Lewis Van Tassel
Junior Member
Hello all,
New guy Lewis here. I've had a bit of an issue with the front end of my 05 Chevy Cobalt (2.2l). It rattles (audibly) to a degree that can be felt really well in the steering wheel. There have been many moments where I've channeled my inner "Scotty" and started yelling in my best Scottish accent, "She can't take much more cap'm"! I've done four wheel alignments, had the wheels balanced, checked air pressure, etc. The rattle occurs during acceleration, and deceleration, and is especially pronounced when there is more than one occupant in the vehicle. It only really goes away when I'm at speed on the freeway. I took the car to the dealer the other day because of an unrelated issue. While I was there, they informed me that my inner tie rod ends and sway bar links had "a lot of play", and that they should be replaced sooner than later. I have two questions. Could the current state of these items be causing the rattling that I've been experiencing, and finally, can I get some help in selecting the right parts for my vehicle? I went to online to Rock Auto and did some searching for my vehicle for those parts. It returned the following items as parts that "Fit my vehicle":
Sway Bar Links: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=990482&cc=1431639&jsn=251
Inner Tie Rod Ends: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1950048&cc=1431639&jsn=254
Would these be good choices? Are there better options that you'd recommend. Also, since I'm going to be there anyway, is there anything else you would recommend that I do to the suspension (front/back)? It'd be nice to have a smoother ride (floaty) for my long trips, but I realize I'm not driving a Caddy, and getting that "Cadillac Feel" in my Cobalt might be out of the realm of possibility.
Completely different (but somewhat related question):
Have you ever heard of someone doing a lift on a stock cobalt? I've never done such a thing to any vehicle, but I can't help but think it might be beneficial to sit 3-4" higher (especially in snow). What would be involved? Would it be expensive? Benefits/Downfalls?
Thanks all for your input. I really appreciate it!
-Lewis
New guy Lewis here. I've had a bit of an issue with the front end of my 05 Chevy Cobalt (2.2l). It rattles (audibly) to a degree that can be felt really well in the steering wheel. There have been many moments where I've channeled my inner "Scotty" and started yelling in my best Scottish accent, "She can't take much more cap'm"! I've done four wheel alignments, had the wheels balanced, checked air pressure, etc. The rattle occurs during acceleration, and deceleration, and is especially pronounced when there is more than one occupant in the vehicle. It only really goes away when I'm at speed on the freeway. I took the car to the dealer the other day because of an unrelated issue. While I was there, they informed me that my inner tie rod ends and sway bar links had "a lot of play", and that they should be replaced sooner than later. I have two questions. Could the current state of these items be causing the rattling that I've been experiencing, and finally, can I get some help in selecting the right parts for my vehicle? I went to online to Rock Auto and did some searching for my vehicle for those parts. It returned the following items as parts that "Fit my vehicle":
Sway Bar Links: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=990482&cc=1431639&jsn=251
Inner Tie Rod Ends: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1950048&cc=1431639&jsn=254
Would these be good choices? Are there better options that you'd recommend. Also, since I'm going to be there anyway, is there anything else you would recommend that I do to the suspension (front/back)? It'd be nice to have a smoother ride (floaty) for my long trips, but I realize I'm not driving a Caddy, and getting that "Cadillac Feel" in my Cobalt might be out of the realm of possibility.
Completely different (but somewhat related question):
Have you ever heard of someone doing a lift on a stock cobalt? I've never done such a thing to any vehicle, but I can't help but think it might be beneficial to sit 3-4" higher (especially in snow). What would be involved? Would it be expensive? Benefits/Downfalls?
Thanks all for your input. I really appreciate it!
-Lewis
