hi i've heard from alot of peopel that we american consumers are too easily impressed by any japanese company and i remember reading/hearing that other that the really big brands like HKS and Greddy that we americans are buying some japanese B level products simply because they are jdm. i remember someone mentioned and unnamed suspension company that had a cute mascot and tein and their dampachi came to mind because i remember hearing that no respectable tuners use suspension components from this brand and woudl turn to oihlns and bilstein for their products?

in any event i was wondering if tein was the company in question and what other jdm brands are overrated and instantly considered to be quality peices because they came from japan. i know alot of people here think that even the really big brands like HKS and Greddy adn overrated but they do put out alot of factory cars which win races so i would like to avoid this topic if possible.

any imput would be greatly appreciated!

 

just because someone buys a product made by a japanese brand doesn't mean they swear by jdm. i for one, don't give 2 sheets where it's made, as long as it's not made in some **** poor 3rd world country where the poor folk work for pennies. i wouldn't go as far as saying that no respectable tuners would use tein. what u've heard is just someone's PERSONAL OPINION, take it with a grain of salt.
it's all about price/performance factor. simple as that. i had tein SS on the teg and it is indeed excellent quality suspension parts. can u get something with better performance and quality? of course! will u pay more? most likely! that's how it works. so buying tein can be a bargain indeed. if u want some super duper performance coilovers, they won't be cheap, period. i don't care if it's made in japan or europe, it won't be as cheap as u would like. again, that's just how i see things in the aftermarket choices: u want really good quality and performance, u WILL shell out more $.
good luck with ur choices.

 

For what it's worth:

Low-end TEINS are perceived to be of lower quality (emphasize on LOWER, not "low")

I know three unhappy HKS users: the shocks wear out very fast, requiring revalving within 1-2 years of use.

Personally I put more faith into European brands like Ohlins, Bilstein, and KW in terms of BUILD QUALITY.

 

i was lookin' into Ohlins or Tannabe these past couple weeks

 

i'm personally not looking at chaning suspension components its just that i beleive tein was used as an example, are there any other companies that come to mind which receive a good deal of respect in the US which may be considered of lower grade in japan?

do you think this should be in evo general?

 

a "good" suspension is one that works out for what you want to do with the car. i feel taht the tein felx is fantastic for daily driving and light track duty. They are very comfortable on teh street and excellent for back road/mountain racing. they are a bit soft for track duty though. I enjoyed my teins for street use, though i prefered the jics flta2 a bit more for track duty. The vishnu spec ohlins i have now are incredible in my opinion works good on the street and fantastic on the track.