Would someone who is about to install some aftermarket lowering springs please do a DIY with pictures. I'm sure I'm not the only one who could really use it. Thanks!
there already is one, check the mega DIY under the tech section, there are 2.. I read them and they have pictures and everything. Check it out!
All I see are camber kit instructions, coilover instructions, and Koni strut instructions. I need a simple, detailed DIY on say a set of Neuspeed Sport springs, or Eibach Pro Kit springs keeping the stock struts.
ya those diy are hard to go by. they dont go into detail. make sure you have a good spring compressor tho cause its going to be a b*tch to put them on.
JUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE COILOVERS ITS THE SAME PROCEDURE!
IDQcivic, i'm guessing you havn't tried using the DIY. it doesn't tell you how to remove the tie rod, how the rotor falls down when you take out those two bolts(scared the sh*t outta me), how you have to make lines in the top/bottom part of the struts so that you could line them up when your putting it back together, how you HAVE to raise both sides of the car when working on the front.... little things like that it doesn't say n its those lil things that'll make it a pain in the a$$. i had to learn the hard way.
I LOOKED AT THOSE INSTRUCTIONS AND I'D LIKE A MORE DETAILED DIY FOR JUST INSTALLING SPRINGS. geez
So if anyone is planning on installing a set of springs soon, please document it if possible. Thanks
So if anyone is planning on installing a set of springs soon, please document it if possible. Thanks
Hey I was just trying to help (sorry about the caps) I always have caps on at work... I am putting my springs on this weekend, I'll take pictures if I can and try to post them.. It doesn't seem like that hard of a thing to do once I rent a spring compressor.
thats what i thought but like i said, its the lil things they dont mention that make it a b*tch. and ya make sure you have a good spring compressor cause the one i had sucked... i rented it from auto zone, you put each spring compressor on opposite sides and tighten it lil by lil evenly... the problem with it was it was too bulky and wouldn't fit the back springs because the plastic part of the shock got in the way. and also when i finally squeezed it in and put in the neuspeed sports, i was decompressing the spring compresser and it got stuck. so i had trouble getting it out... and you should know about the things i mentioned above, its going to help...
alright imma try to explain this the best i can...
front:
1) jack up BOTH sides of the car(or you'll have problems getting the strut back in) and make sure its on the car chassis not any panels. and remove the wheel.
2) open the hood and loosen(dont take it all the way out) the bolt that is in between those 3 bolts that hold the strut(if you do this it'll be easier to take the strut apart, and i dont think you need an allen key either)
3) remove tie rod(doing this first makes it a little easier cause it keeps the strut in place). remove the cotter pin and the nut. you can remove the tie rod by:
a) renting a tie rod seperator(autozone has it). just hammer it in and after you think its in far enough, lean on the tie rod seperator and it should pop off. oh and dont worry about ripping the boot, its only like a dollar or so
b) hammering the sh*t out of the tie rod end. someone said to keep the nut at the end in order to prevent damage to the tie rod end
4) remove the brake line from the bottom of the strut
5) remove those two bolts that connect the bottom of the strut to the brake rotor. when you do remove the two bolts, the whole rotor is going to fall. i put my spare tire under it to sort of catch it. someone said to put the jack under it but i dont think it would hold it... i'm not sure how it would happen but for one person, the axle popped out of the cv joint or something and he had to open it up and put everything back together. so ya i guess becareful and try not to let the whole thing just drop or let it hang. so either use the tire or the jack, better safe then sorry...
6) remove the 3 bolt that are located under the hood.(remember to catch the falling strut)
7) now that you have the strut out, get a straight edge and mark the bottom and top of the strut. this is so that when you put everything back together, it'll all be aligned right. oh and i understand that the very top part of the strut moves around... just line up the arrows and thats the way it goes... and those 3 bolts only go in one way so....
8) compress the spring with the spring compresser(since your reading this, your probably new to this so i would highly recommend one). if your doing this by hand good luck its going to take awhile... you'll probably have to compress it till it wont compress anymore...
9) once the spring is able to move around, its safe to remove the bolt at the top. if you loosened it like i said earlier, it shouldn't be too hard. if you didnt, your going to need an allen key and some strength...
10) remove the whole top part(i removed it in one piece rather then removing it peice by peice)... the top part does have ***** in it, but if you remove it as one piece then you wont even see them.
11) remove the spring and put in the new one. i had to compress mine(neuspeed sport) to get it in...
12) put the top part back on(remember to line up the lines you made from step #7). and make sure the springs sitting on the top and bottom part correctly...
13) decompress the spring(if you had to that is) and remember to keep everything aligned as you decompress it cause it might move around..
14) put the top bolt back on. it doesnt have to be in all the way, just enough so that it safely stays in...
15) put the strut back on the car starting with those 3 bolts under the hood
16) put in the 2 bolts on the bottom of the strut starting with the lower one(i found it easier this way...)
17) attach the brake line back to the strut
18) put the tie rod back in. put in the bolt and cotter pin in as well...
that should be it... just do the same with the other side
back:
i didn't even have to remove the wheel
1) remove the top two bolts(these are found right behind the seats in the trunk). you have to remove the 'carpet' from the sides to get to them. you could try loosening up the middle bolt for this too. not sure if it'll work cause i forgot to try.
