Once in awhile...some coilover catches the attention of many enthusiasts across magazines. Several systems come to mind. Out of those systems...the JIC FLT-A2 and the TEIN FLEX is one of the most wanted of the bunch. Well...at least for now, until something better comes down the pipeline.
Below is the TEIN FLEX...
My roommate has given me a chance to drive in his car that has used both of these systems. The TEINs have been known to be noisy but handle well under daily driving conditions. There have been confirmations from some cars (especially the Celica), in which the holding rings have stripped from the strut...prematurely lowering the ride height unsafely. This was of course under autocross conditions.
TEIN then addressed this issue by adding teflon coating to the strut to reduce the possibility of ring wear.
Look closely at the difference in piston diameter. Although it may not play a significant difference in the handling arena, it does play a part in overall longevity and wider range of adjustable dampening. On JICs the adjustment is at the bottom. A little less convenient for adjustment but more range bewteen dampening.
TEIN takes the standard route and keeps it on top. With the EDFC...it can be adjusted electronically.
Look closely at the difference in piston diameter. Although it may not play a significant difference in the handling arena, it does play a part in overall longevity and wider range of adjustable dampening.
The nice thing about both of these coilover systems...the springs can be switched with other springs of different spring rates or different spring height without removing the whole suspension assembly from the car. You just twist the bottom of the strut off and bam...instant spring exchange. More importantly, both of these systems have the ability to adjust the ride height of the car without compromising suspension travel. Too bad you can't do these with JIC SA-1s (the coilover system I ended up getting). FLT-A2s are not available for the celica 90-93 at the time...but can custom fitted if need be. Same for the TEIN FLEX.
Here's a shot of the EDFCs cool packaging.
And another shot of the actual EDFC.
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