I gonna try to post up the process to install Motorsports on your RS4.
Tools Needed: Floor Jack, Jack stands, Basic 1/2" socket set and a nice torque wrench, spark plug socket (mm ?), allen wrenches, hacksaw w/metal blade.
1. Loosen wheel bolts and remove sway bar end bolts. This will make the lower control arms lower enough to get the shock assembly over it.
2. Jack up car, let it rest on a jack stand and remove wheel.
3. Unscrew the DRC line from the shock and cap it. That's the tool box and not the car that the caps are sitting on.
4. Remove, the lower shock bolt, upper clevis pin, and the three bolts in the engine bay that hold the upper table with upper control arms to the car.
5. Remove the shock assembly and set it on a table for disassembly.
6. In this part, we are trying to retrieve the upper plate w/uca's and the rubber isolation mount. First compress spring with a spring compressor. Then using a through socket or a spark plug socket and an allen socket, loosen the top bolt and remove the shock and spring assembly.
Spark plug socket pic. This will allow you to place the socket on the nut, place a box wrench on the socket and an allen wrench down the socket hole to hold the shaft in place while you loosen the nut.
7. Using a flathead screwdriver and a hammer or mallet, tap out the upside down cup that is attached to the upper table. This cup will not get in the way of the new shocks stainless steel reservoir line, but it does hinder the ability to put a wrench around the shock when you are trying to adjust height, to keep it from spinning (which it can do on occasion).
You are now finished with the disassembly. Take a break!
1r. Place the new damper stud mount through the upper plate. Place the isolation mount on the stud and screw it together with the new nut. The nut sould be tight but the assembly will still be loose and that's ok. It will be secured when it is attached to the body of the car.
Now that you have that done, it's probably the best time to prep the working area under the well for routing the canister. Take a break and get ready for some frustration. It's not that bad if you attack it with patience.
At the wheel well, lay down a furniture pad, blanket or something that will protect the damper from getting scratched up. Also wrap the canister with some blue painters tape. Several layers will work best.
2r. There are some things that you will need to remove to get the canister routed into the engine bay. Start by removing the plastic steering arm surround.
3r. Next, remove the CV grease/heat shield (passenger side only). This will facilitate routing the canister. There are 3 allens holding on the shield. You will need wobbler extensions and and maybe a universal joint.[/B]
4r. Remove the airbox cover and the entire airbox assembly. Remove the two screws attaching the heat shield to the firewall.
5r. From under the passenger side of the car, remove the screws that attach the heat shield to the firewall (optional). I don't think that this really needed to be done, can't remember. Anyway's you'll see them when you are under the car. Those two tubes are the headers going to the bottom of the car. If you look to the right of them, you can see the bottom of the gold canister starting to come through the wheel well area. Hope this gives you a better perspective on the picture.
6r. Place the new coilover assembly in the passenger wheel well and get ready to route the canister. I know it's the driver's side and we are working on the passenger side. The pic is only for reference as I didn't snap the passenger side of this shot.
Hunt down a friend to help you with this part as it will make things a lot easier.
7r. Pass the fully wrapped canster through the plastic steering shroud, and through the heat shield. It's super tight after the heat shield with the headers getting in the way. You've gotta lay the canister horizontal through the shield and after getting it to the other side it should be laying horizontal in preparation for it's trip to the top of the engine bay.
You can either bend the heat shield in towards the bay or pull it back out towards the wheel well. I tried it both ways and found that pulling it towards the well gave me more room to work with. Keep in mind that by pulling it towards the well, it will be harder to put back in place and may suffer more bends than pushing it towards the engine bay.
8r. 2 people here will help with the trip to the top. From under the car, route the canister bottom up first to the top of the engine bay. Have your receiver ready to assist with pulling it up. Hope these pics help. This will be the hardest part of the entire installation, so if you get past this point, it'll be all fun and games afterwards.
This is where the can is coming through:
The can will be coming up right in between those 2 heat shields. Look close. You'll see that there are 2 different shields that sit against each other. I know, impossible. It's not and it does fit.
Now that you have the can routed let it rest in the bay on a towel for the time being.
9r. Go back into the wheel well and install the suspension. Get the upper plate situated first then the lower shock mount situated second. Tighten these bolts, but do not torque.
