installing shocks,struts, and springs?

[babowc]

as the title states..how would you go about installing the 3 things?i know everything, where to unbolt, what to torque it down to etc etc.but the springs..doesnt it need to be compressed and then put on the car with the shocks/struts? i was just wondering, cuz labor is like 200 for all four corners on these damn things.

[onosqv]

It's really easy, just take your time and be careful. Basically, you will need a spring compressor ($12 from Harbor Freight, or free rental from Autozone, etc).

You follow those instructions, clamp on a few coils, turn the knob until it compresses and you are able to move the spring around. Unbolt the top hat - the shock rod will probably want to turn w/ it, so get a vice grip and have someone hold it down.

Uncompress spring slowly, compress new spring, put on new shock, and reuse old top hat.

Front springs are more compressed/preloaded - rears are almost no preload, but still some.

Will take you 2-3 hours w/ 2 ppl if you take your time and proceed smoothly .

If you want to make it really easy, you can get pillowball front & rear mounts & junked spring retainers - install it on the new shocks/springs - then just swap in and out fast style - much less compressing/decompressing.

[babowc]

i see..i was considering to buy all my suspension parts (little by little) and do it all at once..i know it'd take me over a day to install everything with one of my friends..

but what are some things that would be used/necessary to aid the tein/agx combo?i read in some other posts, dust boot, some rubber things (?), etc..

or i was wondering, why not get a cheap set of coilovers? like KTS or MEGAN racing.. it'd be more of a straight forward install, since the springs are already installed within the coilover assembly..

feel free to leave any comments (flame or not).

[naed240sx]

Coilover install is definately easier, but not substantially. Get what you want, not what is easier to install.

[onosqv]

Yup, and depends on what your goals are... search for "coilovers vs springs" or something like that - covered many times.

AGX + Tein Springs + Tien camber plates & rear pillowball mounts will run almost as expensive as entry-level coilovers.

Sometimes, you can get a nice unabused setup for cheap - like when I sold mine for half cost .

[babowc]

haha i see.im looking for comfortable dd.. lots of people said get agx/tein.but then, i see alot of people upgrading from agx/tein to coilovers, so why not just get something good while im at it. i dunno, coilovers have a real simple install, but i suppose the agx/tein are just about the same.. just needing a spring compressor.

thanks for the info guys, ill go check out the other threads.

[naed240sx]

Coilovers will not be comfortable for daily driving. most have 8kg/mm and 6kg/mm, which is 4 times, and 3 times stiffer than stock rates. You will have to go much slower over bumpy stuff than the speed limit, but they are far from unbearable. If comfort is a large factor, a spring/strut setup is what you need. Most people who upgrade are wanting the superior coilover setup, because the begin to desire more from their car. Your car will handle better with coilovers, but will be rougher for a dd. Best advice: drive with someone who has coilovers in their 240.

[GhostDriver]

Just a little FYI: Be careful when compressing the springs. It can get tricky if you don't know what you're doing. You don't want a gash in your face or a puntured abdomen because of sloppy wrenching.

[BadMojo]

Just a little FYI: Be careful when compressing the springs. It can get tricky if you don't know what you're doing. You don't want a gash in your face or a puntured abdomen because of sloppy wrenching.

+1

Whenever I work with a compressed spring, I treat it like a load gun. Don't point it at anything you don't want to completely obliterate. Don't poke out an eye and try not to skewer the neighbor's cat to a tree.

As for the coilovers, it's really very subjective. I think the general consensus is that, for most, anything over 8/6 is going to be pretty damn rough. It all depends on personal taste, quality of roads, etc. Lots of guys riding around on 8/6 with no complaints. Others complain of blood in their urine, but you just gotta tough it out.

[babowc]

hmm, i rode in the new sti my neighbor had..his ride is damn comfortable..but im sure his setup (stock) is real nice or something.. since it is a sti ('06)

also.. i have no prior experience with the spring compressor.. so i guess that can be a minus, but im no idiot to be looking directly at the springs while im compressing them

i suppose i should go with shocks/springs over a coilover setup, since im looking to do near none of autocross. just few fun laps around the neighborhood road at midnight or something.

[BadMojo]

also.. i have no prior experience with the spring compressor.. so i guess that can be a minus, but im no idiot to be looking directly at the springs while im compressing them

It's really not difficult. Kinda like a clamp that compresses the spring as you tighten it. Once the spring isn't exerting any force on the upper mount, you can unbolt it and slowly release the compress spring (then toss it in the trash, or whatever).

If you're replacing shocks and springs, you'll definitely want to replace the rubber boots over the strut piston (they tend to disintegrate in to nothing) and you can get KYB boots for about $11 a piece from Tirerack.

I also replaced my upper rubber mounts with OE replacement-type parts from KYB. Another option would be to get camber plates, like these:

http://www.tein.com/pumnt.html

Less play in them since they're solid aluminum with spherical bearings (only downside would be possibly more road noise, just turn up the radio) and they allow camber adjustment in the front.

[babowc]

hmm i see.what are the advantages of the camber plates, except the fact you can control camber(? right?)