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View Poll Results: Eibach Springs or Tanabe Springs
Eibach springs
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Tanabe springs
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Voters: 38. You may not vote on this poll

eibach or tanabe springs for IS350?

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Old 09-13-06, 06:52 AM
  #16  
jsquared
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the eibachs are 1"/0.8" and the tanabes are 0.8"/1". the tanabes that most people use are for the GS, which is really a 1.4"/0.9" drop. i have eibachs and chose them over both tanabes. the GS springs are too agressive for me, and the IS tanabe springs look awkward.
Old 09-13-06, 07:17 AM
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gassman
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Originally Posted by IS_250
nope, sounds like hes saying the tanabe was too much drop.. thats why i asked.
You are correct
Old 09-13-06, 07:21 AM
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IS_250
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Originally Posted by jsquared
the eibachs are 1"/0.8" and the tanabes are 0.8"/1". the tanabes that most people use are for the GS, which is really a 1.4"/0.9" drop. i have eibachs and chose them over both tanabes. the GS springs are too agressive for me, and the IS tanabe springs look awkward.
damn.. ive got specs all mixed up. ive been thinking about going with the tein s-techs. i have the gs s-techs and they ride great. i want a lower drop but the s-tech will probably be too agressive.
Old 09-13-06, 07:23 AM
  #19  
IS_250
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Originally Posted by gassman
You are correct
then again i had the specs wrong..
Old 09-13-06, 09:39 AM
  #20  
gassman
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I have heard mostly + info about Eibachs. A tech told me if not Eibachs then coil overs.
Old 09-13-06, 10:11 AM
  #21  
javyLSU
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Originally Posted by Alex350
I had Eibach springs on my 1994 Toyota Corolla and had to end up throwing them away, because they continued "settling" the whole time and my car was lower and lower, until I just couldn't functionally drive it anymore I called Eibach about it and they said "our products are for off-road/show use only and not for driving" and didn't do a thing about it, so I just won't buy Eibach anymore...
Alex, I think you got hosed on your springs. I don't know how long they've been doing this, but Eibach currently offers a "million mile warranty covering defects on materials and workmanship," with all the typical warranty language. I specifically searched for the term "off-road/show use" and didn't find it anywhere in the marketing materials, packaging, or the warranty itself. Unless you were racing or autocrossing your car, this should have been covered by the warranty. Again, I don't know how long they've been offering this warranty, so your experience may have been prior to all of this.

Javier
Old 09-13-06, 10:12 AM
  #22  
mr.BeboT
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Originally Posted by Alex350
Why don't you get Road Magnet springs? They cost $200.00 and are the ones that Team Lexus uses for their cars. They are also warrantied for LIFE and Mark Habicht, one of the owners, told me that if you are not happy with something in particular (spring rate, ride height), you just let them know and they will send you a spring that will be more to your liking. You just can't go wrong with that!!
Did I miss something? I was waiting for the release of Road Magnet springs but you are implying they are available now.
Old 09-13-06, 10:15 AM
  #23  
IS_250
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Originally Posted by mr.BeboT
Did I miss something? I was waiting for the release of Road Magnet springs but you are implying they are available now.
shoot MrMark a pm... hes already got them, but they are not listed on the roadmagnet website
Old 09-13-06, 10:53 AM
  #24  
Tanabe USA
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Originally Posted by Gernby
I don't see any value in the poll. I doubt anyone will have experience with BOTH sets of springs, so it is really just a poll of how many bought each product.

I got the Eibach's. They are a MUCH larger spring manufacturer, and have a good reputation. Honestly, I doubt Tanabe even manufactures theirs springs.

Gernby,

We are not aware of any blemishes on our reputation, but if you are privy to such information, please let us know.

We have been manufacturing quality products in-house, 100% in-Japan since 1982. We are an ISO9001 certified manufacturer, and we take a great amount of pride in manufacturing all of our parts in-house at our factory in Shiga, Japan. With the exception of damper development/manufacturing in conjunction with Kayaba Japan, we do not outsource any manufacturing outside of Japan. The Tanabe product is truly 100% Made in Japan.

We are one of the only manufacturers in Japan to own and operate one of the most advanced WAFIOS (http://www.wafios.de) coil springing machines. Outside of the heavy machinery/automotive industry, most people are not familiar with this company. We use equipment and proprietary manufacturing techniques that are exclusive to our Shiga factory. You may see that the machinery on our website is different from the ones commercially available from WAFIOS-- our coil spring machine is unique to our factory and in all of Japan-- even if you were to have the money, the machinery we operate is not available for any company to purchase.

