Raguvian
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Bay Area, CA
- Car(s)
- 2019 GSW 4MO 6MT
I used a set of offset wrenches FROM Harbor Freight to get the top nut on and off. I'm not sure if hitting it with an impact is a good idea, especially on the B8s
7
Suspension install snag number one...
- Thread starter spankye
- Start date
spankye
Go Kart Newbie
- Location
- Greensboro, NC
- Car(s)
- 2016 GTI Autobahn
Well, yesterday was a good, albeit long day. I didn't get the early start I wanted which wasn't necessarily bad considering the temperature but the delay did mean I didn't finish up until 10pm or so.
The rear buttoned up fairly easily but lining everything up while lying on the ground isn't necessarily the easiest. the impact gun made quick work of the OE strut nuts to remove the bump stops. I found a set of Milwaukee sockets that have flats on the end to install the new mounts on the B8's. They are really nice, a clever set of ratchets.
Moving to the front I needed to swap shock boots so i had to take my pre-assembled B8's and my stock struts apart. It was uneventful but man I hate spring compressors. I had to decide between the axle removal and the 2x4 method. With time running short and motivation to not work on this today I opted for 2x4 as my first option. Passenger side wouldn't really budge which puzzled me. I gave it a break and moved to the drivers side and the strut popped right out. Hmm, why was the passenger side so hard? Back to that side, hold my mouth right, push a little and out it came. Installation was straightforward and that was that. Test drive was great. No noise, no anything really, just solid new suspension.
Some thoughts on the install...The B8's and H&R OE set up is super nice. Stiffer than stock but surprisingly comfortable. Time will tell but I think I will like it. I have a little reverse rake but nothing I can't live with, and like Hammersticks echoed I don't mind it too much. I do wish I had replaced both rear spring perches but, well, I forgot all about and will deal with it later. If you decide to take this on yourself I would argue prep is more important than anything mechanical related. On top of watching videos, reading info here on the forum, etc, just having all the tools, etc ready to go are a game changer. Not having a garage if I found I needed something I would crawl from under the car, run to the basement, and run back out. I bet I spent at least an hour doing this. I also bought some new ratchets with a quicker engagement. This was critical working in tight spaces.
All in all what a great project.
The rear buttoned up fairly easily but lining everything up while lying on the ground isn't necessarily the easiest. the impact gun made quick work of the OE strut nuts to remove the bump stops. I found a set of Milwaukee sockets that have flats on the end to install the new mounts on the B8's. They are really nice, a clever set of ratchets.
Moving to the front I needed to swap shock boots so i had to take my pre-assembled B8's and my stock struts apart. It was uneventful but man I hate spring compressors. I had to decide between the axle removal and the 2x4 method. With time running short and motivation to not work on this today I opted for 2x4 as my first option. Passenger side wouldn't really budge which puzzled me. I gave it a break and moved to the drivers side and the strut popped right out. Hmm, why was the passenger side so hard? Back to that side, hold my mouth right, push a little and out it came. Installation was straightforward and that was that. Test drive was great. No noise, no anything really, just solid new suspension.
Some thoughts on the install...The B8's and H&R OE set up is super nice. Stiffer than stock but surprisingly comfortable. Time will tell but I think I will like it. I have a little reverse rake but nothing I can't live with, and like Hammersticks echoed I don't mind it too much. I do wish I had replaced both rear spring perches but, well, I forgot all about and will deal with it later. If you decide to take this on yourself I would argue prep is more important than anything mechanical related. On top of watching videos, reading info here on the forum, etc, just having all the tools, etc ready to go are a game changer. Not having a garage if I found I needed something I would crawl from under the car, run to the basement, and run back out. I bet I spent at least an hour doing this. I also bought some new ratchets with a quicker engagement. This was critical working in tight spaces.
All in all what a great project.
spankye
Go Kart Newbie
- Location
- Greensboro, NC
- Car(s)
- 2016 GTI Autobahn
And the final product.
Wade_GT
Ready to race!
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Car(s)
- '17 GTI S 6M
Looks great!