Suspension, Brakes, Tires & Wheels - new suspension

well after having some cheap coilovers on the car for just over a year. it finally took its toll on the struts and now its riding harder than ever and needs to be replaced.

AND GUESS WHAT?!?!?! after talking with Drbyers, i got a whole new Ksport coil-over kit. i just received them today and tomorrow i will be installing them. and drbyers, if you read this, go ahead and tell me the tricks you learned while installing them. you are right, the installation sheet is useless. lol

too lazy to post pix of them still in the box, but will take pix once they are installed on the car tomorrow afternoon.

got the whole set for under $600 just like drbyers too. gotta love hook ups.

Congrats! Looking forward to seeing them on the car.

hey psycho, print these helpful hints out (and yes, they can apply to other coilover installations):

tools needed:

1. air impact wrench (if you can get your hands on one, if not, socket set with breaker bar extension)
2. tire jack (hydraulic is preferable)
3. jack stands (for extra safety)
4. measuring tape (vital)
5. spring compressors (you may or may not need them)
6. rubber hammer (you may have to knock frozen OEM struts loose from the chassis)
7. extra help (vital)
8. zip ties

directions:

start off by looking at this DIY from team-integra. It ROOLS, but it's not perfect because you'll be doing a full coilover installation. They're doing a shock + coilover spring installation. http://www.team-integra.net/sections/articles/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=494

After reading it and printing it out, follow these hints:

- before you start, make sure you WRITE DOWN measurements of the distance from each wheel's centermost point to the fender edge directly above it.

the empty space is the "gap" that people often want to eliminate by lowering their car.

For instance, say it's 14 inches from the front wheel center point to the fender edge, and you want to lower your car 1 inch. To achieve the 1 inch drop, you'll compare the new front coilover strut to the OEM strut, and then make the new strut one inch shorter in length by shortening the shock body (twisting the body on it's threads).

you use this process for each strut location.

and don't be fooled. the front fender gap may not equal the rear fender gap. My integra didn't initially, with more of a gap up front.

if you're unsure, try having the rear slightly higher. you can always lower the rear struts to match the fronts a lot easier, than readjusting the fronts to match the rears.

- do NOT preload the new coilovers by overtightening the spring spacer (cogwheel looking thingies).

just twist it upward on the threaded shock body by hand until it touches firmly against the spring, not compressing it. This is a noob mistake that a lot of ksport buyers have often complained about on honda-tech. They preload the shock springs and then complain their ride is too harsh.

- there are NO mounting points for brake lines on the new struts so use zip ties to secure the brake lines instead, but don't make them so tight that they'll rub against either strut assembly or the fender wall. this could cause your brake lines to wear and eventually leak causing a possible dangerous failure.

I used electrical tape anywhere the brake lines might rub against something inside the fender well and shock assembly to help reduce the friction.

- you will not need any parts of the OEM struts or springs so DO NOT take them apart by taking the top hats off. this is extremely dangerous, so don't even think about it.

I said you may need the spring compressors because you may need to compress the OEM springs on the front struts while they're still inside the fender well to clear the brake assembly.

- it may be easier to just take the rear lower control arms off completely while installing the rear struts. It's not neccessary, but I did.

- finally, when you finally do have your new suspension put in: take it out for a test ride first with the struts set at Full H (Hard). It's going to be super stiff.

then get out and put them on full S (Soft). Your ride should be nearly OEM compliant.

from there you can adjust the shocks to what you want.

I have mine set at two twists toward Hard past the halfway point. It takes about 9 twists to from full H to full S on my ksports.

And one last thing, start early, because this may be an all-day adventure. at least 3-4 hours.

dude you are awsome. i would seriously be lost without this forum and all the help that i have gotten from it. thanks. if you are ever in or near san francisco, you gotta let me know. beers are on me.

yeah i just got the skunk2 full coilover setup and i really love it, hope you enjoy your new suspension

pics yet???

Sweet man i can't wait to get my new suspension


[sm=ttiwwp.gif]

well here is one pic of them still in the box.

local://upfiles/5289/880F1DBCA1B44DDD8F2D7DD432D56951.jpg

yup. those are definitely ksports. lol.

got 'em on yet?

hey psycho, i forgot to mention the obvious: once you have your new struts in place, tighten the spacers with the provided strut wrenches VERY TIGHTLY before putting your wheels back on.

both the upper spring spacer/perch and the lower shock body spacer.

and then take your tape measure and measure the height of the exposed silver thread area on the shock body. make sure the fronts are equal in height and the rears are equal in height.

this is to ensure you're suspension is level and you're alignment won't be all wonky, causing uneven tire wear.

yea i just finished installing them on the car and ran to the store. OMG!!!!!! huge difference. i had them on all the way hard then all the way soft. now i have them about 2 turns from full soft. they ride so smoothly. i started about 2:30pm today and finished just before 6pm. i will post pix once the sun is out again. it got really dark really fast around 5:30pm. and also i need to adjust the height all the way around by maybe half an inch or so, just to take away the wheel gap.

ONCE AGAIN DRBYERS YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!

everything couldn't have gone smoother, no trouble with bolts or anything. and with your well explained intructions, i was able to complete this project by myself and pretty quickly.

COOL!

now long on to the hcf AIM chatroom and tell us more about it!

me and peg and marty are on right now!

what size are your rims? 17s? let see the wheel gap erase and let me no if you rub and how low you have it

yea i have 17"s on my car. and right now there is probably between 1-2 inch gap between the fender and wheel. i'll drop it just a hair lower. i'll show pix of before and after tomorrow

don't forget to get an alignment afterward, just to make sure you don't need camber kits.

if you do, buy some up front, but use the washer trick for the rear. it's free...

BTW, don't forget to give the JLB motorsports guyz their mad props for giving you a rediculous price back at honda-tech.

i'd like to buy some ksport lower control arms now, but their kinda pricey.

^ damn i was contemplating on getting Tien Basic Dampers... but i kinda want those now from what you guys are saying...

tein basics are just that: basic.

a lot of money for no adjustability.

^ good point... i thought i read they were adjustable... looks like they are off the menu now[:'(]... ahh well now i need to find somewhere close that has the Ksport's or somewhere that doesn't cahrge 50 bajillion dollars for shipping

my ksports are worth every penny. adjustable and smooth. not jerky and bouncy like my old ones.

and yes i already emailed jlb and thanked them for the awesome deal and such.

ORIGINAL: Fiirkan

^ good point... i thought i read they were adjustable... looks like they are off the menu now[:'(]... ahh well now i need to find somewhere close that has the Ksport's or somewhere that doesn't cahrge 50 bajillion dollars for shipping


JLB motorsports doesn't charge for shipping. that's where pyscho and i got ours. for almost 50 percent of msrp i might add.

^ ****!!!! now i really with i had $600US to get them... but what i meant by shipping is that some places don't charge shipping but once they cross the border....[>:]