Tein Flex Z front shock mount

[felizf]

All washed up. Waiting for the larger tires to be installed Tuesday. More than likely going to adjust the height of the rear and lower a half an inch. Front is perfect as as.

What kind of drop is this? What's the distance from fender to ground? I will be installing my coilovers wed and I'm trying to get an idea of how much of a drop I will need for my AWD Y.

 

[yeahthatguy]

mods: (@jjrandorin) can we move this thread or split off the posts that are model Y specific?

I get excited every time I see a new update to this thread, only to be let down its model Y info that doesn't pertain to the model 3 at all. (model y OEM ride height of 184mm vs model 3 at 153mm)

 

[perplex1]

All washed up. Waiting for the larger tires to be installed Tuesday. More than likely going to adjust the height of the rear and lower a half an inch. Front is perfect as as.

love love love. and this is with the 20 spacers all around? I love this look. What made you want to go bigger tires?

 

[P3D-R]

mods: (@jjrandorin) can we move this thread or split off the posts that are model Y specific?

I get excited every time I see a new update to this thread, only to be let down its model Y info that doesn't pertain to the model 3 at all. (model y OEM ride height of 184mm vs model 3 at 153mm)

I'm happy to answer any Model 3 questions you might have. Just keep in mind the Teins settle a goo 10-15mm from your starting point and it happens pretty fast. Within 500 to 1000 miles. Much faster than I've seen on suspension with "higher quality" springs.

There is about a 1" difference between max and min between the Y and the 3. The Flex Z's ride a lot better with a 1" drop as suggested on the Tein website. I've done my best to adjust damper lengths in the rear and so forth to promote droop but that didn't provide positive results either. By sticking with the recommended rear damper lengths it worked best but again needed to be lowered 1" from factory for either chassis.

On the model 3 I would say max height was about 370mm from hub to fender, ONCE SETTLED, and max low is quite low. You can completely eliminate the gap. My optimal height setting for the Model 3 would be around 355 to 360mm hub to fender on the Model 3. It's pretty low. If you want higher then I suggest you go with an alternate higher end brand like Mountain Pass which actually does better at 365 to 390mm imho. Then there's also Redwood as well which can work well at all ends of the spectrum albeit a much higher price point.

On the model Y, max drop in the rear, BEFORE SETTLING, is around 395mm hub to fender. I'll need to double check my Y but it should be around 385mm now in the rear, AFTER SETTLING. I'll work on a video that details all these aspects in the upcoming weeks to help give more insight on the product, height ranges, and so on.

 

[yeahthatguy]

I'm happy to answer any Model 3 questions you might have. Just keep in mind the Teins settle a goo 10-15mm from your starting point and it happens pretty fast. Within 500 to 1000 miles. Much faster than I've seen on suspension with "higher quality" springs.

On the model 3 I would say max height was about 370mm from hub to fender, ONCE SETTLED, and max low is quite low. You can completely eliminate the gap. My optimal height setting for the Model 3 would be around 355 to 360mm hub to fender on the Model 3. It's pretty low. If you want higher then I suggest you go with an alternate higher end brand like Mountain Pass which actually does better at 365 to 390mm imho. Then there's also Redwood as well which can work well at all ends of the spectrum albeit a much higher price point.

Appreciate it. That's been the biggest sticking point holding me back, I don't want to dump it with the roads I frequent. I would love some MPP adjustables, but unless I'd like to get divorced soon I need to reign in the car spending (at least until my wife wants some big purchase ) I've been thinking of getting the tein endurapro plus and throwing some springs on them. So much so I actually made a post in the other tein thread asking for some clarification on the part numbers. Any familiarity with the endurapro plus line?

 

[P3D-R]

Appreciate it. That's been the biggest sticking point holding me back, I don't want to dump it with the roads I frequent. I would love some MPP adjustables, but unless I'd like to get divorced soon I need to reign in the car spending (at least until my wife wants some big purchase ) I've been thinking of getting the tein endurapro plus and throwing some springs on them. So much so I actually made a post in the other tein thread asking for some clarification on the part numbers. Any familiarity with the endurapro plus line?

Yes lots of familiarity. I was likely the first one to test out those dampers. The biggest issue I see is the lowering springs. They tend to settle a lot so even Eibach for example settles a lot more than they publish. You'll have a 2 finger gap to start and then eventually it drops to a 1 finger gap in my experience. It almost sounds like you need just the adjustable shocks and stick with stock springs.

 

[saragon91]

After adding the new tires to the car (265/40/21 front 295/35/21 rear) with the 20mm spacers, the stance was way too aggressive. Had rubbing issues with the front. I removed the spacers, and now the car has no rubbing issues. What do you guys think about the ride height? Front has barely 1 finger gap, rear 2.5 finger gap.

 

[P3D-R]

After adding the new tires to the car (265/40/21 front 295/35/21 rear) with the 20mm spacers, the stance was way too aggressive. Had rubbing issues with the front. I removed the spacers, and now the car has no rubbing issues. What do you guys think about the ride height? Front has barely 1 finger gap, rear 2.5 finger gap.

