Anyone know what steps are required (or if its possible) to do a spring/strut upgrade that involves having a shop do the tower assembly/compression without the car?

I helped my buddy do a spring upgrade with his Mini Cooper S. We essentially treated it like a coilover upgrade where we just removed his strut tower with the springs/struts still attached. Then left his car up on stands, drove to a mechanic, and had him swap out the springs.

Took the re-assembled towers back to his garage, reinstalled, and we were done. The mechanic was able to do it in about an hour so it was pretty inexpensive. Since this allowed us to avoid the need to use spring compressors and the risk associated with them I thought I'd try to do the same thing with mine.

Anyway my issue in reviewing DIYs and talking with a few people is that I don't quite know whether or not following normal coilover install instructions will work for this or if there are any specific steps I'd need to take to accomplish this. I'm also a little unsure of whether or not I could preload the suspension with this process but most of the coilover DIYs I've read through don't seem to indicate it's necessary. Since I know it is necessary with a spring swap I'm not sure if this means I can't really accomplish it w/o having the car available when I install the springs/struts on the tower.

just follow the DIY

though I have to say, if you can get the struts out.. swapping springs is really no big deal. I would use spring compressors just incase, but I've done it without them and I can tell you the stock struts on the 8 don't have much tension compared to some other cars I've seen in the first place...

Either way.

If you are concerned about dealing with the springs, then there are independent shops who can do that part for you.

If you DIY, around here there are autoparts stores that have a (free) tool rental for things like spring compressors. You just leave a deposit when you borrow the tool.

I echo cjkim's recommendation to be familiar with the DIY, and do a good search of associated threads. Read and understand the shop manual as well.

Print it (them) out and take it along if you have someone else do either the springs or the whole job.

Good luck.


Edit: Just re-reading your post carefully. If you are at all nervous working on a safety-critical system like the suspension, there is NO SHAME in having the whole job done by a pro. :)

Spring compressors took me 10 minutes max going slow.

and if you're asking if you need to compress before taking off the towers then no, you don't

Figured as much just looking for assurances or tips. Got a few DIYs I've read through and combining all of the info there should give me what I need.

http://deviantspeed.com/RX8-coilover-suspension-installation
http://69.108.208.137/ryang/modify/rx8_shock_moton/rx8_shock_moton.html
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=87244&highlight=shock
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=109211

Between all those I'm sure I'll have it straight.

The third link you posted (MazdaManiac's Tokico install) is a great DIY. I followed that when installing my Tokico/Tein setup and it went super smooth. That was my first major suspension project that I tackled by myself too. It should work for any shock/spring type. I had no issues or mishaps with the spring compressor.

The third link you posted (MazdaManiac's Tokico install) is a great DIY. I followed that when installing my Tokico/Tein setup and it went super smooth. That was my first major suspension project that I tackled by myself too. It should work for any shock/spring type. I had no issues or mishaps with the spring compressor.

It's a great DIY but I don't have any intention of messing around with the ball bearings especially since the first thing I'm doing out of storage is getting an alignment.

It's a great DIY but I don't have any intention of messing around with the ball bearings especially since the first thing I'm doing out of storage is getting an alignment.

You mean ball joint? If you aren't changing springs (ride height), then his DIY shouldn't mess with the alignment.

Oh, and your question about "pre-loading". Anytime you change the front shocks/springs you will need to load the suspension before tightening the 4 bolts (2 on each side) connecting the upper A arms to the car. In MazdaManiacs DIY he uses a hydraulic jack under the wheel hub to do this while the car is still on jack stands, but you can also hand tighten those bolts then drop the car to the ground and tighten them up.

My dealership recently pulled my Tokicos out and put them back in troubleshooting a knocking noise they thought was the suspension (turned out to be an motor mount they screwed up during my engine replacement). They didn't load the suspension before tightening those bolts, so I did it when I got home. Took about 15 minutes, probably would have been faster if my flashlight battery wasn't going dead.