rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, around 2lb each i say. each coilover is about 10lb, so we are still talking about 20% difference?

but then again, i thnkthe overall performance is what counts, that's the bottom line

is that based on the pure coilover setup or with the special setup you have there?

RMMGS4

iTrader: (5)

Pure

If you notice, I discussed the drop of the "rear" coilovers.

RMMGS4

iTrader: (5)

The spring rests on a rubber insulator. Just spray in the area between the spring and the rubber.

When you turn the gold adjustment rings, the rubber sticks to the spring making it harder to rotate the ring, especially when raising the car.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

so the extra 1" is factored in? just want to make sure othe rmembers will get the same result on lowering without anything extrai can't rmember how much threads i still have in the front, 1/2" sounds about right now.

if i remember right, lowering the rear coilover is the problem for the old tein cs

RMMGS4

iTrader: (5)

Yes

The rear is the limiting factor.

RMMGS4

iTrader: (5)

dejacky - I have heard several people point this weight differential issue out, but I ask them: Is this a significant decision factor in choosing these coilovers and why?

The weight difference is sooooooooo insignificant.

If you had a 2 lbs increase on a brake caliper, it would impact the unsprung weight by about twice as much as the 2 lb. coilover would.; this is because the lever point of the coilover is roughly half the distance out from the A -arm pivot point, as the caliper distance is to the same pivot point. NOTE: I said roughly half, but I admit it might be closer to 1/3.

2 lbs more weight on your rims would also have roughly twice as much affect on unsprung weight, than the 2 lbs of the coilover would, not to mention the rotational inertia affects on handling.

Anyone worried about the weight of these coilovers had better have optimized their brakes by having the lightest available calipers and they should also be running 18 or 19 inch rims, NOT 20", plus the rims chosen should weigh somewhere in the range of 15 to 18 lbs, not like the 23 to 26 lbs that the average 20" wheel weighs.

ONLY if someone has optimized these much more critical weight factors of unsprung weight and there is nothing else to improve. Only then would I consider the extra weight of the new TEIN coilovers as a factor. And after all that I challenge anyone to measure and report how much better their lap times will improve on the race track, from having a 2 lb lighter coilover.

Most people on this thread are not ever going to realize or even be able to feel the weight difference in their driving.

So my point is let's put this weight difference in the proper perspective and not place too much emphasis on it.

Regardless of this weight differential, the new CS KICKS BUTT. PERIOD !

dejacky

iTrader: (2)

You've all convinced me to put the new Tein CS on my turbo lexus sc300 5 speed .

#1gs300

iTrader: (4)

I got mine installed Yesterday and im 5 threads for the bottom and i still have about 3/4 to a full 1" from the top of my tire i have toyo xt1r or xtr1 what ever that model is. I will be doing some height adjusting tommorrow because i do feel lots of rubbing more so on the left side.

XBS1

I installed mine on Friday night and have put about 300 miles on them so far and I love them, before i could never take my GS over 100mph because my old suspesion felt so wobbly and unsafe compared to my Z, but this weekend on my way to Palm Springs i was doing 140 no problem, and this was on the sofest setting. Still need to lower the car so more its too high. I will post some pics. Im going to set it to the lowest setting it can go in the front tonight, the rear has plently of adjustment left.

Thanks for the Write up again!

-George

gapxguy

Does anyone know if the front coilovers lowers more than V1's CS?

Panerai127

RMMGS4,
hey man I got the Tein CS v2 installed less then a month ago and have few questions. I also got Daizen control arm bushings done. You said the new CS's should handle like M series BMW on the GS, did you mean with all the other suspension mods done already: sways, braces, etc?! Because my GS on stock 17/45/245 does not handle like M5, lol. I think I need to go see authorized dealer for Tein for him to look at my set up that was done by local mech with no previous experience with Lexus or Tein, thats another story. lol. I never had coilover suspension mod on any of my previous cars, this is the first one. I read the manual that came with CS's and it says and you also mention that there are 1-16 clicks/settings from soft to stiffest (left to right). I don't know if I am doing this right, but when I use the green tool to count clicks from left to right I counted 29?! So reading the manual, it says 1-16 clicks is the safest setting and above 16 ( I assume) will possibly damage the shock?! So is there 29 clicks, like I counted, and you suppose to use 1-16, 16 being the stiffest?! I have mine set 5 clicks left from 16 clicks i initialy counted, does that make any sense?! The car rides stiffer then stock (Daizen bushings play some roll in that too, I assume), more controled but not like BMW, road feel is better but not like BMW, handles better but not like BMW, still there is a body lean, but less then stock.. See, I think, and I mentioned this on other threads. There are people like myself, that like and enjoy and had BMW's and know and love the way the drive, but do not like reliability factor (eventhough my e46 did not have many issues), and there are people that bought and love Lexus feel, and would like to get a bit more performance then stock and would be able to drop the car with large wheels (19 or 20) and still have stock ride. So, I think CS is more for people that like this plushy smooth Lexus like ride and want a bit more control then stock and be able to have stock ride on large wheels. And people that drove 5 or 3 series BMW and like the way they feel, need to go with Bilstein PSS like DaveGS4 or Tein Flex like Wringo or Lexforlife, to get this heavy bulky car feel more like BMW. Correct me if I am wrong. I made that mistake and went with CS and wish I went with PSS or Flex instead. Unless bigger wheels and less tire would help my set up, or adding TRD sways (Daizen I heard are not as good performance wise and are smoother ride then TRD, correct me if I am wrong), RMM, what do you think? Sorry for my long responses all the time, lol.

