Lowered with Irregularities - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

FanDamNCSU · 03-25-2014, 08:02 PM

I lowered (Hotchkis 1" Lowering Springs) my 2010 Camaro SS a few months back, but just today as I was sliding some wooden ramps under my car I realized that one side was lower than another. I have put my car on the same ramps before (after lowering the car) and have not noticed this. So I broke out the tape ruler and measured the height of each fender of the car. This was done in my garage on level concrete, from floor to peak of fender well down the center of the wheel.

I came up with the following measurements:

Driver Front 28 - 1/4"
Passenger Front 28 - 3/4"

Driver Rear 29"
Passenger Rear 30"

Where should I be looking to try and get the car more even? When we installed the Hotchkis springs we followed the directions and made sure to index the springs correctly with the rubber spring isolator.

Could anything have caused the car to change height after the springs were installed?

Thanks for your input.

tanur420 · 03-25-2014, 08:10 PM

Mine was like that when I first installed my bmr springs. But got it aligned and it evened out. Im not sure what I had out of whack

FanDamNCSU · 03-25-2014, 08:59 PM

Yeah, I've got everything aligned and wheels balanced as well. I just can't think of what else could cause that as I don't recall having such a difference up front when sliding the ramps underneath.

Any other ideas?

Broke Pilot · 03-26-2014, 07:49 AM

Sounds like your drivers rear spring isolator is crushed or possibly shifted? Odd that the drivers side is lower all together. I'd start looking at the drivers rear first since it's the lowest and the drivers front is off by 1/2"...

ClawSS · 03-26-2014, 07:52 AM

Maybe you should start riding on the passenger side for a while.

SSICKO · 03-26-2014, 08:19 AM

I installed hotchkis springs two weekends ago and car sits at 28 1/2 both fronts and 29 1/16 at both rears... Before alignment the passenger side rear was 29 5/8. Thankfully they leveled out after alignment

JDP Sales · 03-26-2014, 06:58 PM

Did you time the bushings? That could be holding things up to an extent.

Best regards,

Tyler
888-308-6007

FanDamNCSU · 03-30-2014, 08:37 AM

Well I discovered one problem. Looking at each strut assembly, I discovered that the passenger rear spring has shifted off of the top isolator. I'm not exactly sure how this occurred as I was present and helped with the installation and we had double-checked the positioning of the springs on the strut assembly. Additionally, with that being said I haven't hit any potholes or anything that would cause it to shift.

I'm going to pull the strut and reinstall the spring and replace the isolators soon. Hopefully that will balance things out. We never did time the bushings, so I'll look into doing that as well.

Thanks for the heads up and all of the tips, it's much appreciated.

03-25-2014, 08:02 PM	#1
FanDamNCSU Drives: 2010 CGM 2SS/RS - L99 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Southern Pines, NC Posts: 197	Lowered with Irregularities I lowered (Hotchkis 1" Lowering Springs) my 2010 Camaro SS a few months back, but just today as I was sliding some wooden ramps under my car I realized that one side was lower than another. I have put my car on the same ramps before (after lowering the car) and have not noticed this. So I broke out the tape ruler and measured the height of each fender of the car. This was done in my garage on level concrete, from floor to peak of fender well down the center of the wheel. I came up with the following measurements: Driver Front 28 - 1/4" Passenger Front 28 - 3/4" Driver Rear 29" Passenger Rear 30" Where should I be looking to try and get the car more even? When we installed the Hotchkis springs we followed the directions and made sure to index the springs correctly with the rubber spring isolator. Could anything have caused the car to change height after the springs were installed? Thanks for your input. __________________ 2010 CGM 2SS/RS - L99 --------------------------------- Performance: Vararam CAI, Vmax Ported Throttle Body, GM Performance Dual Mode Exhaust (NPP), JRE Tune, Hotchkis TVS Stage 2 Track Pack, Vitesse Paddle Shifters, Vitesse Throttle Controller Functional: Hex Vents, Elite Catch Can, WeatherTech Digital Fit Mats, Escort Passport Max Cosmetic: Heritage Grill, GM Splash Guards, ZL1 Rockers

