Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension BAT Euro suspension opinions

My tour now has 75K miles and the suspension is feeling a bit tired. I'm thinking of getting the Euro handling kit from BAT. Any opinions on it for a stock Zetec SE? Also the kit does not come with shocks,which shocks would'nt hurt my ride too bad but would also compliment the kit?

the bat kit comes with springs and struts...i haven't installed them on my svt yet but "barry" had them installed on his se contour and he had nothing but good things to say about them. it looks pretty good and it dropped the car about an inch...that is the best way to go if you ask me...good luck.

The BAT kit looks like one hell of a nice matched set.

It would/will definitely be my choice...

Here is a picture of our SVT with the BAT Euro kit installed. Sorry about the picture quality. New pics will be taken in the near future.

I had the BAT kit on my 95SE. Great upgrade. Well worth the $$

hey chris, r those stock svt wheels. the car looks great. it actually looks pretty slammed down. would u recommend the bat kit w/ 18" wheels

I have the BAT struts with H&R springs (they are alittle lower than the BAT) and love it...

BAT Struts are rumored to be Bilstien!


-Andy

andy w. r u serious? i would lean towards the bat kit if that's the case. just worried about the kit w/ 18s or should i get coilovers instead

Bat kit is going to be my choice once I get to suspension.

Hey Chris,

I will be wanting that price quote soon???

I want to buy suspension parts in January or early Feb.

warmonger

HOW'S THE RIDE WITH THE BAT KIT,HARSH?
HOW CLOSE TO THE STOCK RIDE IS IT?

Maybe if we have enough interest we could get a Group buy going in the near future....If I'm not too bogged down with school I might try and get one going. I have plans to get a Ypipe before touching suspension, though so it might be a couple months!

Let me know if you guys are intersted.

Hi Justin,

I'd be interested in a group buy of the BAT kits.

Not harsh at all and it feels a heck of a lot better as far as compression and rebound control. Very little nose lift under acceleration and same goes for dive under braking. This is a well developed and matched spring and strut kit.

i'd be interested in a group buy sometime in the future.

Did I here group buy??? I'm planning on doing my suspension this spring so I'm interested

We'd be more than happy to offer a group buy on this kit.

Now i see 4 for group buy chris what would be the price for lets said 10 people I would love to do this mid of feb when the snow is gone.

Make that 5

I'll jump in on that too! Definitely wanna get a BAT for the SVT.

--JamesT

I am also interested in a BAT Euro Kit group buy this spring or even later this year. Please add me to the list and email at [email]null[/email]maroldke@msu.edu with any further information if/when you guys hear anything. Thanks

Let me put in a call to see if our supplier can supply 10 at once, and what pricing structure they would give us. Once that is established, then we can post some numbers. Please let me know as to what time frame we are looking at. Also, we will ask for fair deposit on items of this price range. I mean fair to both you and us.

I dont know about anyone else but iam good end of feb or early march.Every one please let chris know so we can get this started.Maybe i cant count but this is 11 including myself.The wifes going to love this,but honey it safer for you the car turn better.He he hope i get away with it.


thanks ian

What's a typical labor charge for installing 4 new springs and struts? Might determine if I'm in for the Group Buy.

Uh oh. My pulse rate is elevating. GB sounds interesting.

I'd be interested in a group buy as well. Let me know the details. The February timeframe sounds good.

I'd more than likely could have the money in Feb or March. Once the price is deterimined I could give you a more definate answer. But I am seriously interested!

Here is the scoop.

DISCLAIMER In all fairness to the other dealers and ourselves, our supplier has asked us that if we are providing special pricing, we only do so as a special event, with the understanding of the participants that there will be discounted pricing just for the group buy and the price in the group buy will not be a reflection of regular retail pricing at CTA or any other dealer for BAT products. No other BAT dealer or BAT themselves will be or is expected to match or beat pricing conducted by us. This is to be treated as a sale.END OF DISCLAIMER

We have been notified that we would be able to get the number of kits needed, but only 6 kits would be available at the end of this month and the rest available sometime in February to March 2002. We would require 10 purhasers for this group buy, with a required deposit needed up front. The current retail price, as per the BAT dealer network, is $599.00USD. We can offer the kits for $549.00USD, which is $50.00USD off each kit and $30.00USD less than our listed price. For Canadian customers, their price will be $1059.00CDN. Prices may change if our cost changes but this will be the current deal. There is not a great deal of markup on these kits to begin with. If we could provide more discount, we would.