10r. Pop in the upper control arms, slide the clevis pin back in place and tighten to spec. Nothing too tight as this is aluminum we are working on.
11r. Replace the steering arm shroud and head back to the top of the bay for canister mounting.
12r. Slide the canister on the mount and place it on the backside of the firewall for marking the cuts. The canister mounting bracket will slide onto one of the strut tower brace bolts (already on your car).
13r. Use a hacksaw or similar to cut the firewall down enough to lay the
braided lines in and fold either back or forward. Do not cut these off as you can return the car to stock someday if you choose. I bent mine back for a cleaner look.
Wrap the freshly cut edges with something to protect the braided line. I used gaff tape.
I trimmed my cabin air filter cover to facilitate placing the can in there straight. If you don't car about asthetics, then you can bend the canister bracket so you don't have to cut the cover. If I did it again, I would probably go this route of bending the bracket. Both ways are fine, Stasis says to cut.
Bolt the canister into place and you are done with the passenger side. All that is left is to load the suspension and retorque the lower shock bolt.
Last edited by RAudi Driver; 05-04-2011 at 10:15 PM.
1d. Same game here. Lift the car and rest it on the pad. Get the wheel off and cap the DRC line. Remove the clevis pin, lower shock bolt, and the upper three bolts in the bay. Pull out the assembly, and retreive the upper plate and isolation mount. Tap out that upside down cup in the upper plate.
Reassembly is pretty much the same. Take the Motorsport coilover and route the stud through the plate and isolation mount then tighten to spec. Set this aside for a few minutes, to prep the car for canister installation.
2d. Once again, in the wheel well, remove the steering arm shroud. If you have a flashlight, it makes for an easier routing. You can see the light from the bay.
3d. From the engine bay, pull off all plastic and unscrew the coolant reservoir and move it out of the way. I used a giant rubber band to keep it out of my working area.
4d. Remove the screws that secure the heat shield to the firewall. There are either 2 or 3. If you look you can see the light shining through. You will also notice the two different textures of shielding. You only need to unscrew the allen screws holding the smooth shield to the car.
Here are a few perfect pictures of the opening that the canister will pass through. Super easy!
Here is a pic of the flashlight coming down that engine bay crack into the wheel well.
5d. Route the can through the plastic steering shroud, under the bar and up into the engine bay and rest it on a towel.
6d. Go back into the wheel well and bolt down the new coilover. Bolt everything down and go back up top.
Here is where the snag comes about. The hard brake lines coming from the brake booster totally blocks the tower bolts which prevents us from bolting the canister to the strut brace. Fabrication is needed.
I used a longer allen bolt and spacer to move the canister mount rearward. This is a tricky install as it's hard to tighten the strut bolts with the canister sitting on top of it. You'll need a 1/4 inch rachet, extension and allen socket to facilitate this with ease. It will be hard otherwise.
Last edited by RAudi Driver; 05-04-2011 at 10:13 PM.
With that part done, you are pretty much finished with the front install of Stasis's Motorsport Coilovers.
Use this DIY as a supplement to the Stasis instructions that come with your suspension. If you get stuck, walk away and come back to the project later. Don't force the install
In 8r, if you told me (without pics) that the canister would fit between the heat shields I would have a hard time believing. I gather there's enough pressure applied to the canister line/hose between the shield to prevent rattling. Any concern with heat transfer from the shield causing the canister line/hose to eventually fail?
Well, since the line is static there is nothing that should rattle. It's not like it's connected to the motor. As far as heat is concerned, I don't think it's an issue. The line is far enough away from the headers and behind that metal shield.
If you can figure out a better way, then have at it and post up what you do.
I am wondering if it is possible to get quick disconnects on the lines? I know that they have them on other shocks with external canisters. It would make install a lot easier and possibly open up some new ways of routing the lines away from the heat.
Why thank you! I think I'm almost done with the exterior. Just getting ready to black out the emblems and a few goodies from JHM to shore up the drivetrain.
I am wondering if it is possible to get quick disconnects on the lines? I know that they have them on other shocks with external canisters. It would make install a lot easier and possibly open up some new ways of routing the lines away from the heat.
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Originally Posted by BenSti
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