review of tein HA, Flex, and CS coilvers on GS400
03-17-04, 11:14 PM
#1
review of tein HA, Flex, and CS coilvers on GS400
lately there have been a lot of discussions on what coilovers to get, which one is soft, how soft, etc... and it seems to me that these questions pop up from time to time as well. so i decided to write this little review of mine on the three most common tein coilovers setup - HA, Flex, and CS. while everything i say is just my opinions, i think i am the only one here who has gone through these three suspensions for an extensive amount of time so hopefully i can help a bit.
tein HA
that's my first coilover setup after i got my car back in 2002. i rode a little while on the stock 17s and the HA before i changed to my 19s, and i rode on 19s and HA for quite a while. with the stock wheels, the HA actually rode pretty well, you could feel the road a lot more than stock, and you can totally feel the suspension traveling, but nothing like unbearable.
handling wise of course, it was awesome compared to the stock setup. it actually reduced TONS of body rolls, i was actually very surprised that even without sways the car handled so well already
after i put my 19s on that's when i started to feel the stiffness of the coilovers. yes it's stiff. to the point that i went from setting 6 (from stiffest) to around 11. still even at 11 on uneven road, bumps, or imperfect freeway driving, i really found myself jumping around a little bit.
after a while i actually found the coilovers to be a bit way too stiff, specially after i put on the trd blue race sways as well. with my parents coming over to visit me soon, i figured i need some change...
tein Flex
well i decided to stay in the tein family coz' of couple of reasons - price (i can get good price), edfc capability (not that i will put it on though), and adjustments (both height and stiffness adjustable). the question was, flex or cs? after a little bit of thoughts i decided to go with flex, reasons to follow...
the first thing i felt after the install was -- gosh this is awesome ride quality! compared to my HA, the flex damps a lot softer than the HA, on uneven road, i could hear the wheels going boom boom boom, but the cabin stays almost the same, and i don't find myself jumping around inside the car anymore, even on the exact same road where i jumped like crazy in the past with the HA. that was with almost full soft settings. i was extremely please with that.
handling wise though, i could immediately felt the difference, where the flex didn't make me as confident as i was in the HA. even with the same trd blue sways, the car leaned a bit more than the HA for sure. now keep in mind, i am NOT saying the flex handles worse than the HA. it might be the case, but for road use i doubt you can see much difference. but the feel was very different on turns and curves. it was noticeable
well, while i was very happy with the flex, and actually felt even better when i replaced my trd blue with daizen (that's another story), apparently my paraents have some even better sensors. one time i asked them how the ride is, and they said it's ok but still not lexus enough...
well.....
tein CS
after couple of thoughts and talks with my wife, i guess the only way out is to get the CS. i decided to go from HA to flex coz' i knew the flex is stiffer than the cs so supposedly it will handle better. also the flex is a more advanced system where you can adjust the height in two ways (end up might not be a good thing after all, another story as well). but after riding on the flex for 5000 miles with my parents, they were still not happy enough, so i decided to order the tein cs....
honestly the first time i saw the cs i actually missed the green on the flex and the HA. the gold color of the cs is no doubt funny to me. so finally i put the cs on, adjust the height to my likings, and rode around the blocks. weird enough, i didn't really feel much difference at all from the flex. at least not until i hit the freeway and drive more.
this is so close to the feeling of the stock suspension! remember i said that with the flex, on the freeway uneven section, i hear the boom boom sound and the cabin stays relatively steady? now with the cs, also on the softer side, the boom boom sound is definitely less than before (at least quieter), and the cabin is like almost stand still! this is really comfortable! the difference between the flex and the cs is deifnitley not as big as that of the ha and the flex, but after you ride around you can still feel it.
moreover, the car is definitely quieter. when i got the flex people (including the installer) told me the flex tends to be a bit nosier. i didn't really feel anything when i had the flex, but now i have the cs, i could tell it's quite a bit quieter. i guess it's just the design of flex that it's a bit nosier.
handling wise, honestly, i think the cs and the flex handles about the same, at least feeling wise. in the beginning the cs gave me a feeling of loss road feel, coz' the suspension is so soft. but after a while, i got used to the setup and things started to change. i can still take turns the same speed as i did with the flex, no problem at all, and the car response very well in the cs system. i am actually pretty amazed that the cs, being so soft when you drive over uneven road, can perform so well on curves.
