How to Install Coilovers (Step-by-Step Guide)
The box is sitting in your garage. Two fronts, two rears, a bag of hardware and a pair of spanner wrenches. Installing a coilover kit yourself is one of the most satisfying jobs you can do on your car. It is also a job where one skipped step can undo all of it.
This guide covers how to install coilovers, in order. That includes what most DIY guides skim: how height is set, when to torque bushed bolts and why the alignment matters.
Understanding Coilovers and Their Benefits
A coilover puts the spring and the damper on one assembly with a threaded body. It replaces your factory spring and shock or strut. Installed correctly, a coilover kit gives you adjustable ride height, adjustable damping on most kits, and a real performance suspension upgrade.
One thing a coilover does not do on its own is cut unsprung weight. Unsprung weight is the mass the springs do not carry: the wheel, tire, hub, brakes and knuckle, plus part of the arms, damper and spring. Some kits weigh less than the factory parts. Some weigh more. If that matters for your build, compare the actual part weights.
The key word is correctly. A good install changes how the car drives. A poor one, or one that skips the alignment afterward, can leave the car handling worse than stock and wearing out tires fast.
Essential Tools and Materials for Installation
Have everything ready before the first bolt comes out.
Required Tools
Floor jack and rated jack stands, metric and standard sockets, a torque wrench, a breaker bar and penetrating oil. Add the spanner wrenches from the kit and Allen keys to hold the damper shaft. A spring compressor is needed if you are moving parts off the factory struts. Book the alignment shop before you start.
Before You Start
Check the kit contents against the packing list. Read the manufacturer's install guide for your platform, because some kits carry platform-specific notes that matter. Write down every torque spec from the kit instructions and your factory service manual.
Pre-Installation Preparation
Safety first. Park on a flat, level surface. Set the parking brake. Chock the wheels you are not working on. Never work under a car held up only by a floor jack.
Set a starting ride height on the bench if you can. It is far easier there than under the car. Use the manufacturer's suggested starting height. How you set it depends on the kit design. Our guide on how to set ride height on coilovers goes deeper.
On full-length kits like BC Racing and Fortune Auto, ride height is set at the lower mount. You thread the shock body in or out of the lower mount, then lock it. The spring perch sets preload, not height. On perch-only (sleeve) kits, the spring perch sets ride height and preload together.
Leave coilover preload where the kit instructions call for it. On BC Racing kits, dealer guidance is to stay within 5mm of preload. Measure each assembly with a tape and match the left and right sides before anything goes on the car.
How to Install Coilovers: Step-by-Step Process
Step 1. Lift and support the car safely. Use the jack points from your owner's manual. Get the car on stands before you do anything else. Never trust a floor jack alone.
Step 2. Remove the wheel. Keep your hardware organized. A parts tray or a labeled bag for each corner keeps bolts from getting mixed up.
Step 3. Take photos before you disconnect anything. Unclip the brake line and ABS sensor cable from the strut. Disconnect the sway bar end link if it mounts to the strut.
Step 4. Remove the factory spring and shock. On a strut car, the spring comes out still mounted on the strut. Unbolt the lower mount, then the upper mount nuts, and lower the assembly out. Never loosen the top nut on a factory strut unless a spring compressor is holding the spring. A compressed spring stores a lot of energy and can injure you if it lets go.
Step 5. Move over any parts the new kit needs. Some platforms reuse a bump stop, dust boot or top hat from the factory strut. Check the kit instructions for your car.
Step 6. Confirm the ride height you set on the bench. Then set the damping adjuster to the starting point in the kit's manual. Click counts differ by brand, and so does the reference point. Use the kit's own number.
Step 7. Install the new coilover. Line up the upper and lower mounts and hand-tighten all hardware first. Make sure the coilover is fully seated. Route the brake line and ABS sensor cable so nothing is stretched or rubbing.
Step 8. Torque the upper mount nuts and the locking collars to spec. Hold the damper shaft with an Allen key while you tighten the top nut, so the shaft does not spin. Never run that nut with an impact wrench. Leave rubber-bushed bolts snug for now.
Step 9. Reinstall the wheel and lower the car onto its wheels. Roll it back and forth and bounce each corner to settle the suspension. Now torque any rubber-bushed bolts to final spec at ride height. Torque the wheel lugs to spec as well.
Step 10. Repeat for all four corners. Measure ride height at each corner with the car on level ground. Then drive gently, straight to the alignment shop.
Post-Installation Checks and Maintenance
The Step That Gets Skipped Most Often
Get a professional alignment right after the install. Not eventually. Right away. Any ride height change moves camber and toe at every corner. Driving on bad alignment wears tires unevenly, can make the car handle worse than stock and can dull steering response. An alignment costs far less than a set of ruined tires.
Some drivers skip the alignment because they plan to adjust the height again soon. Even a quarter inch of change moves camber, toe and the travel left before the bump stop. Lowering does not change the spring rate, but it does change the geometry. Settle on your height first, then align. Our suspension geometry and alignment guide explains the numbers.
