Here is how I installed my Scion tC TRD lowering springs and TRD sway bar. Disclaimer: This is not a “How To” post, therefore I do not recommend you do this yourself. I will not be liable for any problems, risk, injury, or damage you encounter if you try to imitate these procedures, which I do not advocate the imitation of the steps. This is just a log of how I performed my installation with pictures. This is also my first post. I don’t check emails or post often, it may take me some time to respond.

The ride is a bit rougher, but the response is much better. The TRD rear sway bar did make a bit of a difference. I really like the low and aggressive stance that the lowering springs give. In fact, it makes me enjoy my car even more. I definitely recommend lowering the car with the TRD lowering springs. Any lower, it may run into camber and tire wear problems. The tires don’t look so puny and narrow from behind after the car was lowered.

I needed some metric rachet wrench and wrench size 10mm to 22mm with a breaker bar. I also used an impact wrench with air compressor which makes the installation much faster. I also made sure I had jack stands with the proper safety jack supports and tire blocks. I also had screw drivers, pliers, and allen wrenches handy. Also, I rented a spring compressor from the local auto parts.

NOTE: on some pictures, the pictures may be of the left or the right side of the car, since I was not intending to take pictures initially. I had to reduce the picture size due to limitations of my account. Some terminology may be incorrect. It took about 5 hours with my brother’s (special thanks to ANT) help. That was a slow and easy pace.

Edit: here are some torque specs from a post by ScionDad. Thanks:
ScionDad
SL Member
St. Louis, MO
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 3:52 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
all numbers are listed in ft lbf, unless otherwise noted.

Lug Nuts : 76

Front Struts : center lock nut - 35
top mount - 38
bottom mount - 177

Front Stabalizer Bar : 55

Rear Shocks : center lock nut - 41
top mount - 59
bottom mount - 103

Rear Sway Bar : 32

Exhaust : 32 (every bolt from the manifold back is 32)

Clutch : clutch cover assembly - 14
release fork - 35
transaxle assembly - 'A' bolts - 47
'B' bolts - 34
'C' bolts - 32

Hood : mounting brackets - 10
front catch - 62 in lbf


1. I loosened the top three strut tower bolts. Some people say to remove the windshield wiper and plastic cover, but I was too lazy to do so. I just slid a wrench to work on the inside bolt. (yes, that is a home made intake coupler with a massive K&N filter on you see).
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_1.jpghttp://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_2.jpg


2. After jacking up the car and supporting it properly with support jacks and tire stops for safety, I removed the wheels. Then, I removed the 2 strut bolts and the tie rod bolt. I also removed the bolt that connects the brake line to the strut itself.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_3.jpg

3. After that, the whole strut/spring assembly can be removed by taking off the 3 top strut tower bolts from #1 above.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_4.jpg

4. I then compressed the spring until it was loose on the strut.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_6.jpg

5. Then, I removed the top strut shaft bolt. To access it, I had to pop the plastic cover from the top. I had to hold the strut assembly tightly. When I reassemble, the blue mark on the top plate will point outwards to the side of the car.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_7.jpg

6. I removed the top stop plate. Note: there is a square grove on the top plate that aligns with the strut shaft square grove. I had to make sure that it realigns when I reinstalled it.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_5.jpg

7. Once the spring and the top assembly are removed, I stuck the TRD spring on to see how it looks. Also, I cut the bump stop in half and only used the top portion to give more shock travel. It is not necessary for me to do this, but since I have done others before, it helps so the shocks don’t bottom out so quickly. If I plan to install 19in rims, I might not do this.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_8.jpghttp://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_9.jpg

8. Then, I compressed the TRD spring to then reinstall the shock/strut assembly. I took care not to damage the coating on the spring. It is not good for it to peel and rust! Impact wrench is great! I had to make sure that the spring end/tips match the groves on the strut top and bottom plates. Also, I had to make sure that the square grove of the top plate aligns with the square grove of the strut shaft. If I had TRD struts/shocks, I would install it here. But since I didn’t want an even rougher ride, I just installed the stock strut/shock.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_10.jpg

9. I reinstalled the strut assembly with the TRD springs. I had to make sure all the bolts are tightened to specifications: the strut 2 bolts, the tie rod bolt, the brake line attachment bolt, and the 3 top strut tower bolts. The wheel was reinstalled and the other side springs were installed.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_11.jpg

