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Suspension Reviews! - Search Here First!

Andy W.

Wanna Fight About It?
Joined
Jul 19, 2000
Messages
2,671
Location
MD!
For now, I will allow posts suggesting changes to the guidelines for this thread.

I'm starting a stickied thread purely for feedback from members that have experienced suspensions upgrades on their own vehicles. Hearsay and "I rode in Joe's car once and ..." are not permitted.

Use PMs to make comments or ask questions to the original poster. NO COMMENTARY OR QUESTION POSTS ARE ALLOWED. Any post not on topic will be deleted and warnings may be issued.

Post requirements:
Year and Trim of Vehicle: GL, LX, SE, or SVT. SeVT is not a factory trim level!

Current Suspension:
Shocks, springs, sway bars, bushings, shock tower hats, coil-over upgraded bearings, rims and tire info, anything relevant to the suspension.

Previous suspension:
For comparison sake including mileage.
Installation Info: Mention cost, general installer info ($350 at local shop, $50 and beer with a buddy), any other info special to your install.

Experience:
Including mileage since install, settling time, final tire gaps, peak of fenders to ground ride height, ride comfort change, steering and corning change.

Updates: Down the road if you want to update your experience, please PM it to me noting you post number and I will add it.


Post Template:

Year and Trim of Vehicle:
Current Suspension:

Previous suspension:

Experience:

Updates:
 
Last edited:
Year and Trim of Vehicle:
1995 SE V6 MTX
SVT rear bumper and side skirts
SVT front lower bumper molded to my SE front upper bumper

Current Suspension:
(Cost: $250 for gently used Konis, GCs I had, $15ish for McMaster bearings, & $100 for gently used OMP. Installed myself in 3hrs)
KONI YELLOW AJUSTABLE STRUTS WITH SPRING PERCHES REMOVED
GROUND CONTROL COILOVERS WITH MCMASTER TOP HAT BEARINGS
OMP FRONT STRUT BRACE
2" drop with 215/35/18 Continental Extreme tires on Enkei GF-1 Anthracite wheels.
newpics005.jpg

newpics004.jpg


Previous suspension:
(Cost: $200 for used ground control kit. Installed with friend in 6hrs)
OEM STRUTS WITH SPRING PERCHES
GROUND CONTROL COILOVERS WITH GC BEARINGS
2" drop with 215/50/16 tire on Enkei RS-6 silver wheels.
Joes_Pre-98.3.jpg

^SAME SUSPENSION WITH MY SE STOCK BODY KIT:
exterior_4.jpg

2" drop with 225/40/18 tire on KMC Unit chrome wheels
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2" drop with 215/40/18 tire on ADR Reaction wheels
X.jpg


Experience:
(Old setup)
Going from stock SE suspension with broken springs to the GCs on stock struts was a great handling upgrade. Ride was stiff as expected being on GCs. It was bouncy at times because of the stock struts and the struts already had 100k miles on them and they lasted to 180k until the first one started to leak. Front suspension would "cooonk" when turning the front wheels.
(New setup)
I had to upgrade to a more durable shock to handle the height ajustment of the ground controls as I like to ride with them on a 2" drop. Ride quality over previous was not much different because the ground control springs determine that. The occasional repetative bounce that the old setup had was now gone. I am sure if I tried to auto-x with the current suspension it would hold up quite nice and respond well. Kind of a lot of $ for new konis if you go that route. The "coonk" described earlier is very rare now as the GC top hat bearings were to blame. Check and grease the top hat bearings about once a year if you can to keep them quiet. :)

Updates:
Koni shock clunked and sqeeked. Koni would not replace. Bought another used one with low miles. Everything good now.

ALL SUSPENSION & WHEEL SETUPS I HAVE HAD WERE ALL WITHIN ALIGNMENT SPECS! I ALSO HAD BAD CAMBER WEAR WITH ALL TYPES.


