148 replies to this topic

[ballade]

this is huge

[Maine_Honda_Racer]

Front coilovers? Why?

Also, believe it when I see them on a members car.

[RARECRX]

does anyone recall of an old camber correction kit that was offered to our cars way back when they were still considered new"ish" LOL!
I think lightspeed made a kit. I recall it looked simple and easy to manage...
any feedback on that kit???

Yea lightspeed had some simple ones made from A hard solid poly.. 2 guys I have bought stuff from have busted a shock shaft that were using them. They were more a simple camberplate than a correction kit.

[MrDisibility]

I guess I don't get it.

How are you going to go coil overs in the front without addressing the tower strenght?
If you lower the car a lot, you'll still have suspension geometry problems.

Are they even planning on doing that though? Have they even looked at a car yet?

If you are a company that largely imports and private-labels product you aren't going to completely address it. I am not sure this is really something practical for them to do either.

[MrDisibility]

One more thing on here...

There have been a few comparisons here between Tein and Megan. The two brands look to have a lot in common on the surface (features, initial quality, potential production centers, design, etc). But I can tell you Tein's traceability is pretty much second to none across the entire import industry. The true measure of quality has to start with production. I doubt that Megan produces their own product in house and therefore traceability is pretty much impossible. The cost to put such a process in place would raise prices dramatically. This is the the part a lot of people feel like they are paying too much for with Tein parts. No matter where they get cheap little rubber components made or whatever, they kits are made and assembled in Japan.

I am not saying Tein is better or is for everyone. Just both are better at different things. Megan being better at different things than Tein. We just have to be careful when comparing the two. Side by side it might not seem like there is much difference...but after selling the parts for years I can tell you, the companies are very different and so are the products.

[JEM MotorSports]

Can they just make a short body shock for the fronts. That's what this group really needs so more people can be low like newer cars without having to reinvent the wheel.

FYI, from our understanding The amount of people that want a fully adjustable kit out ways those that simply want a new shortened shock just for the fronts.
Buit not to shut the idea down, we are also working on the availability of offering individual parts. A shortened front shock would definately be not out of the question.

I think I would prefer something in the 5-6k range for the rear at most. Anything higher would get a little too stiff for a daily driver IMO.

And that is why we will be addressing these matters in a democratic way. The majority WILL over rule.
giving YOU the drivers a say on how these kits will be designed with options is honestly the best way to make any items for our cars, IMO...

The more suspension options out there the merrier.....
I'm not ragging or anything, just giving my hopefully insightful opinion. I have had Megan products on many of my cars and never a complaint.

We seem to think so too... thanks for your support AGAIN!..

... A little more affordable pricing would be great, but of course to get good stuff it will cost some. Keep us informed!

well noted & will do... thanks.

BOUT FREAKIN TIME MARK. dude i remember we had this convirsation bout 2 years ago .
anywanys u know me im down for anything thing. i got me some teins already but ill buy these to have jus cause lol.
too bad i dont have a car to put it in lol .

Glad you remembered...

also, since you are a present TEIN MedEvil Pro kit owner AND in a neutral unbiased position, I am curious to know how you feel about your kit?
Is there any room for improvement? would you care to go lower? Did the kit meet your expectations? etc... shoot me an email if you wish to keep things private.

In fact, I'm curious to know from several MEdEvil pro kit owners what their opinions & out comes are???
after all, this is simply the R&D phase for a new kit in the market...

It would be nice if I could get a set of rears without a massive spring perch.

duly noted! I'm sure a voting type process will begin shortly....
hopefully we will end up with various spring rate options.

Im sure some guys over here im Europe would be interested.

SOUNDS GREAT! the more buyers we have the less we pay...
shoot me an email if you wish and I will address this to other euro based forums... thanks

im interested

So are we!!! LOL! thanks for your support...

Just glanced through the thread, looks like I'm in.

Thanks! Megan Racing will be pleased to hear that...

[JEM MotorSports]

I'm in.
price is key like said.
overall suspension is what I look for and I am building for my car, what about sway bars, T-bars that fit to spec and are affordable. I;m just throughing things out there that our cars need like COIL OVERS setups which im down to buy but I need a set before Eibach 2011 :/ and in 6months I have enough for a Tein set.