03-25-2014, 08:10 PM	#2
tanur420 Drives: 2011 Camaro SS Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Jacksonville FL Posts: 348	Mine was like that when I first installed my bmr springs. But got it aligned and it evened out. Im not sure what I had out of whack __________________

03-25-2014, 08:59 PM	#3
FanDamNCSU Drives: 2010 CGM 2SS/RS - L99 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Southern Pines, NC Posts: 197	Yeah, I've got everything aligned and wheels balanced as well. I just can't think of what else could cause that as I don't recall having such a difference up front when sliding the ramps underneath. Any other ideas? __________________ 2010 CGM 2SS/RS - L99 --------------------------------- Performance: Vararam CAI, Vmax Ported Throttle Body, GM Performance Dual Mode Exhaust (NPP), JRE Tune, Hotchkis TVS Stage 2 Track Pack, Vitesse Paddle Shifters, Vitesse Throttle Controller Functional: Hex Vents, Elite Catch Can, WeatherTech Digital Fit Mats, Escort Passport Max Cosmetic: Heritage Grill, GM Splash Guards, ZL1 Rockers

03-26-2014, 07:49 AM	#4
Broke Pilot Drives: '14 1SS 1LE,'68 Chevelle,'70 Vette Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Conroe/Sugarland, TX Posts: 227	Sounds like your drivers rear spring isolator is crushed or possibly shifted? Odd that the drivers side is lower all together. I'd start looking at the drivers rear first since it's the lowest and the drivers front is off by 1/2"... __________________ Overkill is underrated....

03-26-2014, 07:52 AM	#5
ClawSS High-tech Redneck Drives: '10 CGM SS, '02 2500HD, '09 300SRT8 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 757	Maybe you should start riding on the passenger side for a while. __________________ "My friends call me Chris. Are you my friend?" 2010 CGM L99 2SS/RS - GPI SS3 VVT, BTR DoD Delete, Circle D 4c, BTR springs, Katech C5R Timing Chain, MRR-228 315/275, CAI, Elite catch-can, TSP 1 7/8" Headers + offroad pipes, Magnaflow 3", Pfadt springs, BMR LCAs, toelinks, trailing arms, cradle bushings, & sway bars w/ endlinks, Vitesse paddles, heritage grille, and an eBay splitter. Power upgrades by Race Proven Perf.; Tuning by ShorTuning.

03-26-2014, 08:19 AM	#6
SSICKO Drives: SSICKO Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: MA Posts: 754	I installed hotchkis springs two weekends ago and car sits at 28 1/2 both fronts and 29 1/16 at both rears... Before alignment the passenger side rear was 29 5/8. Thankfully they leveled out after alignment __________________ Slowhawk Performance Built & Tuned

03-26-2014, 06:58 PM	#7
JDP Sales Drives: Chevys at the limit Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 9,621	Did you time the bushings? That could be holding things up to an extent. Best regards, Tyler 888-308-6007

03-30-2014, 08:37 AM	#8
FanDamNCSU Drives: 2010 CGM 2SS/RS - L99 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Southern Pines, NC Posts: 197	Well I discovered one problem. Looking at each strut assembly, I discovered that the passenger rear spring has shifted off of the top isolator. I'm not exactly sure how this occurred as I was present and helped with the installation and we had double-checked the positioning of the springs on the strut assembly. Additionally, with that being said I haven't hit any potholes or anything that would cause it to shift. I'm going to pull the strut and reinstall the spring and replace the isolators soon. Hopefully that will balance things out. We never did time the bushings, so I'll look into doing that as well. Thanks for the heads up and all of the tips, it's much appreciated. __________________ 2010 CGM 2SS/RS - L99 --------------------------------- Performance: Vararam CAI, Vmax Ported Throttle Body, GM Performance Dual Mode Exhaust (NPP), JRE Tune, Hotchkis TVS Stage 2 Track Pack, Vitesse Paddle Shifters, Vitesse Throttle Controller Functional: Hex Vents, Elite Catch Can, WeatherTech Digital Fit Mats, Escort Passport Max Cosmetic: Heritage Grill, GM Splash Guards, ZL1 Rockers