db252

If you have or feel that you have the ability to replace your rear sway bar yourself, such as I, then you should definately save your money and install the a-spec suspension.

I don't know if the suspension comes with instructions, but mine didn't. However, even without instructions the process including removal of the rear seat (the hardest part of the job and probably impossible without the help of this forum or a service manual that I don't have) took about 4 hours by myself. Give me another attempt at it and I can do it under 3.

I do understand there are some out there that have no intrest working on their cars or feel that they are somewhat mechanicaly challenged so this may not be for you. But those that are more inclined to try it will do fine.

The rear suspension is replaced by removing 4 bolts only per side. The front is replaced by removing 6 bolts per side. There is very little to it and no 'special' tool is required.

This post is not intended to instruct anyone how to do it or insult anyone not willing to take it on for themselves. I am only trying to save labor charges for fellow members that seem extremely high.

Just for general info, I have a 2005 AM Auto with Nav which obviously has the a-spec suspension, comptech rear sway bar, and the 2004 gunnmetal a-spec wheels. I couldn't be happier with the results and all I can do is support all the other posts that have been elated at their results.

rets

Great works done.


Actually, I'm pretty interested in how to and would like to collect your info into our DIY section. Would you mind having more detailed step by step for all of us who wanna know? This will be the great addition to this site. Thanks.

rbf351

i'll make it even easier

attached is acura's instructions

http://rbf351.com/sale/aspec.pdf

TLover

Seems pretty straightforward; looks like a typical Honda suspension setup. After installing suspensions for years on Hondas/Acuras/VW/BMWs, I don't know if I want to go through the trouble. I'm gettin' : :killer:

rets

Thanks.

db252

Damn......knew I shoulda asked somebody to post that. It's good to know that that is the exact process I did. See!.....so simple you don't even need instructions.

TLover

Well, after finding out places charge $600 and up to install the A-Spec suspension, I guess I'll be doing the self-install. The front looks easy; typical Honda. Those rear seats look like the hardest part.

caball88

what about wheel alignment? you still going to do that at the dealer or tire shop?

TLover

The drop isn't big enough to warrant a wheel alignment. But I have a tire shop that I go to for that.

caball88

really i thought after any suspension work(expecially replacing it) would require alignment. there were a couple of threads previously that people complained about alignment after the a-spec suspension installed without alignment.

db252

TLover.....let me know if you need help. I'm only about 45 minutes from you in Oakley. In regards to the alignment, I talked to two different Acura dealership mechanics and they told me the only time they realign is when a car most likely needed it before hand meaning coming in for the install later in the cars life. When they do it on their new ones right on the lot, it's never done.....so they say.

TLover

Caball, it depends. The drop could exacerbate an minor alignment problem. But if you're within spec before the drop, you should be fine after.

DB252, thanks for the offer. My buddies and I used to own a performance shop, so we know how to do it. Of course, that was like 10 years ago. We're gettin' :killer: but we think we can handle it without blowing out a hip.

db252

No problem TLover. You'll probably have a much better set up of tools. And all I can say is I wish I was 32. I leave it at that.

TLover

I won't ask how old you are. But after working on cars for years, my body feels older than my age; all that bending over and crawling around.

db252

Just a 1 week update on drop. I am 26 1/2 inches at all four corners. I measure from the ground through center of the wheel to the bottom of the fender. I started at 26 3/4 inches on the front and 27 inches on the rear. (1/4" drop on the front / 1/2" drop on the rear) My level might be higher than some others with the same set up since I am riding on 245/40/18's which is a slightly higher profile than stock size. And yes, as everyone else says, I am very pleased with the performance.

Lore

A buddy of mine and I are going to attempt the Comptech sway bar installation ourselves in San Jose in a few weeks time. They just came in today and now we're just trying to work out our schedules to make sure they coincide. Anyone have any tips or "lessons learned" to share with us? I've read through a lot of the other posts on this subject so hopefully I've got everything nailed, but you never know.

