Tein SS coilovers installed (w/ pics)

[bobdobbs]

How's this for wasting no time: Got my EP last week and installed my Tein SS coilovers yesterday. The Tein SS coilovers are a little more money than the Basics and they use the same springs. The difference is the damper is adjustable. The only catch is you need to enlarge the lower mounting bolt holes to 16mm (from 14mm). I had a machine shop do this and I recommend that. They have the equipment to make sure the holes are straight. The Tein part number is DSA22-KUSS2, which is listed as for 01+ Civic EM2/ES1.

I also installed Ingalls front and rear camber kits. I need an alignment, but the camber doesn't look too bad to me. The drop I chose is slightly less than what the Tein instructions recommends. Their reference setting is 20mm from the bottom of the spring perch to the bottom of the strut threads. I have about 23mm, meaning my car sits just a tiny bit higher. The drop looks perfect to me.

As for ride, it's better than stock in every way. The car has far less body roll and it handles road imperfections much more gracefully than before (e.g., no more loud THUMPS from the rear suspension when you hit a pothole). I haven't pushed it because the toe is off, but so far the only drawback to this mod is the cost. The coilovers make the stock wheels and tires much more bearable. I'm not itching to upgrade them (yet!).

Enjoy the pics.

http://www.italycars.net/civic/DSCN0632.jpg
http://www.italycars.net/civic/DSCN0636.jpg
http://www.italycars.net/civic/DSCN0633.jpg
http://www.italycars.net/civic/DSCN0634.jpg

[03hatch]

very nice drop....and very clean...good job!!! :D

[greenguy]

Nice! Now just wait till you get new rubber, the handling will be even better!

[shimmy_yaz]

nice lookin car and good to hear that you are satsified.

[IceD out N CALI]

nice pics-good quality suspension setup

[Civicvtec1ps]

very nice.. i shoulve kept my old tein ss from em2. but i sold it :(
now i need to save up for fullcoilovers again =.=

[ViViDPeArL]

Originally posted by greenguy
Nice! Now just wait till you get new rubber, the handling will be even better!

throw on some Bridgestone Potenza S-03 and you'll be super dialed

[02TafWhtSi]

Looks very nice - perfect drop. Have you found a place that will align you yet? I had a lot of trouble with this after I put my Mugens on and finally Sears Auto Center said yes. Just curious ;)

[bobdobbs]

Thanks for the compliments, everybody.

As for tires: I'm considering just upgrading the rubber (to S-03s) or going all out and getting lighter wheels, too. Can't decide just yet. I'm not doing too much to this car, so I might go all out and get either Superleggeras or 5zigen Fighters.

As for the alignment: The local shop I bought the coilovers and camber kits from will do the alignment. The nice thing about living in Cali is the number of tuner shops. I go to Motorsport Techniques in Hayward. Nice guys who do good work. I ended up paying a little more for the coilovers and camber kits, but it's worth it in the end to have their support if I need it.

[fsugatorbait]

Excellent job and nice write-up. Good choice for your first mod. Im curious why you went with the Tein SS as opposed to the KW V2's, if you reviewed them. Im asking because I was looking at both coilovers and am interested in your opinion and thoughts. Thanks.

[bobdobbs]

Thanks. I went with Tein SS because I've had them before and knew what to expect. I also looked at the KWs and might have gotten them if I couldn't get the Tein SS. I'm in Cali, so the stainless construction of the KWs wasn't a big deal for me. If I was in rust country, it might be different.

I eliminated the Mugen suspension because of the lack of any adjustability. While the easy R&R install is nice, I don't know enough about the Mugen top-mounts to be comfortable buying the suspension. For that reason, I'd probably buy the Tein Basics before the Mugen. Plus, the Teins are lighter.

I got my alignment today and camber on the fronts is about -1 degree both wheels and the rears are both about -0.6. Toe is in specs. Wow, the car handles nice. The Ingalls camber kits are worth every penny in my opinion.