There are many things I like about our Saturn, but one thing I really hate is how low it sits. We have a hitch receiver on the back which we use for our bike carrier, but when the carrier is on, even with no bikes, it will hit the ground going in and out of many driveways. It really doesn't take a huge slope from the road to the driveway to have this happen. It is even worse if you have the rack loaded and a car with stuff and several people in it. For that matter, just in general the car is quite low to the ground.

I have considered that it might be worn shocks, at least I think it is shocks on the rear, but they seem tight with no bounce. If it is struts at the rear as well, then it is a different story.

Any suggestions on how to inexpensively get the car a little higher?

 

rear has struts

 

That stinks. I should have looked when I was under there. Well I guess strut compressors are now on the list of things to get. Since it is struts, they may be done. I will have to check.

Any ways to inexpensively get this car higher. The number of times we scrape when going in the driveway both at home and several other places is bugging me.

 

i would start with strut replacement all 4 corners and take it from there. Yours certainly have enough time and mileage on them (though you did not state mileage) that they probably have had their day.

Many use KYB GR 2's and are happy with them. Please note that front GR2s are significantly stiffer than OEM -- the stiffness comparison is posted all over the internet for you to compare.

Monroe also makes them for the S cars.

 

Not sure what bike rack you have, but I've seen them on S-Cars for years and see them to this day. I'd guess we would have heard of this dragging on the ground problem many times over the past 21 years if it was the norm.

 

Strut replacement it is. Hopefully that will help enough. Now to get the cash together.

 

I think before I spent money replacing struts that a review of the function of the things should be done.
It is the springs that carry the weight of the car. The struts help position the rear wheels or any wheels they are on and provide dampening to the bouncing action of the car. The do not carry the weight.
Gas filled struts do indeed carry a teeny portion of the weight but an insignificant portion when measured.
If you wish to increase the load carrying capability of a spring, it will have to be done by either changing the spring or by doing something to add additional load carrying capacity. And new struts are not that answer. Most Cheap methods of increasing load carrying capacity is to place something in the spring coil that will not let the space between the coils decrease. Rubber blocks, metal blocks that go in and turn with a wrench to get them in place.
I do not know where to look for them but if I wanted them I know where I would go and look.
I am sure that there are aftermarket bits and pieces that might work such as some form of Air Shock as a strut. Do I know for sure? No I don't. And S series Saturns have not been popular enough to make a whole lot of specialty items for and have not been made for 10 years. And cheap ways to increase load carrying capacity generally really stiffen the ride to the point where it is uncomfortable to ride in them.
As to the extent of the problem? I have to go along with Rjion. I carry a mobility scooter on the back of mine on occasion and have not had that as a problem And a mobility scooter weighs a bunch more than a couple of bikes. The mobility scooter sits on a home made scooter carrier inserted into a trailer hitch mounted on the rear of the car.
I have also towed utility trailers with no problems. But to be honest, the roads here in the west are a whole bunch better than in other area's so I might not see things the same way.

 

and rileysowner never put his first name or location in his signature so it's rather tough knowing just where he lives. Not to mention s cars don't sit any lower then the average car in it's class, and does ride higher then some.

 

You might though, want to take a look as to how the trailer hitch is mounted. The fact that it is there at all brings the back of the car that further away from the centerline of the rear wheels so when you go over those ramps for the driveway things are going to get closer to the ground. Add a bike carrier to the deal and it gets even closer.
If it is a major probroblem, use a jack to support the weight of the car by the trailer hitch and then loosen the bolts that hold it to the car. When they get loose enough the weight of the car will cause the hitch to move some. How much? dunno but some.
If that is no help I suspect you have little choice but to use some form of overlad on the back or insert blocks in the springs.
Or have the springs replaced by a spring shop.

 

Not that either of those things is relevant as steep driveway entrances are found everywhere.

As for the height of ride on the SL1, I find it substantially lower than the Mazda Protege is is replacing. I have had to help older people out who I was giving a ride to, who could get out of our Protege no problem. Not to mention driving it up on ramps without some other things to get it a little higher is prevented because the body hits the ramp before the wheel, and even using a bottle jack there is little room to work with. My SL1 is very low to the ground in my opinion. Either someone in the past lowered the vehicle, something in the suspension of worn, or it is riding at its normal height and it is simply too low. Either way, I would like to see it somewhat higher.