Although there’s a massive amount of suspension companies out there, few of them have the history or reputation of Tein. With a wide range of different products at different price points, Tein offers suspension components for nearly every automotive application out there.

It all started in the early 1980s, when two rally racers couldn’t find shock absorbers which could withstand their aggressive driving techniques. After tossing the idea around, the two racers created their own suspension company, which is how Tein was born.

Tein’s shock absorbers quickly became popular with rally racers from grass roots to high-level WRC cars through the 1980s and 1990s. In 1995, Japan eliminated some of their strict laws which prohibited the use of suspension modifications and the demand for Tein quickly grew to new levels.

Looking at the outside of a damper or coilover might make you think they’re all the same, but what’s inside them varies massively. There are two types of dampers which are used in the automotive industry: twin tube and mono tube. Some aftermarket suspension companies push the idea that mono tube dampers are the absolute best, but that’s really not entirely true.

While mono tube dampers are used in the majority of race cars, they simply don’t provide the same ride quality that a twin tube damper can provide.

A twin-tube design can be found on the majority of OEM shocks, low-end coilovers, and even mid-level coilovers designed for street use. It’s not a bad design by any means. Twin-tube uses an inner and outer tube. The inner tube holds the piston shaft, valve, and oil. The outer tube holds damper oil and nitrogen gas. The design allows for more suspension stroke without increasing the height of the body, providing better ride quality.

Depending on which Tein coilover you pick, it could either use a twin tube or mono tube damper. Tein is one of the few aftermarket suspension manufacturers who offers both twin tube and mono dampers, because twin tube dampers are simply more difficult to manufacture.

While Tein’s coilovers are great and many of them are very affordable, some enthusiasts simply want something cheaper. Not everyone wants all the capabilities and benefits of a full coilover, sometimes you just want the lowered stance without everything else.

Lowering springs are typically physically smaller than OEM springs and utilize higher spring rates. With stiffer rates, total body movement is reduced which eliminates excessive weight transfer and poor handling characteristics. The lower ride height also lowers the center of gravity of the entire vehicle which further reduces body movement, especially while cornering.

Since many lowering springs use higher spring rates than the OEM units, the dampers have to work extra hard to keep the car under control. Although you may not be able to tell on the road, your OEM dampers may not be able to control your car with the higher spring rates. This problem is unique per vehicle, but it can occur with almost any car.

Coilovers theoretically fix the problem listed above by combining a higher rate spring with a damper designed to work with that spring correctly; however, that doesn’t mean all coilovers are better than the OEM suspension.

Tein coilovers are carefully designed to provide the best balance of damping, spring rate, ride quality, suspension stroke, and pricing. Many of their coilovers feature height and damping adjustment, which allows you to dial in your suspension for your exact needs. If you plan on attending any track events or just want the best performance possible, a set of coilovers is a much better purchase than lowering springs.

The majority of Tein’s coilovers offer a significant amount of adjustability. This adjustment will typically come in the form of an adjustable collar which threads up or down the body and either compresses or decompressed the spring. This adjustment effects spring pre-load which increases the amount of force needed to compress the coilovers, but does not increase spring rate.

Many of their coilovers also offer ride height adjustment. Being able to adjust ride height and spring pre-load independently allows for much greater suspension tuning and ultimately allows for the best handling possible when properly tuned by a qualified professional.

With a wide range of products at very affordable prices, Tein offers suspension components for the majority of automotive applications. All their products are very high quality and offer fantastic build quality, plus a limited warranty!