This question is for those of you that have done springs on an xB2. I'm going to be installing my Tanabe DF210's tommorow and I was wondering if a spring compressor absolutely necessary? I know when I did the springs on my '06, I didn't use one. The springs were hardly compressed on the strut assembly. Is it the same way on the '08 or do you have to do it the ghetto way? By undoing the nuts and then raising the car...

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure I could get my hands on some compressors, in fact, I think Autozone rents them, but it's just one more thing that I don't really want to have to worry about.

 

Yes 100% necessary. Rent from the Zone. It's like a $40 deposit. Well worth the time and aggrivation without them.

 

rent one, you'll thank yourself later. I just did mine, you need the compressor

 

You need them!

 

I wish I had known about the "ghetto way" before I did mine with a spring compressor. Nice shortcut.

 

i personally like my head to stay on my sholreds so yah i used a spring compressor. i personally saw someone let go of a spring that shot 20 feet and knocked a hole in the way.

BUT
ive heard of alot of people say that you 100% dont need one.
i say good for them, realy, im not being smart. if you did it without it, im glad it worked out for you.
ive never tried it with out one so.......

 

I didn't need them on my Gen1, but the Gen2 is way different in regards to the strut/spring length

 

Thanks guys! The Gen 1 was a piece of cake! I'm hoping the Gen 2 goes the same way. Don't worry, I'm picking up some compressors from AutoZone before I do it.

 

well the xb2 is the almost the same as xb1....the ffront is the same as a tc and the back is same as a xb1 total time for me on xb2 was 1 hour

 

Ive done a few of the '08s. I have done it with and without the compressor. The 08 springs are definitley compressed more than the early body style. They launch pretty good when you undo the bolt. When doing them without a compressor, I just lay the strut on the ground and use an impact gun to undo the nut. The strut shoots out backwards. I REALLY dont recommend doing it this way, but if you are in a jam and dont have a compressor...... Just dont let anyone stand behind you.

 

Well... after doing them, I'm glad I stopped and picked up the compressors. It just makes everything easy. I mean, if you're going to do it, do it right. Thanks for all the input. I'm uploading the pics to photobucket right now.

 

Wow, do you realize how easily someone could sue you if they did this and got injured?

 

I must say that I'm still intrigued by the "ghetto way" mentioned earlier. Using the car's weight as a spring compressor is an interesting approach. Just remove the top strut nut, loosen the upper strut bearing assy nuts and then jack the car up until the strut is free of the upper bearing mount/top spring seat. The spring pre-tension will be relieved and you can then remove the strut, spring and reverse the procedure for installing the new springs. Pretty ingenious way around renting a spring compressor.

 

You need a jack that will get the car up in the air a fairly good amount to do it this way. I don't reccomend it though. After doing it with the compressors, it's worth it to stop at AutoZone and pick them up for $40. You get your money back upon return too.

 

Thanks. I've got the jack but I can envision the strut shaft possibly getting bound up while doing it the "ghetto way". Ideally I'd want to loosen both the top and bottom strut mounts first but to loosen the bottom you really need to remove the wheel first, which presents a problem.

Anyway, I already did mine the correct way with a rented spring compressor from Autozone. FWIW, people should be sure to specify a strut spring compressor and check it before you leave the store. They gave me the wrong type but I managed to make it work.