im not recommending this if you dont know what youre doing but, i just used a big towel and undid the upper hat slowly until it fired into the towel. probably not the safest thing to do but i had a huge parking lot of open space in case some thing was going to go flying and i didnt know where to find a spring compressor and got lazy to look for one. btw, i did my tein basic install completely by hand tools, including the damn oem jack...it is possible.

 

I also borrowed SC from CT. but it was two pieces.

 

Both of the above spring compressors are def good enough, better than the ones i used actually....lol. I would honestly rank it up there with anthony as a 4 and i was a newbie when i first did mine and it took me 8 hours. The rear is the tricky part....fronts a piece of cake.


n1k - you used the OEM jack?!?! lol, that would have taken FOREVER!!!

 

I'm just putting this out there for amateurs like me who would ultimately mess up the install and spend more time/money trying to fix it. I am one of those people who read these threads stating how easy it is to install, but after watching a pro do it, I can honestly say that I probably would've messed something up or had my car out of order for a couple of days. You shouldn't go on telling everyone that it is an easy job when everyone has different skillsets.

About the spring compressor, there have been a good amount of people that have done this install without one. The guy that installed my coilovers has done this install many times b4 and he knew exactly how the springs would react. I watched him as he did it and he did it safely, nothing out of the ordinary happened...

 

Sure does. Only the Tein Flex and up offers the pillowball mount. The Tein SS and Basics does not come with the coilovers, but can be purchased as an option.

 

Sure does. Only the Tein Flex and up offers the pillowball mount. The Tein SS and Basics does not come with the any tophats, but pillowball mount can be purchased as an option.

 

ah, i stand corrected. thanks.

 

ok. ya, i grabbed the wrong one then. no way i can fit that thing in the spring with the struts still mounted.

in any event, i'm planning to pick up the spring kit for struts tonight from partsource.

 

I agree 100%. Ask yourself this: would you buy a car from someone who replaced the suspension (evidently for the first time in some cases judging by some of the stories here) with a set of hand tools and a borrowed spring compressor (again, used for the first time)? These guys are taking their lives (and ours) in their hands here, not to mention monkeying around with a $20K to $30K automobile.

 

If there is nothing wrong with it, and no odd sounds with the suspension/car. Then why would you not purchase the car? You can distinctly tell if a suspension is bad. Majority of installs does not require any powertools...all you'll need is a set of good wrenches, breaker bar, and wd-40. And maybe some MAPP gas for those rusted on bolts.

It's just like saying, "Would you trust somebody that used a floor jack (for the first time) instead of a hydraulic lift?"

The first time I changed out a shock/spring was on my '98 prelude. It was fairly easy but very time consuming because I had to double check everything. It took me 8 hours to finish it, but if I do it now, it'll only be four hours.

Hell I "monkeyed" around with my STi when I had it. Did a complete rotated turbo swap on it- consisted of fuel pump, FMIC, injectors, downpipe, external wastegate, and the turbo with a dumppipe vent to atmosphere.

Started it up and there was a small oil leak coming from the oil inlet to the turbo. Tightened the connector, flashed a temp. map, and off I went to get it tuned.

First time doing that, never watched anybody do it; basically learned everything from reading and more reading. Those that mess up on installs either did not fully read through the guides or asked enough questions on areas that they do not fully understand.

I do not know about the TSX community, but over on WRX/STI community almost everybody do their own installs. Most people over on Honda-tech do their own installs as well.

Hell I'm only 19...

 

If you are not comfortable with the install, or too lazy to do in depth research on the install, I'd say shop it. However, if you put lots of time reading/asking on the install and are willing to learn more about the car, I'd say DIY.

I definitely learned a lot by doing a DIY, and made a mistake not reading the full installation guide on the camber kit initially which gave me some trouble. (which is solved now)

 

Perfectly said.