overall
so overall, before you ask, do NOT ask me which one is the best. there is never the best, it's all about what you want. seriously, tein desgined these three models for a resaon -- fits your needs. if you go to track, you want superb handing feel, and there is no one who's going to complain about a harsh ride, the HA is a clear winner to me. if you want a good balance between ride and handling, and you still want more road feel, the flex is not a bad system at all. and if you want the ultimate almost stock ride quality and comfort, then you should look nowhere else but the cs. it's very comfortable, even with big wheels, and it's very quiet.
if you wonder about height adjustment, the HA definitely allows you to drop the car most, to the point that i actually wonder who would need their car to be that low anyway (you can't even drive your car if you crank all the way down). the flex has the medium drop range, and imho this is the best for most people the cs though, it has the least drop. with my 20s, i have no problem doing it zero gap front and back. however, if you have 19/18/17s and want zero gap, you will probably use up all the threads to get that. if you want to tuck those wheels, then you should forget about the cs, i dont' think it's low enough for you at all
and of course, if you are in snow area, you might want to think about the HA coz' it might develop rust. the flex and cs are both aluminum so they are better in that sense. also, the HA will need to use your stock pillow mount so installation is a bit more challenging. the flex and the cs are full direct suspension swap so it's easier. the flex comes with metal pillow mount (another potential candidate for noise) and the cs comes with hard rubber pillow mount.
moreover, you might want to look out for the flex and edfc setup too. the flex has a much taller stiffness adjustment ****, and together with the edfc, so far, only the RMM stb will fit. even the ugo doesn't. with the cs and edfc, the ugo stb fits no problem at all. and actually with the flex and no edfc, even the trd stb i have fit VERY close to the **** already too. so pay attention to that as well.
i hope i cover most of the difference between the 3 tein coilovres.
update (6/13): i have tested the new tein cs setup, please read post 175 for review
tein HA
that's my first coilover setup after i got my car back in 2002. i rode a little while on the stock 17s and the HA before i changed to my 19s, and i rode on 19s and HA for quite a while. with the stock wheels, the HA actually rode pretty well, you could feel the road a lot more than stock, and you can totally feel the suspension traveling, but nothing like unbearable.
handling wise of course, it was awesome compared to the stock setup. it actually reduced TONS of body rolls, i was actually very surprised that even without sways the car handled so well already
after i put my 19s on that's when i started to feel the stiffness of the coilovers. yes it's stiff. to the point that i went from setting 6 (from stiffest) to around 11. still even at 11 on uneven road, bumps, or imperfect freeway driving, i really found myself jumping around a little bit.
after a while i actually found the coilovers to be a bit way too stiff, specially after i put on the trd blue race sways as well. with my parents coming over to visit me soon, i figured i need some change...
tein Flex
well i decided to stay in the tein family coz' of couple of reasons - price (i can get good price), edfc capability (not that i will put it on though), and adjustments (both height and stiffness adjustable). the question was, flex or cs? after a little bit of thoughts i decided to go with flex, reasons to follow...
the first thing i felt after the install was -- gosh this is awesome ride quality! compared to my HA, the flex damps a lot softer than the HA, on uneven road, i could hear the wheels going boom boom boom, but the cabin stays almost the same, and i don't find myself jumping around inside the car anymore, even on the exact same road where i jumped like crazy in the past with the HA. that was with almost full soft settings. i was extremely please with that.
handling wise though, i could immediately felt the difference, where the flex didn't make me as confident as i was in the HA. even with the same trd blue sways, the car leaned a bit more than the HA for sure. now keep in mind, i am NOT saying the flex handles worse than the HA. it might be the case, but for road use i doubt you can see much difference. but the feel was very different on turns and curves. it was noticeable
well, while i was very happy with the flex, and actually felt even better when i replaced my trd blue with daizen (that's another story), apparently my paraents have some even better sensors. one time i asked them how the ride is, and they said it's ok but still not lexus enough...
well.....
