djaaronp
12-13-2004, 04:50 PM
Well, Saturday me and two guys I work with took my tC into the shop and installed the TRD springs ourself. Both of them had done spring installs before but this was my first.
The shop had everything we needed, hydraulic lift, impact wrench, breaker bars, etc.
The install was VERY EASY. There were 4 of us and it took 3 hours total and that was with 3 of us standing around while the 4th did the work going "Yup Steve-O, that looks good" you know, like government work :)
I would say the hardest part was lining up the rear top-hat correctly, took us a few tries because of the angle, but nothing that loosening a bolt and twisting couldnt fix. The install guide tells you to take off the windshield wiper and cowl but its not necessary. When you loosen the top 3 bolts on the top hat the strut will lower down and you can get a wrench in there nicely. That will save you some time right there.
The drop is PERFECT. I am MORE happy with it than I thought I would be. The wheel sits perfectly in the wheel well now. The front and rear are level, so its not an aggressive street stance. If you want the front lower than the rear then I suggest waiting on a different spring set to come out. The car sits perfectly level, which, in my opinion looks awesome on the tC.
My buddy took pics during the install. Nothing major like a step-by-step but just some pics of us goofing around in the shop. I also took some pics of my car this morning which I'll probably post sometime tomorrow. It looks great.
If you want to drop the tC just a little, and have it sit nicely on the stock shoes then I HIGHLY suggest the TRD Springs.
About the ride. Its sweet. Highway ride is NOT rough. Neither is street. The springs I would say are just slightly stiffer than the stock ones so they dont rub, but they dont compromise on ride. The lowered center of gravity makes the car STICK around corners. I was driving aggressively today on my way to work and the cornering is much improved. I can tell that it would be a little better if I had the sway bar, you can feel the rear end roll to the outside a little, but nothing major.
As far as rubbing, I cant get the car to. I tried hitting a few speed bumps (which were rather large) and got NO scraping what-so-ever. I cant get it to hit anything, not that I'm really trying, but in normal driving conditions, nothing scrapes or rubs. Very nice.
All in all, it was the best investment so far on my car (well, only besides the floor mats).
I really recommend the TRD springs!
The shop had everything we needed, hydraulic lift, impact wrench, breaker bars, etc.
The install was VERY EASY. There were 4 of us and it took 3 hours total and that was with 3 of us standing around while the 4th did the work going "Yup Steve-O, that looks good" you know, like government work :)
I would say the hardest part was lining up the rear top-hat correctly, took us a few tries because of the angle, but nothing that loosening a bolt and twisting couldnt fix. The install guide tells you to take off the windshield wiper and cowl but its not necessary. When you loosen the top 3 bolts on the top hat the strut will lower down and you can get a wrench in there nicely. That will save you some time right there.
The drop is PERFECT. I am MORE happy with it than I thought I would be. The wheel sits perfectly in the wheel well now. The front and rear are level, so its not an aggressive street stance. If you want the front lower than the rear then I suggest waiting on a different spring set to come out. The car sits perfectly level, which, in my opinion looks awesome on the tC.
My buddy took pics during the install. Nothing major like a step-by-step but just some pics of us goofing around in the shop. I also took some pics of my car this morning which I'll probably post sometime tomorrow. It looks great.
If you want to drop the tC just a little, and have it sit nicely on the stock shoes then I HIGHLY suggest the TRD Springs.
About the ride. Its sweet. Highway ride is NOT rough. Neither is street. The springs I would say are just slightly stiffer than the stock ones so they dont rub, but they dont compromise on ride. The lowered center of gravity makes the car STICK around corners. I was driving aggressively today on my way to work and the cornering is much improved. I can tell that it would be a little better if I had the sway bar, you can feel the rear end roll to the outside a little, but nothing major.
As far as rubbing, I cant get the car to. I tried hitting a few speed bumps (which were rather large) and got NO scraping what-so-ever. I cant get it to hit anything, not that I'm really trying, but in normal driving conditions, nothing scrapes or rubs. Very nice.
All in all, it was the best investment so far on my car (well, only besides the floor mats).
I really recommend the TRD springs!