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evo8dustu
03-02-2006, 10:37 PM
i ordered the helix dna coilovers yesterday, and was decideing wether or not to install it myself or have it done at the shop. does anybody know how hard it is to install? i was thinking it was prety easy, just take out the old and put in the new?

leif
03-02-2006, 11:54 PM
its super easy. the rears have 3 bolts you'll have to undo (maybe 4.. you might have to loosten up the control arm to get the stock stuff out), and the fronts have 5 bolts..and 3 of those are on the top and take 0 effort to get out. it can be done in a few hours if you take your time.

MarkSAE
03-03-2006, 12:09 AM
You have to drop the lower arm to install the rears. You also need to preload the lower arm when you're putting it back together. Just follow the shop manual and it should be pretty straight forward.

craziazzmofo66
03-03-2006, 01:22 AM
yea....theres nothin to it as ^ guys have said...its cake..a girl could do it.. :lol:

jrnot
03-03-2006, 01:14 PM
Not to hijack the thread, I am doing the same thing in a week or so, if I mark and measure and use shocks with no drop, will I have to get a new alignment?

Also where is the best place to get the shop manual? How much should it cost?

MarkSAE
03-03-2006, 01:23 PM
If your ride height does not change, then you do not need to get realigned. Are you swapping parts or just taking stuff apart and putting it back together?

Shop manuals can be had from ebay pretty cheaply. ;)

ZK
03-03-2006, 01:37 PM
Installation is pretty easy. The time consuming part is setting the ride height. Since it's adjustable you can spend a lot of time playing around with the height settings. Make sure those perches are locked down real tight too or else your ride height would adjust itself without your knowledge.

Oh, and I tore apart all the tabs holding in my trunk liner trying to get it open. :lol:

boost
03-03-2006, 01:46 PM
it took a friend and I, 1.5 hours to install my coilovers with no prior knowledge of evos. for the rear we didn't drop the lower arm. we jacked up both rear tires (so the sway bar would let both wheels down) and pushed down on the hubs a little and the bilsteins came out. the coilovers went in with no fuss. this was on a 9 mr so maybe the new lower rear springs on bilsteins made it easier (not having to unbolt the lower arm). Only thing that comes to mind to recommend is a breaker bar or long handled rachets.

i measured all the heights to spec and my alignment was way out of whack when i took it to roger kraus the next day.

evo8dustu
03-03-2006, 02:27 PM
so if you drop your ride, youll have to get realighend?

MarkSAE
03-03-2006, 02:43 PM
so if you drop your ride, youll have to get realighend?

Yep, any changes in ride height will change your toe, as well as camber. The change in toe is what will kill your tires quick if you don't get an alignment after lowering your car.

hi_nrg_fizzix
03-03-2006, 03:00 PM
Not to hijack the thread, I am doing the same thing in a week or so, if I mark and measure and use shocks with no drop, will I have to get a new alignment?

Also where is the best place to get the shop manual? How much should it cost?

Check your PM. :wink:

evo8dustu
03-03-2006, 04:57 PM
can anybody recommend a good place to get it realigned in the bay area?

boost
03-03-2006, 05:35 PM
i'd say if you're not going to corner balance, motorsport techniques is cheap and good. if you want corner balance i think roger kraus charges around 300 normally assuming no hookup. 170'ish for basic alignment and 120 for corner balance i think.

MarkSAE
03-03-2006, 06:32 PM
+1 for Motorsport Techniques.

redvolution
03-06-2006, 10:13 AM
Works can also corner balance and align.

Jamie@WORKS
03-06-2006, 12:02 PM
Works can also corner balance and align.

Indeed :) Starting at $199 and may go slightly higher depending on how extensive you want to get.

evo8dustu
03-07-2006, 12:39 PM
i'd say if you're not going to corner balance, motorsport techniques is cheap and good. if you want corner balance i think roger kraus charges around 300 normally assuming no hookup. 170'ish for basic alignment and 120 for corner balance i think.

will i need corner balance when replacing coilovers?

boost
03-07-2006, 01:04 PM
i'd guess your weights will be off. on my car the right rear was off. wether it's worth it or not, i don't know. this is actually the first car i've had corner balanced but my 3rd set of coilovers (3 different cars). i can't say i'd recommend the corner balance to the casual spirited driver who's on a budget. for the other 2 cars without corner balance, i never really fealt like, oh man, this cars is really off balance, i'd be much faster if i corner balanced it. on the other hand it is peace of mind and a more solid foundation to start from if your trying to build a solid car. i've never really done back to back comparisons on the same car though so this is just my kinda initial feeling about it. hopefully some of the more hardcore racers will chime in on their experiences.

evo8dustu
03-07-2006, 01:07 PM
i'd guess your weights will be off. on my car the right rear was off. wether it's worth it or not, i don't know. this is actually the first car i've had corner balanced but my 3rd set of coilovers (3 different cars). i can't say i'd recommend the corner balance to the casual spirited driver who's on a budget. for the other 2 cars without corner balance, i never really fealt like, oh man, this cars is really off balance, i'd be much faster if i corner balanced it. on the other hand it is peace of mind and a more solid foundation to start from if your trying to build a solid car. i've never really done back to back comparisons on the same car though so this is just my kinda initial feeling about it. hopefully some of the more hardcore racers will chime in on their experiences.]

thanks for your response.