Tony.

Yes, price is definately a consumer factor...
I believe several will agree UPGRADE MOTORING is a primay source for T-Bars.
Did meet with BRIAN (owner of SWAY AWAY) on the T-Bar subject matter as well. and he simply couldn't produce anymore for us at a reasonable rate.
Regarding sway bars, I did manage to meet with the new owner of the east coast based company ADDCO, as he stated that if a group buy were started
they would definately REproduce our kits at a discounted rate. (need 12-15 buyers!)
"S.T." (Suspension Techniques) also produces a sway bar kit for us, however based on the feedback from several drivers here on RPR, I was sold on the ADDCO set up.

good to know more our generation is fighting for our needs and want rather then let these wonderful cars go to waste.

..you have no idea.

While I can't afford a kit in the near future, I would like to point out that with our suspension design there is one basic element that will split things into basically 2 schools of thought. (Location of torsion bar/pivot point)
1) Function over form
Performance minded guys (R compund) will want camber to increase with compression and decrease with expansion to maintain the most rubber on the groundd in the turns. This limits lowering to abour 1" on our cars. (without extensive frame work) Plus they would generally prefer a kit that would give them 2-3deg of static camber. (Really, they'd want adjustable pillows to cater to the track)
2) Form over function
Street guys will not be able to make effective use of the contact patch nor rely on a consistant pavement surface. This means they will benefit most from lowering + a camber correction kit.
Steet would probably be in the 2.5" drop range and 1deg static camber correction pillow.
I don't know, I may be way off base here... But for me, I'd want my street car to look good first and perform second. And my track car to perform first and look good second.
We are, ofcourse, talking about small differences here. Basically it's an inch of drop vs a couple % better cornering.
For the street, I'd want the lower stance. For the track, I'd want the last morcel of performance. And I wouldn't want to compremise on either.
I guess what I'm saying is, you need to find out if a street kit or a track kit is in higher demand. Or perhapse 2 different kits with abour 4-5 guys per kit is the way to go.

Great input! and that is what this thread is intended for!...
as stated in the original post, the option for two kits would certainly be an option in the near future (street & track).
however, producing a kit now for the masses is who we will cater towards.
Meeting somewhere in the middle is where I hope this ends up.

My suspension is already set up, and when my Illuminas go, I'll only want to buy replacement shocks or struts, not a whole 'kit'.
Any plans to offer the components separately, and if so, are they direct replacements for stock components?

all feedback is welcomed... as stated above,
The option of individaul components will hopefully be offered and is what I will lean towards pushing,
Since there are several as yourself that just want the shocks.
(please keep in mind they would be limited quantity runs and not produced in the thousands...)
In regards to being a DIRECT OEM STYLE REPLACEMENT, I think not!
The kit WILL definately fit your car but will be made slightly different to cater to the masses...
and that's presently one of the subjects at hand. shortened body shocks or not? etc. etc...

I am in this group, I would be more interested in a shorter, firmer, shock in the front so that I can eliminate all fender gap, but not have to UN-index my torsion bars when I make a trip from TX to FL. The roads through Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama SUCK! on stock suspension let alone lowered. I bottom out about every 15 ft., thats not an exaggeration. I cant justify the money for tiens, just so I can get the look I want and not have to worry about my fillings falling out of my head when i go on a trip.
This is a really exciting development for all of us either way.

-Garrett

we are excited too...
glad to hear your support... sorry to hear about your fillings... I think several will agree, we belong to that same club too... LOL!!

[JEM MotorSports]

I guess I don't get it.
How are you going to go coil overs in the front without addressing the tower strenght?
If you lower the car a lot, you'll still have suspension geometry problems.
I can already get a good shock package and rear springs set up, and sperical top hats with C&C adjustment from Mr.D
If it's low cost you are going after.....Go for it.

Coilovers in the front? I don't believe we are going that route and we appologize if you misunderstood.

If you want to hit a Real home run, develop a new/modified sub frame with unequal lenght A-arms with the structure extending into the current towers. Then run coil overs. This would solve all the front end issues on these cars. Yes it would be more than $1000.

Glad you pointed out the price issue... LOL!!

Anybody want to hire a 64 year old??

