Ok. I figured I would put together a little something for all those wanting to install their own suspension. I have never really read on the forum anything about the pitfalls and unexpected problems associated with putting on a shock/spring kit. So I figured I would put something together for everyone wanting to tackle the job so you don’t get upset, like me, when you come across a problem.

I decided to purchase and install a Nuespeed Supercup Kit. The install was fairly straight forward if you have experience doing such things. If not then read everything you can get your hands on. Overall I give the job 3.5 wrenches out of 5 for difficulty. This leads me to my first piece of advice…

1) Plan your time wisely. If you’re doing the job yourself with hand tools expect to spend a total of 10-13 hours or the better part of a weekend. If you have access to an air compressor then you can do it in about 8-9 hours. I had a friend with an air compressor and lots of experience help me. This made the job go quicker. If you don’t think you have the time or proper tools then you should take it to a shop. If you have the money then a shop should be able to knock this out in 4-5 hours.

2) Instructions. Take the time to read the instructions. Print off the instructions from the manual as these are the most comprehensive. The instructions included with the kit are almost helpful, but they don’t mention a couple of things…

3) Compressing springs. The front springs were a PITA. You have to use the compressors to put the front springs on. The only problem is once you have everything tightened you can’t just take the compressors off. There isn’t enough room to release them. You have to undo one end and slide the compressors around the coil until you get them to an opening in the coil wide enough to remove the compressors. The rear springs were easy. I didn’t even use the compressors to put the rear springs on. I just had my friend push down on the top hat so I could get the top nut on.

4) Swaybar Endlinks. All I have to say is damn the man that invented these MFing GD pieces of shit. This was the worst thing I had to deal with during the whole install. A lot of time was lost here. You have to use an allen key to hold the inner bolt while you turn the nut on the outside. I ask you. What the hell is wrong with a simple bolt and nut. I don’t know what the endlinks are made of but it is a soft metal. You WILL round out at least one of the allen key heads. That’s what happened to me. Do yourself a favor and go ahead and buy some replacements. MOOG makes really awesome ones. They are 30% thicker and just use a bolt and nut. No allen key to mess with. If you are going to replace your rear swaybar then you should just plan on getting the MOOG endlinks. Once you round it out the only option is to break it off. Heat up the nut, put vice grips on the ball side, and zap the nut off with an air gun. Then put on the MOOG endlinks. You’ll be happy that you did. This will save you a lot of time with your install.

5) Rear shock lower mount shims. This was the second hardest thing I had to deal with. Putting in the first shim is easy. The second was a tight fit, but it was possible. Put the shim in some vice grips and tap it down with a hammer between the shock and mount. Once it is started use a flat tip screw driver and the hammer to tap it further down. Look through the hole to align the shim. Once you’re close knock the bolt through it with a hammer and you’re good to go. I was able to get both shims on the driver side. I could only get one on the passenger side. This is ok. The point is to keep the shock from sliding back and forth on the bolt. If you don’t use the shims you might hear a clunking from your rear suspension as the shocks slide backwards and forwards under braking and acceleration.

6) Drilling. Keep in mind that you will have to drill the hole in the dust boot to make it larger. The shaft of the Koni shocks are thicker than the stock one. You’ll also have to put the drill into the bumpstop. It won’t take any material off, but it will heat up the rubber so you can push it over the piece of metal welded to the shaft. If you don’t push the bumpstop past that thing you won’t be able to get any threads with the tophat on.

That pretty much sums it up. I hope this can help everyone save a lot of time and answer some questions you might have during the install. I know this is a popular kit and a lot of people are looking to get it so I hope this helps.

 

Thank you for your information....
I want to know if you changed the RSB, is that necessary to upgrade the RSB endlinks too??

I have my Tein SS for 2 week by now, and I have my RSB upgrade ( forgot the brand). But I didn't upgrade my RSB endlink, The problem is everytime I go on the steep hill, I heard some noise at the back of my car but I am not sure whats wrong with that. Can anyone help?

 

I didn't have to compress my springs on the front to install it on the car? I had to on the rear..

 

Wait my application was Teins on stock shocks Good write-up

 

nice writeup for the koni yellows/sp3 install. i didnt have any problems gettin my shims in but yea, those endlinks a some POS. horrible design. i think they get worse when you remove them. i ended up replacing mine when i installed my neuspeed supercup kit.

where dem pics at?

 

edit: car will be lower

 

No its not. But you will probably end up breaking one in the process.

 

That's exactly what happened to me. One came off fine, but the other rounded out the allen key hole. So my only option was to break it off. Save yourself the time and buy the MOOG's.

You can save alot of time just breaking off the old endlinks. Sawzaw the link in half. Bend the link up(you can use a hammer)until the ball pops out of the boot. Grab the ball end with some vice grips and heat up the nut on the other side. While holding the vice grips zap the nut off with an air gun. No need to mess with an allen key.

I was really impressed with the new endlinks. They are sooo much thicker and stout than the stock ones. They also come with grease fittings so you can keep them greased. The best part is that they don't use an allen key. All you need is a 14mm and 15mm wrench. This makes disassembly easier too.

 

I didn't change my RSB. However there have been reports of people breaking their endlinks when they install a RSB on the stiff setting. If it's adjustable like the Progress RSB. On soft there hasn't been a problem. It is recommended to get the MOOGs endlinks if you're using the RSB in the stiff setting. They are superior to the stock endlinks. I got both endlinks from AdvanceAutoParts for 65ish dollars. It's a good investment. BTW Autozone won't have the MOOGs brand. Only Advance. I'm not sure about O' Rileys.

 

This is a picture I took with my iphone. You can get the idea, but I'll try to get better pictures later. The third pic shows my rear camber. It's at -2.1 degrees.