Close

Page 1 of 17 12311 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 253
  1. #1
    K24 DOOOD iDom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Earth, Planet
    Posts
    430

    DIY: A-Spec Suspension on ep3

    TORQUE SPECS ACCORDING TO THE MANUAL

    green circles 116 ft-lb
    yellow circles 33 ft-lb
    tie rod nut 32 ft-lb
    rear strut bolt 45 ft-lb
    top rear strut nuts 43 ft-lb


    ORDER A-SPEC KIT HERE: A-SPEC A-SPEC A-SPEC

    PARTS AND PART NUMBERS YOU WILL NEED
    NOTE: DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU GET YOUR PARTS FROM, BE AWARE OF THE QUANTITY OF EACH ITEM

    2x 90301-S5A-003 (These are the nuts that secure the tie rod placement and where you adjust the toe)
    2x 53541-S7A-003 (These are the tie rod ends, also, the ones used for the Honda Element are the exact same ones)
    1x 94201-30220 (These are the pins, there's many of them in 1 bag, all you need is one bag)
    2x 94030-12280 (These are the nuts that thread on to the tie rod end to hold them on to the strut, mine came as a pack of 2 so the item quantity I ordered was just 1)


    THIS SHOULD ELIMINATE ANY CONFUSION.. YOUR CHECKOUT CART SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS (PINS ARE $0.14 SO GET SOME EXTRA)


    OPTIONAL***
    This install requires shaving down the bushings on the rear struts (see further down) but if you would like to press out the old bushings and press in ones that fit the ep3 properly, you will need 2 of these.. Part number is 52622-S5A-004
    NOTE: This is OPTIONAL. If you have the available resources then I say go for it. It will add about $20 to the parts list, and i'd imagine you would have to find a shop locally that would be able to do it, but for those that are 'scared' to grind down the rears, here is your alternative.


    Some other recommendations.. Any penetrating oil to help break loose bolts and nuts


    SPRAY DOWN EVERYTHING!

    FRONT

    1.
    -Start by loosening the lug nut bolts and jacking up your car, take the wheel off and pop the hood.
    -Take off the bolts and brackets that hold on the brake and ABS line (Red Circles)


    -Then, 'LOOSEN/BREAK FREE', do not completely take off the 2 big bolts that hold the knuckle on to the strut. (Green Circles)


    -Go up under the hood and break loose the top 3 nuts on the strut tower (Yellow Circles)


    -I do suggest going in this order, trying to break loose the 2 big bolts that hold the strut on to the knuckle can be tough, having the strut secure in the tower gives a good platform to give it some muscle. Also, this makes sure the axle wont pop out. This DOES happen, and it IS a pain to correct. I recommend using zip ties, like this..


    -Now, with everything loose but still together, take off the old cotter pin on the tie rod end, then unscrew the nut. Another good thing about leaving everything together but loose, is that you got some wiggle room to maneuver the strut as you hit the bottom of the tie rod end upward to knock it free so you can pull the strut out. I would use a rubber/wooden-mallet/hammer. Keep moving and hitting upward, it will eventually come out. No worries. Then pull the entire strut assembly out.

    ****DON'T FORGET TO ZIP TIE THE KNUCKLE SO THE AXLE DON'T POP OUT!****


    2.
    -It's time to swap out the tie rod ends. I had to get crafty because of how weathered all my components under my car were, so this is what I did to get it apart.. Take the proper sized wrenches and put one securely on the tie rod end lock nut as shown in picture. And then take another wrench that fits on the tie rod end itself or vise grips and turn it and break it free, then remove the old one.


    (I used the handle to my jack to go over the handle of the wrench and put it through the empty strut tower, and had someone hold it while I broke free the tie rod end due to the weathering on the parts.


    -Now, screw on the new tie rod end.
    NOTE: Your Toe will be F'd and thrown out of whack after putting on these new tie rod ends, not to point the car cannot be driven, but it definitely needs an alignment ASAP after installation is complete.

    3.
    -Replace the old strut with the new A-Spec strut. I recommend putting it up through the strut tower and just threading on the 3 top nuts (see the yellow circles in the previous picture above) just to get it in there and have it remotely in place and holding itself up.
    -Now, don't panic. It's going to look like there's no way in hell they're going to line up and be able to be mounted together, but don't sweat.. What I did, was use that same jack handle to push down the control arm by wedging it to another spot on the frame (shown in pictures below) so that you can line up the mounts and bolt up the knuckle to the strut.