tein CS
after couple of thoughts and talks with my wife, i guess the only way out is to get the CS. i decided to go from HA to flex coz' i knew the flex is stiffer than the cs so supposedly it will handle better. also the flex is a more advanced system where you can adjust the height in two ways (end up might not be a good thing after all, another story as well). but after riding on the flex for 5000 miles with my parents, they were still not happy enough, so i decided to order the tein cs....
honestly the first time i saw the cs i actually missed the green on the flex and the HA. the gold color of the cs is no doubt funny to me. so finally i put the cs on, adjust the height to my likings, and rode around the blocks. weird enough, i didn't really feel much difference at all from the flex. at least not until i hit the freeway and drive more.
this is so close to the feeling of the stock suspension! remember i said that with the flex, on the freeway uneven section, i hear the boom boom sound and the cabin stays relatively steady? now with the cs, also on the softer side, the boom boom sound is definitely less than before (at least quieter), and the cabin is like almost stand still! this is really comfortable! the difference between the flex and the cs is deifnitley not as big as that of the ha and the flex, but after you ride around you can still feel it.
moreover, the car is definitely quieter. when i got the flex people (including the installer) told me the flex tends to be a bit nosier. i didn't really feel anything when i had the flex, but now i have the cs, i could tell it's quite a bit quieter. i guess it's just the design of flex that it's a bit nosier.
handling wise, honestly, i think the cs and the flex handles about the same, at least feeling wise. in the beginning the cs gave me a feeling of loss road feel, coz' the suspension is so soft. but after a while, i got used to the setup and things started to change. i can still take turns the same speed as i did with the flex, no problem at all, and the car response very well in the cs system. i am actually pretty amazed that the cs, being so soft when you drive over uneven road, can perform so well on curves.
overall
so overall, before you ask, do NOT ask me which one is the best. there is never the best, it's all about what you want. seriously, tein desgined these three models for a resaon -- fits your needs. if you go to track, you want superb handing feel, and there is no one who's going to complain about a harsh ride, the HA is a clear winner to me. if you want a good balance between ride and handling, and you still want more road feel, the flex is not a bad system at all. and if you want the ultimate almost stock ride quality and comfort, then you should look nowhere else but the cs. it's very comfortable, even with big wheels, and it's very quiet.
if you wonder about height adjustment, the HA definitely allows you to drop the car most, to the point that i actually wonder who would need their car to be that low anyway (you can't even drive your car if you crank all the way down). the flex has the medium drop range, and imho this is the best for most people the cs though, it has the least drop. with my 20s, i have no problem doing it zero gap front and back. however, if you have 19/18/17s and want zero gap, you will probably use up all the threads to get that. if you want to tuck those wheels, then you should forget about the cs, i dont' think it's low enough for you at all
and of course, if you are in snow area, you might want to think about the HA coz' it might develop rust. the flex and cs are both aluminum so they are better in that sense. also, the HA will need to use your stock pillow mount so installation is a bit more challenging. the flex and the cs are full direct suspension swap so it's easier. the flex comes with metal pillow mount (another potential candidate for noise) and the cs comes with hard rubber pillow mount.
moreover, you might want to look out for the flex and edfc setup too. the flex has a much taller stiffness adjustment ****, and together with the edfc, so far, only the RMM stb will fit. even the ugo doesn't. with the cs and edfc, the ugo stb fits no problem at all. and actually with the flex and no edfc, even the trd stb i have fit VERY close to the **** already too. so pay attention to that as well.
i hope i cover most of the difference between the 3 tein coilovres.
update (6/13): i have tested the new tein cs setup, please read post 175 for review
Last edited by rominl; 06-14-06 at 12:18 AM.
03-18-04, 04:47 AM
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excellent thread Rom, I have been meaning to ask when you were going to do this. Also what the hell have you done with all of these old coils?? Like you, the HA's are my first coils and just to add on, I think the EDFC makes a world of difference when you have these. To be totally honest, if I had to drive these around on one setting, I would NOT like them. Simply because the stiffness that is nice, smooth and controlled on the highway (I drive about 360miles to NY on weekends), is WAY to stiff on the streets!!! Conversely, the setting that saves your **** in the city (remember NY streets are ROUGH and NASTY) is WAY to soft/jiggly on the highway.