If you have this:
DSC01659.jpg

get a new one of these:
DSC01678.jpg
 
Year and Trim of Vehicle:
1998 Ford SVT Contour

Current Suspension:
KSport CFD110-KP coilover kit, OEM SVT sway bars, bushings, strut mounts, front strut bearings, factory replacement tie-rod ends and front sway bar endlinks.

dscn3126su7.jpg


But here are some of the before and after during the install...

frontbeforeln9.jpg
rearbeforezp7.jpg


My brother got a little to excited with the rear strut...
kevinscrewingaroundhy3.jpg


frontoutea4.jpg
rearoutfw4.jpg


(Yes I know the front rotor is installed on the wrong side this has since been fixed)
frontinstalledua9.jpg
rearinstalledpq8.jpg


reartopto9.jpg


Upgraded camber plates have since been powder coated black.
struttopvw5.jpg


Previous suspension:
original OEM SVT suspension all around. miles on car... 162k. Majority of struts blown with worn rear sway bar endlinks/bushings.

Installation Info:
Cost information
Coilovers
$775 - KSport kit (JLB Motorsports)
Camber Kit
$116.91 - Camber kit ($49.99 EA)
$40 - upgraded camber plates
Subtotal - $156.91
Mounts
$28.46 - bearings ($14.23 EA, I actually returned one and repacked the bearing with grease)
$30.18 - Rear Strut mount ($15.09 EA)
$3.96 - taxes
Subtotal - $62.60
Broken crap...
$29.02 - Rear sway bar end link ($14.51 EA)
$9.10 - Rear sway bar end link bushings ($4.55 EA)
$1.61 - taxes
$3.58 - Rear sway bar end link nut(bottom nut that threads to end link, $1.79 EA)
$0.24 - taxes
Subtotal - $43.55

So if I did my math right...
Grand total = $1038.06

Installation notes:
These actually went in very easy. After you remove the old struts I took carb cleaner and sprayed out the inside of the knuckles removing any rust residue. I then applied bearing grease to the inside of the knuckle to encourage the KSports to slide in easier. I also applied bearing grease to the outside of the KSport bases. When installing this made a WORLD of difference. They were still tight to go in and required some 'light' taps to the bottom of the knuckle, but they slid right on. We started the install at about 7:15pm on Thurs and finished at 5am on Friday with a number of breaks and BS'ing. I'd say total install time would take 6 hours tops for the average DIY guy/gal.

Experience:
Miles since install: 650 miles
Settling time: 2 days
Final tire gaps:
Front=1/4" tire to fender, 2" tire to inner fender
Rear= 3/8" tire to fender, 4.25" tire to inner fender
Peak of fenders to ground ride height:
Front= 24.5"
Rear= 24.75"
Ride comfort change: none (however current setup was already rough due to blown struts)
Steering and corning change: Car seems to handle 20 times better (again comparing to blown struts).

Updates:
None at this point in time.
 
Post requirements:
Year and Trim of Vehicle: My old SE Zetec MTX contour

Current Suspension:
SVT struts with Eibach springs

Previous suspension: totally stock with 159K miles also did a rear disc conversion at the same time.

Experience:
the struts were purchased used with 60K miles on them, the whole suspension set me back about $200 for springs and struts and mounts. Car rode brilliantly, a little bit stiffer then stock but still very comfortable, my goal was appearance, with the ST200 wheels the 'tour looked like a monster truck, after doing this suspension the handling was WAY better the ride was brilliant, and the apperance was spot on, wasn't too low either, I put my stock 14 inch wheels back on for the winter and never had an issue. Drove the car for about 20K miles on this setup I felt like right before I sold the car the struts were getting a little soft, but they did at that point have about 80K on them.


After SVT struts and Eibach springs
DSC_0387Large.jpg


CIMG0922.jpg


DSC00087.jpg


DSC00075.jpg

Winterized:
web.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Year and Trim of Vehicle: 99 SVT

Current Suspension: BAT Euro kit (struts and springs); all else stock.

