Easy Guide to LIFT a HONDA CR-V!! AVOID this easy MISTAKE and save HOURS of your time

If you like what I do and would like to show support:
ko-fi.com/isakjetbean
This is a guide on how to install the Aerogenics 1" lift spacers in the front of your CR-V hassle free and with simple hand tools.
You will need:
1 x 450mm or higher jack
1 x low profile jack
1 x jackstand
1 x socket kit (12mm, 14mm, 17mm)
1 x breaker bar
1 x hammer
3 x zip ties
During the first installation you will need spring compressors so that you can safely loosen and rotate the top hat so that the studs on your new lift spacer are aligned to where the studs on the top hat would typically sit.
Every subsequent removal of the strut, with the techniques used in this video, will no longer require spring compressors to reinstall the strut, as this method doesn't require compressing the springs to install the strut, but simply just for the top hat rotation.
The tricks I used in this guide were shown to me by @gtavila_ on Instagram, he's genuinely the reason I was able to put these in without popping my axle out.
Instagram: @isak.jetbean
You can purchase the lift spacers I use in my CR-V here:
www.aerogenicsusa.com
FULL DISCLAIMER:
I'm not getting paid for this video. I made this guide for the sole purpose of helping other people install their lift. I'm genuinely just a fan of the company, and I like to shout out their products.

[@Nate1688]

My God hallelujah!!!! For this video I fought the lower strut fork for 2 days!! I have an RD1 with a 1.5” lift kit. Replaced sway bar and outer tie rods. And could not get the strut fork to mount up! Removed the fork off the strut, put the bolt through placed at the angle and gave it a kick!! Bam 💥 that mother is in!!! Back on the road today because of you!!!! Thank you 🙏🏽 from the bottom of my heart and my crvs!!!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@Deathphone]

There is a lot of CRV videos out there and you really handled the details my friend

[@forrestcoleman2659]

Wow what an amazing walk thru!!! Thank you so very much sir :) I wish everyone who created diy videos would use this as a template for how to create a useful video. You brought the camera up to the specific bolts, very thorough. You rock!!!

[@smokedogz5]

This is the best CRV video I've seen Great Job!!!

[@richieplaysgame5]

I just finished installing a 3" HRG kit on my 02 CRV, it was definitely a learning experience

[@bjnz4328]

I watched every video I could find about this. Yours is definitely the best. You've got everything covered especially the zip ties and using your boot for assembly. The boot method worked a treat for me. Thanks a lot!

[@isakjetbean]

Thank you - honestly, I just had the same experience a lot of people had, and I had the good luck of some helpful people sharing those tricks. Once I knew them and saw others struggling, I just made the video exactly how it would've helped me - since I'm doing everything for the first time ever on this car, if the video can teach me the step by step, anyone can do it! Glad I could help!

[@outputdamikrip]

You have a pin point good strategy mate! I watched this one probably 100 times already I've seen many DIY videos but yours is the best mate! Cheers! JM (Vancouver, BC)

[@mybrotherscout3661]

Greetings from Texas, Thanks for the video. I'm going to give this a shot and see what happens.

[@alvaroferreyros8711]

I need to do mine aswell. This definitely gave me a great idea on how its done.

[@rogalewskip]

the most comprehensive tutorial EVER!

[@bigdanny420]

Oh man i wish this video was around when I put quick struts on my crv that i bought lifted. I must have messed around trying different things to get it to fit back together for a week till i came up with the boot trick on my own. Thanks for sharing the info with others!

[@isakjetbean]

How long ago was that? This video is from 2019 😅 Glad to hear you got it resolved well!

[@FranciscoGarcia-qh8rm]

Thanks man!! couldnt figure out how I was gonna lower the whole assembly to get the fork to line back up to the hole and this method seems way easier I’m about to try it since I couldnt get it back together yesterday!

[@ehsan1979]

Dude it's by far the best video on the subject.

[@isakjetbean]

I appreciate that 👌🏻 I work hard to put out good info when I make a video like this!

[@CARdasians]

honestly keep doing crv videos great job

[@isakjetbean]

Thank you very much, means a lot! I'm always working on more, just slowly as I am pretty busy 24/7!

[@anthonyemmm]

Awesome work man. Thanks for the detailed video. Zip ties always come in handy

[@isakjetbean]

Zip ties, duct tape and blutack are the 3 pillars of my skillset 😂

[@mauriciodominguez198]

Nice video can you tell me all the parts do I need to lift my crv 97 please thank you

[@Ikutlesswitaskillet]

This was so helpful! Can you do a video on the rear Tyre lift as well?

