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How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:24 am
by 2003 SSEi
So I am a Out side of the box thinker, sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes that is a bad thing....Espically with the Bonneville Platform. My car is a Mixture of Deville, LeSaber, Aurora, and STS Parts. The main platform of the vehicle is the same but there are trim differences.

In this case we use the Deville and borrow what they have available

I found these Eibach Springs on Ebay. I had done a ton of research on the GM suspension setups, and determined that the suspensions were Identical. No problem ill give them a shot, since the H body and the K body share alot of parts....what the heck

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Stocker off and the Eibachs ready to go on
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Stock Front Bonneville GXP (FE5) spring on the Left, Eibach on the right
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Eibach on the left this time, stock rear on the right
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One awesome thing about the Eibach kit, they supply the shorter rod for the Auto Level control in the back

you can see how much shorter than stock
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The Payoff

Before

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Now

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the car has to settle, but here next to a stock 2000 SSEI
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and a Stock 2004 SLE
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Here are some pics once it settled with the stock wheels for reference
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and one with the GXP wheels
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I used the STOCK FE5 GXP struts and rear shocks with this setup. Honestly it rides better than it did stock with the FE2. There is NO pogo or any driveline vibrations with this Combo. Your results may vary with the FE1/FE2 Struts.

Hope this helps anyone with Lowering questions

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 11:56 am
by gweg_b
I really dig your Bonneville being lowered and especially with the GXP wheels!! I have been thinking about this for a long time (both my H-bodies), and saw a conversation awhile back between you and Booze on Facebook about this.

I'll probably find this out sooner or later once I get some time to search, but what is availability like for those Eibach springs for the Deville's? I believe I've heard they are no longer manufactured.

Anyway, I still love this car, and seeing everything you've done to it!

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 12:21 pm
by yourgrandma
I had initially looked into lowering springs for ann STS instead of a DTS. I had the rates for the eibachs but I never rated a set of stockers while I had the equipment. The weight and bias are pretty different from the STS to a bonneville. Never did the due diligence on the ones for the DTS, but I took your word for it and theyre on their way.

FE5 struts are hard to find these days, too.

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 2:16 pm
by ga93sle
I love it, especially with the GXP wheels on it.

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 3:10 pm
by nos4blood70
Thank God you came along. These cars need a drop badly. One day I'll drop mine.

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 6:59 pm
by alexcoqui
awesome! knew they would work. now give us the part number from Eibach, so we can all join the fun. :banana:

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:51 pm
by deano55
how much did it actually drop? These won't work with the stock ssei struts?

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 8:01 pm
by 2003 SSEi
deano55 wrote:how much did it actually drop? These won't work with the stock ssei struts?
about 1.5 in the front and 1.2 in the rear. I did take before and after measurements

yes they WILL work with any Bonneville/Deville/Lesaber/Park Ave/Lucerne/Aurora/STS struts

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 8:12 pm
by 1oldman
nice work! I think it makes the car look longer - BC

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 8:54 pm
by deano55
too me it looks like the tires fit nicely into the wheel wells, what's the cost?

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:14 pm
by repinS
That's a sweet setup. Is there still sufficient range of adjustment to do a proper alignment?

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:15 pm
by yourgrandma
None left. Everywhere ive seen is out of stock. The one place that the order went through, I got an email later saying they had none...

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:32 pm
by 2003 SSEi
deano55 wrote:too me it looks like the tires fit nicely into the wheel wells, what's the cost?
Cost depends on where you can find them....i STOLE them off Ebay....i got hem for right around 50 shipped
repinS wrote:That's a sweet setup. Is there still sufficient range of adjustment to do a proper alignment?
Thanks, i had to do no modifications to the struts or anything to make the car fall within the factory specks. Even before the alignment the car could have been driven w/o problems
yourgrandma wrote:None left. Everywhere ive seen is out of stock. The one place that the order went through, I got an email later saying they had none...
really.....that extremely sucks. have you searched for the Buick Lucerne?

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 11:53 pm
by yourgrandma
2003 SSEi wrote: have you searched for the Buick Lucerne?
Yeppers. Nada. Looks like its a custom made set of coils or bust. In other news, I test drove a low mileage 300c today.... :btruestory:

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:09 am
by PronksBonne

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:25 am
by deano55
that's a lot of money for 4 springs, I like the Ebay price better

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 3:32 am
by yourgrandma
PronksBonne wrote:would these work??

http://www.tunersdepot.com/Suspension/L ... -1359.html
Yeah, go ahead and order them once.

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:53 am
by BonneMe
Custom springs are another route, however, a full OEM spring/strut combo that is matched will be very hard to match for longevity and quality. There are many "universal" solutions if you know the OD and ID of the spring, and the rate you desire. Most of the big parts catalogs like Jegs carry them.

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:03 am
by deano55
yourgrandma wrote:
PronksBonne wrote:would these work??

http://www.tunersdepot.com/Suspension/L ... -1359.html
Yeah, go ahead and order them once.
what does this mean?

Re: How to Lower your 2000+ Bonneville

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:23 pm
by yourgrandma
deano55 wrote:
yourgrandma wrote:
Yeah, go ahead and order them once.
what does this mean?
Out of stock.