Keep me posted as to your opinions on this group buy as we will eventually need to move this post to the Group Buy Forum.

I was planning on getting the BAT kit this spring anyway. Prob. sometime in Mar. If a group buy does go through, even better!!

Well I would definitely be interested if the buy takes place in february or march

The Bat kit you are talking about is springs and struts for 549.00 and are they better than koni? Does the struts have adjustments for racing if so definitely ready to buy.

They are non adjustable struts but the kit has the spring rates and strut valving matched.

I don't know if you have ten folks yet? Please include me as one of the folks interested in the group buy of the BAT kit if you have room.
Thnx
H

Oh the threat of a group buy...PMSummer said it best I'm still waiting to install my headers...and darnit if I dont see a deal on a good mod...

i have the bat kit on my 99 se sport. can't say how it compares to the koni's or anything, but i'm real happy with it. the ride is firm but not harsh, and like has been said, not a lot of dive under accel or braking. i say go for it to anyone interested.

here's what the BAT kit looks like on my 99 SE sport (assuming i have this pic posting thing done right....gotta learn how sometime )

[img]http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/redcaddy75/vwp?.dir=/My+Contour&.src=ph&.dnm=side_settled.jpg&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/redcaddy75/lst%3f%26.dir=/My%2bContour%26.s rc=ph%26.view=t[/img]

this was taken the day after i installed them, approx. 20 miles or so driving on them.

hmm, well it seems i don't have the posting pics thing down...dang. oh well here's a link to my photo albumn with a few different pics of my car if anyone is interested. http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/redcaddy75/lst?.dir=/My+Contour&.err=&.last=1&.ndnm=side_settled.jpg
i hope that one works at least. anyone mind helping me figure out what i did wrong in trying to post the actual picture? pm me to keep this thread clean. thanks.

I am definitely in on a group buy. I would like them as soon as it gets going.
Jami

I am definitely in on a group buy. I would like them as soon as it gets going.
Jami

I am trying to decide on BAT vs Koni+H&R. If this group happens I would probably go with the BAT kit. Feb or March would be good for me.

Well lets see please let chris know who we have so we can get this stated for feb.

1.Reaper4tour
2.tomservo98
3.Warmonger
4.jcboeckl
5.teal95
6.tek
7.jpett
8.chemguru
9.kevin marold
10.viss1
11.rasamahal
12.krafty
13.svtracer801
14.jami
15.takaride


iam sorry if i spelled any 1 name wrong i just want to get this started,so i know to buy my now or wait until feb.Please give a yes or no asap thanks.


Chris i in no matter what,how long dose it take to get the kit thanks pm me.

???what's next???

i just now found this post, so what is goin on with this? GB or what? i will have the money this thurs to buy the kit, if there will be a group buy on this soon, i am in, otherwise if it will be a later in feb or march, 30 bucks isnt that big of a deal to me.

add my name to the list please...if this goes through

-neal

Ok folks, looks like this is gonna be a big one. When the time frame is decided, I am going to ask that whomever is buying a kit, for a deposit to secure your order. PayPal works for us.

We have decided to take this approach because of the size and cost of the order. Also, in previous group buys, as can be expected, some interested buyers whom wanted their name added to the buyer's list, bowed out without notice and we were left holding product in our stock. I hope you understand our position.

Again, we are not asking for anything yet because it sounds like most of you won't be ready for a few weeks. Please email me or post here to give us an idea as when the majority of you will be ready. That will also give us time to get the order ready from our end.

Thanks for your interest in doing this group buy. We will have to start a post in the Group Buy Forums when that time arrives.

Well i will be ready to get it on feb 15.

If this is a go, I would be ready to participate in late February or early March. I could put down a deposit earlier if necessary.

Ditto on late Feb./early March for me too.

