Fitting Tein Coilovers

[LuPix_S15]

Hi folks,

Just wanted some quick guidance on fitting Tein Super Street coilovers to my 15 over the stock suspension

Is there anything to particularly watch out for when doing the swap? I'll be doing this job with a mate who's fitted Tein SS to his Evo 6 recently so should be in good hands lol :wack:


Sorry if I sound dumb but I am when it comes to fitting coilovers - will be first time I've done this!!!

BTW - how would people recommend setting the soft/hard ratings for the front and back shocks?

Cheers,

J :thumbs:

 

[raytsang]

pretty much straight forward swap. plenty of WD40 before hand.. to loosen up those rusty nuts and bolts.

 

[JEZ 8553]

It really will all be self explanetory when you get going. Just a case of disconecting everything connected to the current shocks and then connecting them all to the new ones. Just make sure you get your car re-aligned asap afterwards otherwise you will shred tyres in no time, not to mention how unstable the car could be.

The hardest part will be deciding on the ride height want it.

Not sure on settings for the Teins, i usually go 1/3 of the way from soft to hard when initially setting up on other coilovers ive had. You can then adjust after seeing how it drives for a few miles.

Edit - Make sure you have a decent breaker bar and WD40 the coilovers and connecting arms afterwards so help prevent surface rust.

 

[meddler]

I agree with what the others have said. I did mine in the back yard by myself with no problems. I did have a rattle gun and a breaker bar with a 6ft extension. If I didn't have the breaker bar there is no way I would have been able to get the lower bolts off the suspension at the front. Remember to soak the bolts / nuts in WD40 the night before to allow it to penetrate. Don't for get to use a torque wrench when you do all the bolts back up!!! Torque settings are in the manual. If you don't have a torque wrench, go buy one!

There is an initial measurement for ride height. I think it says make the bottom adjustment ring 25mm from the bottom of the adjustment threads. The smaller the measurement the lower your car will be. I think mine is 2 threads off the bottom now and I have had no problems with speed humps etc. I may end up going to the bottom of the threads, but it will only lower it another 5mm or so. As it stands, the car is about 2 inches lower atm.

I found it a little difficult to get the brake lines to sit in the brackets, but a little persuasion on the spring clip did the trick.

Be sure to get an alignment as soon as possible afterwards. It shouldn't be too far out if you are still using the standard caster and camber arms tho. When you get the alignment done, also get them to adjust your ride height to get it exactly right.

As for the settings of the dampers, mine will be a little different to your as they have been modified to be a bit softer for Aus roads, but I have mine set at 3 clicks from soft and I find it soft enough to soak up the bumps but firm enough to handle well.

I would suggest getting some swaybars and adjustable camber / caster arms as well. The adjustable arms let you adjust the alignment just the way you want it. The swaybars made the most difference as far as handling for my car is concerned, even more than the coilovers. If I could only afford to change one suspension component, it would be the swaybars.

EDIT: Have a look at my S15 thread. Page 3 for what I fitted and page 4 for how it looks now as far as ride height is concerned. http://forum.s15oc.com/showthread.php?t=2510&highlight=meddler+s15&page=3

 

[LuPix_S15]

Thanks fellas for all the tips and advice :thumbs: Can't wait to get started on the job!! Should be attempting this on Saturday :nod:


Yeah I read somewhere else about making sure the bolts are torqued up correctly. I have a torque wrench so no probs there.


However, Meddler's mentioned the settings are in the manual - would this be the Jap Nissan S15 booklet I had when I bought the car? Failing this, if anyone could check for me what these settings are supposed to be lol (not sure where my manual is) then I'd be sooooo grateful thanks


Cheers - J

 

[Matt_S]

When you fit the fronts, do em up loosely and then pull the hub away from the car/strut whilst you get a mate to tighten it. THis way you maximise the strut/tyre clearance if you want to run low(er) offset wheels/fatter tyres. YOu can take any additional camber that this incurrs out with the top mounts :thumbs:

ANd make sure you fit the rear lower mounts the right way round :wack:

One other thing, add some preload to the springs (search on google etc) but from memory, I put about 10mm on the front and rear. Measure the heights/lengths and make sure theyre the same all round the car. EVERYTHING should be set up equally left to right for front and rear respectively :thumbs:

 

[meddler]

Torque figures are in the service manual in the useful threads. http://forum.s15oc.com/announcement.php?f=28&a=1

check pages SU-9 for front torque figures and SU-18 for the rear torque figures (SU is the suspension part of the service manual)

The initial adjustments of the coilovers are in the installation manual for the coilovers. Initial spring height measurement is from the bottom of the lower part of the threaded section on the coilover. It should be 25mm both front and rear. This will give 100mm ground clearance.

The once the car is put back together, you should be able to measure from the centre of the wheel to the guard lip and it should be about 350mm for the front and 345mm for the rear.

Initial setting for the dampers should be 12 clicks away from hard. Hard is when you turn the damper adjustment fully clockwise.

Hope that helps.

 

[Yakozan]

I you don't have the manual for the coilovers, I think it can be found on Tein USAs website.

 

[meddler]

I can scan the relevent parts of the install manual for you if you need it.

 

[LuPix_S15]

Wow thanks guys!!! You are really helping me out here :thumbs:


I've got the manual in the box so should be ok on that front. Can't wait to get these babies on the car - will post pics up afters

 

[meddler]

Good luck with it. Glad I could help.

 

[nices15man]

pics of finished job!!