We're getting ready to do full suspension on the Protege and was curious on people opinions on JIC and TEIN suspension and which is better. I was first drawn to the TEIN suspension due to the EDFC, but I've since then heard that it is not available for the Proteges is that true? Anyone who has some experience and/or opinion with these two different brands please let me know. I don't want to spend that much money and not be satisfied with what I have. I am also curious on how low each system will allow the car to be dropped?

 

I think rishie has the jics and he seemed pretty happy with it. You should pm him. I am sure he would be happy to help you.

 

jic is more that tein in money wise, at least 500 difference
second jic performance much better that tein, since is inverted and with chamber kit come with.

if i had the money i will go for jic,

 

I just put Tein suspension on my P5 tuesday and got it aligned at mazda and they said that they were surprised how well that it aligned perfect, and it handles great and if someone says that JIC is much better then Tein is crazy

 

Money isn't the problem I would rather pay a little exxtra $ and have a system I'll be happy with than go the cheaper route and not be satisfied with what I have. I've heard that with either kit you can adjust the allignment so you don't have to worry about camber, is that true? I'm also very concerned with the amount of drop I'll be able to get with either system. If I'm going to put that much money into lowering the car, you better be able to tell it's lowered!

 

if you are just looking for a lowered look then you might as well go with some springs, but you can lower ur car as much as you want with the tein and the jic kits

 

I read on the Tein website the EDFC is not availabe for the P5 too, and I am only guessing it is becuase of hood clearance issues for the electric motors to mount on the top of each strut...But if you could fabricate an EDFC + the coil over set, you would be right about at the JIC's $1850 price...Rishie (ARD MP5) is the man to ask. The JICs are supposedly better, but I don't know if they are $500 better, maybe a EDFC will be available in the future for the P5 too, in which you couldn't use with the JICs...

 

Actually, Rishie sells the JICs for more like $1650.

 

oh, it used to be $1850...sorry

 

To answer your questiong about why...

My protege is going to be a complete show vehicle when it's finished, plus the handling with the full suspension kit that JIC and Tein make are going to be much better than the handling with just springs. Originally I was wanting the Tein suspension because they offered the option that allows you to adjust the suspension from within the car. But unfortunatly they don't offer that for our cars yet, that's why I have been checking into the JIC suspension a little more.

 

Well here. Let me answer your question real quick. The reason why the JIC FLT-A2 is waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better than the Tein SS model for the Protege for all functions and purposes.

One thing no one can say it's crazy to assume that JIC FLT-A2 is better than Tein SS. One just has to read about the specs and have some foundational knowledge with regards to coilovers.

Is it worth the extra maybe $400. I think so. Let the pictures explain what you get for that measly amount.





Basic differences:

JIC inverted monotube damper, Tein twin tube: This is much better on machperson strut style suspension. Much better for side forces.

JIC camber plates, Tein stock mounts

THE MOST IMPORTANT WHY SO GOOD FOR ALL PURPOSES:

JIC has independent ride height and spring preload, Tein none.

So when you lower your car with Tein you will lose ride quality as you eliminate suspension travel.

JIC, you place preload on the spring and then instead of dropping the spring you raise the lower shock bracket to decrease the distance between the coilovers mounting points.

Plain and simple. this makes corner balancing much easier, it also allows you to slam your car without changing the ride quality, does not require the use of helper springs, an additional expense.

Hope that helps,

Rishie

On another note, if the JIC's do go I have the confidence that they can be rebuilt in house or custom valved should I decide to make it a full race car.

JIC has valved these monotube dampers to suit the market's needs in the US. Typically people associate monotube coilovers as being very stiff and that is typically true since the people who spend this kind of money will only do so for race. But I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to set the ride height of their car wherever they want and not have any consequences with the ride quality.

 

i dont know. on the tien web page the say this: TEIN has developed advanced technology to design the shell case and stroke to bring out the full potential of your vehicle. The features of the TEIN Super Street Damper were designed with greater performance to satisfy all your driving demands. This high performance damper can be used for weekend racing and/or daily driving. The discomfort caused by uneven roads or bumps are eliminated on daily street use. For race use, the ride height adjustable system enables you to adjust ride height and 16 levels of damping force. In other words, you can set your vehicle to meet all situations!
rishie translate please. are they tryin to trick us?

 

They are not tricking you. And I'm sure that it will perform. But I know that you can't lower the car without losing ride quality or increasing the likeliness of bottoming out.

I'm pointing out the bargain. And Tein isn't the bargain. It might be a good twin tube coilover, but I'd much rather have the FLEX. It's too bad they don't offer that.

The flex would be a twin tube system but allows for independent ride height and preload. I hope you all see how important that can be. I mean you don't want to be one of those guys on the freeway bouncing around when they are nicely lowered do you.

That's all. No trickery and don't think I'm biased. We offer Tein as well, but there's an inherent reason why I personally chose JIC for my street purposes. I found it to be more for your buck. I wanted camber plates and pillowballs. If you were to add the cost of those to the SS you'd be paying more than the JIC's at your club price. Still be stuck with a twin tube damper and lose suspension travel when lowered.

Plus customizable whenever i need in the future. No need to go to Japan. Typically twin tube dampers are not rebuilt, just replaced. This too is costly, around $250-$300 for the damper at retail. I can do the whole set revalved for a little more than that with the JIC's.

Later, Rishie

 

Yes, that is correct. But always with more emphasis on rebound.
I believe the Tein is the same way. Getting true double adjustables is far beyond the financial capacity of most Protege owners so we won't even go there. lol.

Rishie

 

To who this concerns,

I have teins on my P5 and my friends have the same kit on two 2000 Honda Preludes, i have and both of them have lowered their car and the ride is the exact same, and i have never bottomed out ever. Also this is just my facts, noone has to believe them. And im not trying to argue with anyone.