Coilover Installation

[AadosX]

I just got my S14 Tein HE's in and am about to install them. Are there any problems I may run into or any tips?

Thanks,
John

[Heartwork]

be careful.

[deviousKA]

get english installation instructions and read/reread thoroughly

[s0ldats]

english instructions available on tein usa's website.

[AadosX]

I looked through the instructions. Will I need a spring compressor?

[adey]

Other than that, you don't need anything other than (IIRC) a 17mm, a 14mm and I think it was a 12mm for the upper mounts.
I forget whether or not you need a 19mm at the bottom... you may or may not.

[deviousKA]

You wont need a spring compressor unless you want to disassemble your stock spring/struts. You just need a basic assortment of tools to remove them from your car and install coilovers.

[adey]

I think deviousKA is right... I forgot that I actually didn't need the spring compressor, even though I did pick one up.
You only need a spring compressor if you're changing springs from OE to lowering springs, or changing the shock.

[KiDyNomiTe]

Coilover install is easy, just basic bolts.

Get an FSM, you can use the S14 SR one, or search and find the link to the FSMs that were recently thrown out there (93-98). Make sure to torque it right. Probably need a jack to push up the coilover.

[adey]

Also it'll be easier if you do both fronts then both rears (or vice versa) -- take wheels off both sides so that you don't have the anti-roll bar to fight when trying to compress the coils.
Other than that, it's pretty straight forward.

[AadosX]

A couple of questions.

1) It says in the instructions that I need a spring compressor, and that's about it... there are literally 3 lines on taking out the old stuff. I've never messed with a car's suspension AT ALL before, ever. How do I go about taking the stuff out w/out a compressor?
2) Do I need to mess with the upper pillow ball mounts?
3) What the heck is this green plastic thing for?

http://www.tein.com/img/he.jpg

Thanks,
John

[lilredstiffy]

Just remove one whole assembly and replace with the coilovers- you don't need a spring compressor. In the front there are the 3 bolts on teh strut tower top and two on the bracket and in the rear two on top one at the bottom. It's easy. You really don't need a spring compressor...

You can mess with the upper mounts if you need to adjust your camber...

Don't know what green plastic thing is.

[Got Sileighty?]

i believe its for measuring the height adjustments. someone confirm please...

[sykikchimp]

Have a friend help you.

order for removal for front:

1. Remove brake line from strut. (it's just a small clip. A pair of needle nose, or vise grips work well.)
2. Unbolt 2 bottom bolts that hold strut to spindle.
3. Have friend hold strut up, and remove top 3 bolts.
4. Pull strut from car.

Removal of rear:
1. Unbolt bottom strut mounting bolt.
2. Unbolt top 2 bolts from inside the trunk.
3. Remove strut.

To install strut reverse removal procedure.

Torque top nuts to about 35ft lb, and bottom bolts that attach to spindles/uprights to ~85ft lb. your done.

tip: Make sure you two new front sturts are the same length before installing. Same for the 2 rear struts.

tip 2: You will likely have to install everything, put the wheels on, and put it on the ground to check ride height. Check how it looks and note how much you want to change the height on each wheel. Jack the car back up, and adjust height. Put it all back on, and drop it again. Still not good? repeat procedure.

[AadosX]

I'm a complete newb to all of this stuff... so do I just get the height like I want it, w/out messing with the camber, then take it to an alignment place? Will they try to make the camber = 0 even if I don't want them to? How do I know what to mess with on the upper mounts? I'm so confused here.

[sykikchimp]

Just install them, and take it to an alignment shop. They will set it as close to the stock settings as possible. (check stock settings here: http://charles.sykikchimp.org/quickref.html)

If you want different setting than stock, just tell them what you want. They likely won't warrant their work, but as long as you get the setting you want, and see it on paper, so what..

also, call around first. A lot of places won't do alignments on lowered cars, and some of the ones that will won't do custom alignments.

[nismo skyline]

i'm about to install these on my s13, everything looks pretty straight forward. the only thing that might be tricky is making sure everything is level all the way around. just lots of measuring and taking the wheel off over and over again and jacking the car over and over again. it will be well worth it though

[oojpeeoo]

arent coilovers supposed 2 be easier 2 install than springs

[AadosX]

I don't get why you have to take the wheel off and jack it up over and over? Can't you just set everything like the manual says, lower the car... then look at the wheel gap. Jack it up once more, put it where you want it (without taking wheels off), then your done?