    -TIPS: As always, keep everything connected but still loose until everything is connected, then start tightening things down. I would do the 2 large bolts on the knuckle first, then the 3 nuts on top of the strut tower, then I would connect the new tie rod ends for last, because they are easy to get in place since there is so much mobility in the tie rod and the joint rotates and swivels.
    -Everything else is pretty strait forward from here on out for the fronts. Just tighten up bolts, secure the new tie rod end with one of the new nuts you purchased and then a cotter pin. Should look like this when you're done..


    -Now, do the same thing for the other side, only other tip I can give you for the passenger side is to remove the bolt that's keeping the AC line in place (as shown in picture) This makes it a lot easier to get to the nuts on the top of the strut tower on the passenger side.



    REAR

    Before I start on the rears, I gotta give a little background. The bolts in the rear typically, and ESPECIALLY in my case, can be quite problematic. What typically happens, especially here in the northern states is that they seize up on the metal sleeve inside the bushing and they can be an absolute PAIN to take out. For more information on this, and solutions, check the thread below..


    Because I ran in to these problems, I had to put my installation on pause and wait until a friend of mine had free time so I could get it up on a lift at his work so we could work on this a bit more with more tools around and more range of motion. So because of this, I don't have my own pictures, so I will be using some pictures off of the DIY: Coilovers. Props to CHASEEE

    1.
    -Jack up the car and remove the wheel, while supporting the car with jack stands of course, and spray down the 2 main bolts (one on the passenger side, one on the drivers side) with penetrating oil. The head of the bolt is not on the outside of the car, it is on the inside, the fixed nut is shown in the picture below. Remove the bolt.


    -Now, open the hatch and release the back seats so that they fall forward, pull back the carpet and expose the push pin clip thingy's'''' and remove them. Pull out the plastic molding to expose the top of the rear struts, remove the two nuts and pull the old strut out.


    Now compare.


    2.
    -As you can see, there is a significant difference. It's time to bust out the grinder and get dirty. Take approximately 1.5mm of BOTH sides EVENLY AS POSSIBLE, for a total of 3mm OVERALL to make the rear struts fit. Be careful, this will take some time. Do slow and smooth FULL passes to try and make a nice even grind all the way down. Measure before you start grinding, and keep measuring frequently, you can always take some off, but you can't put it back on. Also, friction causes heat obviously, so give this time and be patient with this. You don't want to grind the piss out of it and melt out the rubber bushing, TAKE YOUR TIME!


    3.
    Put the new A-Spec strut back in. It's as strait forward as the same way you took the old one out. Bolt everything up and make sure everything is tight. FIN.


    This is my car as it sits to-date 6/18/2011
    16x8 +38 RPF1's 225/50

    Last edited by iDom; 04-29-2013 at 12:26 PM.

  2. #2
    K24 DOOOD iDom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Earth, Planet
    Posts
    430
    TIP: If some pictures aren't showing up, try viewing thread in a different browser, I currently use Chrome, Firefox, and IE because sometimes only one of those browsers will load all the pictures.. Don't know why, but I make it work..
    Last edited by iDom; 04-20-2011 at 03:21 PM.

  3. #3
    Registered User BeaterEP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Georgetown, TX
    Posts
    1,457
    Niiiice write-up man! I'll be referring back to this one in a few years when my HFP setup is shot.

    How bad was the grinding to make the rear bushings fit?

  4. #4
    K24 DOOOD iDom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Earth, Planet
    Posts
    430
    No I thought it was pretty easy, like I said in the thread tho, just be really careful & take your time. It does take a little bit. If you can get access to a belt sander that would probably be a lot easier than a grinder, but, either or will work.

  5. #5
    K24 DOOOD iDom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Earth, Planet
    Posts
    430
    Picture posted showing ride height

  6. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    AL
    Posts
    238
    Nice!

  7. #7
    Registered User DA9_GSR's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    189
    Awesome job! As for the alignment, you should have tried:

    front camber: -1.5 degrees
    front toe: 0.0 degrees
    front caster: stock
    rear camber: -0.75 degrees
    rear toe: 0.0 degrees

    Note: front should have more negative camber than rear (reduces understeer)
    Note: front camber should be double the rear camber

    Being a tech for our local racetrack I've been able to test these specs with
    tire temp readings, and it stands true. It's the best setting for street / track use.
    A track setup likes having much more aggressive alignment.

