni yellows with ground control sleeves and custom spring rates. tein is overpriced jdm bling - the flex and below is not worth it. if you really want them anyway, get the ones for the dc2 for sure - you'll get used to the ride comfort.

i wasted money on the ss with 448 / 224 and the ride comfort up front is fine with me, the rear feels close to stock. overall, they are pretty nice, but for the money i could have got a much better setup with custom spring rates.

 

thanks for you reply jwn7.

Choosing the set up is done. I've got a great deal on em and this is a closed story.

As for the rate...looks like they said it was optimal as is, but you suggest to still go for DC rates anyway ?


thanks

 

I dont see why places like Tein make higher rates in the front. On the autox track wouldent you want the rear to brake loose 1st, its a lot easyer to control. All the guys I autox with have about 425F-550R. I have 450-550's with Ground Controls and there great. Id recomend Ground Controls and koni yellows, one sweet setup that outhandel the Teins.

 

Konis/GCs are the ****.

 

ok for your reply, but this wasn't the question

 

If you think those spring rates are optimal, you're in for a huge disappointment if you ever decide to race the car. It'll plow like a John Deere.

There's your reply.

 

another thing i was thinking... a lot of guys in jdm land run huge rear sway bars. maybe that has something to do with the made of jello springs in rear.

i dunno...