SpeedracerRX7

I am putting Tein RA coilovers on my car and I was able to get the passenger side on with just a little bit of trouble. (I wasn't able to break the bolt on the bottom of the rear strut so I had to take the a-arm off and get someone with an impact wrench to break it) I have moved on to the driver side and it seems as though for some reason the sway bar is applying upward pressure on the a-arm and not allowing the suspension to travel far enough to let the strut and spring to come loose. On the rear I was able to jack up the suspension enough to get the sway bar loose and thus letting it drop far enough down to get it out. On the front is a different matter. I have loosened the bolt up and driven it almost all the way out of the shock. I have taken the upper a-arm off but the dang thing just won't drop far enough to let the shock and all drop down and pull out. I would take the sway bar out but it too is tight and the last time I actually got it out I had to drive the car to a shop to get back in because it wouldn't fit back in properly.

Will jacking up both front tires off the ground even out the torsion on the sway bar and allow the suspension more travel? I was thinking it would, but I won't have time to try it until this weekend. I still have to put the rear suspension in and tighten it up to do this but I was thinking it might work. Let me know what you all think.

John Magnuson

You have to disconnect the front sway bar to remove the front coilovers. If you can't disconnect it directly at the endlink you could also just unbolt the whole bar from both sway bar brackets and let the whole bar lower itself down.

I also find that you have to detach the upper a arm.

SpeedracerRX7

Yea, I wonder how I got the other side off? I was able to do that one without touching the sway bar. I guess I was just lucky or something. I still may try jacking both sides up just to try it because I don't have good luck with the sway bar link that mounts in the lower arm. I may, like you said, try just backing the mounts out but I am affraid that I won't be able to get them back up afterwards. Like I said I have already taken the upper arm off so we'll see how things go.

macdaddy

yes, both front hubs should be at the same level when disconnecting the sway bar, so there will be no torque on it.

tt2323

To make it easier on yourself. YOU MUST lift both front tires. Not doing so keeps tension on the sway bar. I just went thru the same thing. Wrestled with it, researched and found i had to lift both wheels. The whole assembly then came out without a problem...

rynberg

Yikes, Tein RAs on a street-driven car with the stock wheels and tires?

I hope you like:

a) a punishing ride
b) oversteer
c) rebuilding dampers on a yearly basis

SpeedracerRX7

I am planning on tracking the car mostly and that is why I bought the Teins. The ride though a bit rough was better than I expected on the soft setting.

As for the bind I was in by not getting the sway bar off, the solution was found in jacking the opposite side of the car up to an equal level and it easily came off without issue.

Howard Coleman

iTrader: (6)

Yikes, Tein RAs on a street-driven car with the stock wheels and tires?

I hope you like:

a) a punishing ride
b) oversteer
c) rebuilding dampers on a yearly basis

800 pound springs?

Jodeny

iTrader: (3)

Actually they're 895lb springs.
John

rynberg

Yep, 895 front AND rear!

Jodeny

iTrader: (3)

Ooofa!