MY REAR LOWERING SPRING AND REAR SWAY BAR INSTALLATION

10. As for the rear spring assembly, I had to remove some interior carpet, foam containers, plastic cross-member, etc. in order to access the top 3 strut bolts. Here, I removed the plastic retainer bolt (the plastic piece pointing up) to remove the plastic cross-member piece. To remove the plastic cross-member, I gave it a strong yank and it came off of its pin retainers.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_12.jpghttp://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_16.jpg

11. Pieces removed.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_13.jpghttp://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_17.jpg

12. Then I loosened the 2 visible top strut bolts. I had to use a breaker bar to help me loosen the bolts. I did both sides at once since I was going to jack up both sides to save some time.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_18.jpg

13. The third bolt took some patience. I also used a breaker bar to help loosen the bolt. I did not remove all the carpet because I was lazy, you could say. Some say it is good to remove the side wall carpet. I believe in minimal work and damage to other interior parts=)
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_19.jpg

14. Then, I jacked up both sides of the car since I had to jacks and proper support and tire stops for safety purposes. Of course, I had to remove the wheels. Next, I removed the lower strut bolt. It is extremely tough to remove, so I used a breaker bar. Once removed, I then removed the 3 top strut bolts and took the strut/spring assembly out. It took some maneuvering. I had to remove the speed sensor plug just to make sure I don’t break the cable while trying to maneuver and remove the strut/spring assembly. I don’t have a picture of it, sorry, but it is easily seen.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_20.jpghttp://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_21.jpg

15. Side track: I removed the sway bar bolt to prepare for the sway bar installation and to make it easier to access the lower strut bolt.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_22.jpg

16. Side track: Since I was going to install the TRD rear sway bar, I also removed the main two sway bar bolts that hold the sway bar couplers. Then, I just carefully pulled the old stock sway bar out towards the muffler piping side. This was a puzzle to pull out.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_23.jpg

17. Here is what the strut/spring assembly looks like. I am also demonstrating that the alignment of the top assembly must be reinstalled to the lower assembly with exactness. I just took a ruler and marked the top part with a spot on the lower assembly. From my middle finger to my thumb, there is a slight offset that has to be kept the same when reinstalling. This is important so that when I reinstalled the assembly onto the car, I wouldn’t have to shift the springs back and forth to align the spring end/tips onto the proper place/grove on the top plates and the lower plates of the strut.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_14.jpg

18. Next, I compressed the original spring until loosened and removed the top assembly of the strut. I had to use the Allen wrench to hold the strut shaft and a wrench to remove the top bolt.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_15.jpg

19. Then I reinstalled exactly as how I removed the rear strut/spring assembly with the TRD springs. Essentially, compress the TRD springs and reassembled the strut parts. I did not cut the bump stop on the rear assembly. Note the height and thickness difference of the TRD springs vs stock springs.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_25.jpghttp://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_24.jpg

20. Next, I reinstalled the lower and top 3 strut bolts. I loosely screw on the top 3 bolts and then align the lower bolt to the body. I had to make sure it was aligned and it took some shifting. I tightened to spec’s all bolts.

21. Side track: I installed the TRD rear sway bar main coupler bolts on both sides after maneuvering the TRD sway bar back into position. The coupler was smeared with the included grease for movement. Then, I tightened the sway bar bolts to the outside hole for street ride. The inside holes are for race, rougher ride.
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_26.jpghttp://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_27.jpg

22. Here are some before and after pictures. It looks a lot better now since the TRD springs have settled. The after picture was right after and is not so good. It looks a lot better in person, though!
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_28.jpghttp://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_29.jpg
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/personal/7390_30.jpg

You can also view slightly large pictures at: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chungsterly/my_photos

Thanks for your help on posting the pix guys.

What do you guys think about the info? Total price was $195 with shipping included already for the TRD springs and TRD sway bar.

Pics dont work! DOH!

Sounds like a GREAT write up though. Can you fix the pics?

Yeah, the pix don't work yet, but you can click the link to the gallery in the meantime or the yahoo photos page. I need someone to help me post pictures with posts. Anyone?

use tags, and you have to link it to the actual image file. find the jpg link and put [img] PIC LINK

Fixed them for you Azure Pearl tc, Also left you some tips :wink: Later Buddy

wow that color is crazy, it looks silver sometimes, its really nice.... im never gonna be able to make up my mind/ about this car, Color wise.....Red/Gray/Light blue.Silver. Ehhh

thanks Kaeon and brian for you help!

