BC Racing Coilover Install – 2008+ Accord by Throwdown Performance, LLC
Tools Needed:
• BC Racing BR Series Coilovers
• Car Lift (or Floor Jacks and Jack Stands)
• Metric Ratchet Set (Specifically 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm)
• Hex Wrenches
• Optional:
-A friend (second set of hands).
-WD-40, PB Blaster, etc. may help if bolts are difficult to get off.
-Anti-seize is helpful if you want to go the extra mile to ensure your bolts can easily be removed in the future.
-Bar to carefully leverage pieces is also useful.
Overview:
The goal of this install is to install coilovers on an 8th Generation Accord using common garage tools. We opted to take on the challenge of not using a lift or any air tools, but use an approach to demonstrate that this install can be done at home with some simple tools and time.
Also, our approach for the coilover install is to leave the top of each strut still bolted in until we removed the lower section enough that the lower arm could be pushed down to free the coilover. By removing the top first could shift the coilover into an awkward position. Coilovers can be done in any order, but we recommend working on both fronts or backs as the removal/install is the same.
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Front Strut Removal:
Removal of the front struts is easier than the rear.
1. Jack up your car using a floor jack and positioning the jack on a secure position near the small notches. Be sure to make sure your vehicle parking brake is on, the rear wheels are blocked with piece of wood or a wheel chock. After jacking the car, place the car onto jackstands. Ensure that the car is secure!
Note: You could also raise the car from one end or the other. Be careful when doing so and be sure your jacking point is a secure spot and that you are on a flat level surface!
2. Remove the wheel using a tire iron. If you do not have a tire iron, you can use the tire iron provided next to your spare tire (a socket wrench will also work).
3. Now you can begin to removing the components of the suspension. As outlined in the overview, the way we will be working through is removing the bottom bolts and linkage(s) before removing the top bolts of each coilover. The top bolts of the coilover are located under the hood of the car holding down the front strut tower brace.
4. As you can see below, the front is much less complex than the rear to install. The small line in the pictures is the front brake line that is running to the caliper. The front bottom of the strut is not bolted through the strut, but is held in by a single bolt that tightens using a pinch bolt. You will notice that your BC Racing Coilovers have an attached mount for the front sensor harness that is very useful for re-installation!
5. Begin unbolting the pinch bolt holding the bottom of the strut using a 14mm socket wrench, the front sensor harness bolt, and the flange bolt on the bottom of the fork. The bottom bolt is a 17mm. You will need another socket wrench to hold the bolt on the other side to stop the bolt from spinning.
6. If there is still tension you can loosen the bolt on the small connecting rod (with purple dots on the end) which is attached to the front sway bar (pictured below). With slack, push down on the front suspension and the bottom of the stock strut should begin to slide out.
7. When the strut is loose enough to push down and free the bottom of the strut you can unbolt the top of the strut under the hood with the 6 bolts.
8. After unbolting all 6 bolts ontop of the strut/shock, slide the strut/shock assembly carefully out.
9. Now take the stock strut/shock and make sure that the bolt pattern is the same on the front coilover that you will be replacing (the bolt pattern is reversed on the front right and front left coilovers). As you can see the stock strut is longer than the new BC Racing Coilover. This is partially due to the lower stance, but is primarily due to being performance spring with less sag.
10. Now with strut/spring out, reinstall the coilover in the same fashion. First align through the top and loosely bolt the top of the coilover under the hood with the supplied bolts (don’t lose your stock nuts either, best to screw them to the top of the old strut). Then align and screw in the bottom pinch bolt. As you can see below, the new strut and coilover is held in with a punch bolt. Ensure that the bolt is correctly holding the bottom of the coilover in place.
11. It is easiest to install all bolts loosely until it is all lined up and then tighten. After the coilover is in place, reinstall the bottom bolt and attach the brake sensor line to the new coilover.
12. After everything is back into place and tightened, reinstall your tire. You will notice when you re-install your tire that the wheel is now further off the ground than when you initially raised the car. This is an example of how the BC Racing coilover has less sag than the stock/strut shock.
