Tein SRC's compared
05-09-2014, 06:30 PM
#12
This has been my big reservation with the SRCs as well I have to say. (I own Evasive Spec SRCs but have been using my Ohlins DFV to start). Especially when I have a shop like PSI local that can really help me dial in a setup compared to the black box that Tein seems to be. The build quality on the SRC is excellent though. I love their simple piggyback design.
You have sort of confirmed my fears that the SRCs are valved in a way that don't leave much room for adjustment unless you are going for even stiffer spring rates. I have been planning to try them out with softer springs so I may just end up moving on and saving up for the glorious TTX.
All this said though. There are a huge amount drivers who consistently turn in incredible lap times on the normal SRCs and Evasive SRCs without any behavior that is too dramatic, so each driver is definitely going to prefer different setups. I don't think the SRCs ever really became THE shocks to use, they have just always been a good value for money.
You have sort of confirmed my fears that the SRCs are valved in a way that don't leave much room for adjustment unless you are going for even stiffer spring rates. I have been planning to try them out with softer springs so I may just end up moving on and saving up for the glorious TTX.
All this said though. There are a huge amount drivers who consistently turn in incredible lap times on the normal SRCs and Evasive SRCs without any behavior that is too dramatic, so each driver is definitely going to prefer different setups. I don't think the SRCs ever really became THE shocks to use, they have just always been a good value for money.
05-09-2014, 07:36 PM
#14
05-09-2014, 07:38 PM
#15
05-09-2014, 07:45 PM
#16
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I would be less hesitant about the state of these shocks if Tein allowed 3rd parties to purchase parts for re-valving. Honestly from a component perspective they are nice shocks. Externally they check all the boxes, but the state of manufacturer support makes them a difficult sell as a long term platform.
05-09-2014, 07:53 PM
#17
This has been my big reservation with the SRCs as well I have to say. (I own Evasive Spec SRCs but have been using my Ohlins DFV to start). Especially when I have a shop like PSI local that can really help me dial in a setup compared to the black box that Tein seems to be. The build quality on the SRC is excellent though. I love their simple piggyback design.
You have sort of confirmed my fears that the SRCs are valved in a way that don't leave much room for adjustment unless you are going for even stiffer spring rates. I have been planning to try them out with softer springs so I may just end up moving on and saving up for the glorious TTX.
All this said though. There are a huge amount drivers who consistently turn in incredible lap times on the normal SRCs and Evasive SRCs without any behavior that is too dramatic, so each driver is definitely going to prefer different setups. I don't think the SRCs ever really became THE shocks to use, they have just always been a good value for money.
You have sort of confirmed my fears that the SRCs are valved in a way that don't leave much room for adjustment unless you are going for even stiffer spring rates. I have been planning to try them out with softer springs so I may just end up moving on and saving up for the glorious TTX.
All this said though. There are a huge amount drivers who consistently turn in incredible lap times on the normal SRCs and Evasive SRCs without any behavior that is too dramatic, so each driver is definitely going to prefer different setups. I don't think the SRCs ever really became THE shocks to use, they have just always been a good value for money.
As far as one brand vs another, what this has really shown me is that the brands are really less relevant than finding local talent that can work with you on the shock platform you choose. Realistically an off the shelf Bilstein damper can be made to work just as well as an ultra high end shock (see fatcat motorsports) if the appropriate amount of R&D is put into it. In most adjustable shocks there is far more room to go wrong than right, and the majority of us that DON'T have a race engineer on standby doing telemetry analysis to really tune the shock to each track so we really just need a set of shocks set to fast-enough. Its far too easy to get lost in the minutia of the setup, and forget to drive.
My wake up call was when I got out of my S2000 with the evasive shocks which I was fighting to control, and got into my 24 hours of lemons car and EASILY matched my S2000 laptimes with less effort, and then went faster....in my lemons car. This tells me something is VERY wrong. Unfortunately most don't get the benefit of being able to hop between cars for perspective like this.
05-09-2014, 07:55 PM
#18
Originally Posted by anorexicpoodle' timestamp='1399685438' post='23153043
I would be less hesitant about the state of these shocks if Tein allowed 3rd parties to purchase parts for re-valving. Honestly from a component perspective they are nice shocks. Externally they check all the boxes, but the state of manufacturer support makes them a difficult sell as a long term platform.
05-09-2014, 07:58 PM
#19
Do you thin it was possible your Evasive Specs were valved incorrectly? Were you the original owner? Most people seem to say that the Evasive specs are more compliant than the standard SRC so that is definitely interesting to hear that they were valved extremely stiff. A friend of mine who has been using the standard SRCs for many years has tried out a similarly prepped car with the Evasive Spec and said he felt they were noticeably more compliant and more confidence inspiring. But again I suppose each drivers feedback is swayed by everyone else's. Maybe I will take my Evasive Specs to PSI to have them dyno'd to see if they are valved similarly to yours.
Could be worth talking to Evasive to see if your dyno plots match theirs or are similar? It seems you were successful having Tein revalve them to a setup you were happy with so that is definitely a good thing.
Could be worth talking to Evasive to see if your dyno plots match theirs or are similar? It seems you were successful having Tein revalve them to a setup you were happy with so that is definitely a good thing.