Seeing as there isn't much info about the K-Sport springs (not the coilovers) I figured that I'd post my experiences.
I picked up a like new pair for my 2.2L gen 3 for $25 (crazy) about 2 months ago and let them sit while I shopped around for some other parts. I have the serviceable struts so I was able to get 4 tokico blue inserts SHIPPED for $220. I also ordered new KYB bellows with bump stops. These kind of hurt at $94 shipped for the 4. I also got some new KYB strut bearings from Tirerack on closeout for $27 total. Not bad.
Tool-wise, I had to get a spring comrpessor and I found a nice one (new) on ebay for $12 (with the safety clamps) and I had to run to home depot to get a HUGE pair of pliers (more on those later).
I did the fronts first and everything went pretty smoothly. You really need a breaker bar to get the big 22mm nuts off. I had to use a little of my leg and body weight to break them free, but they went pretty smoothly. I compared the KYB strut bearings to the originals and they look identical. I don't know where I read that the KYBs were not good but I thought the part quality was excellent.
I left the original strut mounts as mine were just fine. The KYB bellows worked nicely and are a different design than the OEM ones and I feel its better. The bump stop holds the bellows in place which I thought was quite clever.
The hardest thing of this whole job was pulling the old struts apart. There is a very large, maybe 1.5" nut that seals off the old oil filled strut. I had to buy some massive $20 pliers from Home Depot (I couldn't find a wrench that size) to even get something around them. Its super ghetto, but I put the strut housing under the car's tire and let the full weight of the car hold it down so I could crank it. Even then, it took a lot of force to break it free. I would recommend just going to sealed ones, but I am the cheap and determined type. Once I got used to breaking the nuts free, it got easier, but I was never comfortable putting the strut under the car.
Anyways, getting the old oil filled assembly out is messy as hell. Once its out though, the tokicos slip right in and you just cap them off. Tokico also gives you a new top nut, but its too small to get a tight fit in the strut mount so save the Toyota ones.
The K-Sport springs went on very easily. The fronts I had to compress a little to get the mount on while the backs are a few inches shorter than the strut.
One tip I have for doing the rear endlinks is besides soaking the nut with some sort of penetrating oil is to get a small pair of vice grips with a slightly curved "mouth" (the ones that look like a fish). i used to use these all the time on my VWs and they work great for keeping the ball joints from spinning. They are the perfect size to clamp them down just under the ball and the cup and you can clamp over the rubber to provide good grip. This will hold the ball still so you can break the nut free without any hassle. There was no damage to the rubber, either.
The rears are somehow harder to mount, especially when you are working solo, so what I did was mount the bottom of the strut assembly and then use a floor jack to lift the suspension up while guiding the strut mount into it's holes.
I split the job up over two days since I was sort of sick and it started to rain. Total time was probably about 7 hours but that included a trip to home depot and the long and painful struggle to figure out how to get the first strut cap off.
The Ride:
I had no idea what to expect here, but the ride is really great. The car now rides like a European sports sedan. Its stiffer than say, a Volvo S60 in "advanced mode" (which is its most aggressive setting). The drop is pretty even all around and is probably about 2 inches. The K-Sports are progressive springs, so most bumps and potholes are pretty smooth (better than the old struts that were on there) but when you push them they really hold. I live in SF, so there are plenty of rough roads. Like any sport suspension, a bad road can be pretty annoying, but they honestly weren't that bad.
On the highway, the ride is excellent. Very smooth yet firm and the car never feels like its loose. I drove up through the Presidio where there are some serious bends to take some corners, but between intense night fog and some wet roads, I couldn't get too crazy. Even in those conditions, the car held surprisingly well. I could take corners 15mph faster than I would have ever even thought of before and still there was no tire squeal or significant body roll. The car feels very sure footed and aggressive. I would feel very comfortable pushing it. I have the stock size tires and I can easily feel the sidewall roll before the body really starts to roll. With some 17" wheels and low profile tires this would be a very solid drive.
The KYB strut bearings felt great and restored the steering feel with a nice smooth and solid action. Highly recommended.
Some kid in a little CRX that was lowered tried to pull away from me (playing around) and he was having to brake through corners that I was going through under power... and I was being conservative.
All in all, this is a very nice setup. It feels great in the wet, looks cool and rides reasonably comfortably. For under $500 I have what feels like a very "expensive" suspension and makes my little Toyota much more drivable. Now it just feels way under powered for the chassis...
And sorry, no pics as my car is in need of some paint.
K-Sport Springs Review + Serviceable Struts
Linear Mode
