Today we’ll be looking at a spring install of RSR Ti2000 Springs for a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. While we are installing a set of RSR’s springs on this vehicle, any spring manufacturer will apply, for a complete catalog of our lowering springs, check this link.
As always, when working on your vehicle and needing to to get under it make sure to elevate your car on a flat surface and use jackstands and other safety equipment to ensure you or people helping you are not injured during the job.
Tools required
- floor jack and 4 jack stands
- spring compressor
- socket wrench
- breaker bar (long socket wrench without ratchet)
- sockets: 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm, 19mm
- wrenches: 12mm, 17mm, 19mm
- flathead screwdriver
- pliers
- rubber mallet
First get the Evolution up on jackstands or if you prefer to do one side at a time that works as well. Crack open the lug nuts (19mm) while the vehicle is still on the ground, but do not remove. Elevate the vehicle and remove the wheels in whichever order you wish, although we will be starting with the fronts first on this writeup.
After your wheel has been removed, you can see the front suspension setup, shown below :
With the front wheels removed, locate the 12mm bolt holding your brake line to the assembly and remove it.
Now carefully pull the brake line away and undo the 19mm bolts holding your front shock to the hub assembly.
Push the axle and hub assembly away to gently pry out the shock assembly and disconnect your hub, depending on how high you have raised the car, you may or may not want to support the very heavy assembly to prevent your brake line from being stretched.
Rubber brake lines should never be stretched to ensure that your brakes maintain positive seal and do not fade due to brake line stretching.
Now you can undo the 3 14mm nuts holding the top hat of the shock to the chassis in the engine bay. Take care not to let the assembly fall and hit the ground.
Using a spring compressor or shackle compressor kit, compress the front coils until they fall away from the top hat. Now undo the bolt on top of the top hat (19mm) and disassemble your shocks.
Now is a good time to remove your bump stop, and cut this unit in half to prevent your bumpstops from bottoming out, especially if you are retaining your stock shocks.
Now you are ready to reverse the steps to reinstall your front shocks, do this for either side and your fronts are done! Moving on to the rears now.
First open your trunk and remove the pop panels to expose the tops of the rear shock in the back of your car.
Remove the lower bolt holding the shock pickle over your rear lower control arm, and then undo the 2 14mm nuts that are holding the top of the shock in place in your trunk area.
With those removed, you should be able to finagle your shock assembly out of your car, if need be you can remove one more bolt on the lower control arm to disconnect it completely but this step is not needed.
With the shock removed, take care to compress the spring as you did the front shock. Make sure you cut the bumpstop as you did the fronts and then reinstall everything in reverse!
Congratulations! you have now lowered your Evolution!
Happy boosting!
- Pro Street Staff
- www.prostreetonline.com