Just to play around last weekend I set it to full stiff on the Brooklyn streets and I swear, I could tell when the texture/grain of the pavement changed!!!! I mean the texture too, not bumps LOL. In all honesty I had them set one click away from full soft while cruising in Bk, and they were not bad at all. The best thing about coilovers is the matched spring and coil, there are some streets where I test my suspension because I know about the bumps that are there, and the car was very controlled over these (no bobble head doll). I also noticed that when I raised my height from a tucked front tire to a 1.5 finger gap, the ride increased alot. (of course I put it back down to less than a finger gap
) The best way to describe these coils are stiff/firm, not overly harsh at all, just a sporty ride. And oh yeah the handling is phenomenal.
Just to play around last weekend I set it to full stiff on the Brooklyn streets and I swear, I could tell when the texture/grain of the pavement changed!!!! I mean the texture too, not bumps LOL. In all honesty I had them set one click away from full soft while cruising in Bk, and they were not bad at all. The best thing about coilovers is the matched spring and coil, there are some streets where I test my suspension because I know about the bumps that are there, and the car was very controlled over these (no bobble head doll). I also noticed that when I raised my height from a tucked front tire to a 1.5 finger gap, the ride increased alot. (of course I put it back down to less than a finger gap
) The best way to describe these coils are stiff/firm, not overly harsh at all, just a sporty ride. And oh yeah the handling is phenomenal.
03-18-04, 05:47 AM
#3
the tein king has spoken
great write up, great point about the cs's 4 people with 20's... when i recieve pm's about them i always tell people what size r u'r wheels and what drop do u want, i never mentioned quality 2 them cus the cs softness and quality speaks 4 itself, with 20's they r the perfect suspension 4 most everyone, low enough 2 have no gap or even tuck if u want, when i 1st got mine installed they tucked the front wheel and i had 2 have them raise it, than i had no gap and it still rubbed a little so i raised it somemore...anyone with 17's or 18's would need flex or ha2 have no gap or tuck like u said, but i think 19's might have a good chance of no gap with the cs's aswell....u hit every point on the 3 set ups including the rust part of the ha's i didn't know about, and also the rmm strut bar issue with the edfs's is good aswell 4 anyone looking 2 do that... 
now mayb a write up on if the edfc is really needed and 2 what type of driver its needed 4? plus if location and road quality where u live would play into it....
ok these r questions 4 me but i figure others would b interested aswell
great write up, great point about the cs's 4 people with 20's... when i recieve pm's about them i always tell people what size r u'r wheels and what drop do u want, i never mentioned quality 2 them cus the cs softness and quality speaks 4 itself, with 20's they r the perfect suspension 4 most everyone, low enough 2 have no gap or even tuck if u want, when i 1st got mine installed they tucked the front wheel and i had 2 have them raise it, than i had no gap and it still rubbed a little so i raised it somemore...anyone with 17's or 18's would need flex or ha2 have no gap or tuck like u said, but i think 19's might have a good chance of no gap with the cs's aswell....u hit every point on the 3 set ups including the rust part of the ha's i didn't know about, and also the rmm strut bar issue with the edfs's is good aswell 4 anyone looking 2 do that... now mayb a write up on if the edfc is really needed and 2 what type of driver its needed 4? plus if location and road quality where u live would play into it....
ok these r questions 4 me but i figure others would b interested aswell
Last edited by bluelex; 03-18-04 at 05:51 AM.
03-18-04, 06:28 AM
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Originally posted by bluelex
now mayb a write up on if the edfc is really needed and 2 what type of driver its needed 4? plus if location and road quality where u live would play into it....
ok these r questions 4 me but i figure others would b interested aswell
now mayb a write up on if the edfc is really needed and 2 what type of driver its needed 4? plus if location and road quality where u live would play into it....
ok these r questions 4 me but i figure others would b interested aswell
Now for inner city driving (like NY) the EDFC saves ya because the streets are really really nasty, just potholes, humps, bumps etc everywhere you turn.
I say the EDFC is perfect for person like me, I dont drive my car often, but when I do, its for a extended range and period (ie, road trips that cover 3states). I do not have to worry about my suspension being to hard for the NY streets, yet to soft for the tight curves on the Meritt pkwy, plus I can set it to the middle for rides on the interstate!
