Lowered car and front seems to be raised?

**SSAndrew** · 04-15-2006, 09:48 AM

I had bilsteen shocks and the eibach pro kit installed about 4 months ago. When I got the car back, the front was much higher than the rear, but I thought it needed to settle. It is still this way 4 months later, and I was wondering if anyone had any idea why?

Biff2252 · 04-15-2006, 09:52 AM

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!! I just recently installed a two 10" sub system in the back also, and I am sure this didnt help matters at all. I am with SSAndrew and would like to know why or what I can do/add to resolve it. Mine is over a year old now, so I am pretty sure its settled.

**Mr. Luos** · 04-15-2006, 11:10 AM

Any other suspension upgrades other than the springs?
Wonder if the struts have something to do with it. Not the stockers right??

I used the ProKit with stock struts/shocks (for now) and really noticed a drop.

Biff2252 · 04-15-2006, 11:13 AM

Well I am wondering if an adjustable panhard rod will make a difference? I see they claim you can adjust your ride height from lowering a car, but will this make the rear "walk" from one side or another when you are cranking on the PHR to raise it?

**Mr. Luos** · 04-15-2006, 11:26 AM

The panhard bar gets shortened up a little when the car is dropped. The goal of the panhard bar is to keep the rear end centered.
I just installed my adj. one yesterday. Alignment was this morning. I guess I was pretty close.

Before...

After...

Biff2252 · 04-15-2006, 11:45 AM

Mr. Luos sorry I didnt quite understand your response. So you just put the adj phr on and it leveled it out? It improved the stance? I have the pro kit also, with bilstien shocks just like SSAndrew. I just went and measured it, The front is 26 1/8th" from the bottom of the fenderwell to the ground at the center of the rim, and the rear is 25 1/16th from the bottom of the fenderwell to the ground at the center of the rim. Yours looks great by the way, looks level, maybe a slight forward rake, but its hard to tell because is black on black! FREAKING LOOKS AWESOME THOUGH!! I really like your car/wheels/stance!

Biff2252 · 04-15-2006, 11:46 AM

Sorry for robbing your thread SSAndrew

**Mr. Luos** · 04-15-2006, 11:48 AM

Sorry. I must have misread.
The panhard bar didn't change the stance up front.

Wonder if it has to do with the Bilstein's. Are they the drop struts? Or the stock height ones? Or better yet...do they even have different sizes? Haven't researched the struts much yet.

**Mr. Luos** · 04-15-2006, 11:52 AM

BTW...mine sits about 26 1/2 inches wheelwell to floor. All four corners.

**mrr23** · 04-15-2006, 07:21 PM

panhard rod centers the rear from side to side. has nothing to do with ride height adjustment.

**VChula** · 04-16-2006, 08:01 PM

I have the Pro Kits on both of my cars.

Neither one sits like yours.

Did you order the kit yourself, or did the shop that did the install order it for you?

It is possible that the wrong kit is on your car. You may possibly have the LT1 kit (#3831.140) installed instead of the one for the LS1 (#3870.140) Since the LT1 engine is heavier than the LS1, this may account for the extra lift at the front.

The only other possibility (extremely remote) is that the front springs were installed on the rear and the rear springs on the front. The quickest way to determine this is to look at the springs themselves. The spring intended to be mounted on the rear has way fewer coil windings and has a larger circumference than the fronts.

**SSAndrew** · 04-17-2006, 07:40 AM

I bought my kit straight from SLP it was a package deal. The Springs are stamped from SLP, and I'm wondering if they could have given me the LT1 kit in stead of the LS1 kit. Any Idea if the SLP part # is the same as the Eibach one?

**SSAndrew** · 04-17-2006, 07:52 AM

I just spoke to a nice gentleman from Eibach. He said that the correct part number for the front springs is 3870.001, and the rear is 3870.002. He said that if i had the springs for either the convertible, or the LT1, this is a likely result. I'm going to check this afternoon.

**VChula** · 04-17-2006, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by SSAndrew

I bought my kit straight from SLP it was a package deal. The Springs are stamped from SLP, and I'm wondering if they could have given me the LT1 kit in stead of the LS1 kit. Any Idea if the SLP part # is the same as the Eibach one?

Now I see the problem a little more clearly.

SLP's Eibach springs are different from the Eibach Pro Kits.

The SLP Eibachs were part of the "Bilstein Performance Suspension Package" or "Level II Suspension Package" that were options on the SS and Firehawks. With this package, it seems that only the rear sat lower, and not the front. In otherwords, your car appears to sit level, instead of having a slight forward rake (which you would get with the Pro Kits). With the TransAm's, this problem appears to be magnified, due to the large wing and lower body side extensions that are lower to the ground at the rear wheel arch point than at the front wheel arch. This combination creates the illusion that the car is sitting "nose up".

The LS1 SLP kit part number should be #70013 (front spring #10029/ rear #10031)

The LT1 SLP kit part number should be #70009 (front spring #720782798/ rear #720783798). My 1996 SS originally came with this setup. I have since switched to the Pro Kits. (my SS has over 130,000 miles)

Please see page 1 in my Car Domain link (in my original reply) for before and after pics of my SS to see the differences in stance. You will notice that there is considerable tire gap at the fronts in the pictures that are towards the top of the page.

Another thing that seems to magnify your concerns is that you appear to have a larger diameter rim and tire at the rear, which seems to reduce your tire gap at the rear even further. One other thing that may cause the rear sitting lower is if your rear spring upper rubber isolators were not reinstalled on your new setup.

**stevo5662** · 04-17-2006, 11:40 PM

I got the eibach sportlines on mine and i havnt had any problems except speed bumps. i got kyb's in the front and stock bilstiens in the back

**SSAndrew** · 04-18-2006, 05:41 AM

AH HAH! I had thought the pro-kit and the eibachs from SLP were the same thing. The gentlemen I talked to from Eibach was also under the impression that they were the same.... BUT when i called SLP they said this was not the case and have yet to get back to me regarding whether the ride height issue is a problem or not. Regardless, I think I will purchase the Eibach Pro Kit now that I know it is different. Thanks a lot