EXACTLY what I did. No excessive toe, car dosent pull a bit. No excessive tire wear, I check my tread depths about twice a month.

And if you dont have an air gun an electric impact works just fine.

 

You didn't get a allignment and don't have any problems?

 

Okay everybody, stop it. Quit trying to convince people they don't need an alignment.

The front alignment on the Cobalt has very little adjustability, but the steering tie rods, as I have said THREE times now in this thread, are still completely adjustable, and will NEED to be adjusted if lowering springs are installed.

Stop trying to convince yourself that you don't need it.

 

Are the FE5 front struts slotted, will they fit on my 2.2 cobalt? How much long do you think they will last compared to my 2.2 struts on sportlines?

 

great write up awsome, this will help me alot, but i have one comment about the very last point you madeabout the gap between the end of the spring and coil set, from what i hear a gap of 1/4" to 1/2" is good to reduce noise what are your thoughts about that???

 

I have never heard that before. Sorry, can't help.

 

So basically, alignment is needed
and bump-stop cut is needed as well

looking forward to getting mine soon!

 

Alignment, yes.

Bump stop cut, NO!

If a bump stop is cut is needed, the instructions for your springs should tell you to do so. Eibach Pro-kit springs instructions specifically say NOT to cut the stops.

 

I just installed my sportlines at work yesterday, But lucky me I had a lift, impact gun, and a wall mounted spring compressor. So me and my buddy did all 4 springs in less than an hour. It was prob the easiest car ever to do springs on!!!

 

Great job Halfcent, the info will help greatly...

 

Okay... I got the back finished today. Looks GREAT! Very happy w/ the ssc springs.. my 17" wheels I have a 2finger wide gap!

But I was working on the front today and THAT BOLT listed above on both sides just SPUN...

When I loosened it it just spun, bolt and nut together.

Is that supposed to happen or am I doing sumthing wrong? I had the impression that it would just unscrew from the stabilizer bar. But it would act like it was loosening but nothing would ever get looser (ha). I'm lost.
btw I'm using handtools.

 

If you can't hold the bolt from the rear, then I don't know what to tell you.

 

I guess the better question is,
is that nut supposed to come off of that bolt? Or is the whole bolt nut come out of the bar?

Because mine on both sides of the car are spinning as if the bolt/nut come out of the bar. But it seems I'm turning forever w/o any movement out of the bar.

 

Just the nut comes off. The bolt stays with the link. Remember, if you are doing just one side at a time, that bolt will be under load.

 

It's amazing... the car is about 5 months old... i bought it new in the middle of winter. The bolts/nuts on there are so rusted is unbelievable. I sprayed it w/ PB blaster tonight. I'll give it another go this weekend.

I really dont want to have to pay a shop to do this. But that is what it's looking like it's going to be.

 

Well I just attempted to install my Pro-Kit. I thought I'd do the front and get the hard part out of the way first. Went kinda smooth till the end. I had the same prob with the stabilizer bar nut that CobaltCruisin had. It loosened about half way, then just spun. So I was lucky enough that I could hold the bolt from the backside of the bar with some needle nose to keep it from spinning, and the nut came right off. From then it was smooth as a babies ass, till I got the strut out. Compressed the spring, inserted socket and Torx key, started turning, and my ******* torx key broke off in the top of the strut!!! So Im now going to have to put it back together, drive it somewhere to get the broken piece out, and then I'll take them off and have someone drive me to a shop to impact those stubborn bitches off!!!

 

nice write up....im goin to be doing this in about a month

 

If you are going to have somebody drive you with your strut assebly to a shop later, why not just do it now? You can get your broken torx bit out then. That way you don't have to put everything back together just to take it all apart again.

 

Because at the time, everyone I couldve called was at work. I took the day off specificaly to take care of this. So I had to put the strut back in to make my car drivable. I even bought an impact gun to try the nut itself, and it still wouldnt come off. I may just leave the damn torx key piece in there, take both of the struts off and take them to a shop with a more powerful impact gun to pop the nuts loose. If it werent for this, I would have everything installed and complete.

 

subscribed...nice write up very thorough...repd

 

not to bring up an old thread, but do the fronts actually have bumpstops?

 

Yes. They are underneath the dust covers on the strut shaft.

 

I installed Sportlines this weekend. Great How-to! I must say though, nothing would get that top nut off. I ended up having to buy an impact wrench. Oh well, now I have an impact wrench!

 

What size is that bolt... i need to get a deep socket so i can get that joint off

 

If that bolt spins on the stabilizer bar. the best way to prevent it is to undo the bolt as much as possible till it spins freely. then grab the threads in back of it w/ a wrench ( i used a Robo grip) and then unbolt it. I had to do that 2 both sides of thedaves413 car today.