Rear Suspension Helper Springs for a 2005 Saturn Vue that Sags when Loaded

Question:

I installed a Curt 13591 2inch hitch on my 04 Saturn vue. In addition I also purchase a Thule T2 bike rack. Everything works great until I realized that the hitch and the rack was too heavy and the back of the car was sagging and theres a lot of wait in the rear suspension. Also i feel like its too heavy that the car sway lot during turns and I need to brake harder. I feel like sometimes the brake is not enough that it would not stop the car in the right time. In addition, if the car is full of passenger. The car sag a lot and I am worried that it might cause problem on the rear suspension, brakes and a lot of gas consumption. I checked on some suspension enhancement and I am not sure what to do. Should I replace my rear shocks with heavy duty ones. Or should I replace my coil spring with a heavy duty or taller one so the rear of the car would be much higher. And if I do that would it help with the braking and handling of the car and tire wear? I would appreciate youre feedback. Thanks

asked by: Franklin

Expert Reply:

The weight of the Thule T2 bike carriers loaded with bikes should not be enough by itself to cause the rear of the vehicle to sag or cause braking or steering problems. But when you add passengers and/or cargo then all of that combined is when you would see a problem.

A simple solution that will help with steering, stability, and sagging is to install Timbren helper springs # TGMRVUE. But braking is another issue. When the vehicle is loaded with people there is a lot of momentum and it takes more braking for a longer period of time to stop or slow down.

There are 2 ways to help with that. First, you could try replacing the factory brakes with larger, stronger brakes. Second, you could just drive the vehicle accordingly leaving plenty of space between you and vehicles in front of you and/or start braking sooner which will prevent you from having to brake harder frequently.

expert reply by: Michael H