    If you want a little less aggressive for more of a daily driver, you
    should consider these alignment numbers:

    front camber: -1.5 degrees
    front toe: 0.0 degrees
    front caster: stock
    rear camber: -0.8 degrees
    rear toe: 0.0 degrees
    Last edited by DA9_GSR; 06-10-2013 at 05:42 PM.

  8. #8
    K24 DOOOD iDom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Earth, Planet
    Posts
    430
    I didn't use either of the suggested specs, I am planning on getting brand new wheels and better tires next year to take full advantage of a more aggressive alignment. I just posted those because they are OEM recommended. I don't remember exactly what I had mine aligned to, but it is quite mild for now. It drives great though, so i'm happy with it for now. Good recommendations and info though, for sure. I look forward to my next set up with the proper tires and hopefully some kind brake upgrade :)

  9. #9
    ephatch member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    273
    Nice write up and good choice on the suspension setup.

  10. #10
    Registered User DA9_GSR's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    189
    iDom, do you find the suspension to be stiff? I've never installed performance (OEM or aftermarket) suspension before. And I thought that this was "way" stiffer than I thought it was going to be. Then again, I did the full polyurethane bushing kit and rear sway bar at the same time too.

  11. #11
    Mofo 2k3hatchie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Mass
    Posts
    268
    Quote Originally Posted by DA9_GSR View Post
    iDom, do you find the suspension to be stiff? I've never installed performance (OEM or aftermarket) suspension before. And I thought that this was "way" stiffer than I thought it was going to be. Then again, I did the full polyurethane bushing kit and rear sway bar at the same time too.
    I've got this kit on my car and I did notice a significant difference over stock. Its not back breaking or anything but its definitely noticeable. Still passes the girlfriend test though

    The only thing I'd like to change with my A-Spec kit is the way the rear sits (about one extra finger gap compared to the front). I may swap the rear springs in the future to address this (maybe RSX Eibach pro-kit). That said, I'm very happy with the performance and value of this kit. OEM ftw.

  12. #12
    K24 DOOOD iDom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Earth, Planet
    Posts
    430
    Quote Originally Posted by DA9_GSR View Post
    iDom, do you find the suspension to be stiff? I've never installed performance (OEM or aftermarket) suspension before. And I thought that this was "way" stiffer than I thought it was going to be. Then again, I did the full polyurethane bushing kit and rear sway bar at the same time too.
    Before this my car had no suspension for 2 years, I was rolling around on blown struts since day 1, but.. Compared to my other friends cars, like a DC2 or an EM2 with Tein coilovers, I'd say mine isn't any worse. I love it, but I have to agree with hatchie, I wish the rear was a tad bit lower but, function > form in my opinion. I'm VERY happy with it. Once these start getting hard to find like the HFP's for our car, I'm going to buy another set for the future.

  13. #13
    Registered User DA9_GSR's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    189
    I've got about 2 finger gap in the front and 2 1/2 finger gap in the rear. It's not a noticeable drop, but it handles like a mofo. None of my eg / ek/ dc friends can keep up. I gave an ITR a pretty good run the other week (this is all on track BTW).

  14. #14
    K24 DOOOD iDom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Earth, Planet
    Posts
    430
    I love mine, as I said before, function > form all day. It's a car, made to be driven.

  15. #15
    Mofo 2k3hatchie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Mass
    Posts
    268
    Quote Originally Posted by DA9_GSR View Post
    I've got about 2 finger gap in the front and 2 1/2 finger gap in the rear. It's not a noticeable drop, but it handles like a mofo. None of my eg / ek/ dc friends can keep up. I gave an ITR a pretty good run the other week (this is all on track BTW).
    Oh yea the EP corners like a toy with the A-spec kit. The other day I was driving my girl's Versa and I was squeeling the tires around an on ramp and I was like wtf? I was only doing like 40 hahah.

    Quote Originally Posted by iDom View Post
    I love mine, as I said before, function > form all day. It's a car, made to be driven.
    This^

Page 1 of 17 12311 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •