When we were at SEMA, Greg and I met up with some good friends from Tokico. David hooked us up with a new set of Tokico HTS Adjustable Dampers for the '09 Cube. They make an incredible difference in the way the car performs. Installation is a breeze. It took us around three hours but we were taking our time. We had a few people stop by, it's bound to happen when the garage door is open, so the time is estimated.Tools:
- a pair of spring compressors
- a 13,14,19,21 and 23 mm socket
- a cordless impact wrench or a good air wrench and some impact sockets
- a good magnet
Procedure:
1. Get the front of the car up in the air and supported on jack stands.
2. Remove the front wheels and open the hood.
3. Remove the strut tower bolts. Two are visible and are easily accessible. The third one is hiding...behind the firewall. Nissan built in a removable plastic cover to allow access to the third one. Pop it out with a screwdriver and use an extension on your 13mm socket to get to the bolt. You will be able to feel the bolt easier than you will see it.
VERY IMPORTANT: Magnetize the socket or extension with a good, powerful magnet. If you drop the strut tower bolt, odds are, you won't find it. We didn't. The only thing more frustrating than dropping the bolt and losing it forever, is hearing it roll around when you go around corners.
4. The strut is held in place by two large bolts / nuts at the bottom and those three strut tower bolts up top which you just removed. Before you get after the large bolts, remove the brake line retaining clip and slide the brake sensor wire harness out of its brackets. Remove the bolt holding the sway bar arm to the strut body, then remove the two big bolts. Pull the entire strut / spring assembly out and set it aside.
Had my hands full during the process, here's what it looks like when removed.
5. Use the spring compressors and remove the top nut on the strut. Remove the hat. Remove the old shock. Save the boot and bushing, you're gonna need to slide that on the new shock. Install it on the strut reverse of removal.
6. Reinstall the entire assembly. Take note of the placement of your brake line. It needs to run BEHIND the strut, not in front. You'll want a helper to thread the upper strut tower bolts in while you position the assembly correctly. This step would be very frustrating to have to do by yourself. It's not heavy at all, just awkward.
7. Once both fronts are complete, double check to make sure the bolts are tight, let the car down and move to the back.
8. The rears are easy! Jack up the rear end of the car and support it on jackstands. Make sure the rear tires are about 8" off the ground. You do NOT have to remove the wheels. Place the jack under the rear control arm, directly under the spring, and jack it up just a little (enough to support the spring). Remove the silver bolt that goes through the lower shock mount.
9. Remove the bushings and washers from the shock inside the rear of the car. save these. You will use them when you put the new shocks in. Unbolt the old shock, remove, slide the new one in place and bolt it up. Torque your bolts and you are done. Super simple.
10. To adjust your shocks, use the adjustment tool that is included with the kit. There are very detailed, technical instructions included in the kit. You should have no issue figuring out what you need to do. All the way tight is full hard, Tokico recommends 5 full turns away from that for regular street driving. You really just have to drive it to see how the car feels and behaves, adjust as you go. Everyone's driving style is different and the adjustment is easy. However, they are pretty sensitive so I would recommend not making more than one full turn at a time between test drives. Don't lose the tool that came with the kit and make sure to keep the protective caps on to keep dirt and debris out.
I apologize for the following pics ahead of time. The glare was pretty bad and I couldn't get a really detailed shot.
Remember to double-check all your bolts and lug nuts to make sure they are tight and have been properly torqued down. Then go test your new ride!
nissangirl74
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