On the 10th-generation Civic the front strut is about as DIY-friendly as a modern car gets: the damper bolts straight to the steering knuckle with two big 17 mm bolts and to the strut tower with three 14 mm nuts, with no damper fork to fight. If you buy complete loaded assemblies you never touch the spring, which keeps the job in easy-moderate territory. Budget most of your time for the two knuckle bolts, which are torqued high and often corroded.
All non-Type R trims (LX, EX, EX-T, EX-L, Sport, Si) use the same basic conventional strut layout, though spring rates differ between sedan, coupe, hatchback and Si - order by exact trim. The two things people get wrong: letting the knuckle hang so the brake hose and CV joint get stretched, and final-torquing the knuckle bolts with the suspension hanging free instead of loaded at ride height.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum, low profile Lift the car and support the steering knuckle while the strut is out. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands Pair, 2 ton, on the pinch-weld/front subframe points Hold the car safely while both front corners are apart. | Required | shop |
| Lug nut socket 19 mm, 6-point, 1/2 in drive Remove the front wheels. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 18-24 in Loosen lug nuts and the tight damper-to-knuckle bolts. | Required | shop |
| Socket set 10, 12, 14, 17 mm 6-point, 3/8 and 1/2 in drive 10/12 mm for brake hose and ABS harness brackets, 14 mm for upper mount and stabilizer link nuts, 17 mm for knuckle bolts. | Required | shop |
| Combination wrenches 14 mm and 17 mm Hold the nut side of the knuckle bolts and the stabilizer link nut. | Required | shop |
| Hex key or bit 6 mm hex (some links 5 mm) Holds the stabilizer link ball stud from spinning while loosening its 14 mm nut. | Recommended | shop |
| Ratchet and extensions 3/8 in drive, 3 and 6 in extensions Reach the three upper damper nuts under the hood and the harness clips. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 30-150 ft-lb Torque knuckle bolts and lug nuts to spec. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench (small) 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Accurate torque on the 14 mm upper mount nuts and stabilizer link. | Recommended | shop |
| Pry bar 12-18 in Spread the knuckle slightly and align the new damper into place. | Recommended | shop |
| Trim clip tool / small pick Plastic trim removal set Release the ABS harness and brake hose clips without breaking them. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire or bungee cord Heavy zip ties or short bungee Hang the caliper/knuckle so the brake hose and CV joint are not stretched. | Consumables | shop |
| Penetrating oil PB Blaster or equivalent Free corroded knuckle bolts and link nuts in rust-belt cars. | Consumables | shop |
| Wire brush Hand brush Clean bolt threads and the damper mating surface on the knuckle. | Consumables | shop |
| Complete strut assemblies Pair, correct for trim (non-adaptive; Type R FK8 differs) Loaded assemblies include damper, spring, mount and bearing. | Parts | shop |
| Damper-to-knuckle bolts and nuts New flange bolts/self-locking nuts if corroded Self-locking nuts are single-use per Honda practice. | Parts | shop |
| Safety glasses Rust and debris fall from the wheel well. | Safety | shop |
| Mechanic gloves Protects hands during heavy prying and lifting. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Pair Keep the rear wheels from rolling with the front in the air. | Safety | shop |
Fastener sizes are the same with the 2.0 K20C2 and the 1.5 turbo L15B7 - the engine does not change the suspension hardware. The Si uses stiffer but dimensionally identical struts. The Type R (FK8) is the outlier: dual-axis front suspension with adaptive dampers, an electrical connector at the top of each damper, and additional knuckle/link hardware, so its procedure and bolt list differ.
| Front wheel lug nuts | 80 ft-lb (108 Nm) |
| Damper upper mounting nuts (3, 14 mm) | 29 ft-lb (39 Nm) |
| Damper-to-steering knuckle bolts/nuts (17 mm) | approx. 101 ft-lb (137 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Stabilizer link-to-damper nut (14 mm) | 39 ft-lb (53 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Brake hose bracket bolt (12 mm) | 16 ft-lb (22 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Damper shaft self-locking nut (if reusing a mount) | verify in the service manual |
The 19 mm lug, 14 mm upper mount nut and 17 mm knuckle bolt sizes are correct for the 10th-gen Civic sedan/coupe/hatch with conventional struts, but confirm the knuckle bolt and stabilizer link torque values in the factory service data for your exact year and trim.
Not if you buy complete (loaded) strut assemblies, which come with spring, mount and bearing installed. You only need a compressor if you are reusing your springs on bare dampers, and that is the step where people get hurt.
19 mm for the lug nuts, 14 mm for the three upper damper mounting nuts and the stabilizer link nut (with a 6 mm hex to hold the stud), 17 mm for the two damper-to-knuckle bolts, and 10-12 mm for the brake hose bracket and harness clips.
Yes, get a front alignment. The damper-to-knuckle clamp allows small changes in camber/toe when the bolts are retightened, and skipping it leads to pulling and inner tire wear.
Expect roughly $600-1,000 for both sides with quality complete assemblies, plus about $80-120 for an alignment. Doing it yourself, the parts alone are typically $200-400 per pair.