"wow that color is crazy, it looks silver sometimes, its really nice.... im never gonna be able to make up my mind/ about this car, Color wise.....Red/Gray/Light blue.Silver. Ehhh"

Thanks. I was talking to this guy for 10 mins at a parking lot in the afternoon, and he kept thinking it was a silver color like his....until he took off his sunglass :)

I have to say pictures do not do Azure Pearl justice. When I finally saw one with a nice dark tint! ITS GORGEOUS.

Hey! My car with TRD springs looks higher than yours. I guess they all vary SLIGHTLY..or maybe not. But anyway, your drop looks good! I'd like to go lower, but I guess i'll play it safe for now ;).

I have to say pictures do not do Azure Pearl justice. When I finally saw one with a nice dark tint! ITS GORGEOUS.

I guess I better get tint!

Hey! My car with TRD springs looks higher than yours. I guess they all vary SLIGHTLY..or maybe not. But anyway, your drop looks good! I'd like to go lower, but I guess i'll play it safe for now ;).

yeah, they all vary.... as for me, I think that is low enough for me. It's nice to keep it a sleeper !:wink: Since my car was lowered, it gives me the urge to want to race. And since I installed the K&N intake filter, the power sensation is awesome, which makes me want to step on it more! It seems like each time a performance enhancement is installed, I love my car more.

I didn't see your car on your profile. I only saw your DC header post but no pix of your car, and some of the last pictures didn't show. Nice post of the headers, though! I wish I could install one too, but I'm saving it for a turbo. but it is tempting...

I must thank you for taking the time to bother with pics too. Makes a hell of a difference for the timid first timers.

Do you want some money now ? :wink:

Man, this could have cut my time down installing my springs.....its hard to fiqure out with out any pictures....haha

I must thank you for taking the time to bother with pics too. Makes a hell of a difference for the timid first timers.

Do you want some money now ? :wink:

did I hear money? :mrgreen:

.........

I think every install should have pictures :wink: :wink:

Nice job. :) Looks good.

You know what I would do to improve the tC's handling? Make it go on a diet! It weighs a ton! 2900+ lbs. Not good. If we could take out 400 pounds, then that would shave off .4 seconds in the 1/4 mile. Not only that, but it would handle a lot better too.

I test drove my tC a while back and it's nice and stiff, but the reaction time is huge compared to my 2001 Civic. I would start taking stuff out and seeing how much weight I can shave off.

I bet that there are things in there (brackets, braces, bolts) that can be dealt with. The weight distribution is one thing to consider. I would take off as much as possible from the front to have a better weight distribution.

Hmm...

Nice pics. Looks sweet though I want a lower drop on mine so I will have to find a different set of springs personally.

Grey: If you can find a good weigh to shed some pounds (pun intended) please let us know........

Yep, will do. I won't have the car 'till Thu. and then I can't really do much to it since I kinda have to hide it from my wife. Then I kinda can't do much to it either 'cause it will be her car, but maybe she'll let me poke around. I'll post up some info. as soon as I see anything interesting. I bet that tC's could easily shed 250 pounds with some drilling (aka swiss cheesing) in the right spots.

looks so nice, i want !

thanks grey, sheep, and jb.

weigh reduction is a great idea. perhaps the tC will come out with a race version with more hp and weigh reduction. They have so much padding on the car that makes it slightly heavy. But that is why the car is so well built...even to the slightess detail. That's why all the car magazines are writing about it so much. It's quiet, refined, and the value is a plus....Motor trend even included it in the MT car of the year list recently.

As for me, the TRD spring and sway bar is a must after I had it done. It makes a world of difference at a very low price!

Looks nice I think I want a lower drop..Tein S Techs hehe

Where did u get the trd srpings and sway bar for $195 from? did u get them from mcgeorgeparts.com

Yeah....only 1.2-1.4" drop with the TRD springs. I like the subtle look=)

Where did u get the trd srpings and sway bar for $195 from? did u get them from mcgeorgeparts.com

Yeah, I ordered from mcgeorgeparts.com, who was nice enough to price match for me from a deal that was from sparksscion.com at the same time. I had just order only the TRD springs from mcgeorge, but right afterwards saw a deal from sparksscion.com. There was a deal about 3 weeks ago where sparksscion.com had many TRD scion parts for sale. My combo was $195 for the TRD springs and TRD rear sway bar that included free shipping. It was actually for $192 2 days before I bought mine...but I was slow to jump on it.

I was told by mcgeorgeparts that TRD actually had to sell all the TRD scion tC parts for cheap to get rid of a warehouse rental fee. TRD didn't expect the tC's to come out so slowly as it did (waiting lists, etc...) so they had over produced the parts. The dealers got it for cheap so they sold it for cheap. I think the prices are back to normal now.