13. Follow the same process on the other side.
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Tools Needed:
• BC Racing BR Series Coilovers
• Car Lift (or Floor Jacks and Jack Stands)
• Metric Ratchet Set (Specifically 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm)
• Hex Wrenches
• Optional:
-A friend (second set of hands).
-WD-40, PB Blaster, etc. may help if bolts are difficult to get off.
-Anti-seize is helpful if you want to go the extra mile to ensure your bolts can easily be removed in the future.
-Bar to carefully leverage pieces is also useful.
Overview:
The goal of this install is to install coilovers on an 8th Generation Accord using common garage tools. We opted to take on the challenge of not using a lift or any air tools, but use an approach to demonstrate that this install can be done at home with some simple tools and time.
Also, our approach for the coilover install is to leave the top of each strut still bolted in until we removed the lower section enough that the lower arm could be pushed down to free the coilover. By removing the top first could shift the coilover into an awkward position. Coilovers can be done in any order, but we recommend working on both fronts or backs as the removal/install is the same.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Front Strut Removal:
Removal of the front struts is easier than the rear.
1. Jack up your car using a floor jack and positioning the jack on a secure position near the small notches. Be sure to make sure your vehicle parking brake is on, the rear wheels are blocked with piece of wood or a wheel chock. After jacking the car, place the car onto jackstands. Ensure that the car is secure!
Note: You could also raise the car from one end or the other. Be careful when doing so and be sure your jacking point is a secure spot and that you are on a flat level surface!
2. Remove the wheel using a tire iron. If you do not have a tire iron, you can use the tire iron provided next to your spare tire (a socket wrench will also work).
3. Now you can begin to removing the components of the suspension. As outlined in the overview, the way we will be working through is removing the bottom bolts and linkage(s) before removing the top bolts of each coilover. The top bolts of the coilover are located under the hood of the car holding down the front strut tower brace.
4. As you can see below, the front is much less complex than the rear to install. The small line in the pictures is the front brake line that is running to the caliper. The front bottom of the strut is not bolted through the strut, but is held in by a single bolt that tightens using a pinch bolt. You will notice that your BC Racing Coilovers have an attached mount for the front sensor harness that is very useful for re-installation!
5. Begin unbolting the pinch bolt holding the bottom of the strut using a 14mm socket wrench, the front sensor harness bolt, and the flange bolt on the bottom of the fork. The bottom bolt is a 17mm. You will need another socket wrench to hold the bolt on the other side to stop the bolt from spinning.
6. If there is still tension you can loosen the bolt on the small connecting rod (with purple dots on the end) which is attached to the front sway bar (pictured below). With slack, push down on the front suspension and the bottom of the stock strut should begin to slide out.
7. When the strut is loose enough to push down and free the bottom of the strut you can unbolt the top of the strut under the hood with the 6 bolts.
8. After unbolting all 6 bolts ontop of the strut/shock, slide the strut/shock assembly carefully out.
9. Now take the stock strut/shock and make sure that the bolt pattern is the same on the front coilover that you will be replacing (the bolt pattern is reversed on the front right and front left coilovers). As you can see the stock strut is longer than the new BC Racing Coilover. This is partially due to the lower stance, but is primarily due to being performance spring with less sag.
10. Now with strut/spring out, reinstall the coilover in the same fashion. First align through the top and loosely bolt the top of the coilover under the hood with the supplied bolts (don’t lose your stock nuts either, best to screw them to the top of the old strut). Then align and screw in the bottom pinch bolt. As you can see below, the new strut and coilover is held in with a punch bolt. Ensure that the bolt is correctly holding the bottom of the coilover in place.
11. It is easiest to install all bolts loosely until it is all lined up and then tighten. After the coilover is in place, reinstall the bottom bolt and attach the brake sensor line to the new coilover.
12. After everything is back into place and tightened, reinstall your tire. You will notice when you re-install your tire that the wheel is now further off the ground than when you initially raised the car. This is an example of how the BC Racing coilover has less sag than the stock/strut shock.
13. Follow the same process on the other side.
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