After the exhaust and intake work was completed to my satisfaction, I was ready for Nitrous Oxide or headers. Then, I got side-tracked with a little help from MAXSPEED. They happened to have a set of Eibach Pro-Kit (5522.02) sport springs laying around and made me a deal that I couldn't refuse! As you may have guessed, I postponed the headers / NOS in order to install the springs and I am glad that I did.

The handling on the Probe is terrific from the factory, but the addition of the sport springs made a huge improvement. The progressive coils along with the 1.30" drop make the Probe handle as if the tires were glued to the street. In addition, the lowered stance of the car makes it look awesome.

Here are some photos of the stock springs next to their aftermarket counterparts. Obviously, the shorter ones are the Eibachs. It certainly appears that there is more than a 1.30" difference in springs heights...and there is. However, once the car's weight is set on them, they do not compress as much as the factory springs do as they are more stiff.

Installation was not as difficult as I had anticipated. Once the wheels are removed, the next step is to remove the two bolts that attach the strut assembly to the control arm. With that completed, it is time to move topside and unbolt the top of the assemblies from the car. Under the hood on either side are four nuts that hold the top of the strut in. Loosen these and then remove the assembly. The rears are little more difficult to get to as the top nuts are under the trim panels in the hatch area. First remove the trim panels and then you can easily remove the struts.

Once these are all removed, this is what you will have.

As you may guess, the following is not exactly the safest way to remove the spring from the strut assembly....this just happens to be the way mine were done. A spring compressor should be used. If buying a spring compressor does not fit your budget, once the strut assemblies are removed, you could bring them to a shop that has one and let them remove the springs. This should be only a minimal charge.

With the assemblies removed, simply unbolt the retaining nut in the top of each, which are located under the rubber covers. BE CAREFUL! Once the nut has reached the end on the bolt, the spring will push the assembly. Remember that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction....the spring will push both the assembly away from you AND the retaining cover (and your ratchet / impact wrench and hand) in the opposite direction. Stand on the side of the strut and preferably, butt the side that you are loosening against a wall or other heavy object to avoid it flying backwards! We used the tire/rim for this. Also, make sure that no one is standing in front of it. Mine shot about 15 feet across this cement floor before being stopped by a wall on the opposite side.

Do both the fronts at the same time and the rears at the same time so as not to get the struts and springs mixed up. Because the aftermarket springs are so much shorter, there is no need for a spring compressor to install them. Place them in the assembly, make sure that they are seated completely and then re-install the retaining plate and nut. Do NOT forget to put the rubber cover back over the nut as this is a cushion between the strut assembly and the car's body. Without this, you are likely to have some strange noises emanating from the suspension!

Re-install the struts in reverse order. Bolt the tops back into the car and then re-attach the control arms to the bottoms of the struts. Put the wheels back on and you are done.

The first time that you drive the car afterward, it may feel a little "wobbly" as the springs settle into place with the car's weight on them. Within a week, have the car re-aligned. The springs will add negative camber and this will need to be to removed.

You should note that eventually the factory struts will need to be replaced with sport or lowered struts. They will wear more quickly as the lowered springs will force them to work out of the ideal damping range. It would be ideal to do both the struts and springs at the same time as labor would be cut in half. Strut installation will require the same removal of the assemblies as the springs.

Enjoy the handling and the new look of your Probe!

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me!

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