DIY Guide: 2014 GS350 F-Sport Lowering Spring Install Guide
 

I've done quite a few of these installs already for plenty of people. However, I never really had the time to snap any photos because I just blast through the install, and finish quickly. Doing everything properly of course. Taking photos slows me down about 50 percent because I have to frame the shots, and plan for the DIY guide in advance. Then sometimes I have to go back, and put everything back together to take another photo because the shots didn't turn out how I liked.

A few precautions before you start. BE CAREFUL with the ABS sensors and cables. Make absolutely sure to move them out of the way when doing the install. A quick mistake can easily cost you $200-300+ for each sensor! Treat them like leads on a bomb you're trying to diffuse lol.

Also, remember the suspension springs in the car are under very high tension. It can get dangerous very quickly if you don't do the install correctly. If you aren't very confident, then I would recommend you take it to a shop so you don't suffer any personal injury or damage the car. I assume no liability of damage or injury you sustain during or after the install if you don't do it properly!

Thanks to member Jon( jmtamu) for allowing me to use his car for the DIY photo opportunity.

Enough with the intro, now onto the guide! :)

DIY GUIDE START:

All stock 2014 GS350 F-Sport. Brand new beautiful car with only 500 miles on the odometer! Nice Vossen wheels just installed, but needing a slight drop.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_01.JPG

First, jack up the front of the car from the appropriate lifting point. It's on the center for the front crossmember. Support the car with jackstands and then proceed to take the wheels off. I threw on some F-Sport Decals I made to see how it looked. I think they look pretty cool, but I took them off after the photos since I didn't know if Jon wanted them on there or not.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_02.JPG

This will have to be removed. Instructions further down.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_03.JPG

These bolts will have to be removed as well. The clip is the ABS sensor I was talking about. Be sure to remove that and be very careful with it!
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_04.JPG

Use a small flathead screwdriver to release the hidden clip.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_05.JPG

Remove the sway bar end link. It's held on by a 17mm nut.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_06.JPG

ABS sensor cable removed. DO NOT MISS THIS STEP or else you will regret it later!
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_07.JPG

Remove these two 10mm nuts as well. After that, swing the sensor cable out of harms way. I took this photo later after the springs were installed(hence the red springs).
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_23.JPG

Use needle nose pliers to release the clip. Then remove the 17mm castle nut.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_08.JPG

Use a arm puller to release the ball joint. DO NOT HAMMER THE ARM!!! It's aluminum and will deform if you hammer the arm!
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_09.JPG

Pop and it's off.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_10.JPG

Now pop the hood and peek inside. These are the protective covers for the AVS actuator motors. If your car is not equipped with AVS then these caps probably won't be there, and there will be no motors underneath. This is the motor that adjusts the stiffness of the shocks when going into Sport Mode.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_11.JPG

Remove the three 14mm nuts holding on the covers.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_12.JPG

Simply rotate the motor counterclockwise and pull up. Then swing the motor out of the way.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_13.JPG

There are three more 14mm nuts underneath. These are the ones that hold the shock to the car. Remove these and the shock will drop down.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_14.JPG

I didn't take many pictures here because I was wrestling the shock to get it out of the car. While the arm is disconnected(swinging freely), you have plenty of room to pull the shock out. Once you pull it out, lightly thread the nut back on just to hold the arm in place. This prevents the wheel spindle from hanging off the brake line and over stressing it.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_15.JPG

Suspension removed from the car.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_16.JPG

Use a spring compressor to compress the spring. Using air tools really helps here.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_17.JPG

Make sure you have compressed the spring sufficiently, and relieved the tension. The spring will fly off(very dangerous) if you remove the nut without relieving the spring tension.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_18.JPG

Spring removed from the shock body. Remove the strut mount(top piece) and place it on the new spring.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_19.JPG

Stock front spring vs Tanabe spring.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_20.JPG

Here is the new spring installed with the shock fully assembled. Remember to note which side goes up or down. There is a skinny side and a thick side to the spring. Just follow the same direction as the stock spring. Also, remember that the spring needs to line up in the bottom perch. Then make sure that the top hat lines up the same way as the stock direction. Basically, just reinstall everything in the reverse order of dissasembly. Make sure to take note of how all the stock stuff was oriented.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_21.JPG

Suspension reinstalled into the car. I didn't have a chance to list all of the torque specs. It's all available in the factory service manual. I will have to get another copy since I accidentally threw the sheet away after install.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_22.JPG

