Read through about 5 pages of threads could not find my answer specific.

I want to get these i think
http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/s...938&perfCode=A

This is my DD but i would like to take it Auto Xing a couple times this year for fun. Would i be better of getting the sportlines or pro kit. And do i need to buy new struts or get an alignment done? Or is just buying the springs and getting them installed all that is needed? Thanks

 

Some people get alignments, some don't.

I haven't, and I haven't had any problems. No unusual tire wear, nothing.

 

you replace any part that affects alignment and you should get an alignment. This isnt rocket surgery guys...

 

yeah, I'd get an alignment with the Sportlines. With the Pro Kit you won't need it because the front won't drop and the rear drop is only .5". Also, I had the Sportlines but switched out because the roads here are horrible. I was happy with the Pro Kit because all I really wanted was to level it out. I don't like the stock rake.

 

I would listen to maven. He wouldnt steer ya in the wrong direction!

 

Here's the truth about lowering the cobalt.....if you lower it at all you HAVE TO get an alignment putting different springs in a car will always affect an alignment, whether its toe(which will cause tire wear) or camber/caster angles.....Myself and one of my buddies lowered our cobalts like a month ago and I had to align both of our cars... our camber was out and so was toe.....I am a service manager at a shop in kenosha and have access to all the tools to lower these or any car for that matter......If you have ?'s or need help pm me.....By the way if your going to lower anything over 1.5" you need to get new struts or you'll just blow them out in a week...i thought so and just to be safe I even asked the specialists at the rack and they confirmed that.....

 

I just installed Sportlines yesterday, and I love them so far. The drop is clean looking, it stiffened up the ride a bit more, and it handles great now. I haven't gotten it aligned yet, and I probably won't for a little while until I get new tires. I'll do it then.

Now my question is that if I get it aligned now, do I have to get another alignment after adding the Koni's?

 

Yes any time you take apart your suspension/steering components you need to realign

 

So you asked the "sales" specialists at Tire Rac if you should replace your struts and they said yes..... compelling.


You dont need to replace your dampers unless they are failed, simply lowering 1.5"+ will not blow them, they dont care how low they are, they dont even know, only they know is when they bottom out, which is what kills them......which is why I recommend not cutting your bumpstops.

 

I listened to Maven on that one, and didn't cut my bump-stops, even though it said to in the instructions. They seem perfectly fine thus-far. Honestly, the car handles just fine with the Sportlines and stock struts. I'm not gonna get the Koni's until I really need to most likely.. But at least I know now that I can install them myself instead of paying 200+ to get them installed.. lol

 

Cool glad to hear youre having good results

IMO cutting the front bumpstops on Sportlines is absolutely what causes the struts to fail. Youre supposed to cut of 30mm of material....thats A LOT. An extra 30mm of compression travel is huge, and youre just asking for issues if you cut them.

 

That was exactly as I was figuring.. Even if the car sits a little lower, it doesn't technically "fully compress" any more than before.. lol

 

yo maven where in south jersey are you from

 

Maybe you should go back and read what I said before you make a comment like that buddy.....I said that I already thought going with any more than a 1.5" drop would damage your struts....and by the way when I lowered my car I did not cut my bump stops either....but my struts blew out.....anytime you put lowering springs in it lessens the amount of travel that the strut has even if you have a stiffer spring rate.....and with the roads we have here in wisconsin and illinois you would understand that having the proper struts in the car is absolutely necessary if you want them to last.....by the way my stock struts blew out before I even lowered it so that just goes to show that the cobalts stock struts arent exactly the finest pieces of equipment....and my car had FE3 struts Stock.....I then replaced them with some struts that werent blown that I got from a friend of mine and those blew out 2 days after I put the lowering springs in......So what I was saying is true unless your trying to lower your car for cheap and dont care if it lasts or not.....COMPELLING.....

 

Atlantic County (Eggharbor Township, Mays Landing, Atlantic City)

Maybe you should read what i wrote...."buddy". I am telling you from personal, professional and 3rd party experience that lowering a car 1.5" isnt just going to damage your struts.

Its not the lowered part, its the pounding into the internal stops by hammering your suspension on rough roads or by cutting the bumpstops and allowing the dampers to run around on the internal stops whenever they want.


It sounds like,

if you blow struts in 2 days.

Maybe you should read what i wrote...."buddy". I am telling you from personal, professional and 3rd party experience that lowering a car 1.5" isnt just going to damage your struts.

Its not the lowered part, its the pounding into the internal stops by hammering your suspension on rough roads or by cutting the bumpstops and allowing the dampers to run around on the internal stops whenever they want. Just because you get "new" struts doesnt mean they wont blow....you blew a set in 2days.....are you trying to say there is a certain type of strut that is impervious to this kind of failure?


It sounds like,

if you blow struts in 2 days.

 

^owned.


Just listen to Maven though seriously he is one of the few guys on this site that helps people out and knows what hes talking about. Iv never seen him go into a thread just to **** with people and give them false info. And usually what hes talking about just makes sense.


no im not a fanboi

 

i have a shore house in ocean city. when i go down next ill let you no. i wanna see your car. how much did u lower your car?

 

Listen maven im not trying to start **** but as I said before Im experienced myself and I totally understand what your saying....what I was trying to say was that I didnt cut my bumpstops....and when i lowered my car 2" it blew the struts out damn near immediately....2 days lol.....I could hear them bottoming out on the inside of the housing even with not cutting the bumpstops....And there is no strut that is impervious to failure but there are some that may last a whole lot longer since they are designed to handle lowered cars.....like the koni's......