Informative video! As you said, springs are always a compromise. Its kind of convincing to go with an adjustable coilover setup to dial in the desired ride height and to have (hopefully) matching spring rates to the damper and proper suspension travel.
I noticed your mentioned torque to yeild bolts, and specifically mentioned it on the strut bolt and the lower trailing arm bolt. Are those the only ones that should be replaced or all 4 that you loosen or removed including the control arm inner bolt
Ok thank you, I'll try to get all of them before my springs come in. I just got a confirmation that weapon x shipped my springs so I was looking into it
So, I've got a 2017 CTS LGX... Since the 2016+ Camaro and the 2016+ CTS are so similar, both being Alpha platform vehicles, are the struts for each bolt-on compatible? The factory struts have different part numbers from GM, but they look incredibly similar. I'm wondering if they have the same strut body and bolt holes, just with different damping rates and such. Bilstein makes a lowering kit with struts and springs for the Camaro... I'm seriously considering trying to install it on my CTS.
Camaro upper strut mounts are different and will not work in the CTS chassis. I THINK the Camaro springs are a different coil diameter too, so that’s another obstacle. The Camaro control arms are longer and push the knuckle further outboard, giving more space for the above. The dimensions and damping settings of the Camaro struts are also different but I do not know if they would “bolt in.” It is possible that they would and the electrical plugs are the same (provided your car has magride). That said, you can interchange all the CTS struts with each other, they are the same size and I THINK all the plugs are the same. Be aware, the CTS-V struts are a bit longer when extended and have a spring perch about 8mm lower, which will lower another car the same if all of these factors are the same. Rear dampers for all CTS-ATS are the same sizes from what I recall, with unique and individual damping for each presumably (different part numbers for difference suspension codes, etc.) I am not sure about Camaro applicability though. If you wanted to venture into the Camaro/Bilstein kit, you’d be forging new territory on your own but we want to know how it works out.
@@RevelryRacing I also want to know how the Bilstein kit would work out. ;) It sounds like, at the very least, I need to see if Bilstein's springs will seat on the CTS top hat up front. Thank you for the information, I'm very grateful.
@@ads1035 I am pretty sure you can use the Camaro spring seat/top hat on the CTS strut. I saw GM 92271186 as the Camaro part for all Camaros from 2017, at least, four-cylinder up to ZL1/1LE.
@@RevelryRacing Well, if you can use the Camaro top hat with the CTS strut, maybe you can go the other way around, which is what I'm wanting to do. After all, I'm wanting to put aftermarket Camaro struts & springs on a CTS, so I'll need to put the CTS top hat on top of the Camaro strut & spring. If the diameter of the Camaro spring (especially the aftermarket Bilstein one) is different, I imagine I might see a challenge from the rubber indentation in the top hat meeting up with the end of the spring....
This is all predicated on the coil diameter being different... which it might not be. I don't know and recommend finding that out first. Best way to do so? Order parts for experimentation or inspect a car to evaluate. Because the lower spring seat on a strus is fixed, a wider coild would probably not be compatible on a CTS strut. But hey. . . . All in all, I encourage experimentation, it's the hot rodder's way. But, with cost, time, and only one car as a daily, things are more limited than the old days where having a few cars was cheap.
Also i forgot to mention in my last comment. Does Rich have any comparison pictures with the ZL1 isolators on? I have a 2.0t and I'm wondering if i should just get them to slightly raise the rear (if i understood correctly) to compensate for the lighter motor..
Rich here, hope the wrenching and mods are going great! So,mixed answers here. First, no comparison pictures yet. I have an additional 1/8” shim on my rear spring right now because I was dragging on my ridiculously steep driveway every time I pulled into the garage. I have since ground it down (messy !!!) and hope to pull those tomorrow. Whenever that gets done, I will take measurement and get photos at my regular spot and will be happy to share em. The ZL1 insulator matched the Swift spring best in shape meaning that the spring sits into it perfectly, unlike the stock piece. Plus it gives a few extra mm of travel that is very welcomed. I don’t think you’re going to see a huge difference in front ride height with the 2.0T. I recall seeing a guy in the forums in Vegas who had your setup and it wasn’t sky high.
@@RevelryRacing ok so I'm thinking of just seeing what happens with the stock isolators and if I need to I'll just re do it. I bought weapon x because they said that the swift aren't meant for the 2.0t..
All right, last night I got around to doing a bunch of stupid things and trying to take shortcuts, but I digress, I got the spring shims out of the car and have been test driving it, evaluating for rear travel and ground clearance on the driveway. DM me or something and we can exchange emails. I’ll be happy to share with you some photos. Are you part of any CTS Facebook groups?
I think that is just Rich’s experience but since he used springs that were not designed for the AWD it could have been the issue. Every lowered car will ride more harsh but getting the right spring for the car is important too
Any solition to my problem? I put 18x5 Rims and @15/35/R16 tires and i can feel every little bump and it hits hard and rides stiff. Will anything work to get the ride as close to stock that the original rims and tires gave me ? Any help will be appreciated, thank you.
