How To: Lowering Springs

This process can be done to replace your OEM springs with any after market performance springs. All instructions are for the passenger's side of the vehicle. The same procedure applies to the driver's side.

WARNING: Do not attempt this type of installation if you are unfamiliar with your vehicles suspension. This install requires at least an intermediate level of automotive knowledge. I know for some of you grey-beards out there, this type of work is a no brainer, but for novices and part-time hobbyists, I would suggest having your local dealer do the work.

Approx. Project Time: 2 to 4 Hours (depending on your automotive aptitude)

Things You'll Need:

Drive-on Floor Lift or Hydrolic Lift (can be done with a jack and jack stands, but will significantly increase project time and risk of injury.)
10 mm Combination wrench
12 mm Combination wrench
14 mm Socket, Universal Socket, and Combination wrench
17 mm Socket and Combination wrenches
Torque Wrench
Spring/Coil Compressors
A print out of pages 2-5 of these instructions for use of the diagrams only. The instructions provided in my thread are more in-depth but you may want to reference the diagrams if something is unclear in my photos.
Someone to help you
OPTIONAL: An air-ratchet and impact gun to make spring compression/assembly 100x easier
OPTIONAL: Floor jack, magnet pen

1. Raise the car on the lift and remove all 4 wheels
2. Use the 10mm socket wrench to remove the wheel sensor harness bracket bolt:

3. As a general rule of thumb, whenever I remove a bolt to loosen or remove a part, I will put the bolt back in its hole so I don't lose it.
4. Move the wheel sensor harness away from its bracket.

5. Use the 14mm socket wrench to remove the damper pinch bolt. This bolt is directly below and behind the wheel sensor harness and may be marked with red ink.

6. Use the 17mm socket wrench and combination wrench to remove the damper fork mounting bolt from the lower arm. You will need to hold the nut while loosening the bolt.

Remove the damper assembly from the damper fork.

Step 1: Removing the Front Damper (Con't)

At this point, the lower part of the damper assembly should be removed from the damper fork, and the damper fork should be removed from the lower arm.

Pop the hood of your car:

1. Using the 12mm and the 14mm socket wrenches, remove the six (6) damper mounting nuts from the top of the damper. Do not drop the damper. (Someone should be in the wheel-well holding the damper while you complete this step.)

The damper assembly is now completely unbolted from the body of the vehicle and is ready for removal. This step can be frustrating and requires a little muscle and some patience to accomplish without damaging your vehicle.

2. First, push down on the suspension arm to get the lower half of the damper assembly to clear the upper part of the arm.
3. Then you will have to raise the suspension arm to get the top half of the damper assembly to clear.
4. This may sound confusing, but you will understand what I mean once your working on it.

Step 2: Removing OEM Springs and Installing Eibach Springs

Warning: DO NOT ATTEMPT this step without Coil/Spring Compressors. Failing to heed this warning could result in serious injury or death.

Use the Spring Compressors to compress the OEM spring about 2.5 to 3 inches. (Enough to reduce the tension pushing on the top of the assembly so that it doesn't shoot off when you remove the tension nut.) Compression (and decompression) should be done at equal amounts on both sides. As such, this step may require two people.
Make sure to mark the damper assembly cap (at the top) at the point where it aligns with the end of the spring (at the bottom) where the spring sits flush against the notch in its housing. See my poor picture below. Failure to do so will cause major problems later.

3. With the spring safely compressed, use the air ratchet and 14mm socket to remove the tension nut.
4. Remove the OEM spring from the damper assembly.

5. Carefully loosen the Spring Compressors to release the OEM spring from the clamps.

6. Use the Spring Compressors to compress the front Eibach spring and install on damper assembly.
Remember to align the mark on the damper assembly cap with the end of the Eibach spring where it sits flush against the notch in its housing.

7. Use the air ratchet and 14mm socket to tighten tension nut until you meet with full resistance.

Step 3: Installing the Front Damper Assembly

1. The same sort of lift-lower process that was used to remove the damper assembly is required to install it. This time, I used the floor jack to make the raising and lowering of the lower arm a bit easier and more precise.

2. With the damper assembly behind the upper arm and correctly aligned, first reattach the damper mounting nuts to the top of the damper in the engine compartment.
3. Reattach the damper fork over the driveshaft and onto the lower arm and torque to 64Nm (47lb-ft.).
Reattach the damper pinch bolt and torque to 49 Nm (36lb-ft.).
4. Reattach the wheel speed sensor harness bracket and torque to 9.8Nm (7.2lb-ft.).

If you need to see illustrations, refer to the uninstall directions or the OEM instructions hyperlinked above. Simply put, you are reverse-order installing everything you originally removed.

Repeat this process on the driver's side of the vehicle to complete the front-end installation of your after market springs.

Step 4: Removing the Rear Damper

This portion of the installation requires work from inside the vehicle and a lot of patience. It was in these steps that I found one of the Accords few real design flaws.

1. Fold down the rear seat-back and remove the damper mounting nuts access lid.

2. Using the 14mm socket wrench and an extension, remove the damper mounting nuts from the top of the damper. Use the magnet pen or similar device to retrieve the nuts.

Step 4: Removing the Rear Damper (Con't)

I suggest referring to the OEM instructions in the next few steps if the photographs I took are not sufficient illustrations.

1. Remove the self locking nut on the rear assembly while holding the joint-bolt with a wrench, then disconnect the stabilizer link from the knuckle and remove the brake hose bracket.

2. Remove the damper mounting bolt.

3. Remove the damper assembly by lowering the rear suspension. (This step requires one person pushing down quite forcefully on the rear arm while another attempts to remove the damper assembly from the car.

Once you have the rear damper assembly removed from the vehicle:

4. Repeat steps 2.1 through 2.8 to remove rear OEM springs and replace with rear Eibach springs. (Same as front damper assemblies).

Step 5: Installing the Rear Damper

1. Lower the rear suspension using significant downward pressure, using similar up-and-down movements as before, and position the damper in the wheel-well with the welded nut on the bottom of the damper facing the front of the vehicle.
2. With the damper assembly correctly aligned, reattach the damper mounting nuts to the top of the damper assembly (in the back seat. This took forever! Suggest using the universal 14mm socket and an inspection mirror in conjunction with the magnet pen. Good luck here; major design flaw by Honda).
3. Reattach the damper mounting bolt on the bottom of the damper.
4. Connect the stabilizer link to the brake hose bracket to the knuckle, and reattach the self-locking nut.
5. Place a floor jack under the connecting point of the knuckle and the lower arm, and raise the suspension to load the vehicle weight.
6. Torque the damper mounting bolt to 64 Nm (47 lb-ft.).
7. Torque the stabilizer link to 44 Nm (33 lb-ft.).
8. Torque the damper mounting nuts to 55 Nm (41 lb-ft.).
9. Reattach the lid and the rear seatback.

Step 6: Finalizing the Installation

1. Reattach all the wheels and torque the wheel nuts to 108Nm (80 lb-ft.).
2. Lower the car from the lift and drive it about 10 yds. This will allow the wheels to self-adjust their camber slightly. (Since your suspension was fully suspended during install, the tires will naturally sag a little when the car is first taken off the lift. Driving 10 yards produces several tire revolutions, allowing the tires to straighten back out.
3. Check the wheel alignment (toe) and adjust as necessary. For about 99% of us, this means take it to the dealer and have them do an alignment.

There you have it! Like I said, this is not the easiest of installs but the process itself is fairly cut and dry. I would be happy to answer any questions via PM.

Here is my final result:

OEM Front Wheel-Well Ground Clearance: 6.375 in.

Eibach Front Wheel-Well Ground Clearance: 5.375 in.

I will let everyone know the final drop in a couple weeks when the springs are fully settled. Expecting another 0.1 in.

Information was transfered from Gen7Accord.com.