[@isakjetbean]

I'm hoping to film my install guide of the 1.5" rear kit on Monday!

[@Ikutlesswitaskillet]

isak.jetbean looking forward!

[@BL1290]

where can i find a rear subframe for my 99 CRV???

[@powel1aa]

Which bull bar is on the front there?

[@tonyrobles5499]

Nice vid m8

[@isakjetbean]

Cheers dude :D

[@VictorDiaz-hu5mk]

Hello sorry for the bother but what brush guard is that

[@HogarthHughs]

Very helpful! Did you put those 1.5” king springs on stock struts?

[@isakjetbean]

Up front it's running Monroe Gas Magnum shocks and rear are still stock but I'll be replacing them soon with the same Monroe shocks.

[@forrestcoleman2659]

isak.jetbean Whats your opinion on the strut/spring setup? How’s body roll? Do you feel like you’re jumping speed bumps?

[@flaviosanchez5722]

Whats the link to the camber arms ?

[@Carslol234]

This is the method I used on my RD1. But now I need help with my 97 auto CRV awd with Aerogenics 1" front and 2" rear lift spacer on Monroe quickstruts, Aerogenics 1" engine and subframe drop , Aerogenics 1" trailing arm spacers, new torque mounts, Truhart front upper control arm and rear camber arm and new NAPA axle driver side, I have a wobble at 20 mph and intermittent clicking... i really want to figure this out. Some folks I've asked just said they just learned to deal with it.

[@isakjetbean]

Not the same issue but if you haven't. flip your front upper control arms, they're currently not travelling on the same arc due to your lca being dropped 1 inch. If you know a fabricator, take it to them to weld the inside seams first, as they're not fully welded both sides because they're not designed to be flipped, but they need to be flipped when paired with a subframe drop, and in doing so exposes that design flaw. As for your problem... NAPA axles are your problem sadly. We don't get them in Aus, but I've had a number of people say the same thing and yeah, OEM or OEM rebuilt are the way to go. NAPA axles lack the vibration dampeners that OEM have.

[@deku2676]

Where did you get the grille guard?

[@noyskie17]

Nice video mate. I have a question hope you can help. Do you know the location of the reverse light switch? Mine is auto. Sometime it lights up, sometimes it does not. Hope you can help. Thanks. Cheers!

[@isakjetbean]

Sorry, I wish I did! Have you checked all your relays and wires to make sure nothing's loose? Other than that the best I can say is good luck, I hope you sort it asap!

[@nyceshewz7860]

What size tire and rim do you run?

[@rkl9449]

Are the spacers in the rear 1” as well? I see that they (aerogenics) recommend several deferent front&rear size combinations on their website.

[@isakjetbean]

1.5" in the rear with a 2" trailing arm spacer (had to take into account springs for that)

[@N55666]

whats better gen 1 or gen 2 for offroad gen 2 having the k24 would have more torque but is that needed in a crv for offroad?

[@isakjetbean]

Gen 2 has the better engine for sure, but the gen 1 has better approach angles and slightly more ground clearance

[@craigiefconcert6493]

What I’d like to know is the RD1 very off-road capable? I picture getting stuck in the mud because it’s AWD not 4x4 and the axles don’t lock.

[@isakjetbean]

Well everything depends on circumstance. Mud in one place is different to another. You're not gonna go hunting for deep mudholes that a Patrol might do, but if you're being sensible about it you can take it through mud alright, you just need to consider your throttle control more, as you only really have torque to get out of trouble around 3200rpm and higher, and not a whole lot still until 4500rpm, which even in 1st gear is quite fast. You also need to be mindful of doing so, because it will dig you deep into the mud much faster if you drop in at speed and go nowhere. If you try and drive this like a 4wd with low range up hills, you'll get nowhere, they are not designed to crawl. They go fine, but you're not going to drive it like a real 4x4. You need to drive it as fast as you need to but as slow as you can.

[@brendanwiggin3327]

Anything is possible woth a set of Yokohama Geolandars R/T

[@LarryRichelli]

Does anyone know, is the second generation crv (2002-2006) pretty much the same as this one?

[@hunternield2408]

no, they got a very large revamp, still amazing cars in my opinion, but you cant beat a 97-01 ;D

[@rullytrisapta2224]

Untuk kenyamanan bagaimana

[@cdpc211]

Are those tires too big and heavy for that small engine?

