We had a surprise half day today at work so I went right to Autozone on my way home and borrowed some strut compressors. Got the springs on and it lowered it quite a bit.. I'll post pics later as the front is still a bit higher and I want to wait for them to settle.

I've only put about a few miles on it so far, but the ride quality is excellent! It handles a bit better w/o really feeling any firmer. Only issue is that I think the rear shocks are bottoming out as they "bonk" once in a while when I hit a dip, but not too bad. Just no putting anything heavy in the rear till I get it fixed.

Does anyone know if the Cobalt/HHR SS rear shocks are any shorter than stock? If they are then I think that will be what I need to sort it out.

 

If they go bonk, take a close look at those new springs. They could be
coil-binding. (coils hitting togeather when they compress) Certain brands of lowering springs have been known to do this. If they are, it will rub off the paint where they make contact.
Some lowering springs have too many coil wraps which contribute to this problem.
Below are some springs. Same brand. One would coil bind. The other with less coils(their improved version) does not bind.
Attachment 14459

Also they compress alot when installed on the car. Not much distance between coils for movement.
Attachment 14460

 

If they are progressive, that might be the issue. I know someone else had posted pics of their progressive springs installed and the bottom 3-5 coils were stacked on top of one another.

As for the SS struts, I believe they are gas filled and tend to be slightly taller, or expand further than 1LT shocks/struts. Although, that is probably what you need...shorter shocks with less travel (unless properly matched/valved) would likely bottom out quicker due to the shorter length. The SS shocks being gas pressurized and slightly taller would probably do a better job of handling the shorter springs...ride quality might be affected, however I am positive it would be better than bottoming out.

I am planning on switching from my current FE1 shocks/struts to the SS's FE5 shocks/struts when I lower mine...but I want a rougher, more aggressive ride.

 

They are progressive rate springs so...

I just remembered that I have a pair of air shocks I got for the rear of my lowered 72 beetle. I wonder if I could swap out the bushings with the OEM ones if they would work. They are shorter... Next time I have some free time I might give it a go.

 

Let us know how that works out for ya. Oh, and post up pics when you get a chance...even if it isn't settled. You can post another shot when it is...lol.

 

Try the FE5 shocks first...they be 15.5 tall and 10.0 short....fe1&3 are 16 tall and 10.5 short..definitly want to use the shorter shock, slide has it backwards..a shorter shock will keep the piston more centered in the shock bore...plus the valving is more aggressive with the FE5's.

 

Hmm...I thought I have read several posts about people switching to SS shocks and it actually raising the ride height slightly due to being gas pressurized vs. the FE1? I could be wrong...either way, try the SS shocks and see how it goes. I do agree they are more aggressively valved and will handle the lowering springs better than what ya currently got...but I thought they were slightly taller. I think the springs will still compress and stack since they are progressive...but it might help to stop or at least reduce the feeling your getting from them.

 

The SS is lower (stock) then the other two to start with, thats why they shorter and true..compared to the LS they will raise back up slightly because of the gas..in this case it might be a good thing,,help in the rear, Cobalt springs are not quite the correct rate for the HHR, we have a few hundred extra lbs on them.

 

I have had quite a few different set ups on mine, if you are hitting the bump stop, you need more damping, or cut them off. With the YYZv1 spring, I switched from fe5, to fe3 struts and shocks. The ride is softer, but still corners like it has a sway bar on it, even with the 255x40's.

 

I don't think I would mind if the rear raised up another half inch as these springs are LOWWWWW!!! LOL But I love the way it looks. Got a pic and I think it is safe to say the springs are now settled in.