chuckb

turn the adjuster all the way in to firmest dampening,(clockwise), then you count clicks out from there. are you saying you're 5 clicks out from all the way in and it's still too soft. try two clicks from full stiff.

RMMGS4

iTrader: (5)

You caught me at a bad time.

I am currently organizing the BIG EOS meet in NorCal, so right now my PM is off and I have minimal time to post or even read posts right now. I won't be able to respond after this one post. You can always hit me up again after EOS is over if I haven't covered everything.

In general your impressions are accurate, to get more BMW like handling you do need sways, steering ECU, and chassis bracing. I did note somewhere that the Flex is better suited for aggressive handling at the sacrifice of more hardness and noise. The CS is on the soft side of the handling spectrum, but can be compensated quite well if you add the above mentioned items. I still personally prefer the Daizen over the TRD. On a race track with a highly skilled driver you might find the TRD to be a tick faster in lap time (Though I don't believe anyone has proven that either), but still I don't belive the TRD is worth the increase in ride harshness that is traded off for any possible gains in handling, especially if you don't use a stop watch to measure your improvements.

As far as clicks, turn the setting full clockwise until it locks. After that do not go more than 16 clicks counter-clockwise or damage, bad dampening or both will occur.

All tastes are different so there's no way anyone (including myself) can tell what is right for you. From what I gather I suggest you go full hard on the CS (full clockwise) and then on the rear back up counter-clockwise about 2 to 4 clicks. That should be optimized for handling and frankly as good as it gets with the CS. You might want to wait until you have low profile tires/wheels and other braces installed, because as much as all those items will improve performance, you will also increase ride hardness with each addition. At that point you may be happy you bought the CS.

For me I have the RMM front STB, Cusco rear STB, Toms front LCB, Toms rear LCB, Toms rear 6 link, steering ECU, Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires size 295/25-20 in the rear. Adjustable sways. With all those add ons and very low profile tires I can say my combination rides great considering the set up. I have the Tein CS to compensate for all the other ride stiffening mods I have implemented.

There are other ways to achieve a relatively smooth ride and great handling. For my combination, I felt going to the CS was the best balance of ride and handling for me.

Good Luck

Panerai127

chuckb lol.. This is why you need an experienced mech to install this stuff. I thought it is 1-16 clicks from turned all the way down counter-clockwise to 16 clicks clockwise, mine is set 11 clicks clockwise from softest. lol.. So I guess I am riding now where i can damage the shock!!! Thanks for info chuck and RMM.. I will change setting tomorrow. So if you count clicks there are 29 clicks actually that you can set, but as I understand from what you guys are saying that you need to turn the **** all the way down clockwise to the hardest setting and then measure from their bacl counterclockwise up to 16 clicks being within spec!! Right? So tomorrow I will set 2 clicks counter-clockwise from the stiffest and 4 clicks in the rear, and see the difference..

RMM thanks for aggreeing with my observations, I guess when you have full suspension done, braces, sways and links with new CS's, then the whole package handles like M5 and rides not to harsh, like M5, is that right? Because if I do decide to keep this car, I will get sways and see how that would contribute to the road feel, ride and if the car still would lean.. As far as sways, I thought Daizen sways are softer, therefore the ride is not as firm as TRD and the car still leans a bit with them, where TRD is a bit stiffer but does not lean and feels more glued to the road?! That is why I wanted to go with TRD with Tein CS combo, since CS's are softer then Flex?! Anyone can shine some light, but lets say this: If I was going to get Axis Milano 20" wheels or keep my stock 17". What would be a difference in road feel, ride, cornering, body lean if I added TRD sways to my Tein CS and Daizen control arm bushings installed, or if I would add Daizen sways like most people on here do? Then another combo would be if I trade my CS for Flex or PSS and add Daizen sways? Or Flex or PSS with TRD sways? Thanks guys..

Neo

iTrader: (3)

I think there will always be some amount of lean. Although I have not had the pleasure, from what others tell me, there is even a bit of lean on the e39 M5s. There is some level of compromise to keep these big heavy cars handling well while not greatly degrading the ride quality. Body lean does not necessarily mean bad handling. As long as you feel in control, you should be OK. Like RMMGS4 said, once you have bigger rims with thinner tire sidewalls (and possibly more bracing), you will want your sways and coilovers a bit more compliant.