Update: I have the BAT euro struts with H&R springs and have 30,000 miles on them so far (within a year) and they still feel good

I'm wanting to get in on this GB as well. My email addy is otwellt@earthlink.net and I'm ready when you are. The bank says I have to spend some money. (or maybe that was the car?)

Tim
'00 SVT

I am also ready to buy this kit, count me in if you do it soon

anytime is good with me

-neal

Well i think it time to post it in the group buy hint hint Chris.

Before we progress with moving this to the group buy section, BAT will commit the needed amount of kits once you, all, have committed a deposit or pre pay for the kits. The way it goes is that they prepare kits about every 2 to 3 weeks. We would need to submit an order now to hopefully get on their mid February order. From there, our US customers wil have their kits drop shipped directly from BAT while our Canadian customers will be getting their kits from us.

I realize that some of you cannot wait until February and have already informed us that you are dropping out of the group buy. We are trying to schedule with the majority and cannot always satisfy everyone. For others that cannot commit to a purchase until after February, you may still leave us a deposit so that we can get you a kit at the group buy price. I stated the price in one of the earlier posts.

If we are ready to go, then let us start this group buy so that we can be ready for February.

sounds great...you going to start a thread in the GB section?

-neal

I might not be ready until after Feb. But I could possibly put down a deposit. How much would you need?

Thanks for setting this up!

That would be fine as some kits may not make it on the mid Feb run, timing is key here. We would be expecting a non returnable deposit of $250.00. I think that is fair considering the costs involved for us to make the purchase of this many kits.

How long do we have to get you a deposit? Is there a locked time frame on this in order to get it on the feb order?

Hey Chris,
Count me in on group buy. I am prepared to send deposit right now. Will still purchase even if group buy falls thru, but I'm always lookin' to save a few bucks. e-mail: rrandolphw@aol.com

Here is what we can do, if you can drop us a deposit at the beginning of February, we can arrange for your kit to be shipped out at a later date. Does that sound reasonable?

I have posted the new thread in the Group Buy Section.
BAT European Handling Kit Group Buy

Group Buy is on guys. go to the group buy forum.

c'mon lets get 10 people...saving you 50 bucks

-neal

1.Reaper4tour
2.tomservo98
3.Warmonger
4.jcboeckl
5.teal95
6.tek
7.jpett
8.chemguru
9.kevin marold
10.viss1
11.rasamahal
12.krafty
13.svtracer801
14.jami
15.takaride

Just curious as to how many of you (not including who has already made their deposits) are going to purchase and what time frame. We need to know so that we can plan with our supplier for the necessary amounts to fulfill the orders.

Just one more questions.

I noticed that ppl complained w/ the Koni/GC setup and Koni/Eibach setups that they seemed to get more bounciness. That is what I do not want, and I'm sure I know the answer to this question but I'll ask anyways.

So will the bounciness be a problem with the bat kit? I'm guessing no since they are a matched strut/spring combo?

Especially when going above 60+ (Highway speeds) and hitting road dips, how are the recoil. Should bounce down and up and settle out pretty quick right? I noticed that the stock setup does a very nice job at this and I just wondered how the bat kit is?

Thanks in advance

I am still going to get the kit, but as of right now, the end of Feb. is the soonest I can get up $250 for a deposit So if this buy isn't going to run that long than I won't be able to get in on it. I was kinda hoping it wouldn't take place this soon but oh well.

Well, I just spent the day putting the new BAT euro handling kit in.
The installation was straightforward and would only have taken about 3.5 hours except I had to have someone press a new right front wheel bearing in. That sucked. I had to get in line so to speak and wait 4 hours before they had time to get to it.
I also installed new axle nuts on the front, that's a must do.
***************************
My first impressions: WOW!
***************************
It feels great on the regular road. The ride is not harsh, feels pretty similar to my old 95 SE, except maybe a bit tighter.
Squat and Dive? Gone! I don't think that I will be worrying about destroying my plastic now.
This is what SVT should have done from the beginning. Turning is much better than stock. NO DRAMA going around a corner at high speed now.
This is a very well matched suspension kit.
It doesn't look too low either. I am running the stock rims, and it makes them look more properly sized. With big rims it would look even lower.