Did you go to a bigger rim size? The vet we worked on is stock with 18” rim. Bigger rim and less tire will always give a more harsh ride. Did you do anything else? Have you confirmed your shocks are ok?
@@JetFuelOnly i did go up one size. They were 17" stock.......I purchased 18x8.5 rims and......tires are 215/35/18. I haven't done anything to the stock suspension. Car rode beautiful with stock rims and tires. I understand it was going lose some comfort i just didn't think that bad. Any suggestions? By the thank you and i appreciate your response. Looking forward to your next one.
@@mrmusic9892 there’s not much you can do. Make sure the tire pressure is right. And if you have a CTS and you are on 215 width tires that’s way too narrow. Should be at least 245 no less. A 245/40 tire has 98mm of sidewall for cushion. A 215/35 has only 75 mm. Unless you wrote it wrong, I can’t imaging you being on those tires.
@@JetFuelOnly Thank you once again..one more question, you say i should be at 245/40 would that give wenough cushion or can you give me the optimum tire size to get back comfort with these rims? I really like these rims....i promise o won't bug again. I'd just like to be safe but have that stretched appearence like old school mini truck look. Thank you again in advanced, take care!
@mrmusic9892 245/40 is the correct size for 18” stock 8.5” wide wheel. The stretch will be more on a wider wheel with a 245 and less on narrower wheel. The stretch is making the ride harsher.
Was this only done in the rear? or is it recommended to do both front and rear? I have a 2015 vsport with 19 inch rims. The rear sits a lil higher than front. Can i do just rear? I feel like the front is already low with 255/40/19 michelin all season. The rear has a bigger gap with my new nitto 555r2 DR tires 285/35/19 than the front.
I wouldn’t mix spring rates but I’ve heard of people doing the rear only. Rich did the front as well on his car but I covered that in a video a couple years back with my car
I have D3 springs that don’t exist anymore. Mine were flawed as a batch didn’t lower the rear as much as it was supposed to. I forgot how much it dropped exactly. I think 1.3” front and .7 in the rear
Love the detail in this vid..the lowering makes that v-sport have a better stance indeed.
Informative video! As you said, springs are always a compromise. Its kind of convincing to go with an adjustable coilover setup to dial in the desired ride height and to have (hopefully) matching spring rates to the damper and proper suspension travel.
Looks great
I noticed your mentioned torque to yeild bolts, and specifically mentioned it on the strut bolt and the lower trailing arm bolt. Are those the only ones that should be replaced or all 4 that you loosen or removed including the control arm inner bolt
Technically all of them but we didn’t replace the inner ones
@@JetFuelOnly Do we have part numbers for the replacement bolts?
Can’t find the bolts for the lower trailing arms but all others are listed in the video description
Ok thank you, I'll try to get all of them before my springs come in. I just got a confirmation that weapon x shipped my springs so I was looking into it
So can you put v springs on a 2014 cts4
It doesn’t really work out on the ride height
So, I've got a 2017 CTS LGX... Since the 2016+ Camaro and the 2016+ CTS are so similar, both being Alpha platform vehicles, are the struts for each bolt-on compatible? The factory struts have different part numbers from GM, but they look incredibly similar. I'm wondering if they have the same strut body and bolt holes, just with different damping rates and such. Bilstein makes a lowering kit with struts and springs for the Camaro... I'm seriously considering trying to install it on my CTS.
Camaro upper strut mounts are different and will not work in the CTS chassis. I THINK the Camaro springs are a different coil diameter too, so that’s another obstacle. The Camaro control arms are longer and push the knuckle further outboard, giving more space for the above. The dimensions and damping settings of the Camaro struts are also different but I do not know if they would “bolt in.” It is possible that they would and the electrical plugs are the same (provided your car has magride).
That said, you can interchange all the CTS struts with each other, they are the same size and I THINK all the plugs are the same. Be aware, the CTS-V struts are a bit longer when extended and have a spring perch about 8mm lower, which will lower another car the same if all of these factors are the same.
Rear dampers for all CTS-ATS are the same sizes from what I recall, with unique and individual damping for each presumably (different part numbers for difference suspension codes, etc.) I am not sure about Camaro applicability though.
If you wanted to venture into the Camaro/Bilstein kit, you’d be forging new territory on your own but we want to know how it works out.
@@RevelryRacing I also want to know how the Bilstein kit would work out. ;) It sounds like, at the very least, I need to see if Bilstein's springs will seat on the CTS top hat up front. Thank you for the information, I'm very grateful.
@@ads1035 I am pretty sure you can use the Camaro spring seat/top hat on the CTS strut.
I saw GM 92271186 as the Camaro part for all Camaros from 2017, at least, four-cylinder up to ZL1/1LE.
@@RevelryRacing Well, if you can use the Camaro top hat with the CTS strut, maybe you can go the other way around, which is what I'm wanting to do. After all, I'm wanting to put aftermarket Camaro struts & springs on a CTS, so I'll need to put the CTS top hat on top of the Camaro strut & spring. If the diameter of the Camaro spring (especially the aftermarket Bilstein one) is different, I imagine I might see a challenge from the rubber indentation in the top hat meeting up with the end of the spring....
