GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey there all just thought I would drop a line since I am new being that I just bought a 2004 GT Abyss two tone, 17's, moons and tunes. the question that I have is if I am going to lower my ride with Teins or any other spring am I going to have to change the shocks/ struts with the reduction in ride height. ThanksMike

Quote, originally posted by syclnjr »if I am going to lower my ride with Teins or any other spring am I going to have to change the shocks/ struts with the reduction in ride height. ThanksMikeYou should be just fine with your stock struts. BTW, welcome to genvibe.

No you won't. You will need to get an alignment after the springs settle in for a week or so. I just bought Tein STech's and I am waiting for delivery.

yep, i have trd springs and have the stock struts. no probs at all... and yes, welcome to genvibe! post pics!

oh yeah I will get those pics up soon but here in Michigan as I am sure that some of you know the weather is crap as usual and they are talking snow the rest of the week who knows. And thanks for the welcoming. I absolutely love the car. I bought it will six miles on it and it has a little over 800 on it now. I drive it a bit Later guys and thanks for the answer to the questions.Mike

Hotchkis springs here with the stock struts and no problems either. BTW, welcome to GenVibe for a fellow Michigan Viber! Be sure to keep your calendar clear on June 26th for the Michigan meet. Go to the following two forums for more info. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=8106 http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=8289

Are you going to install these yourself? Does anybody know what a garage would charge to install the coils? I don't feel comfortable messing with my suspension.

i helped install the springs on mine. cost me $120 for labor, but i got a discount. i know that triton and rasermon are pros at install! should ask those guys.

I helped a little with my install, mostly took in all the information since rasermon had done it before. It went really good. Three things that you NEED: air tools, spring compressors and a torque wrench.

do you need a lift, or can you do it on blocks?

Quote, originally posted by ebslopp »do you need a lift, or can you do it on blocks?I did mine with jack and blocks.

Cool, then the only thing I'm missing is the spring compressor! How much are they, and where can I find one?

Quote, originally posted by ebslopp »Cool, then the only thing I'm missing is the spring compressor! How much are they, and where can I find one?I took mine for free at Canadian Tire. May be some shop can do the same down south...You could also ask Rasermon, he has one, he may borrow it to you.

How long would it take someone to change them by themselves? I've replaced alternators, starters, change my own oil, replace my own brake pads, and that's about all of my experience with cars. I can use a spring compressor for free from my local Autozone. Should I try to do it myself, or should I pay a pro to do it?

if you've got the tools, you'll be set! wasn't diff at all! i'm sure there are some diy instructions on here from tein... that's what we used. it you have done those other projects, this shuld be fine. just make sure you get an alignment done a week or so afterwards.

I have Tein springs I pulled it in my garage at home and with only hand tools i changed all my springs. i took the struts in to a local auto shop and they changed the springs for $15 each. took me all of around 4 to 5 hours total not including running to the auto store. fronts were the easiest. some where on this forum there was a link to a page by page how to on changing the springs. here it is http://www.deepstaged.net/toymattein.htm

You've done close to what I can do on a car and I've been able to install my Tein myself, without too much touble.It took me around 3 hours, and this include the time to prepare the garage and the tool and clean up after the work done.

ok, here's the thread with the link courtesy of rasermon! http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=4918

Since I put on my rims, have been getting suggestions for lowering the Vibe. So would most recommend coil overs with stock shocks? or just go lowered coils and leave the stock shocks? I sort of want to raise and lower my Vibe based on the season, regular height for winter obviously. Go with a 2.5 inch drop for the summer. Any brands/recommendations?

Well, I'm convinced that I need to lower my Vibe myself. Now I just have to convince my old lady...lol

On another thread, a Viber's Dad wasn't up for him dropping the new Vibe, so I suggested he do a clandestine swap to coilovers but leave it near stock height, and just drop it an unnoticable half turn a week until he got it where he wanted it...

How does a coil over work exactly?

I would do it that way, but my wife balances the checkbook, so she would see that I spent $300 that I didn't tell her about. Then she would really be pissed. I'd rather talk her into it so she gets excited about it too!

Ah, well, I suppose that beats saving your lunch money for 6 months! Besides, such things tend to come out sooner or later...

.Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »How does a coil over work exactly? Originally, the term referred to any suspension spring surounding and attached to the shock, as in: "the coil is over/around the shock". For a car with McPherson Struts such as the Vibe, where this is aready the case, it has come to mean that the lower mounting point is a threaded sleeve that can be rotated to raise or lower the car and (often overlooked point) adjust the relative weight carried by the left and right tire to optimize handling, traction and braking.

I have heard through the thread-vine that lowering the car can improve your gas mileage. I think this is done by having less wind resistance due to the lower ride height. And, because the underside of the car is so turbulent that it is essentially "part" of the car for wind resistance's sake. That is another benifit of lowering the car. Atually, I think I just sold mysle fon it! (So, MadBill, how did I do?)

Pretty good, nog! (It never hurts to quote the teacher, and since that was an old post of mine you referenced...)

Do you need to get a front AND rear alignment after you lower these cars?

A 4 wheel alignment is usually recommended, especially for front wheel drive cars. Mine is being done tomorrow. I put Tein STechs on last weekend for a 2" drop.

What are they charging you for the 4w alignment?

welcome to genvibe!well it is recommended to do both especially when you are messing around w/ the suspension. i'm no car expert, but that's from my understanding.

Quote, originally posted by MarkM04 »What are they charging you for the 4w alignment?$50.00

.Quote, originally posted by MarkM04 »Do you need to get a front AND rear alignment after you lower these cars?In general, a 4 wheel alignment would be the norm, but the Vibe's rear (non-AWD) suspension uses parallel trailing arms, so the axle swings in an arc as seen from the side, but does not change camber as the body rises and falls; thus a rear alignment is not strictly required. That said, doing all 4 likely won't cost much more, and it will give you the assurance that all is well