Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension H&R OR EIBACH ?

Hey I emailed sp motorsports and checkout the response I got from them. Notice how they rank the stiffest to softest springs some what different demonsvt's ranking.

And for the best ride in NYC they recommend the bat kit.

Boy sometimes I wish I could try all the spring strut combinations out there myself on my car before purchasing.
But the question remains who would pay for all those installs?

here is the response below

"Q1. Are all the below kits in stock?

A1. We have the Bilstein struts, H&R springs, and Eibach springs in
stock. We don't have the BAT springs, but should have them by late next
week.

Q2. Which of the below springs offers the least sporting rate? If I am
correct the H&R spring is the most sporty and the Eibach is the least
sporty and the BAT spring is in between correct? I live in NYC the land
of potholes.

A2. As a rule, the "shorter" the spirng, i.e., the lower it drops the
vehicle, the stiffer it will be. Since we are only talking about a few
tenths of an inch from the least drop (BAT) to the most (H&R), the ride
difference is negligible (in my opinion), but if I had to rank them from
stiffest (sportiest) to softest, it would be H&R > EIbach > BAT.

Q3. Are the three different springs of a progressive rate design or
linear?

A3. All of these springs are progressive rate springs, as you will find
in nearly all aftermarket street springs.

Q4. I do load my car from time to time with people and stuff in the
trunk will any of these springs pose a problem with a loaded car or
worded differently will any of these springs effect the total weight
that can be put into the car?

A4. If you stay within the load limits of the car as specified by Ford,
you should be OK. Of course, the lower the spring is, the less travel
you have to complete compression and encountering the bump stops, but if
your struts are new, you should still be OK.

Q5. Lastly is there any other questiojns I should ask about springs
before choosing them?

A5. The only other thing to possibly consider is the lifespan of the
spring. The BAT springs are essentiall OE Ford of Europe springs,
meaning, they will eventually begin to sag like any other stock spring.
As aftermarket springs, the Eibachs and H&Rs will last a very long time.
I have personally put more than 180K miles on a set of Eibachs on my
SHO and they still have not sagged. We're big Eibach and H&R fans here.

Another point is that we like the BAT Euro struts better more the
Bilsteins for overall ride quality. Again, these are OE Ford of Europe
struts, and will eventually wear out, but the combination of these with
any of these springs produces a gratly improved handling Contour that is
not too stiff.

Bilstein Struts (f/r) + BAT Sport Springs
95-00 Contour & 99-02 Cougar (941-K400B) .... $699.00 kit

Bilstein Struts (f/r) + Eibach Pro-Kit Springs
95-00 Contour 99-00 Cougar ONLY (941-K400BE) .... $743.00 kit

Bilstein Struts (f/r) + H&R Springs
95-00 Contour (941-K400BH) .... $709.00 kit
"

comments please

contour_phoenix_when,

speaking of trying all combinations, I'm going to put BAT kit the weekend after. you are more than welcome to stop by say 3 weeks from now and I'll give you a relatively comprehensive demo... which is to say I won't drive to Brooklyn, thank you very much . I'm 15 minutes away from Lincoln tunnel.

I got a quote from the closest stealership and there is no way in hell I'm paying THAT. I can't imagine trusting any of the local shops w/ that kind of job either. So I figured I stop being a coward and do it myself. And then one kind CEGer offered to stop by and give me a helping hand so I hope it will be fun.

Well... now u have a third person.


As matter of fact, I am also buying my suspension any time soon.. and i have anotehr CEG (Brapple from the CT forums) that offered to help me. And besides him I have another friend that has experience with cars.


Basically i was planning on doing the rear end first in few hours and the front end following week.


Let me know if u need some manuals/help or anything.


bborges792hotmail.com



Later

You did not say what ford was asking for for the install.

Well, I would not do the install my self because I feel ther are other suspension componenet that need to be inspected by a trained eye that knows what to look for to determine what else might need replacing while the parts are out. I have a torn boot on the passenger side axel. So I was planning to replace that one as well during the springs and strut install. Parts alone will cost 1300 bucks so far. CUrrently when turning and hitting a bump at the same time I get a metal rubbing on metal sound which I think might possibly be a bushing on a metal component failing. So I would need a suspension tech guy able to spot the causes of these noises to talk a look at it while the car is both assembled and disassembled.

Actually I was looking this weekend to take the car to a tires and suspension place, FIRESTONE maybe, to determine through checking what else needs replacing.

SO I have asked this question before and I will ask it again. While replacing the struts and springs what else should be check for possible replacement while the springs and struts are off?

Re: price
stadium ford in Rutherford NJ service dept opened the book and showed me the times. for all 4 corners it amounts to 5.5 hours @ $85 per hour. plus alignment $75 flat which I will obviously do anyway. you do the math

Re: other parts need replacement

from my experience, OEM rear sway bar bushings are shot at 60K, same goes for links. these are easy to do. front bushings are probably also shot, but they are PITA to replace and it will take a long time and shop will charge you for that.

I have SVT swaybar w/ about 20-30K on it. Both stock sway bars were rusty. '98 looked much worse than '96 for some reason. sway bar brackets definitely don't age well

somebody else w/ more front suspension exposure will hopefully chime in too
from what you are describing I would take a long hard look at the A-arms too.

85 * 5.5 + 75 = 542.5 for the install

reliable speedshop did mine for $80. look around.