Coilover Install

[SuperDave]

Disclaimer:
Read this guide through completely before commencing to ensure that you are competent in doing the work yourself. By following this guide you are accepting full responsibility and I will not be held responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or anything else caused by following this guide.

http://sdrv.ms/13NcCJu Cusco Zero series coilover instructions

This guide is showing the removal of D2's and the installation of Zero 2's. So don't worry if your stocko suspension doesn't match
Rear

1. Start by removing all the boot trims.
2. Chock the front wheels as there will nothing to prevent the car from rolling away while the rear wheels are in the air.
3. Undo the rear wheels nuts, but don’t take them off just yet.
4. Jack the rear of the car up and support it on jack stands. Do not support the car on any of the suspension components as all this needs to move easily to do the install. Not to mention the car will have nothing to hold itself up without the suspension in.
5. Take the wheels off and undo all bolts circled in pink. Yes there are only 2 nuts that need undoing on the top mount in the boot. The third one is a bolt that is accessed by underneath the car. The upper mounts are 14mm and the lower mount is 19mm.

6. If the strut bottom is a sticky spray some WD40 onto the mount and let it soak in to help it off. If this has been done and it still won’t budge, re-read the disclaimer, and get a rubber mallet and a block of wood. Place the block of wood on the bottom of the strut mount and gently hit the block of wood until the strut moves off of the mount. If it still won’t budge then you will need to move onto the long metal pole and lever strut off. Another option to try out before hand is using a jack to raise the rear torsion beam up slightly to reduce the pressure that is applied to the mounts. Many options to try out if all else fails.
7. Once you get the bottom off you can then drop the strut out. Repeat on the other side.
8. Installation is the reverse of the steps above. If the strut bottom has a pipe in it that sticks out further on one end than the other, place the long end facing the outside of the car. All torque settings for the bolts circled in pink is 80Nm
9. Recheck everything after about 100km of driving, if there is any new clunking noises then recheck all bolts immediately.

Front

1. Undo the front wheels nuts, but don’t take them off just yet.
2. Jack the front of the car up and support it on jack stands. Do not support the car on any of the suspension components as all this needs to move easily to do the install. Not to mention the car will have nothing to hold itself up without the suspension in.
3. Take the wheels off and undo all the bolts and nuts circled. The three sockets needed are, 19mm for the bottom mount, 14mm for the brake hose mount and 7mm for the anti roll bar endlink.

And the arrangement on the cheaper coilovers like D2 and G4

4. Open the bonnet and undo the three nuts (13mm) on the upper mount of the suspension. This requires a second person as the strut will then drop out if no one is holding it.
5. Lower the old strut out and place the new strut in, again a second person is needed in order to put the nuts back on for the upper mount.
6. The second person is still needed as lining up the two bolts circled in yellow requires a team effort and swear words. You might like to use a rag to prevent your hands from touching the brake rotor and to not cut yourself on the splash guard. Ensure the bolts are installed so that the bolts go in with the thread facing that rear of the car, then add the nuts.
7. Leave the anti roll bar end link for the time being (circled red) and mount the brake hose and wheel speed sensor to the green circled mount. This image was taken of a Corolla that didn’t have ABS, but make sure you get the ABS mount on correctly with the notch and hole. Torque this bolt (green) up to 30Nm.
8. Go to the other side and do the same with that corner.
9. Now you can put the anti roll bar end links (red) in place, add some WD40 to the thread and torque up to 75Nm
10. The strut bottoms (yellow) have a torque setting of 150Nm.
11. Now torque the upper mounts to 30Nm, Torque the wheel nuts up to about 100Nm
12. Go for an easy test drive then recheck everything after about 100km of driving, if there is any new clunking noises during either period then recheck all bolts immediately.

[DHC09]

Damn... those zero2's are shinny!! B)

[Seano]

What an awesome guide, it makes me feel like i might be able to do this some day

[qkslvr]

Dude! you rock! i got lazy and didn't even take pics when i put mine in. hehe

[MR22ZZ]

going back to step 1

I found it easier to take the bolt on the rear strut tops out first rather than after the nuts as there is less pressure on that nut at that time.

conversely, you can jack up the base of the strut to apply pressure while you undo it as well.

I also found that using a jack to raise the torsion bar slightly made it easier to remove the and reinstall the rear struts.

Edited November 22, 2007 by MR22ZZ

[SuperDave]

conversely, you can jack up the base of the strut to apply pressure while you undo it as well.

I also found that using a jack to raise the torsion bar slightly made it easier to remove the and reinstall the rear struts.

When I did my suspension I did something similar to those two points, added them to the original post.

[MT]

Dave you are the king of awesomeness. MOTM again :P

U need to make sure rob comes to this thread though.

[DHC09]

Pin?

[SuperDave]

I don't think it needs to be pinned as there is already too many stickies in this section as it is.

It will be found if it is needed.

You just want to show off your Zero 2's? :P

[c_rolla]

how do the zero 2's perform compared to the d2's ?

they have the same/similar spring rates dont they?

is it really worth paying more for the cuscos?

just interested coz im deciding on which coilovers to get

deciding between Cusco and D2

thanks

[JAZE55]

how do the zero 2's perform compared to the d2's ?

they have the same/similar spring rates dont they?

is it really worth paying more for the cuscos?

just interested coz im deciding on which coilovers to get

deciding between Cusco and D2

thanks

Go Cusco!!!, I regret not paying that little more to get the cuscos. But there is nothing wrong with the G4's they have served me well for a long time.

[GtiRboy]

awesome guide mate! I would've thought putting coilovers in myself would've been a nightmare, but your guide really REALLY simplifys it.... now to save moneys and actually buy some!

[DHC09]

how do the zero 2's perform compared to the d2's ?

they have the same/similar spring rates dont they?

is it really worth paying more for the cuscos?

just interested coz im deciding on which coilovers to get

deciding between Cusco and D2

thanks

Zero2 is definitely the better coilover. The damper settings is of a broader range to suit a wider variety of conditions/roads. But having said that, if your building a dedicated track/race car, then D2 is quite handy as it allows you to fine tune the settings. D2 comes in a few variants; 2 of them are track and street. I got the track one and it made my car like a go-kart (feel every little bump and ZERO roll :D). But most of my passengers found it much too hard and uncomfortable (I got used to it :P). I heard from other members that the street ones where pretty hard as well.

So, if you can fork out for the zero2's then get it. I'm yet to compare the the two on track, but on the street I definitely have more traction and stability (no more bouncing around on sh!tty roads).