We'll probably jack the rear of the car up, put them on jack stands, remove the wheels, and get to work.

db252: what sort of torque wrench did you use? I read somewhere that you need two - one for the lower torque and one for the higher torque levels. Can we borrow yours?

db252

Lessons learned.............I tried to think but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Follow the instructions above and everything will go fine. Also, find the thread that shows how to remove the rear seat as this is more of a hassle than the rest of the job. The swaybar and suspension can be done by yourself but obviously will go faster with the help of another.

Okay....now the torque wrench thing. I will probably get some different input from what I'm going to say but each to their own. First of all, I've worked on cars many years and have dealt with bolts that are finger tight and ones that are near welded tight. I've used torque wrenches plenty of times. There are times when it is absolutely necessary (engine building) and times when its not (a-spec and swaybar installation). Manufacturers are required to give torque specifications in their service manuals for obvious reasons. However, our cars are not built with torque wrenches as you can imagine and will find out when removing some of the bolts on your car. I have been to NUMI which is a car building plant in Fremont, Calif. numerous times and have watched multiple times vehicles being put together and there isn't a torque wrench in sight. Now, I am not telling you to not use a torque wrench.....by all means use one if it makes you feel better, but please don't get caught up on the notion of not being able to do the job without one. I did not use one myself and I know there will be no issue in the future. Now after all that jibber jabber, I would have gladdly let you borrow the torque wrench but I don't own one anymore. When I do need one I use my neighbors who has every tool known to man. For all of you that say you must use a torque wrench and the sake of argument..........fine.......I'm wrong.

Good luck and feel free to pm me anytime if there are any specifics. Go team Anthracite.

Kracker

I installed the A-spec suspension with 5K miles on my car. Took to the alignment shop, and the tech was very surprised that it was still within specifications.

But posting this I found a link to a-spec alignment numbers with the car loaded.

https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/outsourcing-lets-slow-down-128774/

Long story short, it wont hurt you to not get your car aligned right away... But when you drop the cash to get new tires I would get it aligned with the weights in the car.

But it cost me 5 bux to get it checked.

TL-Rocket

I just installed the front A Spec coilovers on to my 2004 6MT TL because that's all I had time for today. The drop seems to be minimal. Any chance they sent me the A Spec suspension for an automatic - the part no. I received is: 08W60-SEP-200A. Any chance they could have put the wrong coilovers into the box?

TL-Rocket

THTL

iTrader: (2)

that is the correct A-spec coilover part number for your 2004 6MT TL. WITHOUT THE 'A' at the end is for Automatic TL.

swoodle

What's the Canadian part number?

ityper

great write up, can't wait to put it to use. btw, what size hex wrench is needed?

FlipmoTL24

Hey THTL would it really be a problem if you put the aspec suspension for manual trans if you have an automatic?

Speedy Six

iTrader: (2)

I installed an '07 - '08 Type S MT A-Spec suspension in our '05 Dynamic (6spd MT) this past weekend, in our garage using a floor jack and stands. I put this particular package on because Honda Canada was clearing them out at a fantastic price ($375Cdn).

Everything bolted right up (the physical mounting points are identical for all model years of 3G TL AFAIK) and the car sits approx 0.5in lower (I'll take some pics and post them in the photos section when we put our new wheels on). Subtle and almost not noticeable for most, but improves the stance of the car, making it look more "euro".

Took me about 5hrs doing it by myself.

Fronts took 2hrs; the two areas of difficulty for me were the strut brace nuts (I think the dealer put them back on with an impact gun when they did the 3rd gear TSB). I almost stripped two of the nuts trying to take them off with a 12 point socket. A 6 point got enough grip to remove them. I think the nuts are made of a softer than usual compound. Torque spec is only supposed to be 16lbft.

The other area of difficulty was getting the bottom of the shock to clear the cup of the lower mount. Hard to lever the suspension downwards for more clearance while simultaneously pushing both the end of the lower shock and the cup of the lower mount in opposite directions.