[ultraprince]

wait don't forget to torque all the nuts and bolts down (on the coilovers, tein doesn't torque them down for some reason)or it will start bagning around in a few miles and you won't know why.

[nismo skyline]

arent coilovers supposed 2 be easier 2 install than springs

coilovers require more adjustments to be level, while springs arent adjustable and just sit there so to speak

[KiDyNomiTe]

coilovers require more adjustments to be level, while springs arent adjustable and just sit there so to speak
Well thats adjustments, coils are easier to install, no removal of the spring is requred.

[nismo skyline]

I don't get why you have to take the wheel off and jack it up over and over? Can't you just set everything like the manual says, lower the car... then look at the wheel gap. Jack it up once more, put it where you want it (without taking wheels off), then your done?

you could do that aswell, in the manual it also says that each side can be slightly different due to weight differences on each side of the car. so ur pretty much gonna have to put the wheels back on lower the car, measure gap, go to other side measure gap, if there not level adjust each side individually.

[nismo skyline]

Well thats adjustments, coils are easier to install, no removal of the spring is requred.

thats also true

[AadosX]

I gotcha, here's my question though...

When you talk about making adjustments... I should only be making adjustments to the two rings that are directly under the spring, that raise and lower the spring, right? I shouldn't be deviating the other ones from what this says:

http://www.auburn.edu/~lockejc/other/4.jpg

right?

[AadosX]

In other words, the large mounts at the bottoms will twist and move up and down, but I should just leave those at the settings listed above... right?

[yudalicious]

dunno if this came late or what but before you take off the 17mm bolts on the bottom (2 17mm in strut assy. and 1 17mm on shock per side) it's a good idea to soak them in penetrating fluid. Use good 6 sided sockets NOT multisided ones (you can easily strip the bolts) and get a good breaker bar/pipe because I broke a socket and a ratchet trying to remove the 17mm bolts. GL!

[nismo skyline]

In other words, the large mounts at the bottoms will twist and move up and down, but I should just leave those at the settings listed above... right?

the two mounts on the bottom are the spring seat (main spring seats on it) and spring seat lock (holds spring seat to make sure it wont move). yes you should adjust everything to what the manual says. that way u know they will both be even.

[nismo skyline]

oh side note. see where it says +30mm in section B thats how much u can lower the vehicle by lowering the bottom spring seat and seat lock

[AadosX]

But what about the other thing. I'm not talking about the spring seats... I'm talking about the actual things that mount the shock to the car.

[nismo skyline]

you just leave those alone

[sykikchimp]

you just leave those alone

I would just snug the spring seat against the springs with the damper at full droop. Then adjust ride height with the lower bracket. That's what I do with my JIC's.

That allows your dampers to maintain full range of motion. Lowering with the spring seat reduces damper travel.

[phanzy108]

In other words, the large mounts at the bottoms will twist and move up and down, but I should just leave those at the settings listed above... right?

I think what they mean by adjustments is that you have to remove the rims in order to get to the bottom part that twists up or down for the ride height adjustments....

[phanzy108]

the top is to adjust spring rate... the bottom is for height.... when you twist the top up, you make the spring rate go up... i think?

[sykikchimp]

the top is to adjust spring rate... the bottom is for height.... when you twist the top up, you make the spring rate go up... i think?

Only with progressive rate springs. Most Coilover packages like JIC, Tein, etc. come with Linear rate springs. So no matter how much you compress them, they still have the same spring rate.

[AceInHole]

unless you preload the springs.... in which case they'd settle at a higher rate.

[sykikchimp]

unless you preload the springs.... in which case they'd settle at a higher rate.

why? If they are linear, the will compress a specific amount for a given weight. Unless you preload the springs with more force than the corner of the car would apply at ride height, you would just be changing how far the car would settle on the springs. Ride height would change, but the amount the spring compressed, and the amount required to make it compress would not change.

Maybe I'm missing something?