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I just got a set of Tein Street Advance for my '12 SH-awd after debating if it was time to replace the suspension or not after feeling specially the rear suspension a little bouncy. Got them brand new from EndlessRPM + coupon for $554 shipped, ordered last Saturday, shipped on Monday and surprisingly delivered the next day. I am really excited on installing them in the following weeks but winter/crappy weather is already here in the DMV area, I just couldn't resist the price and pulled the trigger thinking on installing them either in winter or spring. Is it a good idea to do it now or wait until spring? For those with them driving in snowy areas, have you run into any issues like corrosion/rust? Any advice on the installation process? I currently have the 19' advance wheels and plan to lower no more than 1 1/2 in. hoping not to need a camber kit nor rolling fenders. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
If winters are bad there, I would hold off till spring. That's just my opinion. I waited till the crappy snow weather was almost over when I installed mine. Take the back seat out first before you take any wheels off. It's a pain in the ass and took awhile to get out. Keep the back seat out until you get your dampers set to what you want. I ordered new top hats from heeltoe so that made my install a lot quicker. Didn't need to transfer the old ones to the teins. the install was pretty straight forward and easy. I dropped mine about 1.5 inches and only needed the rear camber kit. my car has settled and has definitely dropped a little more. Maybe .25".
To me it really doesn't matter what season because come next winter you're gonna have then on correct? My buddy and I just installed his coilovers this past monday.
As for as recommendations, when removing the top portion of the back seat. You'll need to push in the center of each side and pull up at the sane time. When we did removed the rear struts I had to stand on the rear hub while he pulled them out. Also I recommend starting on the rear. The fronts are cake.
1" drop, you might be fine. 1.25 or more, it gets iffy. Some guys have gotten away with not needing a camber kit and some had to get it. I say roll the dice and go 1.25.
Originally Posted by LostProphet
What is the recommended drop for not to need a camber kit? Is it a good idea to only go with 1" or 1.25" drop?
Is it two weeks enough time for the springs to settle? or should I do it sooner to save my tires? I think I will install them with a 1.25" drop and hoping not to have more than 1.5" after they settle. Just in case I will order a pair of those spc 1 arm kit.
Ive installed quite a few of these here in CT and they seem to hold up well to the winters. I would recommend Boeshield T9 on the threads to lube and protect them. It isn't like a grease which will be sticky and fill up with dirt and grime. I also HIGHLY recommend setting the perches to Tein's recommended height. It will make the car sit nice and level and you will get maximum life out of the dampers vs if you slam the car and are crashing the internals of the damper over hard bumps. If you lower to the recommended range you will probably be at the edge of the recommended camber range, possibly just out of spec so you may not need camber kits unless you have badly worn bushings. For maximum bushing life loosen the upper A-arm bolts and tighten them at expected normal ride height once lowered.
As for tire fitment, to even make a guess I would need to know the offset of the wheel in addition to the diameter, width and tire size you specify.
Two weeks should be plenty of time for them to settle, I wouldn't go too long because excessive toe will wipe out your tires fairly quickly.
In addition to that, you can purchase coilover covers which keep dirt out and keeps them rust free. I have a buddy with a set and they are legit. If I could install them on my air struts, I would.
LostProphet, did you end up needing the rear camber 3 arm kit? or 1 arm kit? or none at all? I too don't want to lower no more than 1.5". And would love to avoid buying any camber kits.
I didn't have a chance to install the coilovers yet but I am thinking of doing the install soon, I was busy with the install of two Magnaflow mufflers with staggered tips, pretty cool. Anyways, I bought a pair of SPC 67545 camber arms from eBay and I will be installing these at the same time as the coilovers, I had lowering springs and HFP suspension on my civic before and from experience I know camber is gonna be out of spec. Since I am lowering the car only 1.25 in. (will be 1.5 after settling) I hope I won't need the other arms. If you are buying a camber kit please only buy SPC if you want peace of mind.
The one bit of advice I will give is to leave out the rear seat ( if convenient) after install for a few days, that way you can easily adjust the damper setting to your likeness without having to remove the seat again.
The Camber is usually the one that will be completely off spec so the Camber arm alone should suffice.
The time has finally come to install the coilovers set, I got the rear seats off, bought new top hats and almost done assembling the shocks, well here is where my confusion comes... Following Tein's recommendation regarding ride height is going to result in a 1 inch drop? Right now my car sits nicely at 15.5 in. FRONT and 15.1 in. REAR with 19 oem advance wheels measured from fender to middle of center cap. Planning in doing the install this weekend.
Don't know how low you are wanting to go but, I didn't do the recommended height because I thought it was going to be too low. I don't remember what I set it at exactly but I ended up raising it just a nudge more. It was a finger gap all around but when it settled, I have half a finger gap now.
I'm curious about Teins recommendation as well. If you read their website, the max height for these indicate -0.5 which I'm assuming will drop that much at... Max height Lol hence, if you do 1.4/1.7 (awd) would that result in a drop of 1.9/2.2?
I'm curious about Teins recommendation as well. If you read their website, the max height for these indicate -0.5 which I'm assuming will drop that much at... Max height Lol hence, if you do 1.4/1.7 (awd) would that result in a drop of 1.9/2.2?
Guess I will take my chances, will install at recommended setting - drive around the block - take new measurements - adjust height if necessary. I am not planing on drop my vehicle 1.9/2.2 that will kill my tires fairly quick, rub against fender well and scrape on every single speed bump.
Guess I will take my chances, will install at recommended setting - drive around the block - take new measurements - adjust height if necessary. I am not planing on drop my vehicle 1.9/2.2 that will kill my tires fairly quick, rub against fender well and scrape on every single speed bump.
