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# System prepended metadata

title: X73 Installation guide

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# X73 Installation guide

# Front strut removal
1. Disconnect brake pad sensor and wheel speed sensor connectors and remove brake bracket screw
2.  Disconnect the brake caliper, rotor, and dust shield from the wheel carrier
3.  Disconnected tie rod from wheel carrier and removed air deflector.
4.  Disconnected diagonal arm from LCA
5.  Disconnected LCA from subframe
6. Remove sway bar drop link
7. Disconnected strut from wheel carrier and remove the whole wheel carrier + LCA assembly and set it aside.
8. (I was also installing GT3 LCAs so i separated the LCA ball joint from the wheel carrier and installed and torqued the GT3 LCA ball joint)
9. Remove strut from the strut tower
10. Repeat for the other side


# Front sway bar swap
1. Above the subframe, remove the screws that hold the black plastic litronic sensor and coolant hose brackets from the subframe
2. Remove underbody tray/cover and the front of the cover behind it so you can access the black steel support structure
3. Loosen nuts and bolts on the black steel support structure including the small bolts that go to coolant hose brackets
4. Remove the black plastic tabs and the small bolts that hold the coolant hose brackets so they're free
5. Remove steering rack bolts
6. Remove the sway bar brackets and bolts so its free. also remove the sway bar bushings
7. Loosen the four rear (two on each side) subframe bolts so they're out about 1/2"
8. Remove the two big front subframe nuts
9. Loosen the four front subframe bolts so they're out about 3/4"
10. Some people support the gas tank at this point, but i was low on gas and it felt light so i did not
11. Wiggle the subframe up and down a bit to feel things out and see if anything else seems connected to it. It should be quite free.
12. Slowly loosen the front four subframe bolts to slowly lower the front of the subframe. Loosen the rear bolts too if needed.
13. Keep loosening until the sway bar can slip out the front. The black plastic coolant hose brackets were the tightest part and you can rock them back a little if need be.
14. Once it's clear, you can remove the old bar and swap in the new one.
15. Install is reverse of removal. You should be using 8 new subframe bolts. Four in the rear, two short ones in the front center and two long ones in the front corners where the diagonal arms mount.
16. All 8 of those bolts get torqued to 90Nm. All but the front corners get an additional 90deg. The front corner diagonal arm bolts get an additional 180deg turn.


# Front strut install
1. Install new strut onto strut tower, i like to keep the bolts loose so things can move a bit. Use new nuts
2. Raise wheel carrier assembly up onto the strut and secure it with the sway bar drop link bolt. Use new nuts. 
3. When the strut seats into the upright, there is a tab for it to sit on so its clear when its in all the way. It's possible to clamp the strut in a higher position, but you'd have to be a dummy AND be pretty lucky to have it not slide nicely into place.
4. Move control arms into place, use new nuts
5. Torque suspension bolts to spec
6. Install brake and torque to spec. Caliper bolts are one time use.
7. Repeat for other side

# Rear strut swap
1. Make sure parking brake is engaged
2. isconnect brake pad sensor, wheel speed sensor, and parking brake connectors and remove brake bracket screw
3. Remove brake caliper and rotor
4. Disconnect toe control arm from subframe
5. Disconnect diagonal arm from LCA
6. Disconnect axle from transmission flange (M9 triple square)
7. Disconnect LCA from subframe
8. Disconnect wheel carrier from strut and remove the whole wheel carrier/control arm assembly
9. Remove old strut and install new one loosely
10. The struts seemed to be more stuck into the wheel carrier in the back than in the front and i was worried about not being able to slide the assembly up onto a pre-installed strut while holding the mess all up. So for this reason i installed the new strut to the wheel carrier assembly so it was all one unit off the car. I had my wife get ready in the hatch so when i raised the whole heavy assembly up, she could thread on the strut mount nuts to hold the whole assembly up. Be sure to keep the axle supported during all of this so you don't stress the CVs.
11. when the strut seats into the upright, there is a tab for it to sit on so its clear when its in all the way. It's possible to clamp the strut in a higher position, but you'd have to be a dummy AND be pretty lucky to have it not slide nicely into place.
12. Then i put the control arms and axle roughly all in their places and then put the bolts in place to hold them more securely.
13. Once everything is loosely in position you can tighten all the control arms down
14. Then reattach the axle. I recommend snugging them all up, and then do the other side of the car's strut
15. Torque all the suspension bolts
16. Install the brakes and torque to spec. Caliper bolts are one time use.
17. Torque all the axle flange bolts (80Nm) that you can reach. You'll then probably need to disengage the parking brake (make sure all sensors are connected before turning on the ignition!) to rotate the axles a bit, and then reengage the brake, and then torque the remaining flange bolts.


# Rear sway bar swap
1. Remove swaybar brackets and remove old bar
2. Install new bar and brackets with new bushings
3. Install drop links to sway bar
4. Torque to spec

# Torque Specs
## Caliper
1. Wheel lug bolts: 160 Nm (118 ftlb)
2. Caliper bolts to wheel carrier: 85 Nm
3. Caliper stud nuts (Tarret studs): 54 ftlbs

## Front
6. LCA to subframe: 120 Nm
7. LCA balljoint to wheel carrier: 85 Nm
8. LCA to diagonal arm (nut and bolt): 160Nm
9. Toe rod ball joint to wheel carrier: 85 Nm
10. Sway bar drop link to wheel carrier (strut pinch bolt): 85 Nm
11. Strut to strut tower, three M8 hex: 33 Nm
12. Sway bar bracket to subframe: 65 Nm
13. Sway bar drop link to Sway bar: 40 Nm. (30 ftlb) + 30deg
14. Subframe front, outer two bolts (through diagonal arm): 90Nm + 180deg
15. Subframe front, inner two bolts: 90Nm + 90deg
16. Subframe front, two nuts: 90Nm + 90deg
17. Subframe rear, two bolts on each side: 90Nm + 90 (not 100% sure on this, but that's what me and a couple other used)
18. Support frame (black steel), there are nuts and bolts: 65 Nm
19. Steering rack to subframe, two bolts: 70Nm

## Rear
22. Toe control arm ball joint to wheel carrier: 85 Nm
23. Toe control arm to rear subframe (eccentric bolt): 110 Nm
24. LCA to rear subframe (eccentric bolt): 110 Nm
25. LCA ball joint to wheel carrier: 85 Nm
26. Diagonal arm to LCA (nut and bolt): 160 Nm
27. Strut to strut tower, three M8 hex: 33 Nm
28. Drop link strut pinch bolt to wheel carrier: 50Nm + 180deg
29. Rear sway bar bracket to rear sub frame: 33 Nm
30. Sway bar drop link to Sway bar: 40 Nm + 30deg
31. Drive shaft to transmission flange, six M9 triple square: 80 Nm
32. Drive shaft nut to wheel hub: 460Nm

# Height quick check
The following values relate to the empty weight, i.e. full fuel tank/fluid reservoirs, vehicle with tools, but without driver or additional weights!
## Front
Distance from wing (lower edge) to centre of wheel: 364 +/-10 mm.
## Rear
The rear axle quick check dimension is 374 +/- 10 mm.