On my 2002 sunfire, which currently has stock suspension, the only difference is it has poly bushings, and 17"x7.5" wheels.
the problem i have is, the driver side is anywhere from 1/2" to 1" lower than the passenger side (i haven't measured it exactly yet i just noticed it)
i have been in 2 spin outs, one took me off road, and the other i hit a van, neither took a huge smash into anything, however the off road one resulted in needing to replace all the wheel bearings (maybe not all, but just 2 so i figured to just be safer and do them all) and i also had to replace the a-arm bushings from that incident as well... that was the only damage to the car so says 3 shops that i took it to for an examination and estimate.
now, when the cars weight shifts from one side to the other i hear a loud clunk, from any but 1 point in the car, which leads me to believe its strut mounts (which I'm getting replaced)... its been making this noise since before either of the accidents. and as well, the car pulls to the left and has since i bought it (even with an alignment).
I have a set of tokico d-specs and tenzo-r springs that I'm getting put on on next Tuesday along with new strut mounts all the way around. Is there anything else that could cause this problem (i think its the springs, but i haven't got a vast knowledge of suspension). I'm looking to replace whatever needs to be replaced to fix it, any suggestions other than what i have now? Id like to know before i take the car in on Tues.
thanks for any help!
Sounds like one of your springs has had enough which should solve your height problem. Other factor can be that your shocks are blown if you notice bottoming out while driving over small cracks or bumps on the road which may be where your clunk is coming from. So you cant go wrong by changing the shocks and springs. If you find a good deal on the strut mounts let me know. I'm looking for a set myself.
prolly your struts are blown and maybe your springs have had it with the offroading adventures.
just get air and you wont have that problem
Well, i hope the new setup fixes it, I ordered a set of mounts from napa, as its close and the car is going into the shop tommorow, i dont want to drive it while waiting for mounts to be shipped, so im paying a little extra for parts from napa, 260 for everything. and 300 in the shop i was quoted for installation and alignment.
ill let you guys know what happens
i have the same issue with my sunfire..its on koni yellows ans sprints and the drivers side is lower then the pass side..phil
^^ haha thats not something i wanna hear!
I hope its just the struts/springs....
do you have the same problem of having to hold the wheel to the right a few degrees to go straight?
Well an update, i got the car back tonite so i can drive it (just to test her out) and my GOD! it handles like nothing ive felt before (i imagine that its not the best in the world, but whatever im in love)
the car sits level now, she just needs an alignment, and maybe the struts to be ajusted softer, my butt hurts.
all in all, tokico d-specs and tenzo-r's im happy for now.