So my suspension setup is the BAT euro kit, and the larger BAT rear sway bar(22mm I think).

Thanks a lot Chris.

warmonger

Can you answer my question about bounciness?

Like at Highway speeds. Good review though, makes me want to get it asap.

As far tools for the installation what was needed?
Also why did you need to press new bearings?
And why is new axle bolts a must. Sorry for so many q's but I just don't know much about suspension. Yet

Thanks

Hey man, no bounciness at all.

The stock svt suspension damped very well on the freeway, but this is even better.
the springs look like the rate is progressive, so it gives a compliant ride but also has the stiffness to resist bouncing in dips. The shocks damp out everything well, so there isn't any rebound either.

It does have a tad more harshness on really rough road than stock svt, but overall trade off is sooo much better.

warmonger

Tom, you have described the same results as I noticed after the install. This has to be one of the best matched kits out there.

As far as the springs go, the BAT springs are progressive rate springs and you will especially notice that going through high speed sweepers, the car sits flat. This is because the progressive rate springs increase in strength as the load gets greater and resists body roll much better than the stock linear springs.

Thanks for your impressions.

Ok guys I'm sold I'll post in the GB as soon as I figure out my finacial situation.

Thanks again for the help!

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to answer your questions.

The Tools required for the install:
-A metric wrench and socket set.
-a T-55 torx socket for one lousy bolt that holds the lower ball joint in place
-a 6 or 7 mm allen head socket to remove the front caliper pins.
-An air/electric impact wrench is nice and saved me tons of time.
-Most important, a spring compressor. I got a loaner from AutoZone for $40. Then when I was done returned it and got my money back.
-For the rear, you need a t-40 torx socket to remove the single rear caliper pin.
*all other bolts are 15mm or 18mm
The kit comes with new bolts that clamp the stearing knuckle to the strut, and a new locking nut for the top of the struts.
In the rear, once all of the linkage is removed from the hub, you need to remember to remove two bolts that hold the rear strut up into the shock tower. They have 10mm heads and are easy to get at. The rear strut has a "stop" plate on it that rests on a matching stop plate fixed to the car body when the strut is fully extended. After all the linkage was off and the two bolts holding the strut were removed, I just used my small floor jack to jack up the strut about an inch or so and the rolled it out so the strut stop could clear the body stop. Then brace the jack as you slowly lower it down.
Oh yeah make sure you have a good rubber hammer to separate the struts from the hubs. You don't want to beat on a gas charged strut with a regular hammer.

As far as the axle nuts, the stock ford ones are a shiity assembly of sheet steel that is clamped into a stack and then crimped. You'll see what I mean. They seem to be tighten-to-yield bolts and will eat up the threads if you reuse them. Its also bad because my axles were stuck in the hubs really bad so the rubber hammer wan't enough to knock them out. I had to use a regular hammer and it mushroomed the end of the axle a bit. Using a brass drift and a hammer is better, but I couldn't find mine.
Anyway, I spent an hour with a thread file repairing the two axle shafts.
The bolts are the same size as a typical HOnda axle nut. I was able to find two nuts for $5 at AutoZone that had a wide base that acted like a washer. They had 1.50 mm thread pitch.

I replaced my right front hub-bearing because it was worn. With the car on jack stands and the wheel on, I could grab the wheel and shake it in-out on the car. I couldn't feel anything while driving, but the right front brake rotor was apparently running hotter. With the bearing worn, the rotor wobbles with the wheel and the caliper does not. Bad deal. It was a $45 bearing from Napa autoparts and required someone with a hydraulic press to change it.
There are a few small details that I forgot. Leave the rear sway bar nuts undone until you have both sides back together. That makes it easier to move around. Its a similar issue with the fronts.
Now That's everything.

warmonger

BTW, I forgot to post another important element that has resulted from the kit.
Take-off traction is much improved.
Since I have much less squat on take-off, I am getting better front wheel traction now. With the 3L I was having to take off nice and slow otherwise I would spin all the way through 1st gear.
Oh, and I am definitely no suspension guru. These are just my impressions. I have studied much more about powertrains than I have suspension systems, so if yo want expert advice then go find an expert.

Thanks again Chris,

warmonger