Before the first real drive, turn the steering lock to lock with the car on the ground. Check that the tire clears the spring perch, the fender liner and the brake lines. Look again at the ABS sensor cable.
Recheck the top nuts and locking collars after the first week of driving. Things settle. A collar that backs off lets ride height wander. Keep the threads clean and check each seal and dust boot at every oil change.
Common Installation Mistakes to Avoid
Installing on worn components. If your wheel bearings, ball joints or control arm bushings are worn, a new coilover kit cannot hide it. Fix the worn parts first.
Skipping the torque wrench. Tight by hand and tight to spec are not the same. A loose upper mount makes noise and lets the strut move. A loose locking collar lets ride height change over time.
Torquing bushings at full droop. Rubber-bushed bolts tightened with the wheel hanging pre-twist the bushing. Final-torque those bolts with the car on its wheels. Planning stiffer suspension bushings too? Fit them in the same job.
Setting the car too low on the first try. Start at the manufacturer's suggested height or slightly above. You can always go lower. Going too low means putting the car back in the air to fix it.
Dirty or corroded threads. Clean the threads before you install. Grit stops accurate height changes and can seize a collar over winter. If you use anti-seize near aluminum collars, pick one that is safe for aluminum. Copper-based types can promote corrosion there.
DIY or Shop: How Hard Is It to Install Coilovers?
If you have done suspension work before and own the right tools, a coilover install is a satisfying afternoon or weekend job. If you have never worked on suspension, coilovers are a tough first project. The spring compressor step needs care, and the torque specs matter.
Shop labor varies widely by car and region. Get a quote that includes the alignment.
Looking for coilover installation near you? Pick a shop that does performance suspension and alignments under one roof. Bring the kit's install guide and your torque specs. For a first install, or if you are not confident with suspension work, a shop install is money well spent. The kit works correctly from day one.
Whoever does the install, the alignment is yours to book. Questions on your specific build? Call 1-800-460-9106 before you start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools do I need to install coilovers?
A floor jack and rated stands, sockets, a torque wrench, a breaker bar and penetrating oil. Add Allen keys to hold the damper shaft and the spanner wrenches from the kit. A spring compressor is needed if you reuse parts from the factory struts. Book an alignment for right after the install.
Do coilovers reduce unsprung weight?
Not automatically. Unsprung weight is the wheel, tire, hub, brakes and knuckle, plus part of the arms, damper and spring. Some kits are lighter than the factory parts and some are heavier. What a coilover kit does give you is adjustable ride height and, on most kits, adjustable damping.
How do I adjust the ride height after installing coilovers?
It depends on the kit. On full-length kits like BC Racing, you thread the body in or out of the lower mount and lock it. The spring perch sets preload. On perch-only kits, the perch sets height and preload together. Torque the locking collar after any change, then get an alignment.
What damping setting should I start with?
Start from the kit's manual setting. Click counts and the reference point differ by brand, so no single number works for every kit. Drive the car, then change one end at a time in small steps.
Can I install coilovers on my own?
Yes, with the right tools and some suspension know-how. A torque wrench is a must, and a spring compressor if you reuse factory parts. If you are not confident with suspension work, a shop install is the safer choice. A shop costs far less than fixing a mistake.
Do I need a professional alignment after installing coilovers?
Yes, every time. Any ride height change affects camber and toe. Driving on bad alignment wears tires unevenly and can make the car handle worse than stock. Book the alignment for right after the install, and again after any later height change.
Installation Notes by Brand
Each brand has details worth knowing before you start. KW V1, KW V2 and KW V3 use twin-tube dampers in stainless steel bodies, and KW uses monotube for its motorsport products. Top mount hardware varies by platform, so check KW's fitment documents before assuming the box covers your car.
BC Racing kits are full-length, so height is set at the lower mount and the perch handles preload. Hold the shaft with an Allen key while you torque the top nut. The BR Series carries 30-click simultaneous compression and rebound. Swift Springs SPEC-R springs are an upgrade option on most BC Racing fitments, and ship standard on HM and ZR on most fitments.
Fortune Auto hand-builds its kits in Virginia. The 500 Series is a single-adjustable monotube with custom valving for your application. You set ride height at the lower mount, not with the spring perch. Follow Fortune Auto's published torque specs for your kit. Feal hand-builds its 441, 442 and 443 series in Murrieta, California, so read the paperwork that comes in the box.
TEIN Street Basis Z has fixed damping, while Street Advance Z and Flex Z carry 16-click damping. If you add TEIN's EDFC controller, route its wiring clear of heat and moving parts. Bilstein B14 PSS kits have non-adjustable damping with adjustable height. Öhlins Road & Track kits use DFV (Dual Flow Valve). Whatever the brand, download its install guide and read it before the job, not during it.
Need Help Choosing the Right Kit Before You Install?
How to install coilovers is much the same across most platforms. What changes is which kit fits your car, your price point and the way you drive.
We carry BC Racing, KW, Fortune Auto, Öhlins, Feal and TEIN, and we know how each one goes together. Call 1-800-460-9106 and tell us what you drive. We will give you a straight answer. No runaround.
1-800-460-9106Browse Kits by Your Car