Previous Suspension: Eibach springs, Koni adjustable struts, 21mm Progress Tech rear sway bar (Prothane brackets/bushings), Aussie endlinks. Car had 94k miles (bought car with 83k).

Installation info: Cost of parts is available at www.batinc.net . Installed by Aircougar Performance. Installation was in three parts: (1) struts/springs, (2) Monroe front strut mount/bearing, (3) stock sway bar, mounts end links, new subframe.

Koni/Eibach experience: Fairly rigid. Very composed when cornering, almost no body roll.
But it was a bit jarring on any uneven surface, and didn't hold well on the generally crappy New England roads. Ride height and stiffer sway bar contributed to subframe cracks at both mount points, and both mounts fell off due to force (multiple times). There were clunks in the back by both sway bar mounts and the struts. One front strut mount bushing destroyed itself.

BAT kit experience: The ride is firm but comfortable. There is very slight body roll on cornering, but it is still very composed. Although a bit higher than the Eibachs, wheel gap is now even all around the tire. Overall I couldn't be happier with the purchase. It provides the perfect balance between ride comfort and composed handling.

DSC02286Small.jpg


DSC02287Small.jpg


DSC02288Small.jpg
 
Year and Trim of Vehicle: 2000 SVT Contour

Current Suspension: Koni Sport Kit (6000 miles top) Bought them with 3000 miles for $300.
Pics on 17" ASA EM9 wheels with 215/45/17 tires.
DSC01555-1.jpg

DSC01553.jpg

DSC01543.jpg

Previous suspension: Monroes...CRAP They were installed recently before i bought the car. My freaking car looked like a 4X4.
DSC01252.jpg

Picture with the old 18" wheels with 225/35/18 tire (i think) on 7.5 inch rim
DSC00922.jpg

Instillation Information: They were installed in Reebs garage by Reebs, Myself, and Aliasjerk. No issues with the instillation.
Experience:
Koni Kit Experience: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Koni Sport Kit. I honestly do not have much bad to say about it. I drive my car very spirited on certain roads and I can just say, with the combination of my tires and the suspension, it is pretty hard to get them to make some noise or slip at all. Not much body roll and they adjust very quickly. The perfect drop, seems about to be 1.5" to 2". I would recommend them to anyone.
Updates:
 
Year and Trim of Vehicle:1996 SE

Current Suspension: Yellow Konis, stock front springs with 1 inch drop, stock rear springs. Fender gaps are near equal front & rear. Stock 20mm front sway bar with polyurethane bushings. Front A arms have been boxed and slotted. Heavy duty, greasable front end links. CC plates set at max camber, min caster. Rear longitudinal control arms stock. Adjustable tubular toe control arms. Main control arms are boxed and slotted with custom greasable aluminum bushings and oilite thrust washers. BAT 21mm rear bar. Upgraded rear subframe sway bar mounts with stock 97 brackets. Spherical rod end rear end links with polyurethane bushings. Rear tubular strut tower bar with removeable centre bar, brackets welded in place.

Previous suspension: Totally stock

Experience:The car saw serious track duty at the SVTOA event summer '07 (I'm an instructor). I was amazed at how well the suspension held up-I had no issues whatsoever. The motor was a different story though. The car steers great and turns in to corners with lots of feel. There are no nasty surprises but the rear suspension doesn't set right away when you're turning hard. Easy to get used to and generally neutral. Playing with the Konis and tire presssures gives all the adjustability you'll ever need.

Updates: I am working on polyurethane or delrin bushed front A arms. That's about it.
 

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Year and Trim of Vehicle: 1999 SVT Contour

Current Suspension: Koni Sport Kit, Bat 21mm swaybar, Striker2 swaybar endlinks, Poly-filled Roll Restrictors courtesy of Pole120, Rawburt rear strut tower brace, 225/45/17 Yokohama S-Drives, Underdrive Power Steering pulley (Makes steering feel heavier which I personally like) and Sparco Speed seats (They don't make the car handle better, but they make you handle the car better), Subframe Connectors, reinforced front A-arms and boxed and slotted control arms.

