Ok I just bought a 98 Cavalier RS and somethings up with the front suspension. I don't know @!#$e about cars so please bear with me.
The car has been lowered so I expected it to be a little firmer but it feels like there is no suspension at all in the front. If I push down on the front there is no bounce at all, no suspension travel or whatever it's called. Where as there is in the back. I've got to almost stop before speedbumps and driveways. And I really feel it on rough roads. I'm probably shooting poop out of my mouth but I'm thinking that whoever lowered the car did a dodgy job and just cut the springs down to lower it. But they've cut them too short and now they're ineffective. And so the car is just riding on the bumpstops or something. I dunno, I don't know @!#$.
Anyone got any ideas?
can you get us a pic? stock sized springs? coil overs? could prolly help if i had more info
friends dont let friends roll stock
Did you cut the springs????
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
you can get new lowering springs, and struts
or get factory springs and struts
it could be that they are still using the stock struts as well, which don't hold up very well after the car is lowered.
Desert Tuners
“When you come across a big kettle of crazy, it’s best not to stir it.”
hehe i h just happen to have a 1 month old set of kyb front struts reworked for coil overs and a set of factory 02 z24 springs
friends dont let friends roll stock
I'll try and get some pics today.
I didn't cut the springs, it was already lowered when I bought it.
but if the stock strut was on there and dead it would make it a bumpier ride not stiffer
friends dont let friends roll stock
if you push down on front end right over the tire id doesnt move?
looks like a stock spring and strut
friends dont let friends roll stock
Nope, can't get it to move at all.
Is it the angle of the pic or do you really only have two rounds of spring? And those are definately looking like cut stockers. As much as I hate to say it, better start saving up quick for new springs/struts and probably mounts.
The good news: new suspension + remove door moulding + tint = hawt
mike crawford wrote:Is it the angle of the pic or do you really only have two rounds of spring? And those are definately looking like cut stockers. As much as I hate to say it, better start saving up quick for new springs/struts and probably mounts.
The good news: new suspension + remove door moulding + tint = hawt
Ugh crap... Could I just get away with replacing the springs? How hard is it to install these things yourself?
not hard at all just need a pair of spring compressors and as i said earlier i have a set of stock 02 z24 springs
friends dont let friends roll stock
If you go with lowering springs chances are good you won't even need a compressor. It's possible to just replace the spring, but you have no way of kowing the condition of the struts. I understand money may be tight or whatnot so if you have to you have to, but those springs gotta go just for safety alone.
I needed a spring compressor for my Prokit when i installed it. Those are stock springs in the pics, if the car was lowered, then they were cut, i would recommed replacing the struts and springs, as well as mounts, its a lot of $, but it'll be worth it later on. It is also possible that the struts are just shot, mine had no signs that i was aware of (ie bounce) that they were blown till i took them apart. Good thing i bought new mounts too, cause they were shot as well, had one fall apart right in my hand. The car will look lower with blown struts too, thus my concensus.
you can tell if strut is dead when you take it off the car by pressing the piston downward . note if there any resistance and haw quick the pistons rebound is
shocks and struts rule of thumb is 5 years or 50,000 miles normal driving conditions
friends dont let friends roll stock
Looks like stock spring. If they were cut too short you could also be resting on the bump stop. This needs to be cut down when you install lowering spring. The amount to be removed is detailed in the directions included with a quality kit like Eibach.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/mykeln/mysig.jpg
