Arcadius

Dear HHR users,

Thread is about 2009 HHR 2.4 LT located in Europe.
I need to use HHR on fields/woods roads and the ground clearance is too low. I wish to lift the HHR to avoid damaging the underparts of the car.
I was thinking about using Firestone Coilrite 4141 system but I am not sure if it will lift up the car.
I have no idea how to proceed with front suspension.
Yes, I know that main idea is to lower HHR as much as possible but in this case I need to lift it no matter how it will look like (maybe even better)

If you have any suggestion, not judging my controversial decision I would be very appreciated.

Best regards,
Arcadius

Oldblue

Spring spacers, under the front coils, no more then 2 inches.





This type spacer under the coil springs





These little spacers tend to pop out going over rough terrain.

Arcadius

Thank you for fast reply Oldblue. 2" in total or no more than two inches one spacer ? Two inches lift will give ground clearance comparable to Subaru Forester that is quite enough.

Oldblue

One spacer 2” total lift, we don’t want to have anymore angle then that in the CV axles.

Arcadius

OK, So I will measure the distance between fender to the ground and lift it not more than 2"

Oldblue

You can measure that way, but just make sure the spacer is maximum 2” thick

donbrew

That is going to raise the center of gravity; be careful when you drive on pavement. Might play havoc on the ESC.

geg

It seems to me that 2 inches is a lot. This is more than 5 centimeters.
In the lowest position, the suspension will over-strain the CV joint drives.
And something will have to be done with the wheel offset. The suspension is designed so that the axle of the shock absorber strut points clearly to the center of the wheel-to-road contact patch. If the suspension is lifted, the angle will inevitably change. How much? Who knows. But an offset of more than 2 millimeters is critical for the health of the hubs. Wheels with an offset of 4mm more killed my front hubs in 1 winter. My rear hubs are still alive, but the left already has a little play.

Overall, I really like the idea of ​​raising the suspension. I wanted to do the same myself, but I couldn't find a painless and inexpensive way. In addition, I have never understood what the beauty of an understated car is. Therefore, I will carefully monitor your actions and will be your follower if you get an acceptable result.

Oldblue

I said a maximum of 2 inches, and yes an alignment would be required after installing lift spacers

geg

Yes, Oldblue, I knew it right away.
And I'm sure you know these cars better than me.
But it seems to me that the maximum should be somewhere around 3 cm or 1.2 inches. At least I wouldn't risk doing more on my car.