DIY: Installing Koni Yellows and Ground Control Coilovers
Note: This DIY tutorial was performed on a 1996-2000 Honda Civic. However, the same steps and principles can often be applied to most vehicles.
Materials:
Step 1: Loosen the lugnuts and jack the front of the car up and put it on jack stands.
Step 2: Remove the wheels and the axle hub nut (32mm)
Step 3: Remove the nut that connects the hub to the lower control arm.
Step 4: Remove the nut that connects the shock assembly to the lower control arm (17mm)
Step 5: Remove the 2 nuts the bolt the top of the strut assembly to the engine bay (14mm). When you do this, the assembly will be ready to be removed, but first you need to free up some space.
Step 6: Push the wheel hub up and pull it away from the vehicle so the axle comes out (you may have to hit the axle with a rubber mallet to get it free from the hub.) Once the hub is out of the way, push down on the lower control arm, allowing room to remove the shock/spring assembly.
Step 7: Remove the damper fork from the old shock (14mm) and put it on the new one (32 ft/lbs).
(Excuse the touch-up paint, I scratched the strut while putting on the damper fork and didn’t want it to rust.)
Step 8: You’ll need a strut spring compressor to take off the O.E.M tophat to reuse with the aftermarket suspension. I rented mine from Autozone and I’m sure they have them at any automotive store. Compress the springs until they can move freely. Then you need to remove the nut that holds the top hat down. You may need to use air tools/torque gun but if you don’t have access to those you’ll have to find a way to keep the strut from turning while you remove the nut.
Step 9: Once you disassemble the old suspension set-up, it’s time to put together the new one. If you’re upgrading from O.E.M. parts, you may need to cut the bump stop to the one pictured below (brown object). The order of nuts/spacers should come with the struts but here’s the order just in case starting from bottom to top (left to right). Spring>Ground Control polyurethane spacer (black object on top of springs in photo)>bump stop>flat metal spacer>OEM top hat with rubber bushings (metal cylinder provided by Koni goes inside the bushings)>metal spacer with ends curved up>2 nuts.
Step 10: To tighten the nuts you’ll need to hold the strut still. You can do this on the Koni's by using a 17mm wrench to tighten the nuts and an 8mm socket/wrench to keep the strut from turning.
Here’s what it looks like all assembled. Don’t worry if the springs have a lot of room to move, once the car is lowered, the strut will compress. Also, the Ground Control coilovers aren’t adjusted yet.
Step 11: Now it’s time to install the new suspension. Make sure you put the shock assembly with the correct damper fork on the correct side. There should be an L or R on the inside of the fork that tells which side is which. You may need someone to help you put the shock back in because you need to pull out the hub, push down on the control arm and slide the axle back up between the fork and the control arm. Once everything is lined up, tighten the 2 bolts up top in the engine bay (14mm to 36 ft/lbs.) and the rest is the opposite of removal (slide the axle back in and tighten the hub to control arm nut (61ft/lbs.), fork to control arm nut (17mm to 47 ft/lbs.), and axle hub nut (32mm to 134 ft/lbs.)
REAR:
Step 1: Loosen the lugnuts, jack up the rear of the car, put wedges in front of the front wheels and remove the wheels.
Step 2: Remove the nut that connects the strut to the rear lower control arm (14mm). Then remove the nut that connects the lower control arm to the rear trailing arm (14mm).
Step 3: Use a rubber mallet to hit the control arm free of the hub. Then loosen the 2 (14mm) bolts on the top of the rear struts located in the trunk. You may have to pull away the carpeting. Then you will be able to remove the rear strut assembly.
Step 4: Use the spring compressors again (See Step 8 of the Front Shocks) to get the top hats off. Then assemble the rear shocks exactly like the front shocks (See Step 9 of Front Shocks).
Step 5: Put the rear shock into position and reconnect the lower control arm to the trailing arm (14mm to 40 ft/lbs.)
Step 6: Tighten the bolt that connects the shock to the lower control arm (14mm to 40 ft/lbs) and tighten the two bolts in the trunk that hold the tophat to the body (14mm to 36 ft/lbs.)
Step 7: Now you’re good to go. To adjust the ground controls use the hex key included with the coilover sleeves and loosen the bolt on the gold perch. Twist the right to raise them and twist to the left to lower them. Make sure the car is jacked up when you do this.
Note: This DIY tutorial was performed on a 1996-2000 Honda Civic. However, the same steps and principles can often be applied to most vehicles.