Rears took 3hrs, more than half of which was fighting with the rear seats. First I had problems finding the bolt holding the seat cushion in. Studying the shop diagrams more closely revealed that the bolt is closer to the center of the car, by the inner seatbelt bolt, rather than the outside as I originally thought. Then the clips were difficult to disengage with my fingers, but prying the clip outwards with a flat tipped screwdriver fixed that.

The upper bolts of the seat back, behind the headrests, are in quite a ways. I could barely feel them with my finger pushed in as far as I could. A 6" extension is needed with my 1/4" rachet and 10mm socket. I also had to unscrew them quite a bit (probably 8-9 full turns) to get them out far enough to disengage the rear seatback. Too little and the seat just won't come out. It actually might be easier to unscrew them completely, and then remove them from the seatback and rethread back in partway for the reinstallation. This way you won't risk losing the 10mm socket in there somewhere.

Sure, you'll find it again after the seat back is removed (or if you're lucky it dropped in to the trunk) but if you don't have a spare socket and haven't unscrewed the bolt far enough for the seat to clear how will you remove the seatback to find your missing socket, which you need to undo the seatback?

Lastly there was an extra bolt holding the seatback on that wasn't shown in the instructions. It's on the driver's side, equivalent to the bolt holding the lower seat cushion in.

I didn't take the seat back out of the car. As in earlier posts I just let it slide down until it stopped, which was enough to expose the opening to the upper shock mounts. A properly sized socket and rachet undid the two bolts easily. This also saved a lot of time by not having to take out the rear parcel shelf.

The rest of the rear install went pretty well. The nuts for the sway bar link took time to undo, as I think they're self locking nuts, like Nyloc nuts (have a nylon insert) making them stiff to turn. They need to be unthreaded a long way, and having to hold the shaft (with a 5mm hex key) from turning made the going slow, both undoing and reinstalling.

Finally, lots of muscle was needed to extend the suspension to get the lower end of the shock out, and to get the new shock into place. An extra pair of hands (and muscle would have made this much easier). I ended up using my chest and body weight, applied to the top of the rear rotor and caliper, to extend the suspension while maneuvering the end of the shock in and then inserting the lower eyelet bolt.

Was it worth it? Definitely. Saved hundreds of dollars doing it myself and the car handles much better. Significantly less body roll, squat and dive. I think our stock shocks were dying, as the car would float and wallow over humps at higher speeds. That's all gone now, with tight and firm body control. The car also seems to track better. Overall we're very happy with the end result.

NetGnome

Where did you get your kit?
Does your 05 have the same engine as an 07.
I am looking into getting an A-Spec suspension for my 08 3.2l TL, but I did not know how it would work with a 3.5l type S kit.

Speedy Six

iTrader: (2)

Check post #4 in this thread:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/whats-best-price-spec-suspension-734546/
'05 3.2 is essentially the same as the '07 3.2.

The Type S, which came out in '07, has the larger 3.5 engine. I used the A-Spec kit for the '07 - '08 Type S MT but it works fine in my 3.2 MT.

The only difference, if any, would be that the front end might sit a few millimeters higher than it would on a Type S, because supposedly the Type S is slighty heavier in the front due to the 3.5 engine being slightly heavier, so the springs are supposedly slightly stiffer.

The difference is not much (maybe 30 -50lbs?) so the actual difference when installed in the car probably isn't even really measurable. AFAIK nobody has ever confirmed what the actual spring rates are on any of the different versions of the A-Spec suspension kits.

IIDXholic

iTrader: (5)

You can skip step 19 and 20 if you do what I did here. I didn't bother to read past a couple of post, so sorry if this was mentioned.