2) jack up the car and remove the bottom nut
3) as you did with the front, mark the top and bottom of the shock to algin it right when you put it all back together(i learned the hard way)
4) now you have the shock in your hands... your going to need a good spring compresser for this... i had trouble because mine was bulky and it got in the way of the plastic thing(that covers the shock from dirt). compress the springs(it takes a lil longer then the front)
5) use an allen key and wrench to take off the top bolt
6) take out the spring and put in the new one. put the top bolt back on. for this i had a real tough time again because of the spring compresser. not only did i have to compress the spring to get them in, the compresser got stuck when i decompress the springs. oh remember to keep the bottom and top part aligned with the marks you made.
7) put the shock back in starting with the bottom bolt. if it doesn't fit right, you didn't align it right... if its just a lil off, hammer it in cause its hard to get it perfect.
8) tighten the top two bolts
that should be it...
if i remember anything else i'll post it. hopefully this will help someone. i know i could have used this. i wasted like 10 hours because the diy wasn't detailed enough....
front:
1) jack up BOTH sides of the car(or you'll have problems getting the strut back in) and make sure its on the car chassis not any panels. and remove the wheel.
2) open the hood and loosen(dont take it all the way out) the bolt that is in between those 3 bolts that hold the strut(if you do this it'll be easier to take the strut apart, and i dont think you need an allen key either)
3) remove tie rod(doing this first makes it a little easier cause it keeps the strut in place). remove the cotter pin and the nut. you can remove the tie rod by:
a) renting a tie rod seperator(autozone has it). just hammer it in and after you think its in far enough, lean on the tie rod seperator and it should pop off. oh and dont worry about ripping the boot, its only like a dollar or so
b) hammering the sh*t out of the tie rod end. someone said to keep the nut at the end in order to prevent damage to the tie rod end
4) remove the brake line from the bottom of the strut
5) remove those two bolts that connect the bottom of the strut to the brake rotor. when you do remove the two bolts, the whole rotor is going to fall. i put my spare tire under it to sort of catch it. someone said to put the jack under it but i dont think it would hold it... i'm not sure how it would happen but for one person, the axle popped out of the cv joint or something and he had to open it up and put everything back together. so ya i guess becareful and try not to let the whole thing just drop or let it hang. so either use the tire or the jack, better safe then sorry...
6) remove the 3 bolt that are located under the hood.(remember to catch the falling strut)
7) now that you have the strut out, get a straight edge and mark the bottom and top of the strut. this is so that when you put everything back together, it'll all be aligned right. oh and i understand that the very top part of the strut moves around... just line up the arrows and thats the way it goes... and those 3 bolts only go in one way so....
8) compress the spring with the spring compresser(since your reading this, your probably new to this so i would highly recommend one). if your doing this by hand good luck its going to take awhile... you'll probably have to compress it till it wont compress anymore...
9) once the spring is able to move around, its safe to remove the bolt at the top. if you loosened it like i said earlier, it shouldn't be too hard. if you didnt, your going to need an allen key and some strength...
10) remove the whole top part(i removed it in one piece rather then removing it peice by peice)... the top part does have ***** in it, but if you remove it as one piece then you wont even see them.
11) remove the spring and put in the new one. i had to compress mine(neuspeed sport) to get it in...
12) put the top part back on(remember to line up the lines you made from step #7). and make sure the springs sitting on the top and bottom part correctly...
13) decompress the spring(if you had to that is) and remember to keep everything aligned as you decompress it cause it might move around..
14) put the top bolt back on. it doesnt have to be in all the way, just enough so that it safely stays in...
15) put the strut back on the car starting with those 3 bolts under the hood
16) put in the 2 bolts on the bottom of the strut starting with the lower one(i found it easier this way...)
17) attach the brake line back to the strut
18) put the tie rod back in. put in the bolt and cotter pin in as well...
that should be it... just do the same with the other side
back:
i didn't even have to remove the wheel
1) remove the top two bolts(these are found right behind the seats in the trunk). you have to remove the 'carpet' from the sides to get to them. you could try loosening up the middle bolt for this too. not sure if it'll work cause i forgot to try.
2) jack up the car and remove the bottom nut
3) as you did with the front, mark the top and bottom of the shock to algin it right when you put it all back together(i learned the hard way)
4) now you have the shock in your hands... your going to need a good spring compresser for this... i had trouble because mine was bulky and it got in the way of the plastic thing(that covers the shock from dirt). compress the springs(it takes a lil longer then the front)
5) use an allen key and wrench to take off the top bolt
6) take out the spring and put in the new one. put the top bolt back on. for this i had a real tough time again because of the spring compresser. not only did i have to compress the spring to get them in, the compresser got stuck when i decompress the springs. oh remember to keep the bottom and top part aligned with the marks you made.
7) put the shock back in starting with the bottom bolt. if it doesn't fit right, you didn't align it right... if its just a lil off, hammer it in cause its hard to get it perfect.
8) tighten the top two bolts
that should be it...
if i remember anything else i'll post it. hopefully this will help someone. i know i could have used this. i wasted like 10 hours because the diy wasn't detailed enough....
Thanks VNlilMAN. If anyone else is about to install springs please include some pics for those of us who need visual aids. 
