I have a 2002 Monte Carlo SS 180xxx miles and I'm looking to lower it a little to get rid of some of the ugly wheel gap it has and I'm having a hard time finding a good answer to how to do this, and if it's possible to put adjustable coilovers in it and if so some recommendations on where to get them

 

Lowered my Monte years back, love it.


Check out this link for lowering springs, click on link below:

ZZPerformance Lowering Springs For WBody 3800 Vehicles Grand Prix Regal



Copied from their ad:

These lowering springs will give you a comfortable ride, without causing axle wobble, which wears out your axles, and creates that dreaded 3800 "pogo" feel.

They will drop the front about 7/8 of an inch and the rear about 1/2 of an inch

These springs are meant to decrease the wheel gap for a better look with good handling that allows you to use them year round compared to the aggressive lowering springs that lower it too much and doesn't sacrifice the drive-ability.

1997-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
1997-2004 Buick Regal
2000-2005 Monte Carlo
2000-2005 Impala

Thanks for shopping!

 

These here give you a 1.2" drop all the way around. My Eibachs dropped me close to this much. See the ZZP's only 7/8" and 1/2". These may prove to be a better appearance for your Monte.

KYB STRUTS SHOCKS & GERMAN LOWERING SPRINGS CHEVY MONTE CARLO 00 01 02 03 05 | eBay

 

Zzp also now sells coilovers

 

^ I think that's your answer for coilovers.

Canuck Motorsports also has lowering springs, which is what I have on my 06. For your car they'd lower 1.7" in front and 1.5" in back - a little more than the ZZPs. The Eibachs are no longer made for our cars.

 

There are a few options depending what you want to spend. Being an 02 with almost 200k, I'd only caution that you be careful how much you get wrapped up in it. Some of the higher end options can exceed the value of the car.


The mega cheap option is to heat the springs. It's an old school method, hurts handling, and can be potentially dangerous but it would fix the wheel gap for nearly free.

Lowering springs are the next tier of price option. They run around $200 and can be had from multiple vendors. The drop varies by vendor but is generally around 2". The killer here is the labor. If you have to pay labor to get this done, it'll cost more than the springs do.

Next option is DIY coilovers. These can be done for just a little more than springs, but involve a lot of labor. You have to cut off the spring perches, modify the top hats, and install the springs/perches, etc.

Beyond that are bolt in coilovers. There are a few companies that make these to just bolt in, but they run about $1000-1500.

Last step is airbags. These can easily be $2k+, but offer the ultimate in adjustability.


Keep in mind with any suspension changes to keep in mind the condition of your struts and what you're trying to do. If you're worried about handling, doing DIY coilovers on 100k mile old struts isn't a great idea. Depending what struts you go with can drastically change the cost.

 

Lowering springs are probably the safest and cheapest route to go - Canucks' are only $150 for a set. You would also have to consider the age of your existing struts and if it makes sense to replace those when you go to install lowering springs.

It is a bit labor intensive but I've done lowering springs myself, twice, and each time it took about a week however I was tackling other things while apart. Granted, I'm very picky to details and like to clean when I have stuff apart. I've seen it done in one day to a few days.

 

http://m.oreillyauto.com/h5/r/oap/si...1716&ppt=C0361 is a better cheap option, and isn't permanent.