The bad front struts

[GONIF]

Originally Posted by ThisGuyDrives

I don't even understand what the hell you people are talking about. My 2014 has 40,000 miles and yet, still going strong. Guess it's just me.

We should tale a poll on here to see just how many people have had the problem . I know for sure there is nothing I have done to my car to cause the problem . I inspected mine and can tell you there is no bushing or strut mount problem ,it's not leaking ,it is an internal problem with the shock. The shock/valving is FUBAR, and GM knows it .Mine went bad at about12000 to 13000 miles. Not trying to beat a dead horse here , but I am very disappointed in the way GM has dealt with it. We paid a large premium for the 1LE package ,and got defective shocks .

[KJZ28]

Originally Posted by '10CamaroDude

I just put NEW struts on, and that knock came back within three weeks. I
do not think it is the struts design, it's how they're mounted in the vehicle.
IT can also be sway bar bushings, or end links. They were also quick-struts
but I have a set of 2 mile SS ones I can put on, but I do not want to do the
spring swap thing, so I will just sell them.

These struts do not bolt to the tower like most cars. They go up into a
socket, and only the weight of the car keeps them up in the socket. The
plate on top, keeps them from puling all the way out on potholes.

When the car is on the ground, there is a gap between the plate and the
top of the tower. When I rack the car, the strut is pulled down, and that
plate is now on the top of the strut tower. That's why there is a rubber
strip around the plate, so you don't get metal to metal contact when the
strut is pulled down.

I bet that, if you could retrofit it with the regular bolt in struts, that noise
would be gone.

Do you have your original sway bar endlinks up front? Mine were making a knocking noise, I replaced them with Moog grease-able and the noise disappeared. Lots of people have problems with the front endlinks.

[GONIF]

Yes ,and I checked them, it's not that. This is a serious bang .It is the shocks. And it only happens on certain bumps and only over 80 degrees . I have the replacement Bilstein's , but have yet to install them.

[KJZ28]

Originally Posted by GONIF

Yes ,and I checked them, it's not that. This is a serious bang .It is the shocks. And it only happens on certain bumps and only over 80 degrees . I have the replacement Bilstein's , but have yet to install them.

Okay. I am anxious to hear your results! Good luck with the install.

['10CamaroDude]

Originally Posted by KJZ28

Do you have your original sway bar endlinks up front? Mine were making a knocking noise, I replaced them with Moog grease-able and the noise disappeared. Lots of people have problems with the front endlinks.

Actually, I have a 15 SS front sway bar and end links to install.



I got all those for $200. They're brand new take-offs, just the ride home
from the dealer miles on them. I used the rear shocks and mounts already.
Probably won't use the front struts, I had already done them. Those are
the LZ1, or whatever, suspension parts.

I need 12+ rear LCAs to use the rear sway bar and those end links. Mine
are the dog-bone type end links.

My front sway bar, doesn't have that middle section, it's completely straight.
I hope I can at least use that, if not, then I will have to sell all the left over
parts.

Not a problem, new rear factory shocks were well over $200 for the pair.

[Gstick]

Originally Posted by GONIF

We should tale a poll on here to see just how many people have had the problem . I know for sure there is nothing I have done to my car to cause the problem . I inspected mine and can tell you there is no bushing or strut mount problem ,it's not leaking ,it is an internal problem with the shock. The shock/valving is FUBAR, and GM knows it .Mine went bad at about12000 to 13000 miles. Not trying to beat a dead horse here , but I am very disappointed in the way GM has dealt with it. We paid a large premium for the 1LE package ,and got defective shocks .

I have 9800 miles on my 1LE & have had the dreaded bang since about 5000 miles. I also have the new Billies, but haven't installed them either. My car tracks straight as an arrow, so unless it starts to pull, then I will put the Billies on and get the 4 wheel alignment. It is very frustrating that GM won't recall the struts.

[mikeman]

Originally Posted by '10CamaroDude

Actually, I have a 15 SS front sway bar and end links to install.



I got all those for $200. They're brand new take-offs, just the ride home
from the dealer miles on them. I used the rear shocks and mounts already.
Probably won't use the front struts, I had already done them. Those are
the LZ1, or whatever, suspension parts.

I need 12+ rear LCAs to use the rear sway bar and those end links. Mine
are the dog-bone type end links.

My front sway bar, doesn't have that middle section, it's completely straight.
I hope I can at least use that, if not, then I will have to sell all the left over
parts.

Not a problem, new rear factory shocks were well over $200 for the pair.

You can use the front sway bar. The middle section cut out was for later models that had electric rack and pinion steering, but it will still work on your Camaro.

['10CamaroDude]

Originally Posted by mikeman

You can use the front sway bar. The middle section cut out was for later models that had electric rack and pinion steering, but it will still work on your Camaro.

Good to know... Not that it's all that important, but the price deal was
one I could not pass up. I will need rear LCAs anyway, so I can get the
ones those bar end-links will fasten to, for the rear sway bar. I will sell
the front struts, I won't need them.

[Cheap Guy]

I had the nasty clunk when I installed the 1LE suspension parts on my SS. Turns out that the end links I used weren’t the quality Moog parts. I got the rights ones a torqued them correctly and all is well.

[608RS]

Originally Posted by ThisGuyDrives

I don't even understand what the hell you people are talking about. My 2014 has 40,000 miles and yet, still going strong. Guess it's just me.

have you hit something on the road so bad that your strut gets to about 100% compression? there's a loud "BANG" when it happens, i've been in my friend's 1LE and we hit a pretty nasty road bump (avoidable due to lack of visibility) and it was the first time i heard this sound. it sounds terrible, just as bad as everyone here describes it

[KJZ28]

Originally Posted by GONIF

The bang is way too annoying to live with. It freaks out passengers too. IMHO it gives GM a black eye for not addressing and repairing the flawed design .People who buy cars like these are very particular and have spent more to buy the performance ,these aren't Hyundai Accent's .If GM wants repeat customers they need to do the right thing and have a recall on the struts. Or at the very least show some good faith and give anyone who has the problem a $1000.00 discount on any new GM vehicle . They need to realize that the performance and cost of a new Ford Mustang is on par with the Camaro .

I now get it. I thought I lived in an area with bad roads, so I only experienced the bump on rare occasions. I just drove down to Long Island, the roads are terrible. I had friends in the car and they thought my car was going to break. If I lived on the Island I would get the Bilsteins. Around my house I can deal with the 1LE struts.

[2015_1LE_soon]

The 1le struts are amazing... fhe perform really welll... EXCEPT the defective ones on the rebound

[AlanRubin]

I just put the 1LE struts I had, on, and they are much better. All I have left is
that rear sway-bar I can't use. I do not have the brembo rear calipers.