Right side if facing seats



Left side if facing seats



Finished look! Without the noticeable cut-outs


The reason I cut them out is because I couldn't reach it without doing so. I used a huge 1/2" torque wrench with a reducer and 14mm (IIRC) to remove the rear damper. It made it a hell of a lot easier instead of removing the other panels to get access to it. I used a Gerber knife with a serrated blade just to be safe and make sure I didn't cut the wires back there. I hope this is useful and helps people out. Thanks

JD TL-S

iTrader: (1)

Awesome Today I might install Tein SA coilovers in front. Thanks
Bump so I can find these instructions easily.
Time for Church now
God Bless All

Bearcat94

Or you could just look in the garage: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/3g-tl-garage-faq-3g-tl-newbies-553554/


Where you find all this:

D-091: DIY:Front and rear damper/shock spring replacement
https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/fm-modulators-group-purchase-173827/ - Service Manual Scans
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/diy-ht-spec-coilver-install-dummies-any-other-suspension-3g-garage-d-091-a-816065/ - w/Pics and including Rear Seat Removal


And this:

F-070: DIY: How to remove the back seats to put the suspension?
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107568


Not to mention, this:

D-058: DIY: Self installed A-Spec suspension
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108545
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113935

Titanium2k2

iTrader: (2)

^ Bearcat94 dropping knowledge like a boss!!

Anabolic_one

Thanks to this post and all the contributions - the A-spec install was pretty straightforward and simple --- I would encourage anyone with a good jack, jack stands and a few tools to do this ...I would never pay someone no more than a $100 to do this ..

The fronts were easy - after removing tower brace - 3 bolts on top , 2 bolts on bottom -- its a hassle taking the strut in and out but all in all not bad, don't be afraid of pressing down on the rotor to gain more space.

The rears were also not that bad - taking out back seat - pull 2 tabs FIRST on bottom of seat (as pictured in the diagram above) then unbolt 10mm screw ----
(a big suggestion, Tape the 10mm socket to a long extension , so that it stays secure---this helps a lot with the rear seat removal)
Then remove remaining (3) bolts from the bottom.

***** Here is where people have trouble that they shouldn't---
Take your 10mm extension and stick through the tiny slit below the headrest ---- Bingo - you will find the 10mm bolts to loosen - loosen then all the way or just a small amount - Seat comes right off

*** Be sure to install the bolts to the car prior to seat Installation and then Hang the seat back on --like a picture..--- DO this and it will be a breeze.

The rears also were easy - 2 bolts at the top and 1 bolt on the bottom..
Someone suggested cutting the rear tray at the top ---no need just have a ratchet and a 14mm long bit and your good to go...

Good luck..this isn't really that bad...This was my second time doing this install...I changed out the shocks at 80K with KYB - always rode rough...then this time with the A-spec kit @ 120k...ride is a little better and the handling is much more fun and spirited

llllBULLSEYE

iTrader: (1)

yeah dont you dare pay anyone to do this.
unless your just lazy or have a super busy schedule
this will only take a day of your time.
I just did my rear today after work took 4 hours
mainly cause it wasnt A-spec I did Tein springs so I had
to compress and remove the springs.
for My install as others did I skipped step 19,20 felt
no need to remove this. One thing that should also
be done is removing the bracket next to the bottom
of the shock which is being held on by a 14mm bolt. omg
this will make removing the old shock and installing
the new one a breeze.

Anabolic_one

[QUOTE One thing that should also
be done is removing the bracket next to the bottom
of the shock which is being held on by a 14mm bolt. omg
this will make removing the old shock and installing
the new one a breeze.[/QUOTE]

Yes , I also removed this bracket, made getting the strut tower in and out a lot easier...
I did the Rears in about 2 hours - this was with me replacing the RSB (including end links, sway bar bushings) and scrubbing both tires inside and out..had not done this in a few years...
Not bad at all

Doh21061

Where can I find the Aspec suspension at a good price? How much of a drop will it give me and what else will I need to complete the process I'm new to the car scene. But I have an 07TL automatic. Just want to give it a nice stance.

myron

iTrader: (4)

a-spec will not give it a nice stance. It will look stock as the drop barely noticeable

bmw12345

do we need alignment after install aspec suspension?
thx