Hope this helps
03-18-04, 08:14 AM
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Great Information
As stared previously this is a super writeup from somebody who has actually experienced all three set ups. My gs400 currently rides on the L-tuned springs and shocks, TRD sway bars, and I also have the L-tuned ECU steering unit along with 25mm H&R spacers in the rear on OEM 17" wheels. I am just about to install the RMM front STB, the TRD front LCB, Tom's rear LCB when all the parts arrive from Carson Toyota. I only have 6,000 miles on the L-tuned set up. last year when debating what suspension set up to go with, I had the opportunity to drive in a gs430 with Tein Ha set up and at that time I thought the handling was great but I don't recall the ride being that harsh. I decided to go with the L-tuned because of the fact that it was something designed specifically for Lexus and with the extra money I could get the sways and steering ecu. I generally like the ride I have now but I would perhaps like to feel a little more planted and further reduce some of the roll. I would like to maintain the "Lexus" ride as well, (I know you can't have everything). I will probably not go any bigger than a 17" or 18" wheel and I don't need a slammed look. Keeping an eye on the recent threads about the Tein's I seem to be leaning towards the CS. I am however going to ride with Hameed in his car (when he installs the FLEX) just to compare before I make any decisions. I would also definetiley get the EDFC. Sorry for the long winded background but my question is a comparison of the Tein CS with my L-tuned set up and all the other suspension mods. Will there be a noticeable difference in the swap of the coilovers with my shock/spring combo? What will this difference be? I read about the diff in going from L-tuned to the flex but has anybody gone from L-tuned to CS?
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for reading.
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03-18-04, 12:54 PM
#8
Originally posted by DGOT20s
excellent thread Rom, I have been meaning to ask when you were going to do this. Also what the hell have you done with all of these old coils?? Like you, the HA's are my first coils and just to add on, I think the EDFC makes a world of difference when you have these. To be totally honest, if I had to drive these around on one setting, I would NOT like them. Simply because the stiffness that is nice, smooth and controlled on the highway (I drive about 360miles to NY on weekends), is WAY to stiff on the streets!!! Conversely, the setting that saves your **** in the city (remember NY streets are ROUGH and NASTY) is WAY to soft/jiggly on the highway.
Just to play around last weekend I set it to full stiff on the Brooklyn streets and I swear, I could tell when the texture/grain of the pavement changed!!!! I mean the texture too, not bumps LOL. In all honesty I had them set one click away from full soft while cruising in Bk, and they were not bad at all. The best thing about coilovers is the matched spring and coil, there are some streets where I test my suspension because I know about the bumps that are there, and the car was very controlled over these (no bobble head doll). I also noticed that when I raised my height from a tucked front tire to a 1.5 finger gap, the ride increased alot. (of course I put it back down to less than a finger gap ) The best way to describe these coils are stiff/firm, not overly harsh at all, just a sporty ride. And oh yeah the handling is phenomenal.
excellent thread Rom, I have been meaning to ask when you were going to do this. Also what the hell have you done with all of these old coils?? Like you, the HA's are my first coils and just to add on, I think the EDFC makes a world of difference when you have these. To be totally honest, if I had to drive these around on one setting, I would NOT like them. Simply because the stiffness that is nice, smooth and controlled on the highway (I drive about 360miles to NY on weekends), is WAY to stiff on the streets!!! Conversely, the setting that saves your **** in the city (remember NY streets are ROUGH and NASTY) is WAY to soft/jiggly on the highway.
Just to play around last weekend I set it to full stiff on the Brooklyn streets and I swear, I could tell when the texture/grain of the pavement changed!!!! I mean the texture too, not bumps LOL. In all honesty I had them set one click away from full soft while cruising in Bk, and they were not bad at all. The best thing about coilovers is the matched spring and coil, there are some streets where I test my suspension because I know about the bumps that are there, and the car was very controlled over these (no bobble head doll). I also noticed that when I raised my height from a tucked front tire to a 1.5 finger gap, the ride increased alot. (of course I put it back down to less than a finger gap
) The best way to describe these coils are stiff/firm, not overly harsh at all, just a sporty ride. And oh yeah the handling is phenomenal.