Could you please take pictures of how it sits at recommended height before you make any further adjustments? Thanks
Actually, my math might be wrong. The max drop for the Tein SA's are -3.4 (front) and -2.9 (rear). So I think by raising the lower spring seat up 1.4/1.7 should result in a drop of 2/1.2. Does that sound right?
I finally got to install the set yesterday, it took almost 5 hours with a couple of beer breaks. I got to say this is the best upgrade I have done to my car, it rides so smooth and the handling is awesome, feels like a lighter car with narrower tires, even the braking feels smoother. Before I used to feel every single imperfection on the road with my 19' wheels but now the shocks absorb the bumps in a great way, I am feeling a little bounciness but I guess this can be dialed and I know will feel much better after the alignment. I installed the SPC rear camber arms at the same time. I started at the rear, followed Tein's recommendations and spaced the adjustment tube 1.7 in. that gave me a drop of 2.1 in. I did not want the front to be as slammed and dealing with the problem of having the jack getting stuck under the car, so for the front instead of adjusting the tube to the 1.4 recommended I set it to 1.6 that resulted on a drop of 1.7 in. Car feels amazing and doesn't rub at all, but to reach my goal of dropping it to 1.25 in all around I need to raise the fronts 0.45 in. and the rears 0.85 in. I didn't have time last night but will do any of this afternoons. And this is how she sits now...
So according to my math and experience... following Tein's recommendations of 1.4 front and 1.7 rear for the AWD version will result in a drop of 1.9" front and 2.1" rear. I will post more pics after I adjust the height to my likeness. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the update. Damn, looks like Tein's recommendations are pretty aggressive. What about your dampers? What are the settings on those?
Im still playing with the settings, 2 front 4 rear feels like stock but because of my wheels set up I might end up at 3/5 or 3/4 just to give it a touch of comfort. I first set it at 8/8 and it was super comfortable (it kinda felt like a lexus) which wasn't bad but I prefer having some road feedback.
Hey OP, did you have to worry about the orientation of the top hats when installing them onto the coils? Also, was there preload on the stock struts where you needed to use spring compressor?
Hey OP, did you have to worry about the orientation of the top hats when installing them onto the coils? Also, was there preload on the stock struts where you needed to use spring compressor?
He ordered new top hats for the coilovers so he didn't have to use a spring compressor. I did the same. Just unbolted the old struts with the springs attached and pulled them out.
Hey OP, did you have to worry about the orientation of the top hats when installing them onto the coils? Also, was there preload on the stock struts where you needed to use spring compressor?
I did not use a spring compressor since I bought a set of new top hats from the dealer, I wanted to save the time, effort and new fresh rubber is best. I was also concerned about the orientation of the top hats, so when I assembled the shocks I did not torque the top bolts, l tighten them just enough so they could still be rotated-aligned properly. I paid around $130 for the set of top hats and other little components not included with the Tein kit. I don't mind giving you the part numbers if you want to do the same.
I did not use a spring compressor since I bought a set of new top hats from the dealer, I wanted to save the time, effort and new fresh rubber is best. I was also concerned about the orientation of the top hats, so when I assembled the shocks I did not torque the top bolts, l tighten them just enough so they could still be rotated-aligned properly. I paid around $130 for the set of top hats and other little components not included with the Tein kit. I don't mind giving you the part numbers if you want to do the same.
$130 for all 4? That's not bad at all. Yes, please provide me with the part numbers.
I got an alignment done today and I am so happy I installed the SPC camber arms at the same time, this is going to save me one alignment to do. For my vehicle with the mild drop of 1.25 in. the rear camber went off spec to -2.12 left and -2.25 right. The technician said there is no need to install the other 2 arms, everything is within specs and I did a pretty good job installing the coilovers set.
After the alignment the car feels super tight and the ride while is still amazing went a little harsh, I am driving in 4f / 5r now to help with comfort.
Hey OP, any tips you can offer on the installation? Any roadblocks you came across? I plan to do this on Sunday.
1. You need to get the back seat out, like many others recommended do it the night before.
2. I found long pry bars/ breaker bars to be very very useful.
3. Use a jack to help relieve the stress in the knuckle, some bolts might seem to be stuck or not getting out but I solved it by jacking the knuckle up a little.
4. Have a buddy to help you.
5. Take as many breaks as necessary, you are gonna need it to work 5 hours in her.
6. This DIY is very helpful, thanks to Heeltoe Auto https://heeltoeauto.com/gallery/inde...TL-Springs-DIY
7. This video thanks to EndLessRPM will guide you on how to assemble the shocks.
Quick question for LostProphet: PLATE, DUST COVER (SHOWA) 51685-SR0-004 6 (is the quantity for this part 6)?
Yes, the number after the space is the quantity. So it is 6. I asked him the same question. lol
LostProphet, that drop is my idea of a perfect stance (i.e. 1 finger gap). I like how it came out. Just to clarify, your coilover adjustments were as follows:
Yes, the number after the space is the quantity. So it is 6. I asked him the same question. lol
LostProphet, that drop is my idea of a perfect stance (i.e. 1 finger gap). I like how it came out. Just to clarify, your coilover adjustments were as follows:
Front: 2.05"
Rear: 2.55"
Is that accurate?
I dropped the car 1.25" all around and after 10 days of installation the springs has settled 0.25" more for a total drop of 1.5". I am very happy with the outcome and how the car looks and handles. I will keep the settings at 4f / 4r.
Your car will drop to the numbers you are saying if you install then at Tein's recommendations.
12-14-2016, 11:59 AM