You can read more about our company and manufacturing process here:

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/aboutus.asp
http://www.tanabe-usa.com/technology.asp
http://www.tanabe-usa.com/manufacturing_spring.asp

Regarding the NF210 Spring:

The NF210 was developed and engineered for a functional, conservative drop. The rear appears lower than the front, as the rear wheel cutout sits lower on the IS350, similar to how BMW's appear lowered. The spring rates and lowering amounts provide proper function and weight balance. With an even wheel gap, the car/chassis will sit at a slightly forward rake.

News:

Observing that many people desired purely aesthetics, we took the recommendations of many people on the forum and have finished creating a new part number: TDF113, DF210 for IS350. This spring will have a more aggressive drop, but will provide the aesthetics of having even wheel gaps. Please look forward to this spring finishing final R&D & production later this year!

The NF210 (TNF113) is currently for sale through CL vendors/Tanabe authorized dealers, and the aforementioned DF210 (TDF113) is pending production and shipment. Many end users use the 06+ GS springs (TNF112, TDF112) on their IS for the higher spring rates and aggressive lowering. There are technically 4 Tanabe springs that are available/compatible for new IS owners.

Last edited by Tanabe USA; 09-13-06 at 11:06 AM. Reason: information addition
Old 09-13-06, 10:59 AM
  #25  
javyLSU
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This is awesome... one of this things you have to love about this forum is when MANUFACTURERS step up and answer your questions - way to go Tanabe! Your contributions are very much appreciated!

Javier
Old 09-13-06, 11:17 AM
  #26  
Tanabe USA
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Javier, You're very much welcome!

It was thanks to input from many members on this forum that we created a new spring for the IS models, tailored specifically to the requests of many here.

Our presence here is more technical and informative, as we are trying to keep an objective POV and don't want to step on any other manufacturer's toes by bad-mouthing them We're a very different type of company than most in our industry and feel that the more informed the community is, the better they can make a decision on what suits their needs. A product can be of fantastic quality and specification, but ultimately, it is the consumer's specific needs that dictates if it is useful for them or not.
Old 09-13-06, 12:36 PM
  #27  
ExKoukiS14
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Hi-jacking...

Any ideas when Tanabe will make sway bars for the ISx50?
I've used Tanabe part in the past and they are TOP NOTCH.

IMO, more people use Eibach as it's easier to get.
But serious performance nuts are aware of the other brands out there..ie..Tanabe, JIC, Cusco, SilkRoad, etc..
Old 09-13-06, 01:13 PM
  #28  
MikeFD3S
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ExKoukiS14

Tubular Chromoly anti-swaybars from Tanabe are in the works for the IS

You are right in that Tanabe isn't as well known as Eibach, as Eibach has had much longer visible presence in North America, whereas Tanabe only had very limited availability from the mid-late 90's until they officially opened their main US office next to Toyota in 2003. Polls will be polls and you arguably couldn't go wrong with either if they suit your needs.
Old 09-13-06, 11:31 PM
  #29  
Alex350
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Originally Posted by javyLSU
Alex, I think you got hosed on your springs. I don't know how long they've been doing this, but Eibach currently offers a "million mile warranty covering defects on materials and workmanship," with all the typical warranty language. I specifically searched for the term "off-road/show use" and didn't find it anywhere in the marketing materials, packaging, or the warranty itself. Unless you were racing or autocrossing your car, this should have been covered by the warranty. Again, I don't know how long they've been offering this warranty, so your experience may have been prior to all of this.

Javier

Maybe after I had my trouble with them (back in 1997), because I do remember that I called them to tell them about my problem and they relied on the "off-road/show use only" excuse and said they were not designed for daily driving Like someone is going to buy a set of springs just for auto shows From that day on, I decided not to buy those crappy springs anymore!! My guess is that they started having a lot of negative feedback and decided to make a better quality spring and came with the warranty you mentioned to gain back whatever customers they lost to their old, low-quality springs Oh, and I don't race my cars or anything along those lines, so it wasn't that what caused the problem.

As a matter of fact, I think that a couple of people here had similar experiences as mine with Eibach's in the past.
Old 09-13-06, 11:42 PM
  #30  
Alex350
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Originally Posted by mr.BeboT
Did I miss something? I was waiting for the release of Road Magnet springs but you are implying they are available now.
Bebo, the Road Magnets springs have been available since last year. The website hasn't been updated, but call the number on the website and ask to speak with Mark Habicht, and he'll give you all the information you need and can even take your order. Road Magnet is a family owned company, but have been developing springs for over 100 years for military vehicles, and more recently race and everyday driving cars. Their build quality is top notch!!!


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