I was originally going to update my thread about handling that spawned this purchase, but I figured this would bring more visibility for anyone interested in the experience. So yeah, I got the springs installed. Few things of importance to note for anyone that might be interested in swapping their own springs:
1. If you don't have an impact gun, you NEED a passthrough ratchet to get the upper strut nut off. I suppose you could get creative, or maybe use an offset wrench if it's a deep offset, but a passthrough ratchet makes life so much easier.
2. Be very, very mindful of the wrench you use when tightening the sway bar end link nut. I decided to use a ratcheting wrench to make life "easier" since you have to hold the stud in place with a hex key and while the wrench fit on the nut without issue initial because of the side to side play the stud has when it's loose, it did NOT come back off. Why? Well when you tighten the nut down and the end link stud doesn't move anymore, the wrench was literally sandwiched between the strut tube, the mounting bracket and because of the depth of the nut I couldn't physically get the wrench off. I had to literally cut it off... Wasn't the end of the world, but it did suck and now I'm down a 15mm ratcheting wrench
.
3. While it may seem like more work, I recommend removing the cowl at the base of the windshield. This allows you to get proper access to the nuts on the top of the strut tower. You absolutely can get to them without doing this, but the back one is a pain in the ass, especially on the driver's side, and if you care about using a torque wrench when you put it all back together you will need to remove the cowl since no torque wrench + socket is going to fit in there if you don't. Removing the cowl is not hard, just be mindful not to lose the clips that hold it down and I also recommend using a proper puller for getting the windshield wiper arms off. Some wiper arms release by lifting the arm and removing the tension but these bastards are really pressed on there and you can either fight with them for 10 minutes, potentially breaking stuff, or use a small puller and have them off in 20 seconds. You have to lift out the headlights as well, but that isn't very difficult at all, though it is a little annoying getting them back in place.
4. The rear is super easy if you release both shock bolts and support the torsion beam with a jack in the middle. Lower it down slowly until the jack stops physically supporting the beam and then give the jack like half a pump to take the tiniest bit of pressure off everything. Doing this allows you to push the beam down a bit more on either side and the stock springs pretty much fall out. It also makes it super easy to get the new ones in and aligned properly with the lower cap and the upper mount.
Impressions... initial drop is nice. I expect more settling to take place, but there is definitely a difference and I'm digging the reduced wheel gap. I really look forward to putting my summer wheels/tires on for that meaty tire look w/ minimal gap. As far as the important thing, performance, is concerned, I don't have an indepth review just yet. I took the car for a ~10 mile ride after installing them to test for noises or other oddities and had no problems - no clunks or rattles, no weird vibrations, and while I know I need an alignment it probably isn't that far out because the steering wheel is just as straight as it was before starting (I absolutely know that doesn't guarantee a proper alignment, I'm just saying it didn't send things so far out that my steering wheel sits at a 90). The roads in my town pretty much suck and while we don't have a lot of giant potholes, they are just rough and bumpy and the ride so far is no worse than stock. I haven't driven enough to say it's better, but it might be a bit. I took a few corners and the car does feel flatter and more planted and that's what I was looking for so I'm happy there. Turn in doesn't seem to have suffered much if at all, though I haven't had enough time to properly test.
Measurements from the bottom of the center cap (stock wheels) straight up to the bottom of the fender in my very not-level driveway.
LF - 13 & 7/8"
LR - 13.5"
RF - 13 & 7/8"
RR - 13.75"
I will continue to measure over the next couple weeks to see what it ends up after more settling (I stupidly didn't measure before...), as well as performance impressions. I will also get some pictures that don't suck eventually.
Before:
After:
1. If you don't have an impact gun, you NEED a passthrough ratchet to get the upper strut nut off. I suppose you could get creative, or maybe use an offset wrench if it's a deep offset, but a passthrough ratchet makes life so much easier.
2. Be very, very mindful of the wrench you use when tightening the sway bar end link nut. I decided to use a ratcheting wrench to make life "easier" since you have to hold the stud in place with a hex key and while the wrench fit on the nut without issue initial because of the side to side play the stud has when it's loose, it did NOT come back off. Why? Well when you tighten the nut down and the end link stud doesn't move anymore, the wrench was literally sandwiched between the strut tube, the mounting bracket and because of the depth of the nut I couldn't physically get the wrench off. I had to literally cut it off... Wasn't the end of the world, but it did suck and now I'm down a 15mm ratcheting wrench
.3. While it may seem like more work, I recommend removing the cowl at the base of the windshield. This allows you to get proper access to the nuts on the top of the strut tower. You absolutely can get to them without doing this, but the back one is a pain in the ass, especially on the driver's side, and if you care about using a torque wrench when you put it all back together you will need to remove the cowl since no torque wrench + socket is going to fit in there if you don't. Removing the cowl is not hard, just be mindful not to lose the clips that hold it down and I also recommend using a proper puller for getting the windshield wiper arms off. Some wiper arms release by lifting the arm and removing the tension but these bastards are really pressed on there and you can either fight with them for 10 minutes, potentially breaking stuff, or use a small puller and have them off in 20 seconds. You have to lift out the headlights as well, but that isn't very difficult at all, though it is a little annoying getting them back in place.
4. The rear is super easy if you release both shock bolts and support the torsion beam with a jack in the middle. Lower it down slowly until the jack stops physically supporting the beam and then give the jack like half a pump to take the tiniest bit of pressure off everything. Doing this allows you to push the beam down a bit more on either side and the stock springs pretty much fall out. It also makes it super easy to get the new ones in and aligned properly with the lower cap and the upper mount.
Impressions... initial drop is nice. I expect more settling to take place, but there is definitely a difference and I'm digging the reduced wheel gap. I really look forward to putting my summer wheels/tires on for that meaty tire look w/ minimal gap. As far as the important thing, performance, is concerned, I don't have an indepth review just yet. I took the car for a ~10 mile ride after installing them to test for noises or other oddities and had no problems - no clunks or rattles, no weird vibrations, and while I know I need an alignment it probably isn't that far out because the steering wheel is just as straight as it was before starting (I absolutely know that doesn't guarantee a proper alignment, I'm just saying it didn't send things so far out that my steering wheel sits at a 90). The roads in my town pretty much suck and while we don't have a lot of giant potholes, they are just rough and bumpy and the ride so far is no worse than stock. I haven't driven enough to say it's better, but it might be a bit. I took a few corners and the car does feel flatter and more planted and that's what I was looking for so I'm happy there. Turn in doesn't seem to have suffered much if at all, though I haven't had enough time to properly test.
Measurements from the bottom of the center cap (stock wheels) straight up to the bottom of the fender in my very not-level driveway.
LF - 13 & 7/8"
LR - 13.5"
RF - 13 & 7/8"
RR - 13.75"
I will continue to measure over the next couple weeks to see what it ends up after more settling (I stupidly didn't measure before...), as well as performance impressions. I will also get some pictures that don't suck eventually.
Before:
After:
