This is in regards to posts here in this thread: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1732312, as well as Andy asking for help... and this is what I have come up with.

If you are like some people I have seen, and I have helped Andy (OnlyUK7thGen) to get this figured out. His coilovers would not line up properly with his OEM tophat and bearings.

If you are like him, you would have found that with some manufacturers, you cannot use the OEM front strut bearings, which are made of steel, with aftermarket coilovers.

I do not know about other manufacturers, but this FAQ will handle mainly KW, Tein Basic and Progress coilovers. I am assuming that any other coilovers, which require use of the OEM bearings or tophats, will be inclusive in this article.

When you look at the KW manual, aside from all the German language, you will find this:



It will be telling you, basically, that if you have the steel front upper strut bearings, you will need to replace them with an OEM plastic bearing to fit the KW top hats, because the KW top mounts will not fit with the OEM steel bearings.

If you notice, KW gives an OEM part number for the bearings you need, which will be a plastic bearing. That OEM part number is INCORRECT. Their number is listed in the manual as a OEM Honda part #51726-S4A-004.

The ACTUAL part number for the OM plastic bearings, as found in a 2001 EM2, is actually a 51726-S5A-004.

As referenced from : https://www.hondapartsdeals.co...B++28

Here is the exploded diagram of the front strut assembly from hondaautomotiveparts.com. The strut bearing in question is labeled as # 9, and it is the correct part. It costs less than 15 bucks.:






EDIT: http://www.progressauto.com/20...d.pdf is the catalog for Progress products. on page 8, it gives footnotes for the Civic 01-03 and 04-05 as #20 "Some vehicles will require OEM upper strut bearing, part #51726-S5A-004" For the 75.1006 coilovers for both 01-03 and 04-05. So this article applies to both KW and Progress both.

 

Also according to Tein, their basic dampers, the ones that DO NOT come with top hats,
Say that you also need the 01 front upper bearings to make the coilovers work on the 02+ EM chassis.

 

UPDATE: I have just clled the dealership that runs http://www.hondapartsdeals.com, and the manager verified, by having the part in his hand, that Honda OEM # 51726-S5A-004 IS plastic.

That is the part you need for the install. :D

 

Good work, 007.

 

i bought new top bearings too when i went to coil overs just so i would have to worry about them breaking as soon

 

good info !


now I have a question here... according to a few members that have the Tein SS coilovers without the pillow ball mounts.. it comes with two rings, a gold and a green one...

one is for the 01-02 style strut mount whereas the other is for the 03-05... would these mean that I wouldnt need to purchase this extra part from the dealer? or would I still need it.. sorry a bit confusing

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM_ESK1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">good info !


now I have a question here... according to a few members that have the Tein SS coilovers without the pillow ball mounts.. it comes with two rings, a gold and a green one...

one is for the 01-02 style strut mount whereas the other is for the 03-05... would these mean that I wouldnt need to purchase this extra part from the dealer? or would I still need it.. sorry a bit confusing</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sorry mate, can't help you on this one... i've had enough grey hairs sprout on my head just trying to sort out the KW mistake.

Good luck though, and get ready to be frustrated....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM_ESK1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">good info !


now I have a question here... according to a few members that have the Tein SS coilovers without the pillow ball mounts.. it comes with two rings, a gold and a green one...

one is for the 01-02 style strut mount whereas the other is for the 03-05... would these mean that I wouldnt need to purchase this extra part from the dealer? or would I still need it.. sorry a bit confusing</TD></TR></TABLE>

it's true, atleast mine came with both sets of rings..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by skipbarber &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

it's true, at least mine came with both sets of rings..</TD></TR></TABLE>

I know! It's friggin' ridiculous... KW should have either supplied both kinds of upper seat or both kinds of bearing in the package. Oh well, she should be suited and booted by this time tomorrow... i cant wait!!!

 

Alright, back from the dead. I'm installing Skunk2 coilover sleeves on a 04 EX Coupe. First time we forgot the strut bearings. Yesterday we put the bearings back on to notice they aren't the same as the pics Skunk sent me. After researching i found this thread and the strut bearing differences (01 plastic bearing vs. 02+ metal bearing). My questions is will the plastic strut bearing fit on the 02+ top hat (assuming you can get the "cup" off that holds the metal strut bearing)? Thanks!

 

where is the actual instructions