I'm going to get coilovers, I had my mind set on the Teins RA, but I'm hearing that the Buddy Clubs are better. Any opinions?
Thanx

 

I would like to know as well. Two people have sold their Tein RS for Buddy Clubs!!! I bought the RS's off of a board member and now I see another set is available!

It is weird. The only difference I can see is that BC you can lower the car more. But the Tein has more dampening capabilities.


hmmmmmm.

 

Tein USA is actually a North America distributor. Most people sells Buddy club are only importer. There are no warranties on them. Unlike Tein which offers 1 year warranty. Also in the future when the shocks are wear out or blown, you can send it back to Tein and get it rebuild for only $65. Instead of Buddy Club, if you blow a shock, I think you are out of luck. This is one factor you have to consider before you choose your purchase. Then you have to consider Tein is the number one coilover company in Japan. And it's there for a reason. Their coilovers are each designed for different purpose. They are one of the innovator in the performance suspension scene. I'm not knocking on Buddy Club. But if this thread is asking for opinions and choices. Then I have just picked mine.

here's a link, read the specs on Tein RA if you drive aggressive, but if you spend all of your time on the street. I would pick the CS.

Jeff

 

Thats incorrect... in one of the exclusive Buddy Club Dealers in the United States.. Not an Importer for Buddy Club.. They will warranty your struts. Its around a $100 for a full rebuild from Buddy Club Japan. Their products are great.. Yes.,, they do have a stiffer ride.. being a spring rate of 10K,... but their products are amazing for the price you pay. Just imagine paying $2000 for the top of the line Teins and the shock leaks all over your driveway in about two weeks.. sad thing is.. this has happen to two people i knew that had Tein Suspension kits..

Remember for the price you pay for a fully adjustable set of Buddy Club Racing Spec.. you have to add on like $300-400 to get the same features in a Tein kit..

Perfect example the Buddy Club has Adjustable Pillow mounts..
Tein charges extra for that feature..

All of it is included in the buddy club kit!
So if Anyone is interested in the Buddy Club line.. my company is authorized to sell Buddy Club in the US... unlike most others are just importers

 

Very Interesting. I guess there are a safe home for the Buddy Club owners. But I have known a lot of people who had Teins. Including myself who had them almost 2 years. They are still great product. I guess we need to hear more of the experiences from the Tein and Buddy Club owners. I think this thread is going to be long. But this will be a informative thread, thanx 4IGS2000.

Jeff

 

Yups..
just trying to inform all my buddy club customers...
Even though buddy club isnt a household brand to S2000 owners..
its a huge company in Japan for racing..
So rest assured they do test and race their products.

 

Ok both Tein (RA) and Buddy Club racing dampners come with the same spring rates (10k).. And Im pretty sure they both have solid pillow ball mounts on top, not adjustable. Buddy club is 15 way adjustable and Tein is 16 way adjustable. Tein is aluminum and Buddy Club's are not. Buddy Clubs use a larger piston then the Tein and have excellent dampning.. (turning up the buddy clubs is about the equavilant of running a 14k spring, not sure on the Teins) Buddy clubs have adjustable shock bodies, and you can also adjust preload, while you can not do this weith Teins, you can just adjust height, but at the cost of travel, though the Tein shock bodies are about an inch shorter then stock.

I had the Tein's and they are an awesome setup, even though I had them set low I never had a problem with bottoming out on them and they were great on the street as well as the track. I loved em, But that said, If I were to do it again I would probably get the buddy clubs, because I believe they have greater dampening capabilities then the Tein, plus they are adjustable for height and preload. they may be heavier and uglier but I think there advantages outweigh this.

I am more concerned with track performance then I am street performance, though, so my needs may differ from yours

 

I bought my Tein's (CS) about 3 months ago and I couldn't be happier. In addition to being technologically more advanced (in both design and materials used) they look a lot nicer IMO. But the higher quality product is what demands the higher price. The make the car handle crazy good. Between them and my Nittos it's like the car is glued to the ground around corners. And I have done high speed time trial runs in excess of 150 mph with them and they are rock solid all the way through. And even more importantly they are very predictable under heavy breaking. Here's just another opinion.
-Larry

 

I'm stilling waiting for my Buddy Club Coilover to arrive. I will let you know how it perform.
Also, couple of my friends Integra Type R changed from Tein to Buddy Club. That said it all!!!

 

Thank you for all your inputs. Still a hard decision. One hand the Teins that seem to be reliable and have an office in the USA if anything goes wrong with them. In the other hand Buddy Clubs "seem" to be better but haven't heard from an owner yet.