HEY!, I didn't give my permission to use my car. Well I guess I'll let you borrow it as long as return the keys, car (with no dents, scratches.) and fill up the tank.

THAT IS A 1/2 INCH!!! AND I HAVE A 12 INCHER IN MY PANTS.

 

Now lets see the diff in the front. That would be nice to see. all kidding aside.

 

I think the front differences would be microscopic compared to the rears. The Gold-Lines just seem to give the most "level" drop of all the springs currently available.

I just wanted to put the rear comparison pics out there for new owners who are considering a drop to see.
This way they can make a more educated decision as to which set they prefer.

 

In my experience, strut front suspension systems will indeed suffer from more negative camber at rest after being lowered. That's just the nature of a single suspension arm, and the geometry difference once lowered. Depending on the Ackerman angle of the factory alignment, toe would not be changed much, if at all.

The HHR's rear geometries don't change at all when lowered, as the setup is a twist beam, similar to a live axle.

Here's some info from Ingalls training errata (The changes here are exaggerated, more like .5 degree change for the HHR):

 

FYI:

Chevy specs for the front camber on the HHR are -0.95 +/- 0.75 for the left and right front tires. After the goldlines I'm at -1.2 on the left and -1.1 on the right. So I have an extra -0.25 on the left and -0.15 with -0.5 & -0.6 left for adjustment.

 

Tokyo: just to clarify (and so no one else thinks I'm crazy!), I was not speaking regarding geometry - you are 100% correct in that regard. My comments "I think the front differences would be microscopic compared to the rears" were regarding the appearance of the front whellwells compared to the rear in the pictures above.

Camber does indeed change on the HHR when lowered, but as NG pointed out; GM has left us a pretty wide spread in the numbers:



...which means many people will get away without needing camber adjustment.

On the other hand - if you hit a curb in a parking lot and bend something, or someone backs into one of your front wheels - having the camber kit installed will save both time & money when taking your car in for a fix. Additionally, the stock lower strut bolts are splined, which makes removing them somewhat difficult:



Since you have them out already when doing the drop, it makes the most sense to install the camber bolts when putting it back together. Otherwise some guy at the alignment shop will end up charging you twice the labor to do it later on...

Just my $0.02

 

Then I guess you ARE right! That must be 1/2"

 

I was actually trying to reinforce the need for the camber kit after lowering. Once the vehicle is lowered, the technician's adjustment window leaves less room towards + adjustment, else one pays out one's wazoo at one's favorite alignment shop. Perhaps I should have said that before, rahter than looking like a wanker now. And now you know, and knowing is half the battle... Nooch.

 

thanks for the info

 

You don't look like a wanker Will! I just wanted to clarify my statements as this thread has made a few twists and turns (as usual! ). My last post with the pics was to show the great differences between the rear drop of all 3 spring kit brands. In that post I mentioned that the differences in the front drop (*wheelwell gap), wasn't as drastic as the rear. Just wanted it cleas I wasn't talking about CAMBER not being changed...because as you know, - it is.

We're all good...