Gabe15

iTrader: (1)

Cant stress enough to plan ahead, try to make sure you have all the tools and be patient.

I did the back first because it was after work and I figured I could do those faster than the fronts. No need to take the seat out. Just pop off the plastic covers after droping your back seats down. With a 3 inch extension and a ratchet you can get in there and remove the 2 nuts.


2 nuts on top. One on bottom. I hit all bolts under the car with WD40 or some kind of liquid wrench. Once all bolts are loose you either need a friend to step on the lugs to move the suspension down or do what I saw Tisivich do. Throw the jack inbetween the suspension piece and frame.


Once out get your spring compressor. I got one from autozone. Buy it for $50 then return it for 100% refund.


Here was a tricky part. Didnt know the bolt had an allen head inside it. Need to secure that while loosening the retaining nut.


Per Tein instructions dont forget to cut the bump stops.



Install every thing back. The backs are alot easier because you dont need the spring compressor to get the rear springs back on and there are less bolts to deal with.

Now the fronts. I didnt have a guide so I just took off the wheel and looked at what needed removed. It really wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be.

These were the nuts and bolts I removed from the bottom.



Take out the top six bolts and now you have some play but not quite enough to remove. This is where a friend would be able to help by turning the wheel or stepping on the lugs for you. I had a different type of jack that I lodged between the upper arm and inside fender.


Here are the pieces you pulled out.


Same thing with the spring compressor and shock only this time you need to compress the new spring to get everything bolted back together before putting back in.


Install same way you removed.

And thats it. No air tools and no help. Here is a pic of all the tools I ended up using.


Plan on doing the alignment in a couple weeks. So far car drives straight and I absolutely love the ride. Very normal when cruising around but firms up nicely during spirited driving. Questions, concerns, or comments welcome.

09TSXTech

Excellent writeup.

How long did it take for the whole job?

defconskylude

awesome

would be nice if you circled the bolts in the pics. i cant really tell sometimes which bolts to look at

Gabe15

iTrader: (1)

3 hours for both rears and 4 hours for both fronts. It definitely isnt as quick as a professional shop but hand cranking that spring compressor takes time and the learning curve on the fronts. Had no plan of action for those and kind of winged it.

ed_423

nice!

i like your small pink chair

Gabe15

iTrader: (1)

Yeah my daughter picked that out for me when i asked for a stool.

I actually had to use my sons allen head socket for the shocks. Imagine that. Having to borrow a tool from your 4 year old.

saucy

Great write up. Not sure I need to do a write up on my Tien SS install. I agree some circles or arrows pointing would be a little more helpful to the noobs but I guess a noob shouldn't being doing a project like this on their own. Thanks for putting this together.

ttk5

Nice!! no pics of the car though? that's what we all want to see

MrOtocinclus

Thank you for this writeup, it will come in handy for me when I put my stock springs back on.

Mr. NC

Awesome write up thanks, I was leaning towards Tein S-Tech as well in the summer, not sure if I have the balls to DIY tho

ed_423

balls are not needed, just screw drivers, socket ranch, and spring compressor

Mr. NC

^^ LOL as much as I love taking stuff apart etc, touching a brand new car is on another level man

TrixieSX

I dont think you mentioned that it is easier to mark the top cap where the oem spring ends before you take the spring off so when you put it back together it will still align perfectly to the chassis.

Good job on the write up man!

ed_423

i know what you mean, first time taking off my bumper almost gave me a heart attack, especially when i pop the whole thing out thought i snapped something

Gabe15

iTrader: (1)

I am waiting for some good weather. Just got a few inches of snow last night.

Gabe15

iTrader: (1)

In this case the rubber mounts that sit in the top hat have notches and indentations so its really easy to line it back up correctly. But good point. You must have done this before.

Chrisnycq

nice write up. I have to do this in a couple of weeks. Waiting on my tein basics

TrixieSX

Yes the rubber mounts will do but there is a chance that it can slightly rotate and its just easier to line up a marker fron outside than to keep peeking in. I'm just saying it as an added advice, I don't mean to crap on your well written thread.

SinCityTLX

What would be a fair price for a shop to charge to do this? I was quoted $300 and I thought I was getting ripped off. I see it took you 7 hours. If it only took a shop 3.5 hours I guess $300 is still high.

I would think $225 or less would be fair, no?

defconskylude

I paid 120

Puppetmaster

Great write up, Gabe. So for the "top hat" nut, you don't have to loosen it before jacking the car up, while there is still load on it? I guess that's why the you need the hex head, so you can take the assembly off, hold the piston from spinning with that in there while you unscrew the top. This is very helpful, thanks again.

