G'day!!! :D

Been researching these coil overs and have finally narrowed my choices to 2.

Spoon Adjustable coilover 14kg/12kg vs Tein RE 14kg/10kg.

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I know the specs on the teins ie. Aluminim 16click separate height and preload adjustments... but I seem to be missing the spoon specs..
The spoon's are a touch more expensive but I've read nothing but good things about them. The tein's seem to be good value ie. pillow ball mounts etc.. which I'm not sure whether the spoon coilover is includes this (looks like we have to buy them in parts?)

So anyone who things one is better than the other, please state why? and which one you'd choose (please include reason)

Any experiences would be appreciated as well!!

Thanks!!

 

If you plan on running those rates on the street...they will be a pain in the butt,(literally).
I run a track only R with a tein 10k -14k setup F-R.
Not sure why euro and jdm peepz seem to run stiffer front than rear to their NA counter parts.
I would be looking at a 6k front 10 k rear as as a max for a street driven car but to each his own.
I have no experience with Spoon set ups but i imagine it is all relative.
Good luck!

 

tein re have 24 adjustable clicks


jason
blackdc2

 

welli have the RA's.. drive them on the streets all the time... first it was stiff ... but i got use to them

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by typealex2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you plan on running those rates on the street...they will be a pain in the butt,(literally).</TD></TR></TABLE>

Their roads are probably better than ours....

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I run a track only R with a tein 10k -14k setup F-R.
Not sure why euro and jdm peepz seem to run stiffer front than rear to their NA counter parts.
I would be looking at a 6k front 10 k rear as as a max for a street driven car but to each his own.
I have no experience with Spoon set ups but i imagine it is all relative.
Good luck!
</TD></TR></TABLE>

It is convention to run higher rates in the front....there is a lot more weight up front which require stiffer springs in the rear...also, softer rears give a better ride. If you want to rotate the car without killing the ride, you could always get a bigger sway bar and play with tire pressure more......but it seems most people could give a **** about ride so the just put stiffer springs in the rear....


In answer to the question, I do not have experience with the Spoons either, but I know they are made by Showa which is a good make. But Spoon stuff in general tends to be very overpriced and I don't think they do much in-house, except for repackage stuff.

Tein on the other hand manufactures everything in-house and has very good value. The products work well and are reliable. Quality is good too. I would just make sure to keep them clean and the threads free of debris, as with any other coilover system.

 

i know Y has the spoons on his race kaa and will always tell someone to go with the mugen N1's over the spoon N1's. both are made by showa.

 

Thanks mate!

I'm already running a 10kg/6kg Zeal S6 setup and on semi's I find them soft (run semi's for street) and need to upgrate because I'm getting rubbing on the rears with 215/50/16 width tyres (1 finger space) and wasn't sure whether sway bars would stop the rubbing.

I've tried the reverse the stiffness and its a bit to snappy on oversteer for me

Roads are pretty crappy here, if you see me driving down the street, its never in a straight line - always dodging holes

Thanx MrHeeltoe for the opinion!

What material are the spoons made of?
Any possible issues with the TEIN springs? I thought I read some post, where people didn't like them but it doesnt seem validated.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by black2001ITR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">tein re have 24 adjustable clicks
jason
blackdc2</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually no. They have 16 clicks. I have the RE and I like them alot. They are really stiff for everday driving, but are really nice for handling. I ride with them set at 6f 8r stiffness, and I come out of the seat on big bumps and railroad tracks. And if there is stuff in the back, then it bounces around alot too. But they are really nice coilovers. I don't know much about the Spoons though.

 

I have the Spoons with 14kg front and 12kg rear, the only problem i have with them is the rears are set at the highest height setting and its a bit low for my liking, but theyre in no way harsh, in fact theyre very comfortable on decent roads and soak up any bumps with ease but on very bumpy/uneven roads you need to drive a lot slower so as not to shake the **** out of the car. Heres a picture taken at eye level from the side, theyre screwed up as high as they go, theyre 215/40/17 tires and so only increase rolling radius by an 1/8 inch or less.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mugenracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have the Spoons with 14kg front and 12kg rear, the only problem i have with them is the rears are set at the highest height setting and its a bit low for my liking, but theyre in no way harsh, in fact theyre very comfortable on decent roads and soak up any bumps with ease but on very bumpy/uneven roads you need to drive a lot slower so as not to shake the **** out of the car. Heres a picture taken at eye level from the side, theyre screwed up as high as they go, theyre 215/40/17 tires and so only increase rolling radius by an 1/8 inch or less.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by euG3dc2r &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What material are the spoons made of?
Any possible issues with the TEIN springs? I thought I read some post, where people didn't like them but it doesnt seem validated.</TD></TR></TABLE>


Spoons are going to be conventional steel....95% sure, but it is mostly based on assumption.

