Vegas993

Didn't know the KW's were slotted. My H&R's were not.

HalV

Ok, I made a fair amount of progress this weekend. I only have the left rear yet to complete. I do have a couple questions, though.

What direction do the rears attach to the bottom mounts. I attached it so the green arrow is toward the bolt head and large washer. This makes KW label face the the wheel.

Also, is there anything easily done with the mass of hoses and bracket in the rear left behind the blower. I managed to reach around, under and over to remove the three nuts for the back left coilover. However, I'm worried about my son being able to guide me from the top when I'm trying to put the coilover in from under the car.

HalV

I'm not sure? What do you mean by slotted?

Vandit

He means the mounting tab for the brake line on the front strut bodies has a slot cut into it so that you don't have to separate the brake line to remove the assembly.

HalV

Ah...yes, the KWs are slotted. That saved 30 seconds.

Vegas993

I didn't want to cut mine, so when taking them apart, I broke a brake line. So you potentially saved a lot more than 30 seconds. :wink:

c didy

I've wondered that myself and never seen any answer. I have heard that attaching those upper nuts is "fiddly". Apparently that means there is not an easy solution. If someone knows otherwise it would be nice to know. Divulge people.

Vandit

It's tricky, lots of trial and error. I did this one solo, so if you have your son helping it should be much easier. I think I used a piece of wood or my floor jack to keep the assembly from falling down as I quickly went around the top and (a) checked the studs on the top mount were coming through the unibody and (b) quickly put the nuts on there a few turns after confirming (a) in order to keep the assemblies from falling out of the car.

HalV

The job is done! The left rear went in without a hitch. My son was able to get the washers and nuts on fine. Putting the heater blower and airbox back in was actually a bigger PITA. I took a good amount of pics (mostly of the front) while I was doing working so I'll try to write a DIY in the near future.

Somehow I missed the part about setting the preload between 50 mm and 80 mm, so I went back to each corner and set them to about 57 mm as a starting point. I haven't checked the official ride height but used the KW guide as a quick reference. From the middle of the wheel the fronts are at about 12.75 inches and the rears are at about 13.75. I might wait a week or two to let the suspension settle before I go in for an alignment. The next track day for me isn't until the end of July. If I have time I'll check the camber tonight just to see where I'm at.

I must say the old dampers were in pretty bad shape. Bits of rubber were falling off everywhere as I was compressing the springs. It's a bit scary to think I was tracking at high speed with the shocks in that condition.

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone for their help! The task would have been much more daunting without all your support.

PelicanParts.com

Congrats! Looking forward to the pics and track day pics as well!

HalV

My original ride height using the KW Fender specs were way too low so I adjusted the ride height to 138 mm up front and 237 mm from the Cast Boss Rear Axle Trailing Arm measuring point in the rear. The RS specs are 125 +/-5 and 223 +/-5 respectively. I know I'm a little high, but I will have it set lower when I get a full alignment.

What's concerning is that I'm having trouble setting the camber on the front right wheel. I can't set it any more positive than about -2 degrees. RS specs call for -1 degree +/- 1'. Any ideas what might be wrong? For reference, the other wheels are about -1.39 degrees.

SuperUser

The top mount does have an offset in it, is it possible you have it reversed on one side?

HalV

Yeah, I wondered that, too, so I checked. That said, I'll check again tonight!

HalV

Both are offset with the struts in toward the middle, so that's not it.

FeralComprehension

Are your spring-perches within the range specified by KW? When I installed the V3s, I couldn't get greater than RS ride height and stay within the KW ranges; when I called KW they said "Stay in the recommended ranges or you may top/bottom out. This can kill the damper, and we can tell it was the mechanism of damage if you send them in. This type of damage is not covered by the warrantee."