There are still some good deals out there, but not quite as good as before. Some dealers still have some lower priced items and some of the individual parts and/or packages still come with free shipping. Just have to look around a bit. I think are deals are competitive at www.trdsparks.com


Ken

www.yoursciontc.com

wow.. .awesome write ups... thanks!!!

thanks for the info, did my install last nite.

oo, i ordered from Sparks, great service, fast shipping, ordered monday came in thursday.

Just finished my install about an hour and half ago. Was a few steps in the install I had to figure out on my own, but it was still handy.

No problem. Glad to help out.

i think it's more fun to install it yourself. saves money, and at least you'll know how to check and tighten your suspension if you plan to race.

Have the exact same color. I like the lowered look...your pics have convinced me to order the TRD springs. One question, however...You kept the stock struts, right?

If you did, have there been any ride quality problems with that combination? I won't be lowering my car so I can race on weekends, I just like the reduced fenderwell gap, so I was planning to keep the stock struts, but swap the springs and rear sway bar.

Well done.

Have the exact same color. I like the lowered look...your pics have convinced me to order the TRD springs. One question, however...You kept the stock struts, right?

If you did, have there been any ride quality problems with that combination? I won't be lowering my car so I can race on weekends, I just like the reduced fenderwell gap, so I was planning to keep the stock struts, but swap the springs and rear sway bar.

I did keep my stock struts. Ride is slightly rougher. Handles alot better than stock. Makes me want to race, or bring out to the track! I don't know how the TRD strut/spring and sway bar combo feels like. I assume the TRD struts might make the ride even rougher.

Great Write-Up... i'm printing it right now :)

Nice write up going to install my tein this week ...~! thanks

how much did the trd springs lover the car? i've read that it's susposed to lower the car bout 1.25". Is that really accurate? or does it sit lower?

Nice write-up. It should go in the DIY section IMHO.

I have some questions for those that have done this to their tC's:

1. Where is a good spot on the undercarriage to jack up the car, both front and rear?
2. Is an alignment required after installing springs and/or rear swaybar?

Thanks again Azure!?!

Good write up. Although, I already have my suspension installed. I'm sure it handles 10 times better. Mine does. I went the middle of the road on spring choice.

S-techs = Slammed look
TRD = Dosen't looked lowered at all IMO.

H-techs = Just right.

I want 19's, and S-techs are just tooo dumped with 19's.

I just mounted the jacks (two-one front and one rear) at the standard jack locations on one side of the car with safety jack stands underneath near the front frame and rear frame members.

I did not re-align my car. I have about 20K miles after install of the TRD springs/sway bar, and my tires are in great shape. Still have plenty of tread for 10-15k more miles. I have 30k total miles on my car now.

rhythm: Thanks for the comments. I have the TRD springs and I beg the differ. It looks sweet and subtle, and you CAN tell the difference between my car and a non-lowered car. It just looks sweeter. I think TRD srpings should be stock on this car. If Scion did have these stock on the car, the tC would definitely receive much better auto reviews than it has already!

Looks very nice, I like it a lot , that's my opinion.

:clap:

great diy. i have to book mark this when i get my springs so i can do this at home to save money

i did this on saturday. with the help of my dad who has been a diesel engine mechanic for the better part of his life. i decided to take out the side panels in the trunk to make it easier to access the 3rd top bolt on the rears. when we reinstalled it we broke two plastic clips for one of the panels... we also found it hard to keep the strut aligned after we put the springs on. we had to recompress and mark top and bottom to make sure it was correct when we put it back in. the fronts werent bad.. and we did them without taking off the windsheild wipers. i decided to go with the s-tech. and stock strut only b/c i didnt have money for either tein basics or TRD struts... the drop is perfect, the ride is awesome, and i dont scrape on driveways. which is pretty good for where i life b/c they are steep.


i didnt think about cutting the bump stop (front or rear) when putting them on, i was wondering from someone with expirience how this will affect the ride quality, and would it be worth it to take them off and cut it? im running stock 17" rims. might go with 18's later but will just get a lower profile tire to compensate for the extra inch. advice?


i also blacked out my tails and side mirrors the same day, since i had the trunk apart. and both projects took about 10 hours .... what a day

Dude u live in DFW Area?? I think ive see u b4!!! (At Red Oak?) Also if I gave ya some $$ Think u could help me sometime w/ my spring install?

Wow, blast from the past.

This is a great write up! Helped me quite a bit on doing my h-techs last night...

that some long break bar.