Acura RSX Coilover Installation

Tools Required

• Lift or Jack and Jack Stands
• 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 mm sockets
• Air Gun or Large Ratchet

Parts being installed

Step One

Lift Car as high as you can using a lift or a jack and jack stands. Make sure the car is secure before beginning work.

Step Two

Remove front wheels and the three nuts that are on top of the front struts. Keep them close by, you will need immediate access to them later on.

Step Three

Remove the rear wheels and the bolts on top of the rear shocks. You do have to pull back some paneling on the rear. Remove the carpet from the trunk then release the clips that are on each side right in front of the rear seats. This should give you enough access to remove the bolts.

Step Four

Remove the four bolts holding each side of the front strut in. Then remove the two bolts on each side that hold the brakes line on.

Step Five

Push down on rotor and pull out stock strut and spring.

Step Six

Put together the Tein struts following the instructions that come with the kit. Make sure to measure the distance between the bottom of the spring and the bottom of the strut. Making sure these are equal on both sides will really help in getting the height adjustment correct later on. Put in Tein struts and reinstall bolts follow step four. Make sure everything is tight before moving on.

Step Seven

Because of the limited travel of the spring, we had to install the front wheels and slowly lower the car in order to get the strut to mount correctly, using the ground as a third person. This is were two people are needed in order to get the top bolts to line up correctly. Once each side is installed and all three bolts are sticking out evenly, reinstall the three top nuts on each side (this is why you needed them close to you). Make sure the nuts are tight before moving on.

Step Eight

Remove the large bolt that is holding the each side of the rear shocks in place. If you are installing a rear camber kit (which is highly recommended), remove the three bolts that hold each side of the upper arms in place.

Step Nine

Install the rear camber kit and reattach the three bolts on each side that hold them on. Put together the Tein coilovers follow the instructions. Make sure to measure the distance between the bottom of the spring and the bottom of the shock. Making sure these are equal on both sides and to the front struts will really help in getting the height adjustment correct later on. Install the wheels and use the ground as a third person to get the shock to mount correctly (as you did for the front). This again is were you need someone sitting in the car to make sure that each side lines up correctly. As soon as the bolts are in the holes, reinstall the nuts and tighten them down.

Step Ten

Make sure all nuts and bolts are tightened down and roll the car off the lift or the jack stands. Drive up for a short distance, often hitting the brakes hard to get the springs to set a little bit. Check clearance at the front and the rear to make sure they are equal and you are not going to scrap anything. Get an alignment as soon as you can so you don't ruin your tires. Since the Tein are 24 way adjustable, make sure you also play with the adjustment for ride quality.