Difference in Suspension packages?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 07-16-2008
Posts: 183
From: Edmond, OK
Difference in Suspension packages?
Newbie questions here:
How do you tell which you have if any at all?
If we want the car to corner better what should we be looking at?
What about Ride, If we want it to ride smoother, what do we need to be looking for?
How do you tell which you have if any at all?
If we want the car to corner better what should we be looking at?
What about Ride, If we want it to ride smoother, what do we need to be looking for?
Senior Member
Joined: 06-19-2008
Posts: 1,454
From: Indiana
There is the touring suspension and the Sport suspensions. The SS might have a different one all together, or it might be the sport, don't know for sure, i don't have an SS.
The touring might give you a slightly smoother ride. This is standard on the LS and the LT models.
The sport suspension will supposedly give you better handling. This comes with the 2LT upgrade. I drove all 3 suspensions. I didn't really notice any loss of "smoothness" in ay of them, the SS obviously handles awesome, and i love the handling on my 2LT.
Plus with any of the HHRs (maybe not the SS that seems up in the air still) you can add a rear anti sway bar and it is supposedly to greatly improve handling. It's on my list of things to do once i get a spare $200.
The touring might give you a slightly smoother ride. This is standard on the LS and the LT models.
The sport suspension will supposedly give you better handling. This comes with the 2LT upgrade. I drove all 3 suspensions. I didn't really notice any loss of "smoothness" in ay of them, the SS obviously handles awesome, and i love the handling on my 2LT.
Plus with any of the HHRs (maybe not the SS that seems up in the air still) you can add a rear anti sway bar and it is supposedly to greatly improve handling. It's on my list of things to do once i get a spare $200.
Senior Member
Joined: 05-22-2008
Posts: 391
From: G'town, MD
Once upon a time they were called.......anti roll bars......they are suppose to help stop the vehicle from rollin' over when you went around a corner alittle too fast. that's the short....I'm sure someone can give you the actual engineers side of it.
Senior Member
Joined: 01-04-2008
Posts: 2,366
From: Long Beach, Ca
Ive been up underneath all models 1LT, 2LT and the SS. They are all configured the same in the sense that they have a solid rear beam and the springs and shocks are in the same positions.
There is a large bar that sits in the channel of the rear axle beam. This is not a sway bar. A sway bar will tie the rear control arms together and reduce the car's tendency to lift or body roll as I have heard it called as well.
Although not certain, I have to assume the difference in the sport vs touring suspensions are different spring rates and shock valving.
I have a 2LT. I leveled the rear with the leveling springs and added a sway bar and it makes a huge difference. Well worth the money. Not to mention it just plain looks better.
There is a large bar that sits in the channel of the rear axle beam. This is not a sway bar. A sway bar will tie the rear control arms together and reduce the car's tendency to lift or body roll as I have heard it called as well.
Although not certain, I have to assume the difference in the sport vs touring suspensions are different spring rates and shock valving.
I have a 2LT. I leveled the rear with the leveling springs and added a sway bar and it makes a huge difference. Well worth the money. Not to mention it just plain looks better.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 07-16-2008
Posts: 183
From: Edmond, OK
What's the Load capacity after the sway bar and Leveling Springs?
When you say difference, does it respond better on the road? hug the road better? What is the major difference you are seeing?
When you say difference, does it respond better on the road? hug the road better? What is the major difference you are seeing?
Senior Member
Joined: 04-11-2008
Posts: 663
From: Eastpointe,MI.
The shock valving is the only difference between the FE1 and FE3 suspensions.Springs,bushings and the front sway bar are the same.
The bar in the rear beam acts as a stiffener,modifying the twist of the beam(the whole rear beam is,in effect,a rear sway bar).
The bar in the rear beam acts as a stiffener,modifying the twist of the beam(the whole rear beam is,in effect,a rear sway bar).
New Member
Joined: 08-23-2006
Posts: 23
From: Lockport,Illinois
If this is true does the installation of aftermarket shocks/struts (Monroe etc) change the handling performance.
