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Suspension kit A Great Accessory

3K views 26 replies 17 participants last post by  KappaMan 
#1 ·
Just came home from having the suspension upgrade installed, it sure made an already great handling SKY, into perfection. The sway bars are double the size of stock, the coil over bilstein"s have thicker springs, the shocks have a pad other than the standard rubber pads, I forget what they said they were.
She corners like she is glued to the road, quick response to me it just seems superior than stock. It DOES definitely improve an already superior handling ride!!! A must for the serious driver!:thumbs: :thumbs:
 
#2 ·
Ernest said:
Just came home from having the suspension upgrade installed, it sure made an already great handling SKY, into perfection. The sway bars are double the size of stock, the coil over bilstein"s have thicker springs, the shocks have a pad other than the standard rubber pads, I forget what they said they were.
She corners like she is glued to the road, quick response to me it just seems superior than stock. It DOES definitely improve an already superior handling ride!!! A must for the serious driver!:thumbs: :thumbs:
thanks ernest....
I'll probably going to do it after a few months with the car...
 
#3 ·
ERNEST did you keep the old equipment....Seal9
 
#5 ·
Yes they let me keep all the stiock parts, after all they are mine and a part of the original SKY. I also have the original intake parts, from the CAI changeover. And they are all Saturn parts installed by Saturn techs. I also discovered that the Sky exhaust tubing is 2 1/4" formed pipe, a cat back is not needed. It is almost straight back from cat converter, to muffler, slight "S" bend. Beautifulk work!! Noticed that muffler has a welded cap on backside, could possibly be for dual exhaust conversion, or for future R/L.
Probably designed in mass produced form for several application. Careful scrutiny while on lift shows the quality of build underneath, palces you don not normally see, and every bit as good as those you do above!! I am so impressed with the workmanship I am here to tell you!!!! Once again to describe it is AWESOME!! Such an amazing vehicle, simply amazing!!!!

THANK YOU SATURN, BOXWOOD FACILITY, WILMINGTON DELAWARE, FOR A TOP QUALITY JOB, DONE TERRIFICALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:
 
#6 ·
Good to hear the suspension upgrade getting positive reports.

Ernest said:
I also discovered that the Sky exhaust tubing is 2 1/4" formed pipe, a cat back is not needed. It is almost straight back from cat converter, to muffler, slight "S" bend. Beautifulk work!! Noticed that muffler has a welded cap on backside, could possibly be for dual exhaust conversion, or for future R/L.
It's actually 2 1/2" all the way back. We've found getting a cat-back/semi-cat-back (like KappaSphere) will net about 10HP to the wheels and help smooth some areas out across the graph. The cap on the back seems to be from the way to exhaust is crafted as a simple & cheap way of making the muffler fit in the direction and space needed. A second outlet would come from the other side of the current outlet and not the offset center spot where the cap is.
 
#8 ·
Ernest said:
Yes they let me keep all the stiock parts, after all they are mine and a part of the original SKY. I also have the original intake parts, from the CAI changeover. And they are all Saturn parts installed by Saturn techs. I also discovered that the Sky exhaust tubing is 2 1/4" formed pipe, a cat back is not needed. It is almost straight back from cat converter, to muffler, slight "S" bend. Beautifulk work!! Noticed that muffler has a welded cap on backside, could possibly be for dual exhaust conversion, or for future R/L.
Probably designed in mass produced form for several application. Careful scrutiny while on lift shows the quality of build underneath, palces you don not normally see, and every bit as good as those you do above!! I am so impressed with the workmanship I am here to tell you!!!! Once again to describe it is AWESOME!! Such an amazing vehicle, simply amazing!!!!

THANK YOU SATURN, BOXWOOD FACILITY, WILMINGTON DELAWARE, FOR A TOP QUALITY JOB, DONE TERRIFICALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:
Thanks for keeping us up-to-date! You have convinced me man! As soon as my image comes in - I will be ordering both the suspension kit and the CAI.

:willy: - the ony difference between our cars will be the VIN! (and the mileage too...)
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the info Ernest. I'll have to look at that for next spring.
 
#11 ·
Yes in all departments. Faboulus. Steering is as quick as it can get, a must for the serious sort of driver, a little rougher ride ride but hey, it is a sports car. It really brings the best out in this car for handling, and it is a complete kit right over the counter at your Saturn dealer.
 
#13 ·
Does not affect the wheel rub, castor & camber not affected by installation, neither is front end alignment, it is a simple unbolt - bolt in installation. Genuine Saturn Parts installed by Saturn Techs. Results= tight quick steering and positive handling. One recent escapade could have been costly if it weren't for the increased handling characteristics. Could have hit a curb head on but the quick reposive steering saved my a**. It recovered beautifully, it was a simple case of downshifting to second and a little to much gas coming out of a 180 degree turn brought the rear around but thanks to this incredable ,machine no damage incured other than maybe a change of clothes for the driver, ya know wut I mean?
 