I was referring to this nut, btw:



PS - I'm a fan of the pink stool too, I think your daughter and mine would get along...

Puppetmaster

This is way after the fact since your comment was in Feb, but one way to look at it is that taking stuff apart on a brand new car is easier because nothing has really rusted out yet.

Mr. NC

^ Haha yea the bolts haven't seized yet no need for WD40, yelling, kicking or screaming..the honeymoon stage

Gabe15

iTrader: (1)

Actually no. You dont want to take that top nut off until you have the whole assembly out with the spring compressors squishing the spring down. That nut holds the spring in a compressed state so if you remove it before you take the assembly out the spring could without warning smash you in the hands, arms, head, etc.

Puppetmaster

I didn't mean to remove it, but to just crack it loose before jacking up the car and removing the load from the assembly. That's what is required on some older model cars where the piston will spin if you don't loosen the nut before the load is off it, so you can't even get the nut off, you'll just keep spinning the piston and it won't loosen, even with an impact. The hex head is to deal with exactly that - it stops the piston from turning as you loosen the nut, so there is no need for anyone to loosen the nut before unloading the assembly. Thanks for the response. That's a good warning too.

BaoZZeR

So I gave this a try, first wheel = succes (but it took like 4 hours lol) 2nd wheel however.... the allen stripped even with WD-40 on it. Any suggestions to get it still? I already tried knocking in a slightly bigger allen but that also stripped...

MrOtocinclus

You are talking about the bolt on top of the mount, that holds the entire assembly together? If so, this happened to me. I ended up destroying the assembly, but I also learned that an impact wrench would make quick work of the bolt. Good luck.

BaoZZeR

I called Midas and I told the guy I wanted the bolt cut (didn't know what else to ask for lol) and he told me he would torch it off o.O. Ima stop by today after classes and see how much he'll charge me for him to just use the impact gun. Thanks a lot.

benben01

A tip for anyone who wants to tackle this job, there is NO need for the scissor jack as it can do some damage to you and your suspension. If the front wheels are off the ground at the same time, just unbolt the sway bar end links and you have all the room to removed the strut assembly from the vehicle without the need for the scissor jack. Also, when reinstalling the struct assembly, do NOT bolt the fork and main bolt in place until you have both structs in place and secured to the shock towers. Once again, giving you plenty of room to work with to get the fork and main bolts in place.

As for the rear, use an ax handle, sledge hammer handle, or a long sturdy piece of wood to push down on the upper control arm to get the strut assembly in and out. Just make sure both both wheels are in the air on jack stands or a sturdy floor jack. Hope that helps

BaoZZeR

Nice tip I was going to do my rears next Tuesday but with one side jacked at a time

Terdbath

Dang that is a PITA. Sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope you dont have to buy a replacement shock absorber. If it is any consolation the rears will go alot faster and easier.

benben01

Just remember to unbolt the sway bar end links in the rear and you are good to go. I had my 11 year old pressing down on the sledge hammer handle as I worked the OE strut assembly out. As for re-assembly, don't bolt up the lower suspension bolt and sway end links until you have both struts bolted up in the strut tower.

MrOtocinclus

And don't forget to load the suspension with the car's weight before final bolt-up!

BaoZZeR

Thanks for the advice guys. I went to a car place called Tuffy up here in Gainesville and for a few bucks the guy took off the bolt with an impact wrench and even changed my springs for me. (Yay me!)

Victor94

i really wanna do this soon but im scared i gonna fuck something up =/

samace_sg

how do you load the suspension up before final bolt up?

Honda_boy83

Nice write up. How are your tires holding up without a camber kit? I heard the Acuras were really touchy when lowered and often wore through tires very fast. Thanks!

crxgator

I just installed my fronts, and just so you know, the reason why you had a problem with the front install is because you were doing it backwards as shown here:



You want to push the LCA UP, not down to get the shock assembly out. You can do this all by yourself with some wiggling and also removing the sway bar endlink helps with some give and play. I was able to install both sides in under 1:30 by myself. Also, you can take off the tophat from the top with an airgun so you dont have to use the spring compressor to take off the stock springs.

xtcnrice

For some, this could be very dangerous. For the inexperienced, this could mean the spring uncompressing (i.e., hundreds of pounds of force being exerted) into a body part. I'm not saying don't do this, this is a DIY, but for those who will, do understand the risks involved. This is the most dangerous part of the installation IMO, especially if you don't know what you are doing.

lltysonll

Thanks for the write up. It helped me some what installing h&r springs.
I thought the fronts were easier to do. For the rear I also disconnected the endlinks to sway.

If I were to do it again I probably could do it in 2-3hrs.