Anyone tried the new(ish) Tanabe Revel coilovers?

[DRIFTER-M]

Just curious thoughts or impressions, specifically for drifting? Very little info over their 2 years of release. Revel is under the Tanabe umbrella, and there was a time when Tanabe coilovers were among the "holy grail" of coilovers in the early / mid 00s.

[Corbic]

Pretty much nothing out there. Found two videos. I couldn't make it through either and I suspect neither actually have anything useful to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GygDZEiNa7Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niBQ6OZymxc

Promo Video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7tN9vjAUo8


So based on the specs (32 way, mono tube) and the price, $1,100 - sounds like generic label added coil-overs coming from the dragon land. I wouldn't expect these to be any different then Megan, K-sport, etc.

[mav1178]

Build quality of these are identical to Blitz Damper ZZ-R, which are made by BC in Taiwan.

[Corbic]

Originally Posted by mav1178

Build quality of these are identical to Blitz Damper ZZ-R, which are made by BC in Taiwan.

Now is that good... or bad?

[burnsauto]

Triggered!!!!!!!!!







They are cheaper, entry level coilovers. That doesn't mean they are bad. Lots of people run Taiwan coilovers (including myself) and don't have any issues with them. Are they 3k+ KW's or Arogasta's or DG-5's? No. But they're 1k bucks, you can't really complain too much. Personally, I'd just go with BC. I spoke to a rep at a race once and he was super helpful, had a good attitude (something I've noticed that is common with guys I've spoken to who work for that company) and let me know about all their ability to build a custom setup to what you're doing. Trying to do all of that with a company in Japan is doable, but a little bit more difficult. Rebuilds are done in the US, and they keep almost all the parts in stock.

[DRIFTER-M]

Originally Posted by Corbic

Pretty much nothing out there. Found two videos. I couldn't make it through either and I suspect neither actually have anything useful to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GygDZEiNa7Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niBQ6OZymxc

Promo Video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7tN9vjAUo8


So based on the specs (32 way, mono tube) and the price, $1,100 - sounds like generic label added coil-overs coming from the dragon land. I wouldn't expect these to be any different then Megan, K-sport, etc.

Originally Posted by mav1178

Build quality of these are identical to Blitz Damper ZZ-R, which are made by BC in Taiwan.

I actually called Tanabe USA and was in fact told they were made in Taiwan. They just have not, IMO, done a great job of marketing them. Tanabe name carries weight, but they don't seem to swing these around as much as they should. The marketing makes it sound like these are on par with Tein Flex Z, not actually made for drifting / performance and just daily. But the specs seem to indicate they are the same as, you guys suggested, many of the popular Taiwan drifting coilovers.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by DRIFTER-M

I actually called Tanabe USA and was in fact told they were made in Taiwan. They just have not, IMO, done a great job of marketing them. Tanabe name carries weight, but they don't seem to swing these around as much as they should. The marketing makes it sound like these are on par with Tein Flex Z, not actually made for drifting / performance and just daily. But the specs seem to indicate they are the same as, you guys suggested, many of the popular Taiwan drifting coilovers.

Just like parts out of Japan, don't be stuck on a brand name.

Megan used to source from Taiwan exclusively, now their higher end stuff is out of Taiwan and lower end stuff is China.

Tein's low end lines are all "made in Japan" but they reduce their cost by having all the parts made in their factory in Shanghai.

Everyone else in Japan and the world all play the same exchange rate game. Buying out of Taiwan is popular because BC does OEM for a lot of companies customized to their specs, and they only invoice you in USD, so there's no fluctuations in pricing.

It's like head gaskets. Most people don't even know that the head gaskets sold out of Japan under $150 MSRP are not made in Japan, they just keep buying "JDM"

[economix]

Originally Posted by mav1178

Tein's low end lines are all "made in Japan" but they reduce their cost by having all the parts made in their factory in Shanghai.

It's like head gaskets. Most people don't even know that the head gaskets sold out of Japan under $150 MSRP are not made in Japan, they just keep buying "JDM"

Thanks dude, I'm over here looking at my new "Made in Japan" Tein Coils and my Tomei MHG like they're step children now LOL

[towlie]

Yes. Garbage. Buy BC's instead, cheaper and they will ride better.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by economix

Thanks dude, I'm over here looking at my new "Made in Japan" Tein Coils and my Tomei MHG like they're step children now LOL

Tomei head gaskets are made by Siruda in Taiwan, have been for 10+ years.