[@isakjetbean]

Nope, engine handles them perfectly. A little bit of power lost, but with manual, heavy duty clutch and B20B8 (higher HP/TQ than regular B20, same as B20Z) drives great. Still nippier than most 4wds, by no means is it pulling ahead on a straight 0-100 anymore (used to beat 2L Mazda 3 9/10 times) but it still has plenty of acceleration for regular daily driving.

[@steakak47]

What do you do when the axle pops out?

[@isakjetbean]

I had to remove the cv completely and reinsert the roller bearings, which is a messy and frustrating job. So you'd need to crack the 36mm axle nut and disconnect the brake line retainer get the cv back in, then start bolting everything back together. I also unbolted my caliper to make it easier but don't necessarily have to.

[@lilbull763]

Where did you get the coilovers

[@isakjetbean]

Sparesbox in Aus, ebay has em. King Springs, Monroe Shocks

[@alexvargas7504]

what struts are you running?

[@isakjetbean]

Monroe up front, factory rear but will be replacing rear with monroe eventually too

[@IkarosCanFly]

Wow that suspension is the exact same as my 99 civic.... I guess that means I could lift my civic lol

[@isakjetbean]

Do it, a lot of lifted Civic guys use CR-V struts, the CR-V uses the civic camber arm drop bracket (above 3") as well, a lot of interchangeable stuff. The joys of Honda :D

[@IkarosCanFly]

@@isakjetbean I have skunk 2 upper control arms on my civic because when I lowered it the negative camber was insane but the cheap ebay adjustable control arms had really bad ball joints and they didnt have enough angle so when ever I hit a bump my suspension never bottomed out but my ball joints angle maxed out. So you either have to cut down the knuckle and make it shorter or go with skunk 2 UCL because their ball joints have more travel. I would assume the opposite for raising the suspension and that you would have to lengthen the knuckle so that your control arm ball joint has enough travel. Or go with skunk 2.

[@isakjetbean]

@@IkarosCanFly Aerogenics make a ball join spacer to help compensate with the angle, or you can flip the camber arm upside down and swap side and that does the trick too

[@chayneyshuck5503]

What size tires are those?

[@isakjetbean]

235/75 on 15s

[@AS-zg8gv]

Does this work for 3 inch

[@isakjetbean]

Only if you have the appropriate subframe drop already installed. Otherwise, you'll break axles very very very quickly, if you even get the wheels back on at all.

[@AS-zg8gv]

@@isakjetbean so I need the subframe drop on first before putting the hrg3 inch spacers ? Will I need to do anything else rightaway ?

[@isakjetbean]

@@AS-zg8gv That's how I would do it, less chance of damaging CVs that way. for 3" spaces i'd personally run a 2" subframe drop, you'd also most likely need to run the camber and toe arm drop brackets HRG sell. When you go higher than 2" lift, the process becomes a lot more complicated.

[@stevenfredell1115]

How much lift is already on your crv before this install

[@isakjetbean]

I had the 1.5" springs on for about a year before I put the 1" spacers up front.

[@CesarLopez-bf4iu]

Like and suscribe. Do more about your crv i got a 2K same color, for about 9 years and the next year i want to make it off road. Saludos desde Tijuana Mexico!!

[@isakjetbean]

Thanks man! Do it! Always love seeing more people take their CR-V offroad! Lot's more coming next year, making a bash plate + more lift, engine drop and bigger tyres, more camping stuff!

[@IkarosCanFly]

how come no one ever lifts the second gens?

[@isakjetbean]

I've seen plenty. We Were Kings Offroad on instagram have a really sick white one running 31s, but I think the 1st gen is a more appealing platform to build on aesthetically. The k24 vtec would be a nice power increase to run bigger tyres though, and Aerogenics do make lift kits for them

[@IkarosCanFly]

@@isakjetbean Yah but the lack of decent vtec makes the k24 seem slow. Slap a k20 on it and its a beast.

[@maddog6820]

Not a bad vid step 1 buy parts step 2 load up car with wife & kids step 3 drive from the bottom of Vic where there is no snow and knock on ya door with beer and watch you do it all again

[@isakjetbean]

No snow but if you come in a few months plenty of rain ;)

[@ClaireFuze]

Hey I know you

[@isakjetbean]

😮😮😮

[@everready19373]

IMHO, this would have been 1000x better without the 'music.'

[@isakjetbean]

Yeah mate saw your comment on the other video. Personal preference aside, the music hides every time I have to chop up the dialogue so it's not jarring, especially cutting between 2 cameras. Sorry to say I probably won't be removing the music from any future videos any time soon.