This is all predicated on the coil diameter being different... which it might not be. I don't know and recommend finding that out first. Best way to do so? Order parts for experimentation or inspect a car to evaluate. Because the lower spring seat on a strus is fixed, a wider coild would probably not be compatible on a CTS strut. But hey. . . .
All in all, I encourage experimentation, it's the hot rodder's way. But, with cost, time, and only one car as a daily, things are more limited than the old days where having a few cars was cheap.
Also i forgot to mention in my last comment. Does Rich have any comparison pictures with the ZL1 isolators on? I have a 2.0t and I'm wondering if i should just get them to slightly raise the rear (if i understood correctly) to compensate for the lighter motor..
Rich here, hope the wrenching and mods are going great!
So,mixed answers here.
First, no comparison pictures yet. I have an additional 1/8” shim on my rear spring right now because I was dragging on my ridiculously steep driveway every time I pulled into the garage. I have since ground it down (messy !!!) and hope to pull those tomorrow. Whenever that gets done, I will take measurement and get photos at my regular spot and will be happy to share em.
The ZL1 insulator matched the Swift spring best in shape meaning that the spring sits into it perfectly, unlike the stock piece. Plus it gives a few extra mm of travel that is very welcomed. I don’t think you’re going to see a huge difference in front ride height with the 2.0T. I recall seeing a guy in the forums in Vegas who had your setup and it wasn’t sky high.
@@RevelryRacing ok so I'm thinking of just seeing what happens with the stock isolators and if I need to I'll just re do it. I bought weapon x because they said that the swift aren't meant for the 2.0t..
@@RevelryRacing thank you for the quick response though, I appreciate that
@@bigblackbox1669 go for it. But, if you are lacking rear travel and bottoming out, then put the ZL1 insulators in.
All right, last night I got around to doing a bunch of stupid things and trying to take shortcuts, but I digress, I got the spring shims out of the car and have been test driving it, evaluating for rear travel and ground clearance on the driveway. DM me or something and we can exchange emails. I’ll be happy to share with you some photos. Are you part of any CTS Facebook groups?
Will those springs fit a 14 cts luxury sedan?
Non-AWD yes if it’s the 3rd gen CTS. In 2014 they made both a 3rd gen CTS and the 2nd Gen
However with a smaller 2.0 engine, I’m not sure how the front ride hight will be if the motor is lighter
Well I don't have a big gap to close as I run 20x10 in rear and 20x9 in front. Yes rwd
So lowering an awd CTS is not doable without overly harsh ride?
I think that is just Rich’s experience but since he used springs that were not designed for the AWD it could have been the issue. Every lowered car will ride more harsh but getting the right spring for the car is important too
Any solition to my problem? I put 18x5 Rims and @15/35/R16 tires and i can feel every little bump and it hits hard and rides stiff. Will anything work to get the ride as close to stock that the original rims and tires gave me ? Any help will be appreciated, thank you.
Did you go to a bigger rim size? The vet we worked on is stock with 18” rim. Bigger rim and less tire will always give a more harsh ride. Did you do anything else? Have you confirmed your shocks are ok?
@@JetFuelOnly i did go up one size. They were 17" stock.......I purchased 18x8.5 rims and......tires are 215/35/18. I haven't done anything to the stock suspension. Car rode beautiful with stock rims and tires. I understand it was going lose some comfort i just didn't think that bad. Any suggestions? By the thank you and i appreciate your response. Looking forward to your next one.
@@mrmusic9892 there’s not much you can do. Make sure the tire pressure is right. And if you have a CTS and you are on 215 width tires that’s way too narrow. Should be at least 245 no less. A 245/40 tire has 98mm of sidewall for cushion. A 215/35 has only 75 mm. Unless you wrote it wrong, I can’t imaging you being on those tires.
@@JetFuelOnly Thank you once again..one more question, you say i should be at 245/40 would that give wenough cushion or can you give me the optimum tire size to get back comfort with these rims? I really like these rims....i promise o won't bug again. I'd just like to be safe but have that stretched appearence like old school mini truck look. Thank you again in advanced, take care!
@mrmusic9892 245/40 is the correct size for 18” stock 8.5” wide wheel. The stretch will be more on a wider wheel with a 245 and less on narrower wheel. The stretch is making the ride harsher.
Was this only done in the rear? or is it recommended to do both front and rear? I have a 2015 vsport with 19 inch rims. The rear sits a lil higher than front. Can i do just rear? I feel like the front is already low with 255/40/19 michelin all season. The rear has a bigger gap with my new nitto 555r2 DR tires 285/35/19 than the front.
I wouldn’t mix spring rates but I’ve heard of people doing the rear only. Rich did the front as well on his car but I covered that in a video a couple years back with my car
@JetFuelOnly thank you. I know your Vsport is lowered. Which springs do you have and how much lower did it give you front vs back? Thanks again.
I have D3 springs that don’t exist anymore. Mine were flawed as a batch didn’t lower the rear as much as it was supposed to. I forgot how much it dropped exactly. I think 1.3” front and .7 in the rear
@JetFuelOnly thank you. I appreciate the help.