M10 studs (front) 20-24 ft-lbs
M8 studs (rear) 12-14 ft-lbs
Camber plate bolts 6-8 ft-lbs
Tighten the top nut on the coilovers that hold the shock/piston/shaft to the upper mount using a impact wrench (to prevent the shaft from spinning) on light setting (~20-30 ft-lbs).
If the coilover appears to be too long or short to meet up with the spindle, try again after disconnecting the sway/stabilizer bars.
Camber plate marks are just for reference, the amount of camber they represent can vary depending on ride height. They should be set by an alignment shop.
As seen from above the knob:
Clockwise = stiff
Anti-clockwise = soft
For accuracy, count clicks from full anti-clockwise setting.
You will need to set the ride height adjusting the coilovers through trail and error. You may have to adjust the coilovers several times to get your desired height and performance.
There are 2 ways to adjust the coilovers to achieve the desired ride height. One way is to move the spring perch up and down, the other is to thread in/out the lower bracket to shorten/lengthen the coilover assembly.
When you move the spring perch upwards, you are compressing the spring. As the spring compresses, it exerts a force on the upper mount of the coilover. So when the weight of the car is placed on the upper mount, the weight would have to overcome the spring tension in order to compress the spring any further. Placing the spring under tension is called "pre-loading" the spring.
Moving the spring perch upwards (preloading) raises the ride height, moving the spring perch down lowers the ride height. To adjust the spring perch, make sure lower bracket is tight (lock nut is tightened against bracket), then use spanner to rotate the perch. Put a hand on the shock body to make sure just the perch is moving, and the shock itself is not rotating. Tip: Make a mark on the spring perch so you can tell how many turns you are rotating the perch.
The other way to adjust the height is to shorten or lengthen the coilover assembly. You can do this with the coilover installed on the car as long as you do not have too much preload on the spring - loosen the lock nut on the lower bracket, then grip the shock body and twist the shock body itself. You can also place a mark on the shock body to count the number of turns you are doing. You want to make sure your left and right coilovers have the same assembly length.
Which method should you use? Preloading the spring allows more stroke/travel for the shock, which is very important; if the shock stroke/travel is too short you will be constantly hitting the bump stop. However, preloading the spring too much can create problems - it would become easier for the tire to lift off the ground when the weight transfers away from that corner, and it would also effectively increase the spring rate.
So ideally you want to preload the spring to where you get sufficient shock stroke/travel, and get your remaining ride height through the lengthening/shortening the coilover assembly.
Tip: You can use a ziptie tied around the shock piston to check the maximum stroke/travel - tie it round the bottom and when the shock compresses the ziptie will be moved upwards. If it reaches the upper mount you may not have sufficient stroke/travel.
Keep in mind sometimes you may not be able to adjust the coilover to where you get enough shock stroke/travel, you may have lowered the car too much. For best performance, you may have to reduce the drop to ensure sufficient suspension travel.
Make sure to tighten all lock nuts when done.
Clunking sounds are usually due to loose nuts on the coilovers. Check the following are tight:
Top nut that holds the shock/piston/shaft to the upper mount
Locking rings and spring perch
Nuts that hold the upper mount to the chassis, the bolts/nuts that connect the coilovers to the spindle.
Do you think you have a blown shock? A light coating of oil on the shock body is normal, but dripping oil is not. A blown shock will also not return to their fully extended state quickly, but this has to be checked with the shock off the car and without the spring. Some general guidelines for checking defective shocks can be found here:
http://www.bilstein.com/warranty.php?PHPSESSID=e5d76ea38dfd72481b614074157088ef
If the adjustment knob has 1 or 2 extra or less clicks, that is normal, the stop on the knob is not exact. Do not try to force the knob as that can move the stop as well. All clicks should be counted from the full counter clockwise setting.
Written by Aikmeng Kuah, SPL PARTS INC.
Sep 11 2004
Copyright SPL PARTS INC.