Remember to reinstall the ABS cable that you tucked away safely earlier. The connector side just clicks straight into the sensor.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_23.JPG

Now for the rear install. I didn't get a chance to take too many photos because you have to wrestle with the rears to get them off/on. The rears are also a bit more tricky to do since the whole arm is under extreme tension. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully so the spring won't come flying out of there!
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_24.JPG

Here's another shot of the rear suspension.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_25.JPG

You will need to remove these 2 bolts. DO NOT remove them until you have properly supported the arm from underneath. If you pull the bolts without supporting underneath, the spring will fly out violently.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_26.JPG

You will need to remove the ABS sensor in the rear as well. These 3 bolts will take the sensor out. DO NOT miss this step! Tuck the sensor away to the side so it's out of harms way.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_27.JPG

Remove the 17mm nut for the sway bar.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_28.JPG

ABS sensor removed.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_29.JPG

Use a second jack to raise up the arm until you can feel the bolts get loose. You should be able to pull the bolts straight out after you have relieved the tension. After you have removed the 2 bolts, loosen the inner 19mm nut(don't remove just loosen). Now VERY slowly let the supporting jack down. The arm will swing down and the spring will be relieved of tension. After that, the spring can be pulled out by hand easily.

So remember: RAISE jack first, remove 2 bolts, loosen inner nut, and then lower jack VERY SLOWLY.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_30.JPG

Sorry I didn't get many photos of these steps. You have to really man handle the suspension to get it all on. So to reinstall the rear, make sure the new spring goes in the same way as the stock one. Note which side of the spring is skinny and which is wide. The stock spring has the skinny on top and wide on bottom. Put the rubber alignment cone into the top of the spring. Put the spring back into place between the body and the arm. After that, place the jack back under the arm and raise it slowly until you are able to put the bolts back into the arm. You will have to do plenty of wrestling around with the rear spindle to get the holes to line up. Torque everything back and you're good to go!
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_31.JPG

Here's a shot of the car with the install of the Tanabe NF210 springs completed.
http://www.jefftsai.com/Pictures/Car...Springs_32.JPG

Hopefully this guide is helpful for those of you wanting to attempt a DIY shot at the suspension install. Sorry if some of the steps aren't 100% conclusive, but most of the stuff will be self explanatory once you're in there.

Great DIY post! Thanks for all your efforts in documenting this!

Thanks again Jeff. The F-Sport Decals look really good. I wish you would have left them on. I'll have you add them next time I see you.

Great and useful documentation. Good job! Thanks for posting.

Awesome post. You have convinced me this is something best left to a professional.

yes, i agree. great job on the diy. Im gonna leave it up to the experts for this one. i considered the tanabe
I ended up buying the RSR- springs instead.

Everything back within spec after alignment.
http://i58.tinypic.com/2mdp3de.jpg

Jeff, thx for posting this. Adding to the FAQ...

Jeff, glad to see an O.G in the 4GS forum, great pics and write-up!!

What are the differences with the AWD?

Are there additional parts/bolts to be disconnected or is it just a difference in the spring itself?

The rear should be identical, the front struts are different on AWD models. So, these instructions maybe slightly off when it comes to changing the front springs. Both RWD and AWD use the same springs, so no difference there.

Great write-up...plan on doing once i get my springs. Sorry if i missed it but what are the bolt torque specs? Thx.

Printed this DIY and used it as a guide to install my springs over the weekend. Jeff's instructions were spot-on. Anyone planning on doing this, a high torque impact wrench and a good low profile 2-3 ton jack will save you time. The most labor intensive step for me was compressing the springs (front) so make sure you have a decent set of compressors. Another note for the fronts, like Jeff warned, make sure you note the orientation of the top cap/parts and reasseble accordingly. I used a blue dot and markings on the top of the tower as reference points. A pry bar, and long screwdriver will help align bolts for the rear (PITA). Last, make sure you have something to put under the front tires when lowering after install. If not, since car is lower, you might have trouble removing the jack from underneath. Again, big thanks to Jeff for the great DIY Guide. I am by no neans a skilled auto mechanic but the DIY made it seem like i knew what i was doing.

fluid
 

I accidentally flipped over the front shocks and fluid was coming out from the top. Anyone experienced this? Not sure what fluid to fill back and where. Looks like hydraulic fluid.