^True in many cases. Dampers are the most important part of your suspension next to physical geometry. However, you could always consider the TRD springs if you like the look of a lowered car. They have been engineered to work with the stock dampers without overloading their abilities.

Got my H-techs installed tonight! Hurray! Alignment tomorrow and pictures to follow.

Matariel: In all things there is a balance. For cars, it's usually performance vs. reliability vs. cost. The more performance, the less reliability. You leave your tC totally stock and do the maintenance on it like you should, you'll probably get 200K-300K miles out of it. You mod it to the point where it could be in the next "Fast and the Furious" and you'll be doing maintenance on it every weekend. Like 1stOne said, TRD is engineered to bolt on without reducing reliability (much), but you'll also pay a little more and wait a little longer. I wasn't patient enough to wait for TRD to come out with springs, so I went with the H-techs.

Sometimes the most difficult decisions come down to the simpliest of thoughts.

Think of modifying a car like this, you have 3 options: Fast, Cheap, Reliable. Now, pick only 2. If you want Fast and Reliable, it wont be cheap. If you want Fast and Cheap, it wont be Reliable...you get the idea.

No matter how you look at things, there will always be a compromise to some extent. Some less than others.

mm i think i get it, I'll give myself til this spring anyways before i touch suspension system.

thanks for the replies :)

Having driven on my H-techs for all of 2 days now, I've noticed 2 things I didn't realize could go together.

- First, the H-techs feel SOFTER than the stock springs during normal driving. Going over bumps in the road, the car feels more...bouncy. (can't think of a better word) Not the harsh bouncing I would expect of sport springs, but almost like slightly worn springs.

- Second, during more aggressive driving (hard stops, sharp turns), the car has less body roll. I very much like this aspect, but it's odd given the soft top end of the spring.

Anyway, that's my Tein H-Tech review. Softer (possibly too soft) at the beginning than stock springs. Pleasantly firm (much better and less body roll than stock) during more aggressive driving.

It sounds like Tein has the spring rates a little out.

I would assume they are a progressive spring rate. During regular driving, it sounds like the spring not working properly with the damper, so your getting inconsistancies in the ride for that reason. In an extreme case (but one that comes about far too often), think of people who install coilover sleeves on stock struts. The spring rates are so much higher that the damper can't work to "dampen" or rebound, so it gives up and all you get is bounce. The spring becomes the control when really it should be the damper that achieves that.

In hard turning, it sounds like the rate achieves what it should and thats a matched rate to the damper. That mixed with a lower center of gravity will give the sensation it drives better than before.

Without being in the car and without extensive testing, these are only assumptions. But that's my take on what you describe anyways.

1st One: If you want to send me a set of the TRD springs, i'd be happy to test and compare them. :D Seriously though, next time I'm at the dealer, I'll probably take another tC for a test drive. See if I what I feel like the differences are real or just percieved. I am constantly fighting the urge to compare the tC to my old BMW with a Dinan suspension upgrade.

Trust me, if it were me in charge, I would!

Oh and don't take my comments as criticism. The whole goal of modding is so you enjoy your car, not so anyone else does. As long as the part you installed achieves that, anything else it does is bonus!

Haha. We're good. A possible explanation of a less-than-stellar review I wrote on the springs isn't criticism, it's passing on knowledge. Hopefully it will help someone reading this.

I still like the ride height of the H-techs the best of what I've seen. The others just seem too low for my tastes. And I've put another 600 miles on my car today. You're right on that the springs are progressive. Softer than stock at the top end and firm when you get into it. Still think the H-techs reduce body roll.

tC gen 2 Tein springs
 

Just finished the springs and lip kit on my tC. Few pics. Sits level and proud. Need to find adjustable upper control arm. Camber on back needs to be chilled about 1/2 degree.

Nice! Is that on H-Techs?

where is the best place to order from directly from tien or is there somewhere else ??