though i was thinking about it, if i got the cs in the very first place, i would have saved enough money to get my tc installed already sigh... well on the bright side, if i did that then you guys won't ahve been able to read this review anyway right? so damnit, donate money to me! man don't tempt me about edfc please.... first of all almost everyone here in norcal have edfc, and they already tell me every time that i need it... plus if i get edfc, i will need to get ugo or rmm stb... gosh.... i am not made of money @_@
and about your comment on adjusting the edfc, actually, i think yes you actually can have very good use of them with the HA coz' it's still, so soft and stiff is big difference. with my cs (at least right now), i am on the soft side and i am ok with almost all road driving. when i do crazy driving, yes teh car leans more, but handling wise it's the same. so maybe i will just stick with leaning on the window or the center armrest for now
03-18-04, 12:57 PM
#9
Originally posted by bluelex
the tein king has spoken great write up, great point about the cs's 4 people with 20's... when i recieve pm's about them i always tell people what size r u'r wheels and what drop do u want, i never mentioned quality 2 them cus the cs softness and quality speaks 4 itself, with 20's they r the perfect suspension 4 most everyone, low enough 2 have no gap or even tuck if u want, when i 1st got mine installed they tucked the front wheel and i had 2 have them raise it, than i had no gap and it still rubbed a little so i raised it somemore...anyone with 17's or 18's would need flex or ha2 have no gap or tuck like u said, but i think 19's might have a good chance of no gap with the cs's aswell....u hit every point on the 3 set ups including the rust part of the ha's i didn't know about, and also the rmm strut bar issue with the edfs's is good aswell 4 anyone looking 2 do that...
now mayb a write up on if the edfc is really needed and 2 what type of driver its needed 4? plus if location and road quality where u live would play into it....
ok these r questions 4 me but i figure others would b interested aswell
the tein king has spoken
great write up, great point about the cs's 4 people with 20's... when i recieve pm's about them i always tell people what size r u'r wheels and what drop do u want, i never mentioned quality 2 them cus the cs softness and quality speaks 4 itself, with 20's they r the perfect suspension 4 most everyone, low enough 2 have no gap or even tuck if u want, when i 1st got mine installed they tucked the front wheel and i had 2 have them raise it, than i had no gap and it still rubbed a little so i raised it somemore...anyone with 17's or 18's would need flex or ha2 have no gap or tuck like u said, but i think 19's might have a good chance of no gap with the cs's aswell....u hit every point on the 3 set ups including the rust part of the ha's i didn't know about, and also the rmm strut bar issue with the edfs's is good aswell 4 anyone looking 2 do that... now mayb a write up on if the edfc is really needed and 2 what type of driver its needed 4? plus if location and road quality where u live would play into it....
ok these r questions 4 me but i figure others would b interested aswell
btw, spring time is coming, we need to talk soon and about the cs and 19s, yes you can lower it to no gap no problem. LXOGOOD is on 19s and cs, and he has absolutely no gap. i think i did enough research before i got my cs, so i can already name a few people, hahaha
03-18-04, 01:00 PM
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Originally posted by rominl
man don't tempt me about edfc please.... first of all almost everyone here in norcal have edfc, and they already tell me every time that i need it... plus if i get edfc, i will need to get ugo or rmm stb... gosh.... i am not made of money @_@
man don't tempt me about edfc please.... first of all almost everyone here in norcal have edfc, and they already tell me every time that i need it... plus if i get edfc, i will need to get ugo or rmm stb... gosh.... i am not made of money @_@
oh and stop lying, you know you have money flowing green in your veins!!! LOL
03-18-04, 01:02 PM
#11
Re: Great Information
Originally posted by SPORTS
As stared previously this is a super writeup from somebody who has actually experienced all three set ups. My gs400 currently rides on the L-tuned springs and shocks, TRD sway bars, and I also have the L-tuned ECU steering unit along with 25mm H&R spacers in the rear on OEM 17" wheels. I am just about to install the RMM front STB, the TRD front LCB, Tom's rear LCB when all the parts arrive from Carson Toyota. I only have 6,000 miles on the L-tuned set up. last year when debating what suspension set up to go with, I had the opportunity to drive in a gs430 with Tein Ha set up and at that time I thought the handling was great but I don't recall the ride being that harsh. I decided to go with the L-tuned because of the fact that it was something designed specifically for Lexus and with the extra money I could get the sways and steering ecu. I generally like the ride I have now but I would perhaps like to feel a little more planted and further reduce some of the roll. I would like to maintain the "Lexus" ride as well, (I know you can't have everything). I will probably not go any bigger than a 17" or 18" wheel and I don't need a slammed look. Keeping an eye on the recent threads about the Tein's I seem to be leaning towards the CS. I am however going to ride with Hameed in his car (when he installs the FLEX) just to compare before I make any decisions. I would also definetiley get the EDFC. Sorry for the long winded background but my question is a comparison of the Tein CS with my L-tuned set up and all the other suspension mods. Will there be a noticeable difference in the swap of the coilovers with my shock/spring combo? What will this difference be? I read about the diff in going from L-tuned to the flex but has anybody gone from L-tuned to CS?