Lower the rear. It will ride better too ironically. What's your hub to fender measurement front to rear? Can you check that in millimeters for me?

 

[saragon91]

Lower the rear. It will ride better too ironically. What's your hub to fender measurement front to rear? Can you check that in millimeters for me?

From center hub to fender: front 381mm, rear 406.4mm

 

[1stquadrant]

Thank you for the advice it is greatly appreciated! Once I get back home today I’ll give it some more preload and see where it lands me.

As for photos of current ride height, here are a couple quick ones while my wife is grabbing our dog some little shoes. Hiking day!

Ordered Flex Z last night but the desired wheel (TE37) might have to wait a little bit longer

Did you have to buy camber or toe arms for this stock wheel setup?

I'm debating whether to get camber arms for my RWD

P.S
I'm not planning on running spacers atm

 

[canasion35]

Ordered Flex Z last night but the desired wheel (TE37) might have to wait a little bit longer

Did you have to buy camber or toe arms for this stock wheel setup?

I'm debating whether to get camber arms for my RWD

P.S
I'm not planning on running spacers atm

Nope - it all fits nice with a 265/35/19. No rubbing.

 

[1stquadrant]

Nope - it all fits nice with a 265/35/19. No rubbing.

Nice!! Hopefully I won’t need it either. Current OEM setup is 235/45/18

Thanks man

 

[canasion35]

Nice!! Hopefully I won’t need it either. Current OEM setup is 235/45/18

Thanks man

Sorry about that - completely misread your message.

You won't need arms for the stock wheel setup. You should spend money for spacers in the front and rear. 15/20MM front and rear, respectively. The sunken in wheels will be really noticeable once you lower...

 

[1stquadrant]

Sorry about that - completely misread your message.

You won't need arms for the stock wheel setup. You should spend money for spacers in the front and rear. 15/20MM front and rear, respectively. The sunken in wheels will be really noticeable once you lower...

Copy. Thanks man. I'll probably hold off on the install then after I get the wheels.

I appreciate it

 

[slease]

I've been running my Flex Z's on my Model 3 RWD for about 2000 miles without any issues until recently.

Every time I turn the wheel at slow speeds or stopped, there is a binding/creaking noise. I doubled checked the suspension bolts, preload, and top nut and everything looks good. I also separated the FUCA from the steering assembly and the ball joint moves freely without noise and still has plenty of grease inside.

I'm thinking it could be the spring is binding? Should I apply some lubricant on the white Teflon rings?

Thanks.

 

[canasion35]

I've been running my Flex Z's on my Model 3 RWD for about 2000 miles without any issues until recently.

Every time I turn the wheel at slow speeds or stopped, there is a binding/creaking noise. I doubled checked the suspension bolts, preload, and top nut and everything looks good. I also separated the FUCA from the steering assembly and the ball joint moves freely without noise and still has plenty of grease inside.

I'm thinking it could be the spring is binding? Should I apply some lubricant on the white Teflon rings?

Thanks.

Yeah i had the same. I made sure to readjust the preload in the front springs. The springs settled and the preload needs to be tightened more.

 

[slease]

Yeah i had the same. I made sure to readjust the preload in the front springs. The springs settled and the preload needs to be tightened more.

Thanks for the reply! I'll try adjusting the preload tomorrow.

How much more did you tighten it from the factory settings?

 

[canasion35]

Thanks for the reply! I'll try adjusting the preload tomorrow.

How much more did you tighten it from the factory settings?

Not very much tbh - i went ahead and loosened it all the way, and compressed it down a couple turns. You dont want it crazy tight or else the teflon ring cant spin.

 

[slease]

The binding is at the spring/perch interface. Ensure spring and the spring perch/seat are clean (no oil, lubrication, etc). Even shoot some brake cleaner and clean up well. You actually want maximum friction on that interface.

You may be able to add some pre-load to spring also. Not sure what the directions say as far as how much to initially pre-load the spring. If you really want you can also create a rough surface finish on that spring and and perch with some sandpaper.

Tein coilovers are JDM style system (pros and cons) that use threaded body height adjustment perch with a seperate adjustable spring preload perch. Youll have to play with that right balance of height adjustment perch and preload perch. Just be careful of going too far with only the height adjustment perch so you dont bottom out. Do incorporate some pre-load.

Disclaimer: I am speaking from my use and experience with JDM style coilovers from 2 decades ago. I do not own the Teins on my Tesla.

I’ve read people with MPP coils had similar issues and eliminating lubrication was the solution.

However, Tein uses a Teflon ring on the bottom spring perch for the fronts which I assume adds some lubrication.

Would cleaning the Teflon ring/perches have any effect?

Thanks.

 

[huyzee]

Hey guys. I have the same binding issue with my tein flexes. Currently there enough minor preload to where i cant spin the spring when the car is lifted. Do i add more preload? If so how many more spins?