Previous suspension: The previous owner installed the Koni Sport Kit and Bat 21mm swaybar, but I had the Poly-filled RR's, rear strut tower brace, Underdrive power steering pulley and Sparco seats installed. Car handled pretty good, but no where near as good as it does now.
Edit: Previous Suspension/Setup would now be the Snow tires I had on before. I now have 225/45/17 Yokohama S-Drives.

Experience:
Mileage since install of new parts: 1000-2000 km since install of Rawburt rear strut tower brace, underdrive power steering pulley and
Striker2 endlinks

Mileage since install of Poly-filled RR's and Sparco seats: 40km's

Mileage since install of 225/45/17 Yokohama S-Drives and OZ Superleggera's and Subframe Connector's: 150 km's or so.

Ride comfort change: Not much from the first set of installation's, but with the Poly-filled RR's and Sparco seats the ride is more track prepped, race car-ish than cushy factory-ish. The ride was pretty stiff with the Koni's, nothing un-bareable even riding on full stiff. But now the car is much more stiff. The mod's I have done are SO worth it though!
Edit: Ride is now even more stiff with the thinner and stiffer sidewalls of the Yokohama S-Drives and the Subframe Connectors.

Steering and handling change: The handling even on snow tires is very good. The steering feel with Poly-filled RR's and an underdrive pulley is EXACTLY what I wanted! I'm used to a heavy steering wheel in Go-Kart's, obviously no power steering help, and this setup is more along the lines of it. It isn't that heavy that you'd need to drink a few protein shakes just to turn out of your driveway. The steering is also VERY precise. Emphasis on VERY. I'm not sure exactly how to put this, or if it makes sense, but the steering wheel feels stiffer now with the new RR's. I highly recommend that you get Poly-filled RR's from Pole120. The handling change is worth it. Even if you just get your front or rear filled (whichever is better for comfort), I'd suggest you give him a shout. And all this praise is just after 40km's of driving with them installed lol.

Edit: Handling is very neutral and turn-in is very responsive! Haven't gotten to really test it out, but I am very impressed so far. The steering responds very well to steering input.

Pics of how the car sits:

On 205/60/15's

MyCarNewCamera004-1.jpg


On 225/50/16's

TurdBurgular002.jpg


On 215/45/17's

NewWheels014.jpg


On 225/45/17's

NewOZWheels006.jpg
 
Year and Trim of Vehicle: 1995 Mercury Mystique GS
Current Suspension: H&R zetec springs with KYB GR-2 struts, new Moog Lower control arms, strut mounts/bearings, swaybar end links. total cost just under $1,000
Previous suspension: Stock Motorcraft struts and springs with 126K
Experience: I've put about 500 miles on the new setup. The car takes the corners well. Really holds well for not having a rear sway bar. Have to test it out at the drag strip to see if it helps me hook up when launching.

Pics:

IMG_2683.jpg


IMG_2686.jpg


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Post requirements:

Year and Trim of Vehicle: 98..5 SVT

Current Suspension: K-Sport RR Coilovers

Previous suspension: N/A

Installation Info: N/A

Experience: I Know these have been on the car for at least a few years, however I am not sure of the exact mileage. Regardless, they are STIFF. One thing I have noticed is that they do not Pogo everyhwere like a lot of not so well valved coilovers so that is a plus. With the fronts turned all the way down the ride got much better....however since the P/O did not put the adjusters in the coilovers before installing them...I can't adjust the rears without removing the struts. These coilovers would be GREAT for a Auto-X/Roadcourse car. However, this is my DD ...NOT my track car...so they will probably be going here soon. However waiting two months be able to post a WTB for springs is absolutely going to suck :rolleyes:

DSC_0070_zpsf9420a58.jpg
 
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