Issues with Tein springs? I have heard bits and peices myself, but I have not had any issues. I have been an authorized Tein dealer for about 2 years now, and have yet to have a single complaint or set come back ot me.


And the adjustment on the RE is 16 way adjustable....BUT many Tein systems will click much farther than the 16 clicks. doing so will possibly damage the valving inside. I don't care how far the thing clicks, 16 is the stiffest you can go.

 

Hey mugenracer,

Thanks for the comment.

With those tyre sizes, did you find any rubbing when it was really low?
How low was it before? interms of finger space between the arch and tyre!

Not sure if you can see the height on mine, I'll see if i can find a better pic later...





Heeltoe: your the man for Tein Questions then huh? hahaah
I think i'll end up going for the RE's. They seem to be better Value for the same price. Although, I would like to use the 14kg/12kg spring rate ...

can we order this from TEIN?




Modified by euG3dc2r at 11:38 PM 8/5/2004

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by euG3dc2r &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Heeltoe: your the man for Tein Questions then huh? hahaah
I think i'll end up going for the RE's. They seem to be better Value for the same price. Although, I would like to use the 14kg/12kg spring rate ...

can we order this from TEIN?


Modified by euG3dc2r at 11:38 PM 8/5/2004</TD></TR></TABLE>

Haha, I suppose so....

We can go with the RE, and they already com 14/10....you just need to get optional rear spings.....only a little more. I will IM you.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MrHeeltoe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

"It is convention to run higher rates in the front....there is a lot more weight up front which require stiffer springs in the rear...also, softer rears give a better ride. If you want to rotate the car without killing the ride, you could always get a bigger sway bar and play with tire pressure more......but it seems most people could give a **** about ride so the just put stiffer springs in the rear...."
</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well said.

 

I have the Spoon N1s on my car (14K front, 16K rear) with Mugen 26mm rear bar and roll cage. I run the fronts at full stiff and the rears at about 3/5. My car rarely hits the street - but it is still very driveable in town and on the highway.

The whole "my damper is x way adjustable" b.s. is crap. What matters most is the difference between the highest setting and the lowest setting - and what spring rates the damper is optimized to work with. Even then you still have to corner weight the car, set ride height and then alignment to get the most out of the system.

At this level of damper - you are not going to get independently adjustable compression and rebound - you have to pay a LOT more money for that. And even still - you would have to have to do a ton of research to optimize the suspension settings for the car's setup and the conditions you intend to use it in.

What you should be looking for is the highest quality damper you can afford. The damper is the workhorse of the suspension (in addition to the tires). A good quality damper is what gives you a great ride.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. I have seen some people (ask Wai) have problems with aluminum bodied dampers when it comes time to adjust ride height. You can get galvanic corrosion occuring between the aluminum body and the steel spring perch - which essentially welds the things on there. You have to make sure it stays well lubed to prevent corrosion esp. if it rains a lot where you live and you drive the car in the rain a lot.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by euG3dc2r &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hey mugenracer,

Thanks for the comment.

With those tyre sizes, did you find any rubbing when it was really low?
How low was it before? interms of finger space between the arch and tyre!

Not sure if you can see the height on mine, I'll see if i can find a better pic later...

Modified by euG3dc2r at 11:38 PM 8/5/2004</TD></TR></TABLE>

The rims are +45offset and so i have no rubbing issues front or rear, even on full lock. Thats how low it is now, i havent raised it any as i'm happy with the front (you'll get 1 finger between arch and tyre) and the rears as i said are as high as they will physically go and you wouldnt get a sheet of paper in there. If i could raise the rear approx 1/2" then i'd be happy, but i cant and so be it. I've bought eibach springs to fit with the OE shocks as coilovers are overkill in my situation (50 miles a day on the worst roads to and from work) and hopefully the eibachs/OE shocks will give a little more comfort.

 

hahah wanna sell ya spoons?

 

I am thinking about selling them but your in sydney and i'm in Europe and so shippingwould be a bitch (my girlfriend is in sydney for 6 months..if i had known this earlier i could have got her to pack them in her suitcase for you!)