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So just like every SS owner on this planet we reside upon, I am having the dilemma of whether to lower my car or not to lower my car. Obviously the car would look best with adjustable coil overs all the way around but I have 2 issues with that, I don’t have a ton of money to work with, and I live in Minnesota so lowering the front isn’t an option, especially since the front bumper scrapes from time to time with stock springs, so call me crazy if you guys think this is crazy but what if I could put lowering springs only in the rear. Think of it like a reverse leveling kit as in you lift the front of a truck to make it sit level with the rear, I want to lower the rear to make it sit level with the front. So suggestions like to do it or not to or if I should just do lowering springs or maybe rear coil overs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I think the cheapest coilovers are raceland I could be wrong but if you're in a budge that will probably be your best bet, I've heard they aren't the best tho
makes me wonder if someone produces rear springs that's almost the same as fe5 suspension but are simply shorter, to lowered to level out the car, while leaving front stock height. would be a nice look and not compromise front end ground clearance.
as I too would like to lower just the back, but the smallest drop I can find is 1.9 inches, so then the back would be lower then front and would look odd, sure I could "back yard" it and add shims or spacers but a rear spring with 1 drop would be great.
I like the smoothness of the FE5 stock ride, but a little lower and a little stiffer in the back would be great.
I'm not gonna slam it and then wonder why the coils are binding all the time.
I came across H&R LOWERING SPORT SPRINGS SET CHEVY COBALT SS SUPERCHARGED / TURBO 1.5"F 1.4"R
claim that the back will drop 1.4 further then fe5 suspension on 06 supercharged cobalt,
so any one used H&R sport springs. pics and review appreciated.
I just put new lowering springs on my FE3 Sport and after discussing the lack of Sport info on the ZZP web site, Tim put this together.
Factory stock specs: FE1 springs are the highest sitting, FE3 sits 10mm lower, then “LSJ” FE5 sits 10mm lower than that, and finally “LNF” FE5 sits 10mm lower again.
This is regarding the Red ZZP Springs
Cobalt SS: They will drop the front about 3/4 inch and the rear about 1 1/4 inches on an SS.
Cobalt 2.2: They will drop the front about 1 inch and the rear about 2 inches on a 2.2.
Baseline for what springs most cars come with from the factory:
2005
Base, LS, LT - FE1 with J41 or JM4
SS/SC - FE5 with JL9
2006 - 07
LS, LT, LTZ - FE1 with J41, JM4, or (2007) 5-lug JM4
SS/NA - FE3 with JL9
SS/SC - FE5 with JL9
2008 (updated FE5 specs began this year)
LS, LT - FE1 with J41, JM4, or 5-lug JM4
Sport - FE3 with JL9
SS/TC - FE5 with JL9(LNF)
2009
LS, LT - FE1 with J41, JM4, or 5-lug JM4
SS/TC - FE5 with JL9(LNF)
So as I am in the same boat as 06 ss sedan, I have pieced a plan together, parts are ordered and I will update with my results.
I am hoping to lower the back and stiffen up the ride all around.
I may add a rear sway bar if body roll is not minimized with these springs and shocks.
since my supercharged 06 car is perfectly stock, and my daily commuter, I plan to keep it as stock as possible.
I would like to stiffen the suspension and lower the back to simply level it out.
I have purchased new front complete strut FE5 assemblies, new 08 FE5 rear shocks from CED, and new Pedder lowered rear springs.
With this all installed I am hoping to stiffen the rear, lower the rear, gain good level look but keep the front for clearance.
2006 SS supercharged cobalt
perfect!
I now have the ride height I wanted ,(leveled out car) it handles stiffer, but maintained the front end clearance!!
this is the answer for anyone looking to lower level out, increase stability, but keep that front end ground clearance. I couldn't be happier.
what a change.
I received my rear Pedders springs from summit, they are larger diameter then fe5 stock, they are about 2 inches shorter but don't compress as easily as stock.
I also received my new 2008 FE5 rear shocks from CED.
removed all old, cleaned all and installed new springs and shocks, easiest spring swap ever!
before the swap the front tire top to fender was 1 1/8 the back was just under 3 1/4
after the swap the front tire top to fender is 1 1/8 and the back is a perfect 1 5/8
so it still has a slight rake but I know this will change with use, more then likely it level right out.
thankfully the back is not too low, it looks great and handles very nicely, but not too harsh.
06 ss sedan this is your answer, plus it was cheap only about 250
I am still waiting for the new front struts/springs but they are a stock FE5 replacement so that height will still fairly close to what it is now.
2006 SS supercharged cobalt swapped out stock fe5 rear springs and shocks with new 08+ fe5 rear shocks and pedders springs
after a few hundred miles it has leveled out perfectly (even lower then last pic, perfect even wheel space around tire)
rear space b4 swap
rear space b4 swap
stock fe5 / new pedders
rear space after swap
rear space after swap
so after setting up the back with new rear shocks and lowered springs, I received the height, look, clearance, handling and improved stiffer suspension while maintain a quality ride, but I now noticed more then ever, the front was very loose, soft and bouncy so I moved onto rebuilding the front setup.
while its a untouched 2006 SS SC with FE5, it is untouched so good cause its not hacked up or Frankensteined, but bad because basic maintenance was not ever done, so as I suspected the front struts were just as bad as the rear shocks, but even worse, I could compress strut easily by hand and did not extend/return on their own.
unlike the rear setup the fronts were a complete pain, simply because the struts assemblies sold to me that claimed they were FE5 correct, as well as the top camber plates were 180 degrees off, were not, so ultimately I had to disassembly both new and old, mix match parts to correct, and reassembly them, as well as sandblasting, spring compressing and painting needed to be done to complete.
after all of that, I replaced both front assemblies with new/old rebuilt complete struts, as I suspected the height remained unchanged, but as I hoped now much stiffer and handles great. no more nose dive when braking or between shifts. car sit level, handles well, nice and tight, but still is enjoyable to drive, probably could balance an egg on the dash. nice.
I added new OEM steering wheel, shifter boot, knob, shifter top plate, floor mats, all new brakes, rotors/pads, all fluids and a ton of other basic maintenance items and it runs and drives so nicely. I am not typically a fan of anything newer but, GM definitely hit it out of the park with these Cobalt's. simple, clean, reliable, sporty cars.
04-01-2018, 12:32 PM
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