DIY: Adjust Rear Dampening on Aftermarket Suspension

[Alan]

This is for people with aftermarket suspension with dampening adjustment knobs located at the top of the rear shock. In some cases the suspension manufacturer does not offer knob extensions or some other form of remote dampening control.

Some sedans offer access to the top of the rear shock. This guide applies to sedans with non premium rear seats (i think) and coupes

For reference (unconfirmed)
Tanabe and BC make extensions
Tein and Greddy, Tanabe have remote control EDFC type things
HKS, JIC, Bilstein have dampening knobs at the bottom

Therefore this guide is for those who didnt get the extension/remote adjustment products.

DISCLAIMER!!
I am not a mechanic.
Please feel free to offer feedback on this process to improve it!
I do not know how this will affect your alignment.
I have KW Variant 2. Your suspension might look a bit different, but the process should be more or less the same.

What you will need:
Floor Jack
Jackstands
12mm socket wrench with extender
Whatever it takes to get your wheel off
Dampening knob adjustment tool (in my case it was an allen wrench)

1. Jack up one side of your car and remove wheel
Notice that my car is sitting on the stock jack. I have a floor jack which we will use later.


2. Take a peek up there. The goal is to remove the two 12mm bolts pictured. This is where the extension on the socket wrench will come in handy since it is pretty cramped in there.


3. I forgot to take a picture of this, but before you go unbolting anything. Place the jack underneath the rear spring and compress it slightly. i am not totally sure if this is needed, but do it anyways just to be safe.

4. Go ahead and unbolt the two bolts at the top. These should take some muscle to break open. Once they are out, you can pull the top of the shock down. you can also lower the floorjack under the spring to bring it all down.


5. Now you should be able to get to the top of the shock. Follow the manufacturer instructions on which way to turn to soften or harden the dampening


6. Once that is done, push the top of the shock back up. Use the floor jack to compress the spring and bolt everything back up and do the other side! I do not know what torque specs are recommended on these bolts, so use your best judgment.

7. Enjoy the ride!!

[MikeGrote]

where do the dampening adjustment extensions go on the rears for the coupe? does it just dangle in the wheel well or do you have to remove some carpet to get to it?

[05GRide]

Originally Posted by MikeGrote

where do the dampening adjustment extensions go on the rears for the coupe? does it just dangle in the wheel well or do you have to remove some carpet to get to it?

I actually used an existing hole inside the fender up there. The hole faces the inside of the trunk. I took off the trim pieces and carpeting then ran the extension down to the shock. Cut a small hole in the carpeting and put the knob back on the end of the extension. It ends up making turning the extension slightly tougher due to the angle it's at, but it still works and I didn't have to drill any holes.

I have an 05 coupe so I'm not sure if the holes I found exist on everyone's car... You can always drill your own holes if you'd like, but lining that up can be a bit tough.