Tein VSM40-C1SS1 Flex Z Coilover Kit for Mazda Miata

Should have made this upgrade to my 96 NA Miata a while ago. My factory R package Bilsteins had 190k miles and were brutally stiff. For the price and still being adjustable and made in Japan, the Tein Flex Zs are hard to beat for the money. My old RX8 had them from a previous owner and I already liked them from experience. Goal was to have a more compliant, comfy but still firm street ride than the painfully stiff factory shocks and I’ve definitely accomplished that. I’m riding 8 out of 16 clicks front and rear like the manual said to start. Think I will go 4 clicks stiffer for my next test drive. My R package car was already 1” lower than normal factory. I went with the factory set non US measurement for ride height (B measurement, 40 mm front and 45 mm rear) which is higher than the US market measurement provided. Glad I didn’t lower it any because I still ended up about another 0.5” lower than where I was. Have not noticed bump steer yet. Install was easy as these were fully assembled and ride height was already set to the manual specs. I priced new, upgraded Bilstein shocks to replace my factory and the cost savings was small compared to these. And then you still had to disassemble your old shocks. I wouldn’t consider any coilover no name coilover kits cheaper than these and there are many more expensive options out there than these. The Tein Flex Z are the perfect balance of quality, adjustability, and price. I don’t care if this model is not rebuildable considering the replacement cost and the ones on my RX8 had lasted 150k miles with a lot of track use.

Value option with top hats included. Do yourself a favor and remove the top control arm bolt (aka long bolt) in order to take out the fronts, made it so much easier. Enough adjustability for street use and much improved over stock.

This is the third set of these Tein Z coilovers I have installed in the last year on various cars.One was a 2008 NC Miata, one was on a 2016 WRX and the other on my 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata. The ride quality is excellent and the track performance is almost as good as a pure track competition setup. Best bang for the buck currently on the market. I installed all three sets at the recommended height setups and could not be happier. Bravo Tein!

You can a lot more and get a little better performance but for a lot of people these provide really good performance and adjustability at a reasonable price. I found it easy to adjust height and ride stiffness. Do be careful and follow the setup they recommend on the valving for the damper. It is shipped as hard as possible. Check they are fully seated by turning clockwise. Then back off 8 clicks. Do not exceed 16 clicks or you risk damaging the unit. Set it properly once and you'll likely never touch them again.

Loved this install. I do recommend a spring compressor for NB's,(rear end has a deeper channel) even weighing 180lbs and stomping on the rotor downward wasn't enough to get the stock struts out. The adjustable dampening is NICE(I'm 3 clicks from stiffest for a rough street feel). I've posted a picture of before and after(stock struts on top picture). Adjust height isn't "easy", because you're still fighting spring tension when you spin it. The rear is harder than the front to adjust on NB's because of the space constrictions. Overall, LOVE it. Next is anti roll bars!

I've put off writing this review for a little bit to really see how I feel about them. After 5000 miles I think I can say they're pretty good. At first I thought they were kind of trash, but after a few hundred miles of brake in, a good final leveling, and some tuning of the damping they ride fantastic. I'm running 4 clicks from max in the front 6 in the rear, and they're great for a street setup. They do ride a little tougher than stock, but the body roll is very controlled. Slightly more biased to over steer than understeer which is exactly what I wanted. You are not going to slap these on and have a perfect setup day one, but if you take the time to test them, and tune them you can get a setup you will be happy with. The install process was a pain, but that's not on the coilovers, more on all the rusty parts and seized bolts in my 32 year old car.

Fits NA6CE, ride is a bit bouncy but i havnt adjusted anything yet, and it is brand new. Will update in a week.

Hi the coilover is very good but I didn't get enough top covers. You bring me only two pieces.