How To: H&R Springs (P5)

[derrick1623]

First off, emergency brake should be on, and car should be on jackstands. take rims off(duh) You will also need spring compressors,to remove stock springs.
1.Remove everything from hatch area.
http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/derrick1623/aug04_01.jpg
Pop out a few "pop-tabs" and remove the covers.(driver side has a harness for the light)
2.Remove foam padding,and seatbelt return holder(covering the strut bolts)
http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/derrick1623/coveroff.jpg
3.Under the car, take off these two bolts,holding the brake assembly to the strut,(the arrow points to a backwards installed bolt...if that is the case...you will have to unhinge the caliper. To do this...remove the black cap on the rear of the caliper, and take out the bolt,it will swing up.)
http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/derrick1623/thatbolt.jpg
4.Take off these bolts. remove strut from underneath, and tada...it's halfway done.
http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/derrick1623/strutbolt.jpg
BE SURE TO KEEP ALL PARTS TOGETHER.
http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/derrick1623/stuff.jpg
5.Compress the stock springs, remove spring perch, take off springs.
http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/derrick1623/compress.jpg
*I know you hate it, BUT...Installation is the same in reverse...(in other words,put it back together.)

The fronts are the same,except...make note of where this dot is:
http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/derrick1623/dot.jpg

[cdglowp5]

Hey I found the bolt LOL

[Gro Harlem]

awwww dammit, i forgot you guys were installing that crap yesterday. I wanted to do a how-to soo bad too on lowering a 3rd gen :(

[PaulMP3]

im in the process of finally installing my spool springs right now. I cant get the lower bolt off the strut b/c it hits the brakes. anyone else have this problem. im gonna head back out and play around some more. any suggestions would be appreciated.
oh and im doing the front left first.

thanks
Paul

[Mackdaddy]

Did you cut the bumpstops?? I finally decided to drop mine (Eibach Prokit,) and there's nothing in the box that states I need to. Eibach's web site doesn't say anything either....

TIA - Jim

[Steve89GTA]

Nice instructions but - after making note of the dot, what happens next?
Did you forget to mention something? I'm guessing the dot is where the top of the spring should sit? hmmmm

Also, on the top of all four spring mounts. Is there 4 bolts/nuts to be removed in the back (3 perimeter and the center bolt) and 5 in the front (4 perimeter and one center?)

Being a little more specific may help a lot of us. You should also be more specific in regard to the spring compressor as that has the potential for injury.

[good0177]

Can someone do a more in-depth how to on how to install drop springs? I am doing this soon and want to be sure I do it right. I know some peeps on this board have done it themselves, help a brotha out. I especially wonder about the spring compressor. I plan on renting one from Checker and am unsure as to how to use one. Help!!! Don't want to pay $100 for garage to do it. Peace.

[Minus]

do you take the bolt off right iun the middle when looking from the top? the bolt that is actually on the strut.
http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/derrick1623/strutbolt.jpg

[Minus]

also, does anyone have a how to on the rear for a sedan??

[Jethro_TDot]

Whats the difference in installing a spring and a coil-over (not adjustable)?
I'm a little confuse and sure hope someone would clear this up
for me. Thanks in Advance

[Minus]

ok i put my front springs on my car today and things went really well, except for the fact that i stripped the hell out of the bolt that goes to the rod connecting the sway bar to the strut

you need to pull the brake lines off with a pair of needle nose pliers on that little clamp. slide it off and then wiggle the brake lines a little bit and then it should slide right out.after all that is over with, and you have the strut out, you take your spring compressors and press the spring down and with a 19mm socket, you take the top bolt off and remove the spring.

you pretty much must have a friend helping you or this is physically impossible. well, almost. just be very careful not to strip and freaking bolts like i did and it will be fine and dandy, i havent gotten around to the rears yet, but i will do them by sunday, because i won't be in town (or driving any) saturday. everything was very simple, and we would have been through with the front in about 1 hour and 1/2 if we wouldn't have stripped that screw.

[Pirana]

here is my link to my GC install.

http://www.hometown.aol.com/rzr669/gcinstall.html

[Minus]

pirana, tell me, why did you cut the bumpstops?was i supposed to?

[Minus]

the front of my car looks really nice, i just need to rethread that bolt and put two new bolts on and the front will be finished. i also need to get around to doing the back asap.

[Pirana]

you got Pm

[Minus]

after lowering my car, the front end seems to be making a clunking noise for some odd reason... it so sensitive, that if i like sit down in the seat kinda hard that it will make the noise.... i think it has something to do with the sway bar most likely.

[Pirana]

Could have the seat of the springs at the wrong angle, the cut should fit in its seat. Also check the top mount, maybe not tight, (my cousin forgot to tighten those when he went for a test drive). ALso make sure the top hat is sitting flush in the tower. May also need to lubricate the top hat bushing

[gar777]

installed H&Rs in my 03 ES yesterday and here are some tips:

General:
1. biggest pain in whole job is the sway bar end link bolts. Use penetrating oil, a 5mm allen hex socket (to hold the inner threaded part) and the longest 14mm box wrench you can find (6pt is best). When that doesn't work, use vise grips to grab the nut. When done, throw the nuts out and replace with a flat washer and proper nut so you can get a better grip on it next time.

