If you are looking to improve your stance or just get rid of some of that ugly wheel gap, installing Scion tC coilovers can be the best way to go about it. Lowering springs may do the trick, but over time your stock shock absorbers will likely fail. When this happens your ride quality will suffer as your springs overpower your tC ability to control rebound.
You’ll always be able to spot such problems in cars that are traveling at speed. When the car is too bouncy or seems to bob up and down on the freeway, it’s a sure sign your Scion shocks are blown.
On top of all that, you’ll need the right camber kit to align your Scion. If you add up the cost of replacement or aftermarket shocks, camber kits and the alignment work you’ll see how coilovers can be a better bang for your buck solution.
Today we’ll be installing a set of TEIN SS Coilovers in a 2004 Scion tC. Before you begin this guide, understand that you should be working with safety in mind first and foremost. If you do not own jackstands or an automotive lift, stop now and take your Scion to a professional mechanic. If you are not comfortable working on your own vehicle, stop while you are ahead.
Installing the front Scion tC Coilovers
Raise the front of your Scion and secure them with jackstands first. If you have a wheel lock on your front wheels, loosen it before raising the vehicle.
We’ll start with the front wheels, and remove them. Now you’ll need to loosen the brake lines, by undoing the brackets.
These brackets run along the backside of your shock absorber, and must be loosened before your Scion shocks can be taken out.
Remove the bolt circled to the left, and then slightly bend the brake line clip.
This clip is shown in the diagram to the left, and once you have the brake line loosened, slip the brake lines out.
You can now get to work loosening the lower bolts that run through the shock absorber housing.
Loosen the 2 bolts that run through the shock but do not remove them from the lower housing. Once you have these bolts loosened, you can turn your attention to the upper bolts.
Open your Scion tC hood, and you’ll need to push in the plastic pop rivets that run along the hood bonnet.
Pull out these plastic push pins and carefully set them to the side. These may be fragile and can break so be careful when removing them.
Now that these are taken out, slide out the hood bonnet. Now you should be able to access the front shock absorber nuts. These are 14mm nuts and should be loosened but do not remove them just yet.
Now you’ll need to use a automotive jack to support the wheel and front suspension assembly. Use something soft in between the jack and your lower front spindle.
Now you should be able to remove the 14mm nuts so that your front suspension does not fall. Slide out the front shock and prepare to install the new ones. Our TEIN SS coilovers require that you remove the top hat and transfer the dust boot as well as the bumpstop.
Cut the bumpstop so that you aren’t constantly bottoming out. Transfer the bumpstop and top hat over to the new TEIN coilovers. When undoing your factory shock, use the proper spring tool to prevent the spring from shooting out violently. The front shocks are under tension, so take care to avoid injury and always use the proper tools.
Install the new TEIN coilovers and then secure the top 14mm nuts. Tighten and torque to specification before moving onto the lower bolts.
Turn your attention to the passenger side of the tC, and then you are ready to move onto the rear shocks.
Open your tC trunk and you’ve got to remove the contents that cover up your rear panels. These include your compartment trays and your spare tire, which will allow you to gently push up on the rear panels.
Before you do this however, transfer your automotive jack to support the rear suspension arms in the same manner as the front. Now loosen the 19mm bolt that runs through the bottom shock housing on the rear control arm.
Once the rear shock bolt has been removed, you can begin loosening the nuts that run through the top of the shock mount.
Lift up on the rear panels to access the rear shock bolts. There’s three 14mm nuts that secure the rear shocks in place.
Now that you have these nuts removed, you can gently push down on the Scion tC control arm to free your rear shock.
Slide in the new upgraded shocks and carefully guide them up through the holes in the chassis. Put on your 14mm nuts and hand tighten them, and then you can move to tighten the lower 19mm bolt.
Once you’ve got the new Scion tC Coilovers installed, make sure to tighten and torque everything to spec. Check your front brake lines and ensure that they are clear and mounted properly. Once your wheels are put back on, torque them to the correct specification.
If your Scion tC Coilovers include a camber plate, take your vehicle right away to an alignment shop. Getting an alignment is a crucial step to making sure your tires wear properly and your car handles well.
Have any questions about our guide to Scion tC Coilovers? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
