Focus Fanatics Forum banner

Seeking soft suspension for 2nd generation

9K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  kroch01 
#1 ·
My wife drives a 2010 SEL with general altimax hp tires. The ride is unbelievably harsh/stiff. The shocks/struts/springs appear to be in good condition. I'd love to get a nice soft ride on this car. NYC roadways are beating the hell out of this car. Any suggestions? Is it possible to create a luxury type ride on this vehicle?
 
#2 ·
I know what you mean. My 2009 rode like crap with the stock suspension. Very loud on bumps and harsh. I recently put the Ford Racing suspension which rides a little worse than stock but handles much better. Other than a clunk noise I'm hearing now which I'll save my breath with.

IMO your stuck with what you have, I doubt you'll get a better ride out of it. Best bet is to buy a nice, quiet set of tires. I recently bought a set of Continental DWS all seasons which ride alot better than my last set on the car. Better fuel milage too
 
#3 ·
what diameter wheels?
are you on OEM suspension?

15" wheels and tires will give you the largest sidewall which will cushion the ride a bit.
and i dont think there is any softer springs that what came factory.
 
#7 ·
My wheels are the stock SEL rims-"16 inch euro flange". I am very tempted to go with 15 inch wheels from an se. My tires are almost brand new. I'm almost hoping they wear out soon. I'd love to put Michelin exalto a/s's on there. I had an all around terrific experience with those. I know they make those for thee SEL wheels , but i'm not sure about the se wheels.
 
#16 ·
Factory 16's. Down grade to 15's = Less responsiveness from steering.

A lot of under steer. being FWD we get understeer so down sizing, IMO, really degrades the responsiveness of steering.
 
#19 ·
this is far from true.

All of my race tires are 15". I dont have any steering response issues. Turn in is more of a function of the rest of the suspension and the brand and model of the tire, not so much the size.


but to the OP, you might not notice a difference between 16s and 15s.

one thing that hasnt been mentioned is tire pressure. I have found that If i have the recomende amount of air pressure (32 or 34psi or w/e it is) that i get a lot of tire slap and thumps going over expansion joints and potholes. I get a much smoother ride with 37 or 38 psi. however getting up to 39 or 40 psi starts getting rough again.
 
#17 ·
Well, he is looking for comfort. So if that is something that he is willing to sacrifice... As long as it still is able to keep traction for defensive maneuvers, then all should be well.
 
#21 ·
My advice is to keep the rims you have unless you really have the money and need to replace them. I would go with a taller tire which will give you more sidewall and pick a tire that is made for a more comfortable ride than performance. Also if you go with a differnet size tire in height your speedo will be off, since the tire will be spinning slightly slower at any given speed. You could see if a local shop can update your computer to the new tire size.
 
#23 ·
For what it's worth, I ended up buying two new tires for the car. I upgraded the size of the tire to the Michelin Primacy MXV4 205/55-r16 (from 205/50-r16), making the tires, iirc, about one inch taller. I put the tires on the back of the car where most experts recommend putting new tires for safety reasons. It slightly improved the ride by softening it a bit. I then switched those tires to the front. Wow- big difference! Still not the most comfortable ride, but it did become reasonable. My teeth very rarely felt like they were going to be rattled out of my head. And now it's time to upgrade the suspension[giddy]!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top