Thanks for reading.
As stared previously this is a super writeup from somebody who has actually experienced all three set ups. My gs400 currently rides on the L-tuned springs and shocks, TRD sway bars, and I also have the L-tuned ECU steering unit along with 25mm H&R spacers in the rear on OEM 17" wheels. I am just about to install the RMM front STB, the TRD front LCB, Tom's rear LCB when all the parts arrive from Carson Toyota. I only have 6,000 miles on the L-tuned set up. last year when debating what suspension set up to go with, I had the opportunity to drive in a gs430 with Tein Ha set up and at that time I thought the handling was great but I don't recall the ride being that harsh. I decided to go with the L-tuned because of the fact that it was something designed specifically for Lexus and with the extra money I could get the sways and steering ecu. I generally like the ride I have now but I would perhaps like to feel a little more planted and further reduce some of the roll. I would like to maintain the "Lexus" ride as well, (I know you can't have everything). I will probably not go any bigger than a 17" or 18" wheel and I don't need a slammed look. Keeping an eye on the recent threads about the Tein's I seem to be leaning towards the CS. I am however going to ride with Hameed in his car (when he installs the FLEX) just to compare before I make any decisions. I would also definetiley get the EDFC. Sorry for the long winded background but my question is a comparison of the Tein CS with my L-tuned set up and all the other suspension mods. Will there be a noticeable difference in the swap of the coilovers with my shock/spring combo? What will this difference be? I read about the diff in going from L-tuned to the flex but has anybody gone from L-tuned to CS?
Thanks for reading.
and about the ride qualtiy, honestly, a little test drive you won't really be able to tell ANYTHING at all. you need to drive on a lot of road conditions, speed, etc... in order for you to start feeling the difference
03-18-04, 01:05 PM
#13
Originally posted by DGOT20s
I'll be totally honest, I think most of your crew has either HA or Flex coils, so as I said earlier they NEED EDFC (especially if they have a wife or girlfriend!), but with the CS you could probably tune it a little stiffer (maybe something like 7-9) and live with the balance/compromise. it also depends what kind of driver you are. When I'm in the city or in the streets, Im cruising at about 30-40mph (i'm not a stoplight grand prix person), but on the highway I put the spurs to her. So if your a driver like me, you could live with the 'slightly' stiffer city ride and still handle well on the highway!!
oh and stop lying, you know you have money flowing green in your veins!!! LOL
I'll be totally honest, I think most of your crew has either HA or Flex coils, so as I said earlier they NEED EDFC (especially if they have a wife or girlfriend!), but with the CS you could probably tune it a little stiffer (maybe something like 7-9) and live with the balance/compromise. it also depends what kind of driver you are. When I'm in the city or in the streets, Im cruising at about 30-40mph (i'm not a stoplight grand prix person), but on the highway I put the spurs to her. So if your a driver like me, you could live with the 'slightly' stiffer city ride and still handle well on the highway!!
oh and stop lying, you know you have money flowing green in your veins!!! LOL
oh and i got money? let's see what i have on my list - tc, lsd, tom's brace, nav, audio....
gosh, where's my money
03-18-04, 01:20 PM
#14
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Originally posted by rominl
worst of all, neo, the other guy here with cs AND edfc, tells me that "you need it man".
worst of all, neo, the other guy here with cs AND edfc, tells me that "you need it man".