Turbo I, Mike's build thread

[JTee2017]

GM 'Sonic Performance Suspension Kit'

Rear springs (old/new)

Front springs (old/new)

Rears were a breeze, glad I got these out of the way first

It's possible to take the top nut off the strut without GM's tool. But buy the tool :blankface: This fiasco lasted 45 minutes for each of those nuts.

One of my strut mounts fell apart or was busted from some time ago. A little axle grease should keep it going another 80k miles

And the final job. It looks same as stock opcorn:

Why doesn't every Sonic come with this suspension??? My verdict shows that GM believes Sonic drivers want a quiet ride that can go over railroad tracks with ease. Cuz that's it, that's all that's better.

OEM vs GM Performance verdict -

Body roll: GM performance
Handling: GM performance
Looks: GM performance
Noise: OEM
Railroad tracks: OEM
I suppose for pulling a trailer, OEM would win too. Sonitruck.

The look is PERFECT. The front hasn't settled but I see about 0.5" now. The rear is noticeably lower, about 1". This kit makes the Sonic look like a normal car. Still have some rubber squeaky but hopefully that'll go away after a week or two of driving.

Thank God the body roll is gone. OEM suspension does not like power upgrades.

A big thank you to Crate engine depot for offering the lowest price on this kit!

No pictures showing up in this post?

I've found I have to transfer (share) my Google Photos to Google Plus for them to reliably host over to a forum. Not sure why.

Anyone else not seeing the the pictures.

 

[mja]

When adding google plus photos through google chrome on a PC the links don't transfer to other formats like internet explorer, firefox, or apple/android. Also when pics are posted from google android it can only be seen on those devices. I forget this when adding links sometime, fixed the pics

 

[mja]

sway bar links

Front right has been popping for a while in a tight turn + the car would drift slightly to the left after proper alignment. Replaced OEM end links with ZZP's end links. They sent two identical parts from two different manufacturers. One was OSK80252 with a matte finish, and the other was a EXCK80252 with a gloss finish.

Moog P/N K80252, OEM vs ZZP/Moog

The 0.7" GM lowering kit is as low as I'd want to go these new end links. There is a good amount of preload on the sway bar now.

The nuts that come with these are like the hulk, not needed. Ended up reusing the OEM nylon lock nuts.

The Moog type end links are about 2-2.5x the weight of the plastic ones, using an ultra accurate index finger gauge.

 

[mja]

TTR engine mount

OEM vs TTR

 

[mja]

TTR lower trans mount

This wasn't doing much of anything:

 

[mja]

ZZP upper trans mount

This one is about half the weight of the stock upper trans mount. The TTRs are heavier, but much firmer. The lightweight ZZP upper offsets a little of the added weight from the TTR's. Good stuff all around.

Thank you to TTR and ZZP for fast shipping and offering these parts to make a GREAT handling Sonic!