WOW! 64? realy?.. I think that is super cool...
you have no idea what that does to the demographic chart we will be presenting Megan Racing with shortly.
My father is 65, retired from Garrett Turbo and teaches scuba diving.
We dive on average twice a week... I know totaly off subject but i just admire his strength...
I'm often saying that anyone of his sons can beat him in a toe to toe foot run but there is absolutely no way in hell any of us could beat him
in endurance long race.... while I will be bracing myself up against a wall, trying to catch my breath, he would be strolling along..
classic hair vs. tortoise...

this is huge

Thats what she said...
sorry couldn't resist...
but your right though, this can be huge... I hope!!!

Front coilovers? Why?
Also, believe it when I see them on a members car.

again, sorry Benjamin and to others which may have misunderstood...

also sorry to hear about your frequent clutch issues too.
spoke with Clutchnet owner Oleg earlier in the week & Speed Solution's manager regarding such matters...
good luck.

Yea lightspeed had some simple ones made from A hard solid poly.. 2 guys I have bought stuff from have busted a shock shaft that were using them. They were more a simple camberplate than a correction kit.

Hmmmm?... need to look in to.. thanks!

[JEM MotorSports]

Interesting! On one hand it is really neat to see another new company offering product for these cars. I do sell Megan and would be happy any time I could expand my lineup.

Yes, it is realy neat...
You should give me a buzz sometime when you need to offer Megan prodcuts since you can't buy direct.
I'm sure we can provide products for you a lower rate...

Compared to the Medieval-Pro kit I think we could expect people running on the street and wanting a slammed ride (read: younger folks) would love the less espensive option.
For performance I think it will be a toss up which is better, Megan or Medieval-Pro, based on the level of grip and driver experience.

the fact that you would choose the phrase "which is better Megan or Medievil-Pro.." realy says alot from an authorized Tein dealer.
carefull they might here you... LOL!!!
FYI, long before TEIN's U.S. satellite office was even established just 3-4 blocks away from us, we were offering thier products direct from japan.
If it makes anyone sleep better at night, we can powder coat the new kit green, mark up the price and say it was assembled in japan. J/K
all joking aside, we were at one point very close with TEIN and have since moved on...
However, in their defense I can vouch that SOME of their applications are realy great for VERY SPECIFIC VEHICLES while other manufactures produce a far superior product on those vehicles which TEIN has failed to address.
and as Forest gump would say, "thats all I have to say about that."

...I recently chose Function/Form over Tein to produce a kit for my Acura people mostly because the cost would be lower and the desire is for a kit that rides low and smooth. Megans have a rep on other cars for being stiff kits, so maybe they will fare better...but the F2s cannot stand up to the 255s on my TSX. So for 185/195s these are probably fine for near limit street sports...

The owners of function form not only have personally come to discuss a new kit with us at our retail store a few yares back but had also assured us that they'd be able to easily piece together a kit from spare parts over-seas.
After carfully reviewing their products internals with engineers it simply supported any negative feedback . Again, in thier defense I'm sure their product is great for the price conscientious "tuner", it just wasn't for us and I didn't want to take a greater risk in a suspension kit failure while driving aggressively through Azusa canyon, for example...

...but with higher grip levels, faster driving, and driving on the track with higher rates I think the valving and spring options on the MP will make it superior.
Of course, low cost is king...but you do get what you pay for. Ironically...these kits seem expensive. I would expect prices about 10-15% cheaper.

making any assumptions this early in the game would be unwise...
I plan on posting INTERNAL pics of of the new kit when the time comes and possibly compare them with others...

This is the official TEIN service manual which is solely issued to certified TEIN technicians.
This 570+ page guide breaks down every kit made by tein with complete schematics and/or diagrams.
I wounder what interesting fun facts one can discover in this book???.

you simply don't bring a knife to a gun fight!

...and I agree with you, Low Cost is king! ...within reason.
I too expected prices to be up to 15% less on the medievil pro kit considering no pillow ball mounts or necessary springs for the fronts...

What I can say in our defense reagrding pricing is that all (within reasonable) options at this point are open.
the drivers have a say in design and spring options.
and the people are receptive and understanding about the price & how it will be determined by quantity and minimum order requirments.

