suspension

is it possible to lower a car with the stock shocks and struts and if it is whats the lowest i can go

Possible... yes!

a good idea?..... NO! Looking into the non-performance subforum and read up on how to lower your car the right way.

Stock struts are obviously not the best. But leaving them and lowering your cav isn't a problem. However, the lower you go, the harder it is on them. And I would suggest being quite careful with your driving habits especially on rougher roads.

hows a 1.5 - 1.6 drop on the stock setup ?

Just do it right and buy the stuff, you'll be much happier in the end. How do you plan on lowering with the stock stuff? Coilovers or cutting the springs? Cutting the springs is NOT a good idea. Either way you do it, you will still have the squishy ass stock suspension, it will just look low and wont handle much better if at all.

no im going to buy the springs im just wondering if i can keep the stock shocks and struts...for now anyways.

When pay to have an alignment done twice? Save up and do it right once.

you can lower the car with stock shocks. but they will get worn out very quickly. 1.5-2 inches is a good drop. Just consider some new shocks very soon. Pricing is around $400-700, more or less.

how about just not doing it at all becuase ten to one unless the car is rather new, your stock ones are allready blown.

Doesn't sound to me like you're lookin to turn your cav into a race car. Wheels and springs will make for a nice clean look and better handling. New struts will make for a better ride and even better handling for sure. But the stock struts will be fine as long as you pay attention when your driving. If you hit every bump in the road, the they certainly won't last long. But if you drive resonably, you'll be fine and save an extra $500. It's all about what you want from your car.

aftermarket springs with stock shocks... in the case of a v6 bad!.. the spring rate is to much for the stock shocks making the the front end bounce like crazy, a performance shock has at least 18% or more dampening holding the frontend calm, you should also look into ureathane bushings and even a bigger or stiffer swaybar.