Installing Eibach Pro Kit.

Hey guys, might as well introduce myself first. I'm Craig. I bought a 02 Protege 5 about 6 weeks ago, and i just found out about this board. Hopefully i can get some helpful stuff out of it.

At this very moment i am installing an Eibach Pro-Kit. So i disconnected the shock from the rotor assembly n everything and then..oh look what the hell is that little connecting rod going from the shock to the sway bar? It is joined by a ball joint at each end of the rod, and the nut that joins it is VERY hard to get off. Anyone installed springs on their pro5 and have a problem with this little rod? If you could help me out i'd appreciate it cos i actually popped oujt the ball joint and i am having trouble getting it back in now. Thanks. Laters.

Craig,

I think you are talking about the rear more than the front here correct?

Front for me was a joke, the rears were alot harder especially the right side.

The rear sway bar has a wierd mount to it and you have to be very careful with it. Thats all I really can say. I took my time and I was done putting the racing beats on in less that two hours.

Mike

Well i got it all finished and i had to put the ball joint in a vice and squeeze it in. I am very pleased with the new look of my pro5. Just need to get an alignment now. Yeah the back springs were a pain in the arse cos i had to take off all those panels, and then the seatbelt guide, and then the brakes etc. etc.

I feel your pain. When I got the alignment done, my buddy did it. He told me that the rear wasn't set up that good so the alignment was off from the factory. That's a warning for everyone.

Mike

Mike what modifications have you done to your Protege 5 so far besides suspension?

craig, i'm thinking of getting the eibach springs too for my p5.
i'm very happy with the eibach springs on my accent. but when i had an alignment done on the lowered car, the caster was out of spec, and there is no factory adjustment. as a result the car seems twitchy on the highway. (the steering doesn't self-centre as good as it did before, when going over small bumps.)
can you please let me know if the caster is still in spec when you have the alignment done on your lowered car. as well, did you need an aftermarket camber adjustment kit?
thanks, duncan

I'm going to get the alignment done when i get back from my vacation in the new year, so sit tight mate. As far as camber, it looks good, no noticeable camber. We'll see in a few weeks if the tread begins to wear odly. What caster are you talking about?

a wheel alignment covers 3 items, the toe-in, camber and caster. the first 2 are the common ones. if they're off, the tires wear badly. if the caster is off, it doesn't affect the tire wear, but affects the steering...the tendency to turn quickly or run straight. i visualize caster by thinking about the front forks of a bicycle or motorcycle. if it's a racing bike the front forks are more vertical, so the steering is very quick and responsive, but requires a lot of steering input/effort from the rider. if it's a touring bike the front forks are angled out more in front, so the steering has a tendency to run straight, requiring less effort from the rider, but not as responsive to quick turns. the caster specs built in by the factory are a trade-off between these 2 extremes, and when the car is lowered it throws off the caster angles built into the suspension/steering components. so i find my lowered accent more twitchy on the highway, requiring me to "steer" the car in a straight line, after going over small bumps, rather than the car just driving itself in a straight line. on a long drive it gets tiresome. i have some reservations about lowering my p5 if it throws the caster out of spec unless there's a caster adjustment kit available for the car.
bon voyage!

DR - great explaintion I would have never thought about it that way, but it gets the point across real well.

Craig - I have built a CAI intake for my car, put the mp3 engine shroud on the motor covering the valve cover, alarm with auto start, stereo (amp, separates, co-axles, radio, sub), tint, springs, headlites (which already blew), took the extension off my shifter, synth oil in the car. Think thats it so far. I'm going to have to think if I did anything else, sorry I've been up since 4:00 in the morning and it's 6 at night now.

Mike

I know, the ****** springs were a pain in the ass but it makes it all worth it in the end. And your right...some but not alot of the Pro5's have the rear alignment all ate u...Cheers to the dropped Pro's. The correct way.. The Eibach way. Comin from the Classic Original Red One