Materials:
- Torque Wrench
- Jack
- Jack stands
- Metric Socket set. (10,12,14,15,17,32)
- Strut Spring Compressor (rented from Autozone or bought at any automotive store.)
- Rubber mallet
- 17mm wrench
Step 1: Loosen the lugnuts and jack the front of the car up and put it on jack stands.
Step 2: Remove the wheels and the axle hub nut (32mm)
Step 3: Remove the nut that connects the hub to the lower control arm.
Step 4: Remove the nut that connects the shock assembly to the lower control arm (17mm)
Step 5: Remove the 2 nuts the bolt the top of the strut assembly to the engine bay (14mm). When you do this, the assembly will be ready to be removed, but first you need to free up some space.
Step 6: Push the wheel hub up and pull it away from the vehicle so the axle comes out (you may have to hit the axle with a rubber mallet to get it free from the hub.) Once the hub is out of the way, push down on the lower control arm, allowing room to remove the shock/spring assembly.
Step 7: Remove the damper fork from the old shock (14mm) and put it on the new one (32 ft/lbs).
(Excuse the touch-up paint, I scratched the strut while putting on the damper fork and didn’t want it to rust.)
Step 8: You’ll need a strut spring compressor to take off the O.E.M tophat to reuse with the aftermarket suspension. I rented mine from Autozone and I’m sure they have them at any automotive store. Compress the springs until they can move freely. Then you need to remove the nut that holds the top hat down. You may need to use air tools/torque gun but if you don’t have access to those you’ll have to find a way to keep the strut from turning while you remove the nut.
Step 9: Once you disassemble the old suspension set-up, it’s time to put together the new one. If you’re upgrading from O.E.M. parts, you may need to cut the bump stop to the one pictured below (brown object). The order of nuts/spacers should come with the struts but here’s the order just in case starting from bottom to top (left to right). Spring>Ground Control polyurethane spacer (black object on top of springs in photo)>bump stop>flat metal spacer>OEM top hat with rubber bushings (metal cylinder provided by Koni goes inside the bushings)>metal spacer with ends curved up>2 nuts.
Step 10: To tighten the nuts you’ll need to hold the strut still. You can do this on the Koni's by using a 17mm wrench to tighten the nuts and an 8mm socket/wrench to keep the strut from turning.
Here’s what it looks like all assembled. Don’t worry if the springs have a lot of room to move, once the car is lowered, the strut will compress. Also, the Ground Control coilovers aren’t adjusted yet.
Step 11: Now it’s time to install the new suspension. Make sure you put the shock assembly with the correct damper fork on the correct side. There should be an L or R on the inside of the fork that tells which side is which. You may need someone to help you put the shock back in because you need to pull out the hub, push down on the control arm and slide the axle back up between the fork and the control arm. Once everything is lined up, tighten the 2 bolts up top in the engine bay (14mm to 36 ft/lbs.) and the rest is the opposite of removal (slide the axle back in and tighten the hub to control arm nut (61ft/lbs.), fork to control arm nut (17mm to 47 ft/lbs.), and axle hub nut (32mm to 134 ft/lbs.)
REAR:
Step 1: Loosen the lugnuts, jack up the rear of the car, put wedges in front of the front wheels and remove the wheels.
Step 2: Remove the nut that connects the strut to the rear lower control arm (14mm). Then remove the nut that connects the lower control arm to the rear trailing arm (14mm).
Step 3: Use a rubber mallet to hit the control arm free of the hub. Then loosen the 2 (14mm) bolts on the top of the rear struts located in the trunk. You may have to pull away the carpeting. Then you will be able to remove the rear strut assembly.
Step 4: Use the spring compressors again (See Step 8 of the Front Shocks) to get the top hats off. Then assemble the rear shocks exactly like the front shocks (See Step 9 of Front Shocks).
Step 5: Put the rear shock into position and reconnect the lower control arm to the trailing arm (14mm to 40 ft/lbs.)
Step 6: Tighten the bolt that connects the shock to the lower control arm (14mm to 40 ft/lbs) and tighten the two bolts in the trunk that hold the tophat to the body (14mm to 36 ft/lbs.)
Step 7: Now you’re good to go. To adjust the ground controls use the hex key included with the coilover sleeves and loosen the bolt on the gold perch. Twist the right to raise them and twist to the left to lower them. Make sure the car is jacked up when you do this.
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