i'm installing a set of coilovers today and i read the how-to (big help), but i'm unsure of the rear mounting point at the strut tower. do i access this through the interior or exterior. i assume there are 3 nuts just like up front? thanks...let me know if i need to clarify.

 

Well, assuming I'm reading you correctly:

Front: There are 3 bolts accessible from under the hood that attach it to the top. The bottom is held in place by the hub cup.

Rear: There are 2 (3?) bolts accessible from inside the wheel well, and one attaching the bottom to the hub.

R

 

k ...thats what i was looking for! =) are you able to fit an impact wrench in most locations of the install? thanks!

 

I don't know, but I would not use the impact wrench on the reinstall of the coilovers, they should not be slammed on with the impact wrench, as it can over tighten, and cause not so good effects on the suspension, or caus early fatigue on parts

 

I used a 14 mm socket on an 3/8" air ratchet; its pretty tight for an impact wrench and a long extension is also difficult.

pay attention to left side and right side parts as they are subtley different

 

I used a socket set and open end wrench for all.

R

 

Air ratchet at the rear and an impact at the front. The rear went particularly smooth and easy.

 

Russ,

The rear upper mount bolts are 13mm, there are two, and they can be accessed from below the car with a 3/8" ratchet or air ratchet and an extension. The lower mount bolt is 21mm and comes off with an impact gun easily. Both have a lot of threads - keep turning, they eventually come out.

The front has the upper bolts you mentioned, the swaybar droplink, and the lower bolt that keeps it in the hub carrier.

Don't forget to pull the ABS sensors and brake lines from their respective brackets.

Hope that helps!

Feel free to call with any questions you have during the process.

Randy
720-841-1002

 

thanks guys for all the help...as it stands i have the front suspension on and i've got to say doing the driver side front is ridiculously hard. if someone is even a little inclined to doing it themselves without any experience...don't do it. :smile: i'm not exaggerating. so now the rear suspension is in pieces...not sure if i should reuse the factory bumpstops..i didnt in the front so i dont know if i should in the rear? i'm using KWs...ugh. time to go to bed. working on the car for 8 hours is too much for me :smile:

Russ

 

8 hours!?! That's a long time - congrats on the concentration.

I would have recommended reusing the factory stops in the front. No big deal if you didn't, depending on the spring rates. You shouldn't have any problems. As far as the rears go, with the H&R and LEDAs, they came with their own rear bump stops. If the factory ones fit, I'd reuse those.

For the future, there are some tips that help with the driver side front. Jack up the hub carrier as far as it will go, then use some steel shank tie wraps to hold the coils of the springs compressed. Release the jack. You may need to kick the hub carrier in a downward motion to give yourself as much room as possible. Lube the strut with some WD-40 or equivalent. Rock the strut forward and it will give you enough room to remove it. Be very careful snipping the tie wraps once you have the strut off - as long as you don't take the spring hat off, you won't have far for the spring energy to release.

Hope that helps!

Randy

 

thanks randy, that's actually exactly how we got it off. we put zip ties all around it to keep the spring compressed then popped it out...of course it doesnt just "pop out" haha. but we just kept moving the hub carrier around til it came out. right now the car is slammed way to low in the front. it would definitely rub i think...just curious did you guys run into any complications with the driverside front coilover having to be adjusted a little differently? im just thinking the driver side factory front is longer so...? is my car gonna be lopsided?

:smile:

 

the reason the LF coilover is hard to get out is that the wishbone won't drop far enough on that side. the coiloivers are the same length, L and R.
When you set your ride height, pick a nice spot on the car chassis that is symmetrical, L/R and more or less in line with the axle and as wide as you can get it (like a suspension bolt at the non-moving end) and measure to the ground. You should be able to get it within 1/8" on both sides. As a rough measurement, the top of the wheel well to ground on my car, hood latched, is 24". When I had it at 23-1/4", the car was too low for the street. Problem with this measure is that it changes with wheel rolling diameter, brand to brand, but it is a place to start.

the best way is to set your ride height all around with the driver in the car, then put each corner on scales and make your cross corner weights as close as possible. you might get them within 15-20 lbs out of about 700 lbs per corner, average.

 

so really bad news..i put the whole setup ine car and lo and behold the rears are defective. they porpoise...the dampers are completely shot for whatever reason, and there is no rebound. so now i'm off to take off the whole setup and returning it to mini madness. to say im pissed wouldnt be accurate...in other news the madness intake and QS exhaust are excellent. im moving to phoenix soon, so i wont be able to the install again for a LONG time. bummed.