08 SS front struts
 

Where to buy front struts with springs for SS?

Quick struts(ones with springs) were never offered for the SS with the FE5 suspension.

OEM is discontinued. By many accounts, KYB strut for HHR are passable. I bet they're fine, as they're very firm in my LS. ZZP sells KYB struts for Cobalt & HHR; I presume they're the same thing.

Preserve your OE springs, as they're better quality than most aftermarket, and all available "loaded" strut assemblies will be too tall.

There are cartridges available, Koni? Bilstein? Don't remembet who.

Cartridge? That would be the bare strut on a HHR.

ZZP Or RockAuto

https://zzperformance.com/products/kyb-excel-g-struts

Cartridges are inserted in the strut. (Some mod usually required these days. In olden times, many were easily repkaced.) These have adjustable dampening, too! Stated to be for all HHR OEM strut, may not fit aftermarkets.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3b665d1c30.jpg

I haven’t changed cartridges in front struts since 1976.

Because they stopped making them replaceable. The entire strut is now the shock absorber, a cartridge used to be the shock absorber part.

Yes, I’m aware of that new technology, both strut and quick strut configurations. I prefer strut. Keep the OEM springs whenever possible.

They stopped making them easily replaceable. Koni isn’t making those cartridges (called inserts these days, it seems) for giggles. Several YouTubes showing the installation process for several contemporary models. (Found none specific to HHR.) It involves a hacksaw or sawzall. Not that hard, apparently. The payoff is an adjustable dampener (and more easily rebuilt, next time.)