My Pro Street

How To Install TEIN Coilovers on a Scion TC

John Huh

The tC is a sport compact from Toyota sold under the Scion name and has quite a following with the Scion enthusiasts. While it doesn’t share the same naming nomenclature as the xA, xB, and so on, the Touring Coupe ( tC ) is still a very capable car. Equipped with MacPherson front struts, and a double wishbone rear suspension installing coilovers on this vehicle is a very straightforward and easy job.

Today we’ll be installing a set of TEIN SS-P Coilovers for this 2006 Scion tC as well as installing the TEIN EDFC for remote adjustment of the coilover dampening.

The TEIN SS-P coilovers are a damping force control type shock and thus have damping force control functions for 16 different levels of stiffness that can be set by the user. The function of this damping force controls the rate of oil flow in the bypass by raising and lowering the force control needle that is built into the piston rod.

To equip the EDFC you will need to replace the force control needle that comes stock from the factory and equip it with the stepping motor needle that will allow your EDFC stepping motor to adjust the shock on the fly.

The TEIN SS-P coilover part number for this application is DSL52-2USS1 which are normal TEIN SS coilovers with the optional pillowball upper mounts. Equipped with a very neutral spring rate of 6/336 ( kgf/mm,lbs/in) in both front and rear, this coilover set allows the user to set height and adjust dampening to maximize the vehicle’s potential.

 

To begin loosen your front lug nuts but do not remove and raise the vehicle up on jackstands in a secure and flat location. As with all writeups and how-tos, Pro Street Online is not responsible for any damage that may occur, however indirectly from trying to follow our instructions. As always, if you are not comfortable working on your own vehicle, take it to a professional that can.

Tools you will need for this install :

With your vehicle raised and secured safely, open your hood and locate the plastic pop rivets that hold your windshield bonnet in place. To loosen the front top hats on your stock suspension, you will need to seperate the windshield bonnet to allow for your open ended wrench to get to the nuts in question.

 

Using your panel popper or spatula, gently pop up these rivets and loosen your front windshield bonnet.

 

You should be able to fit tools neatly behind your bonnet now and loosen the front top hat nuts, but do not remove them.

 

Loosen all 3 nuts but do not remove them, now you can turn your attention to your wheel and rim. Remove your wheel and you should see your stock shock setup and the bolts that go through the upper mount.

Undo the 2 bolts that secure your coilover to the wheel assembly, and then undo the brake line and bracket and push it behind your stock shock.

 

Now with these 2 lines pushed back and out of the way, use a smaller floor jack to secure your brake and hub assembly. You will want to use something soft and provide your jack with a cushion as to not damage your brakes or hub assembly.

 

This will prevent the front brakes from pulling on your brake lines and possibly stretching the inner or outer rubber layers. Now you are ready to take off the 3 14mm nuts that you loosened previously from the engine bay. Once you have all 3 14mm nuts removed, you can pull out your stock shock assembly.

As our TEIN SS-P coilovers are a complete solution and do not require you to re-use your factory upper strut mount, you can simply install the new coilovers. Here is a comparison shot between the stock unit and the new TEIN coilovers we are installing.

Now because we are also installing a TEIN EDFC in this vehicle, you will need to go back to your EDFC bag and retrieve your new stepper motor nut drive as well as the 2 tools provided to you by TEIN.

You will need to take the wrench supplied to you by TEIN and remove the factory SS-P adjustment knob, you are removing this to get to the adjustment plunger that will need to be replaced with the EDFC adjustment unit. These parts are included in your EDFC strut mount kit that is specific for the Scion tC, this part number is EDK06-K4474

 

This is what your adjustment knob should look like removed, set this to the side as you will not be needing it.

After you have the adjustment nut removed, use the hex wrench supplied to you by TEIN to remove the inner adjustment plunger and replace it with the new EDFC adjuster.

Now take the EDFC stepper motor out and match it to the corner you are working on. For instance we have begun this install on the driver side, so grab the EDFC stepper motor that is labeled front left. This is the stepper motor you will be installing on your TEIN coilovers as it matches the side we are working on.

Apply the lock-tite supplied to you by TEIN and double check that your new EDFC adjustment plunger is recessed very slightly. You will want to make sure that there is no slack between the new adjustment screw and your stepper motor, we advise you to sink the new adjusment screw ever so slightly and then screw on the stepper motor.

 

Now you can re-install your new TEIN coilover, make sure not to damage or otherwise interfere with the stepper motor as you will need to finish the wiring. Make sure you are using the correct stepper motor for your fronts as the tC has a very unique front upper strut mount perch.

 

Tighten your front driver side down and turn your attention to the passenger side, repeat all the steps ensuring that the new EDFC plunger unit is in place and your stepper motor is installed securely and with the proper amount of lock tite.

Once you are done with the fronts, make sure to swivel the stepper motor pigtails towards the inside of the car to allow for easy access and routing of the wiring when we are done.

Open your trunk and remove the floor board and the side panels that secure the spare tire in place. Remove the side panels completely to gain access to the screws that hold the rear paneling in place.

 

Undo the 10mm anchor nut here and set it to the side

 

Unscrew this to allow for the rear panel to pop loose, you must do this to gain access to your rear strut mount perch without bending or damaging your rear panels.

 

Now with the rear screws out you can lift and remove the entire back panel to expose the rear mounting points for your suspension.

 

You can now access your rear mounting nuts by gently lifting on the rear quarterpanel cover in your trunk area.

Undo these 14mm nuts just as you did the fronts, but do not remove them.

 

With the top mounts loosened, you can now use your 17mm open wrench on one side of your rear lower mount.

 

Remove the bolt and nut, and gently pry out your coilover while making sure that your rear arm does not flop or hit you in the face. Go back into your trunk area, and undo the 14mm nuts that you loosened earlier.

You are ready to remove the rear suspension and install the new TEIN SS-P coilovers.

As you did earlier, make sure that your EDFC stepper motor pigtails are swung inwards and safely secured alongside the rear paneling. You may opt to ziptie these wires down, because you do not want them moving or flopping about. Make sure to leave slack on the stepper motor side, to prevent binding or damage to the wiring that leads to the stepper motor itself.

 

Now with the rears completed, all that’s left is to tighten everything down and put your wheels back on!

Congratulations! you have now installed your TEIN SS-P coilovers, and you’re ready to install your EDFC!

How To Install an EDFC

TEIN SS-P Coilover Specs

SPRING RATES:
F: 6/336 kg/mm : part number SB060-01200
R: 6/336 kg/mm : part number SW100-01175

EDFC Part number : EDK05-12140

EDFC Strut Kit Number : EDK06-K4474

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