Front-specific
2. loosen (but DO NOT remove) the top center strut nut BEFORE removing the strut from the car, only really to break it loose, maybe 1/2 - 1 full turn. make sure there's still lots of thread left because this nut is holding the spring on. This is a pain to do once the strut's out of the car unless (a) you have a friend to hold the top strut mounting plate still while you crank on that nut (which I didn't), (b) you can put the top mounting bracket in a vise (which I did) or (c) you use an impact wrench. Also do the final torque-ing of this nut once installed back in the car.

Rear-specific
3. before removing the rear seatbelt retractor, fully extend the belt and tie up some how to lock it in the fully extended position. I used a large binder clip from the office. otherwise, the belts will retract and you'll have a big pain trying to get them extended again to reinstall.
4. I needed to remove the brake ONLY on the right side and only because the lower strut mounting bolts pointed forward. (The brake is in the way and prevents you from removing the bolt all the way). Only need to remove the e-brake line (just pop the clip and slide out) and the 10mm bolt on the top under the black plastic cap, then flip the caliper back and out of the way. no need to remove more than that. No need to do this for drivers side as those bolts point rearward and can be removed with the brake in place. They are a bit tight so use a large, flat tipped round punch against the center of the pointy end of the bolts and a 3 pound sledge. WD-40 also helps (but don't get any on the brakes!).
5. when installing the spring on the strut, line up the top mounting plate with the lower mounting bolts the way they'll be in the car so you don't have to twist the top plate relative to the strut bottom when trying to mount them. Otherwise, the spring will turn in the perch and come off of its proper mounting point and you'll have an improperly seated spring and have to start all over. You can do this by looking down the big whole up top and looking at the relationship between the top 3 bolt holes and the upright mounting point. From the upright mounting point, the center-most of the 3 bolts is at roughly 1 o'clock and 11 o'clock on the passenger and driver sides, respectively, with the strut bottom mounting point at 6 o'clock.
6. like 2 above, if you don't have a friend or a vise to grab the top mounting piece that keeps the shaft from turning, I'm not sure how you loosen or tighten the top mounting bolt since it will spin in the car.

That's all I remember. sorry I don't have any pics. This may be hard to understand if you haven't done it so I'll try to answer any questions I can.

[Laser03pro]

Seems easy but i wanna save n put in tokicos and msp sways at the same time.

[gar777]

tokicos will be no more work than H&Rs by themselves but the sway bars will be more work. From what I hear, rear bar is straightforward but front bar is more difficult, requiring dropping the cross member down. other threads describe this better.

[Laser03pro]

Yeh i heard about that im sure it isnt to hard. If you do it when you change your springs it will prob be easier. Not sure tho havnt looked under neath my car really good yet.

[grindMARC]

6. like 2 above, if you don't have a friend or a vise to grab the top mounting piece that keeps the shaft from turning, I'm not sure how you loosen or tighten the top mounting bolt since it will spin in the car.

Harbourfreight sells a pass through ratchet set. I think its $15. Can't find a link at the moment sorry. Sears has a set too, but its like $45.
There is a hole in the center of the ratchet that allows you to put an allen wrench through it to hold the shaft while you tighten/loosen the nut.

[toucci]

I installed my illuminas today. I used the new nuts on the top of the fronts and reused the stock nuts on the top of the rear struts and used a super lightweight sillicone spray to lube the threads when putting them on, and was able to keep the shaft from spinning relatively well. Basically, you keep tightening them until it hits the end at which point you torque to 40 lbs or whereabouts. It helped to have pressure from the jack on them to keep the shaft up.

[xFLiPsTyLeZx]

so when installing springs, do u have to cut the bumpstops?

[Prodigy]

so when installing springs, do u have to cut the bumpstops?
I'd like to know also...

[awsmp5]

does anyone know how to do the freakin seat belt?
its stuck in a retracted position and it won't come out at all

[awsmp5]

and the bump stops?
are you supposed to cut them cuz i didn't...

[Laser03pro]

does anyone know how to do the freakin seat belt?
its stuck in a retracted position and it won't come out at all

You have to turn it upright like it should be maybe shake it then pull the belt out.

[Red5_02]

and the bump stops?
are you supposed to cut them cuz i didn't...

The bumpstops on the ground control springs were cut because the assembly was being changed to something completely different. If you install springs specifically made for the P5 then you should have no problem. Keep in mind that if you drop too far, though, you'll have to buy new struts.

[awsmp5]

i actually installed struts and springs. and love it :)

[Red5_02]

i actually installed struts and springs. and love it :)

Should be cool then.

[improte5]

great HOW-TO... looking forward to doing mine tomorrow!