Alright, first off, I got too in to changing out the springs and forgot to take pictures. Fail on my part. But, I atleast figured I would do a quick write-up on the process, throw in some things to watch out for.
Front Strut Removal
-First start by jacking up the entire front of the car
-Reason for both sides in the air, it makes it so that the sway bar is unloaded and both sides "sag", otherwise the control arm/spindle won't drop enough for the strut assembly to just "fall" out
-Once supported by jackstands, remove both front wheels
-Next I marked the camber bolts with a permanent marker for installation
-Unbolt brake line and ABS connector wire from the spindle (DO NOT FORGET THIS!!!)
-Remove lower camber bolt and second bolt below it (a small brass drift will aid you, do not hammer the bolts
-Remove three top-hat bolts while holding the strut with your other hand
Front strut dis-assembly
-Make sure you have purchased/rented a quality spring compressor
-Use said spring compressor to, you guessed it, compress the spring!
-Next, I used vice grips to hold a socket for the top nut, that way the allen key can be used, ghetto, I know, but it worked great
-Now, when the nut is off and the top-hat is removed, there is a spacer between the top-hat bearing and the spring seat, pay attention to how it comes out, it needs to be inserted with the raised center hole up, it allows the strut to rotate freely for the steering.
-Once the spring is off, compress the new spring in the same fashion. It will take some finagling with the spring compressor positioning, but remain calm, you'll get it!!!
-Reverse this process for install, but, after you have removed them, it's very simple to install, eazy-peazy lemon squeezy!
Rear strut removal
-The process is almost exactly the same as the front, with the exception of the little bearing spacer (rear doesn't have one)
-Once again, I can not iterate enough the importance of disconnecting the ABS sensor wire and brake line!!! Case in point- I used to own a 2008 Tundra, when I put on the leveling kit, I forgot to disconnect the wire from the spindle, when it dropped, it pulled the wires inside apart, no visible damage. When the kit was on, I started up the truck and had a beautiful site, the dash lit up like a christmas tree, warning beepers, truck put itself in 4-low. Basically, a headache you can avoid because I endured it for you!
-To get to the top-hat bolts, the rear seat MUST be removed. Don't let this scare you, it's two bolts to remove the bottom, right on the front. Once the lower seat is out, it will expose the remaining few bolts to remove the seat back. When removing the seat back, you will need to lift up about 2 inches to remove the top latch holder
-Once the seat is removed, I found it easier to get to the top-hat bolts by also removing the the seat belt upper assembly
-The rear does not have camber bolts in it, It is a good thing to purchase the aftermarket ones before you do the install, I did not, but, the camber isn't too bad, but I am sure tires are going to go faster until I get them installed.
Eibach Pro Kit review
There is a reason this is my favorite modification to my STI. It handles so much better! Wheel hop has been eliminated, it corners pretty darn close to flat, it is not bouncy like I had expected, instead, it's rather smooth. They lower it just the right amount that it looks great and performs very well. Installation went pretty smooth, with the exception of installing the front little spacer upside down, pretty much locks the steering up. In short, I could not be more pleased with the product quality, packaging, and, foremost, the pricing. Also, this isn't a one drive review, I have around 700 miles on the springs and it still feels like the first day they were installed. I would Highly recommend them to anyone looking for a subtle drop and a smooth ride.
Front Strut Removal
-First start by jacking up the entire front of the car
-Reason for both sides in the air, it makes it so that the sway bar is unloaded and both sides "sag", otherwise the control arm/spindle won't drop enough for the strut assembly to just "fall" out
-Once supported by jackstands, remove both front wheels
-Next I marked the camber bolts with a permanent marker for installation
-Unbolt brake line and ABS connector wire from the spindle (DO NOT FORGET THIS!!!)
-Remove lower camber bolt and second bolt below it (a small brass drift will aid you, do not hammer the bolts
-Remove three top-hat bolts while holding the strut with your other hand
Front strut dis-assembly
-Make sure you have purchased/rented a quality spring compressor
-Use said spring compressor to, you guessed it, compress the spring!
-Next, I used vice grips to hold a socket for the top nut, that way the allen key can be used, ghetto, I know, but it worked great
-Now, when the nut is off and the top-hat is removed, there is a spacer between the top-hat bearing and the spring seat, pay attention to how it comes out, it needs to be inserted with the raised center hole up, it allows the strut to rotate freely for the steering.
-Once the spring is off, compress the new spring in the same fashion. It will take some finagling with the spring compressor positioning, but remain calm, you'll get it!!!
-Reverse this process for install, but, after you have removed them, it's very simple to install, eazy-peazy lemon squeezy!
Rear strut removal
-The process is almost exactly the same as the front, with the exception of the little bearing spacer (rear doesn't have one)
-Once again, I can not iterate enough the importance of disconnecting the ABS sensor wire and brake line!!! Case in point- I used to own a 2008 Tundra, when I put on the leveling kit, I forgot to disconnect the wire from the spindle, when it dropped, it pulled the wires inside apart, no visible damage. When the kit was on, I started up the truck and had a beautiful site, the dash lit up like a christmas tree, warning beepers, truck put itself in 4-low. Basically, a headache you can avoid because I endured it for you!
-To get to the top-hat bolts, the rear seat MUST be removed. Don't let this scare you, it's two bolts to remove the bottom, right on the front. Once the lower seat is out, it will expose the remaining few bolts to remove the seat back. When removing the seat back, you will need to lift up about 2 inches to remove the top latch holder
-Once the seat is removed, I found it easier to get to the top-hat bolts by also removing the the seat belt upper assembly
-The rear does not have camber bolts in it, It is a good thing to purchase the aftermarket ones before you do the install, I did not, but, the camber isn't too bad, but I am sure tires are going to go faster until I get them installed.
Eibach Pro Kit review
There is a reason this is my favorite modification to my STI. It handles so much better! Wheel hop has been eliminated, it corners pretty darn close to flat, it is not bouncy like I had expected, instead, it's rather smooth. They lower it just the right amount that it looks great and performs very well. Installation went pretty smooth, with the exception of installing the front little spacer upside down, pretty much locks the steering up. In short, I could not be more pleased with the product quality, packaging, and, foremost, the pricing. Also, this isn't a one drive review, I have around 700 miles on the springs and it still feels like the first day they were installed. I would Highly recommend them to anyone looking for a subtle drop and a smooth ride.