#14 ·
I would get the suspension upgrade - but I am planning to upgrade to the RL Sky when its out. I think that will have an upgraded suspession. If not - I may spring for what you got.
 
#16 ·
I was wondering...didn't Ernest have the handling mods done to his car before he even drove it home from the dealer?? If so, how does he know what a standard Sky even handles like to be able to compare it with the modded one? Unless a driver has a lot of seat time in a stock Sky, can he really give a knowledgeable report on the quick steering etc, of one with performance suspension. Right or wrong ??
 
#17 ·
Way2Fast, I think if you read his original post it is pretty clear he got the suspension upgrade after he already had his car and had driven it.

Ernest said:
Just came home from having the suspension upgrade installed, it sure made an already great handling SKY, into perfection. The sway bars are double the size of stock, the coil over bilstein"s have thicker springs, the shocks have a pad other than the standard rubber pads, I forget what they said they were.
She corners like she is glued to the road, quick response to me it just seems superior than stock. It DOES definitely improve an already superior handling ride!!! A must for the serious driver!:thumbs: :thumbs:
 
#19 ·
Way2Fast said:
I was wondering...didn't Ernest have the handling mods done to his car before he even drove it home from the dealer?? If so, how does he know what a standard Sky even handles like to be able to compare it with the modded one? Unless a driver has a lot of seat time in a stock Sky, can he really give a knowledgeable report on the quick steering etc, of one with performance suspension. Right or wrong ??
I drove the stock suspension for a day, and put it thru enough paces to tell an defnite improvement in overall handling characteristics. Steering is quicker, corners tighter with the only drawback a lot stiffer ride. You will feel more of the bumps. As a matter of fact when you exit my dealer there is a 180 degree bypass to go east bound on I20 from the west access road, one blast around that after suspensiomn upgrade sold me. But my opinion:thumbs: :thumbs:
 
#20 ·
I wonder if they will use this kit as a stock component on the SRL? I know the sways are thicker but not sure about upgraded dampers.
 
#23 ·
LatinVenom said:
YES, it is more aggresive, than the SKY RL/GXP and ZOK, however the ZOK car would feel and handle better overall.
Because of the lower weight?

I believe the a-r bars are the same between the Z0K, SKY RL/Sol GXP, and the GMPP package.

The shocks and springs are similar between the Z0K, SKY RL/Sol GXP. The GMPP springs are higher rate then either of those, and the shocks have more damping than the Z0K/SRL/GXP.
 
#24 ·
KappaMan said:
Because of the lower weight?

I believe the a-r bars are the same between the Z0K, SKY RL/Sol GXP, and the GMPP package.

The shocks and springs are similar between the Z0K, SKY RL/Sol GXP. The GMPP springs are higher rate then either of those, and the shocks have more damping than the Z0K/SRL/GXP.
Do we know the spring rates of each?
 
#25 ·
Mallard said:
Do we know the spring rates of each?
Well - I was working off active coil equations and such, and back calculated approximately 19-25 N/mm front and about 26-33 N/mm for the rear for a base Solstice. It depends on how thick the coating is, as the equations are very sensitive to the wire diameter, and some of the OEM spring coatings can be quite thick.

Now, the kappasphere-available Eibach springs calc out to about 29-38 N/mm front and about 35-47.5 N/mm rear, judging by a solstice-owner that forwarded on the measurements of the springs and a picture.

There's also an art to judging the number of active coils. :banghead:

I haven't seen pics yet of the performance springs, nor have I seen pics of the RedLine springs, but I'm sure we'll know soon enough.
 
#26 ·
Stiffness?

Ernest said:
Just came home from having the suspension upgrade installed, it sure made an already great handling SKY, into perfection. The sway bars are double the size of stock, the coil over bilstein"s have thicker springs, the shocks have a pad other than the standard rubber pads, I forget what they said they were.
She corners like she is glued to the road, quick response to me it just seems superior than stock. It DOES definitely improve an already superior handling ride!!! A must for the serious driver!:thumbs: :thumbs:

So, how does it affect the stiffness of the ride? I just test drove a Sky for the first time today and although impressed overall I have to say the suspension seems a bit stiff to me - on one road I could feel the repetitive bumps causing vibration to pass right up through me - could be bad for the kidneys or bladder. The same road with a Saturn View barely felt anything - of course there is no comparison between a Sky and a Vue - but I am wondering if the "upgraded" suspension in the Red Line might be too much for my taste. Also drove an 2006 Miata Grand Touring - also quite stiff but not quite so much as the Sky.
 
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