(side note) By no means is this thread designed to slander or discredit any member or product.
for the record, I have not once mentioned the medievil pro kit from the beging of thread, 'till now, after it had been mentioned becasue
I felt that bringing it up this early on, from me, would come off as a means for comparisson in a harsh manner due to my abrasive nature.
I'm realy trying hard to keep my personal views and opinions out'a this...

What I need to remind poeple about this thread ( more like, what I need to remind myself. LOL!) is that this thread is to
discuss the various design options for a new kit based on the publics feedback.


...with that being said, lets get back to making a kick ass kit!!!

[JEM MotorSports]

One more thing on here...

There have been a few comparisons here between Tein and Megan. The two brands look to have a lot in common on the surface (features, initial quality, potential production centers, design, etc). But I can tell you Tein's traceability is pretty much second to none....

I am not saying Tein is better or is for everyone. Just both are better at different things. Megan being better at different things than Tein. We just have to be careful when comparing the two. Side by side it might not seem like there is much difference...but after selling the parts for years I can tell you, the companies are very different and so are the products.

No!, we don't have to be carefull in comparig kits, in fact its encourged!
That is what forums are partially designed for. COMPARISONS!
so that the consumer ends up with a better deal.

"...but after selling the parts for years I can tell you, the companies are very different and so are the products."
YES! they are...
and it is also very easy to discredit a company for personal matters.
such as an attempt at opening a new account... (everyone else is probably like WTF? at this point... LOL!)

[badpenny]

It would be nice if I could get a set of rears without a massive spring perch.

duly noted! I'm sure a voting type process will begin shortly....
hopefully we will end up with various spring rate options.

The reason i say this, the AWD wagons rear shocks are different from the 2wd models (rex, hatch, 2wd wagon) due to the spring being set apart from the shock. Where as the FWD has the spring wrapped around the shock, neccessitating the spring perch. Now in one pic that you posted, I saw that their previous designs kept the spring close without much width. Designing something like this for the rear shock setup would allow ALL 3g/1g owners to utilize them. I will get more info on my findings this weekend.

[cahitapower]

i would be in on a order...even though i still got my tokico illuminas and my Tiens in the box...the way i see it is, anything that's out there its a must have since our parts are being discontinued...

[Lymitliss]

I think it'd be great to have several companies offering similar setups, it eliminates any chance of one company dominating the market, and charging as much as they want, which in turn gives the customers lower pricing.

[87MugenProCR-X]

Mark,
I'd like to see a threaded short bodied strut for the front. You could have a threaded insert or "plug" at the bottom to thread onto the strut, which would slide into the knuckle of the front suspension. This way you could adjust ride height without sacrificing damper travel. I would like to see the same with the rear. I think other megan coilovers(along with a host of other brands) are made in this way. Not sure if this was already in the plans or not, but I thought I'd add it to the conversation.

Julian

[Old School REX]

Mark,
I'd like to see a threaded short bodied strut for the front. You could have a threaded insert or "plug" at the bottom to thread onto the strut, which would slide into the knuckle of the front suspension. This way you could adjust ride height without sacrificing damper travel. I would like to see the same with the rear. I think other megan coilovers(along with a host of other brands) are made in this way. Not sure if this was already in the plans or not, but I thought I'd add it to the conversation.

Julian

that would be GREAT! I am a MD Tein owner and I can say that I LOVE my setup. I ride about as low as you can go and basically NEVER bottom out. Only on one HUGE gap in the freeway on the way to work every day. lol The Teins are definately very short bodied shocks, and I KNOW this helps. The ride height is at LEAST lowered one inch below stock by default because of this, no matter how high you want to go. I think that producing a full kit that offers the same initial product as the Tein's is the way to go. As long as the price is right, you'll get a few bites. But you have to face the facts, if you want EVERYONE on this board to buy a "kit". NOBODY wants to front the cash. Short boddies shocks all around for cheap is what everyone could afford around here. Which would leave you with the MD Teins for performance and these for "looks" Either way, I don't need a kit, and couldn't really justify purchasing one after owning the Tein's. But I'll tell you anything you want to know about owning the Teins. At this point, thats about all I can do.

I will add that I REALLY hope this comes to be, this community NEEDS aftermarket support!