Originally posted by MAYBE aliasfriend:
Originally posted by Bradness:
The only problem with this point "Premature breakage only on certain production runs. No problem with mine and many thousands of others." is when buying from a wrecker, how do you know for certain? Do you want to go to the trouble of installing used springs and have to redo the job when they fail shortly thereafter? Stuff sitting around in a junkyard does not age gracefully.

Also, when Ford did the SVT they went to softer springs, (compared to early SE's) and smaller sway bars. As I understand it, the struts were basically the same damping. This is the "European" ride/handling philosophy.



That is what I heard also, I actually heard if you want a better "stock" suspension then the SVT suspension, you should go with the 95 Shocks and struts.



You could check the VIN, for one, and look at the springs. If they have high mileage and they haven't broken yet, they probably are not defective, or already went through the recall. IMHO, the odds are much greater that the springs will be fine.

The SVT rear springs and early SE rears are exactly the same, as are the rear swaybars. SVT softened the front springs and the front swaybar to tune out some understeer. They also fitted firmer struts.

The early SE is stiffer, but not necessarily better.

Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998