I know that, compared to all the people on this forum who have turned their cars from Family Man's Driveway Wart into a big, hairy, testostorone-injected racing machine, I will seem like somewhat of a pansy.
But if I want to keep the factory suspension feel (not super spongy like a General Motors car, but not stiff enough to put your butt to sleep on a long road trip) what would be the best shock absorbers to couple with the factory springs? I'd like it to be stiffer than it is now, since the OEM struts are shot, but I know very little about getting the best strut for my money, too. Should I just go to Autozone or Advance Auto Parts and pick up a set of whatever they have in the back room, or would it be worth the money to get some of the high-end stuff?
Its always worth it to get better stuff. At the least, mabye get some SVT struts. If not I would say to get the BAT struts.
Bat struts with ST200 or SVT Springs! SVT springs are similar to all late model V6 Contours I believe!
-Andy
Thanks guys!
SVT springs, eh? I looked at a few different sets of performance springs, and they all seemed to cost quite a bit. Would buying SVT ones be considerably cheaper?
Man, I wish I had an SVT to begin with!
this is getting old but I'll say it again. Roush springs 120 bucks shipping included!!!
www.roushperformance.com Call them up and ask for the cougar springs. KYB gr-2 struts set of 4 for 259 from tirerack.com. They are better than the BAT struts and for whatever reason cost less than replacement oem struts.
LOL I agree its getting old, I mentioned Roush a bunch of times too
But I help whenever I can....
Also, how are the KYBs better? I was going to get some BAT struts, but if these are better, and for only $259 for the set, I will get these instead.
BTW, there are 2 sets of SVT springs in the classifieds right now. One for $75 and one for $50.
Thanks for pointing me to the Classifieds. Only a bozo wouldn't look there first! I think I'm on my way to having a better-handling car!
Originally posted by Cappuccino911:
They are better than the BAT struts
are they really? Anyone else care to comment?
I've heard bad things about the KYB's. I heard they are very cheaply made.
Originally posted by Contour98SVT:
I've heard bad things about the KYB's. I heard they are very cheaply made.
and the savings are passed down to the consumer...but cappuccino, where did you hear that they are better?
Originally posted by Cappuccino911:
KYB gr-2 struts set of 4 for 259 from tirerack.com. They are better than the BAT struts and for whatever reason cost less than replacement oem struts.
That's a big Negative!
The KYB's are not even as good as the stock SVT (or 95-97 SE) struts.
They are basically a standard replacement style/valved strut (I.E. OEM normal 98+ Contour) They are not a performance strut.
Also for that matter I had a set on the wife's last car (Cavalier) and they were a major disappointment even for a stock replacement!
Thanks for all the input on the KYBs, mabye I wont be getting them after all.
In reply to:
Thanks for pointing me to the Classifieds. Only a bozo wouldn't look there first!
Um, ok, I was only trying to help
I should amend my statement to say that when you combine their performance along with their price, they are a better strut. They used to sell for upwards of 120 bucks a piece but you can get them now for 250 for the set. Also, keep in mind that the original question stated that he wasn't looking for a performance suspension per se and was concerned with cost.
CRZYDRVR-- Oh, you did help! That's what the post was intended to say. I felt dumb for not checking them out myself, is all. Us newbies are always asking questions whose answers can be found simply by using the "Search" feature.
Sorry for the misunderstanding!
No problem, I was just kidding anyways. It takes a lot more than that to get me mad. I was a newbie too at one time, and I asked plenty of questions too.
Also, you can get Ford O.E. struts from a few of our online parts suppliers for $68.80 Each ($275.20 for 4). These are SVT or pre 98 SE Springs.
Check out
www.fordpartsonline.com Or
Email Terry at Sentry South at
parts@sentryautogroup.com
I knew that the pre- '98 SEs had stiffer suspensions, but they're actually the same springs that were used on the SVT? Wow. And on a family car!
Bush is a scary, scary man.
Originally posted by zgendron:
Also, you can get Ford O.E. struts from a few of our online parts suppliers for $68.80 Each ($275.20 for 4). These are SVT or pre 98 SE Springs.
Check out www.fordpartsonline.com
Or
Email Terry at Sentry South at parts@sentryautogroup.com
No...the springs are different. Sorry for the confusion.
That was a price for struts, not springs. Also, the price for struts is the same whether you get the SVT or Pre 98 SE. However, they are not the same part either.
Does this make more sense?
- Zack