CC15: How Heeltoe Recommends Coilovers

"Which coilovers?"
Everyone wants to know but FEW realistically can answer this question. I answer this question by first asking a few questions of the customer, which is the only real right way to get a good product recommendation.
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www.heeltoeauto.com/coilover-...

[@hdtejada29]

Great info , I always wonder why my BC coilover adjustments were so low on the Acura tl , now I know why .

[@Heeltoe.]

Certainly! Backstory helps a lot.

[@hdtejada29]

Will be switching to Flex Z that I received last week from HeelToe Auto .

[@Heeltoe.]

Thanks for the support, let me know if you need any help or advice!

[@McLovin0826]

This was perfect

[@Heeltoe.]

High praise thank you!

[@jimwilson8582]

I bought my Tein Flex Z's from you last year, but for a reason you never mentioned... EDFC. Since no level of damping is perfect for my commute which is 25 miles of highway, 9 sets of rail road tracks, and 3 historic cobble stone streets. Tein had the only system (under $20k) I could find that would support manual or fully automatic damping. I'm hoping to see the new EDFC5 controller on your site soon.

[@Heeltoe.]

The EDFC is a fantastic tool! And one that people, even me, tend to forget about. I must have missed the press release on EDFC5, alseep at the wheel I guess! I am going to get with Tein on it today and load the details into Heeltoeauto.com asap. I'll have some content on the EDFC pretty soon, and as well the EDFC5.

[@chapel976]

One thing I wasn't ready for was the sheer selection of coilovers available to me with my CL9 TSX. I have 27 coilover kits on my shopping list. Ideally I'm looking for a daily driver that can hustle but has proper damping for compliance over the crappy roads of New England. Lowering is not my goal, but I can survive 1.5-2" of lowering (rather be closer to 1.5) What sucks is that almost none of the shocks show you any of their dyno charts to determine how they have their bound and rebound setup and most at the 'street' level (under $2000) are shared bound/rebound knobs. Plus, all the spring rates that I see out there are HUGE compared to stock. Stock TSX springs appear to be around 5kg/3kg F/R and the lowest spring rate I see in coilovers is the Tein SAZ and SBZ with 9/4 and the highest spring rate of 16/10 with the Neomax Silver, Tein MS and Godspeed Max (3x factory spring rate). Going with a separate spring/shock combo only sees spring rates in the 6/3 - 6/4 range. The stock weight split on the car is about 1000/500kg F/R. Certainly lots of research to do.

[@Heeltoe.]

I could easily cut that list down 60% right off the bat. Very few of the manufacturers will show you shock dynos, I would be amazed if 90% ever even looked at a shock dyno. Independent compression and rebound adjustment is well outside the range of what a typical street tuner would be able to adjust. The TSX can handle higher rates without getting unsettled or uncomfortable. I have a Flex Z kit in my TSX and honestly I really like it. It is rather comfortable and grips really well. I did need to add a little rear preload to calm down the rear end moving around. But it with the dampers you are looking at it sounds like you are after a track suspension? You might be underestimating the motion ratios also. The front is less than 1 but the rear is almost 1:1, so the weight distribution is not the only factor to consider in the front-rear spring rate selection. I would not be too shy about a 10kg rear rate, or a significantly higher than stock front rate. You would have the grip to justify it if you have good tires, and the chassis is very capable.

[@R2RO1]

Yep. I didn't want anything aggressive. Tein H tech with kyb dampers did the job. Nice look all around on my 4th gen TL

[@Heeltoe.]

Nice and easy setup. Sometimes we find that KYB dampers get a little squishy after a while, consider the Koni dampers if you need to replace them later. They cost more but offer a lot more control and last for a VERY long time. www.heeltoeauto.com/index.php?p=catalog&mode=search&search_str=koni+tl+09

[@ahrayahisrael494]

Some people said that the kyb dampers don't last very long. Did you had that issue with your kybs ?

[@R2RO1]

So far, it's a comfortable ride​ I do notice a bit of harshness in colder weather but overall very smooth on the highway and to mention I live in NY. Lots of potholes. @ahrayahisrael494

[@j_mm1084]

I’m surprised this video didn’t get more views lots of great info 👍

[@Heeltoe.]

If I can keep posting up information I'm sure people will appreciate it over time.

[@GPY1050]

Great vid! I wish this were available 16 years ago when I dropped $1800 on Buddy Club Racing Spec Damper for my EP3, only to hate them. HT may have been young at the time, but quite frankly, to do it all again, I should have bought either Mugen Sport or Tein Flex. Fast forward to today, a little more grown up, I wanted mild lowering, and do not want to bounce my head off the ceiling while driving on Ohio roads. Again, the Mugen or Flex Z would fit the bill. Too bad they stopped making the Mugen for the CU2.

[@Heeltoe.]

Yeah unfortunately those systems are never made for long. We actually sold two or three sets when the car was new but the CU2 Mugen stuff got discontinued so early. Economic slump and mediocre take rate on the CU2 because of the grille really limited the sales of parts on that car. I think Mugen got cold feet on the platform pretty fast. Today, honestly, the Street Advance Z offers a great value. It really does. But for something more conservative good old Koni dampers and Tein HTech springs are hard to beat. The cost makes you feel like you should just bump up to coilovers but honestly, it isn't really worth it to get something you don't quite want.

[@proraceer07]

Bought my tein suspension from you guys 4 years ago been running it for 3 years and I think I’m at that point that I might upgrade my suspension to feals or s3 coilovers

[@Heeltoe.]

Thanks for the support! What would you be looking for in terms of an "upgrade?" What Teins do you have now, and what would you like them to do that they don't do now?