SVT springs vs FRPP kit; comfort, ride & handling

[karmakc]

Originally Posted by homey55

My car came with a rear sway bar...just need funds for an upgrade.

I'm averaging 26mpg with about 75% freeway driving and a heavy foot in town.

For $8 you might as well put the plugs in and try them. If you don't like them you can just put stock replacements back in it. The power is a little smoother with the plugs but I'm sure that's the case with any new plugs.

Gotcha! As you probably already know, the thicker the rear bar is, the more oversteer you're going to get. Go slow and steady for a neutral handling car.

What did you gap the 103's to? I believe the recommended is between .05 and .055 for a blend of performance and reliability.

[Foci-runner]

Originally Posted by karmakc

Hey Foci-runner,

Glad to hear this was post was helpful in making your decision!

I ultimately did not get camber bolts and apparently don't need them. I drive primarily on the street and if I plan on going to Auto-X's I will definitely get the adjustable bolts.

To answer your question, you do not need the bolts for the alignment unless there is something seriously wrong with your rear camber. I would suggest you get a free alignment check to see if the camber is seriously out of specifications - if so - then purchase the bolts. I'm not sure every other poster would agree with this logic though as most of them went ahead and purchased the bolts before their alignments...

What kind of struts/shocks do you intend on running? The stock ones will not be in anyway useful when running your car on the FRPP springs. My recommendation would be to purchase the SVT shocks/struts as well.

Also, while you're at it, you may as well upgrade your rear sway bar to at least the SVT spec 21mm bar. I'm not sure what the ST bar's specs are but it may also get the job done.

Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions you may have!

Funny thing is....

When I bought my car it had a bent strut on drivers side, two bald tires on front, key marks everywhere, a cracked windshield, craked headlight and wrinkled front pass. fender- it needed some work. but mechanically it was sound and the interior is immaculate. It only had 74,000 miles and I got it for just under $2,000. I did my research and found out it was worth almost $5,000 in good condition. So I bought it with the intent of just fixing everything wrong with it and turn around to sell it.

But now I am hooked on it and researching all the info on Foci on this forum just made matters worse. There is a lot you can do to these cars I didn't know about. back to the point- I replaced the front struts and rear shocks and took it in to have an alignment done already after putting two new front tires on also. It was spot on (except the pass. side had excessive toe out because I had to replace the outer tie rod and the replacement tie rod body was longer than the OEM so even when I screwed it back on with the same number of rotations it stuck out too far.

Had I knew that I was going to catch the "Focus Bug" I would have waited until after I had my new wheels/tires/suspension on before getting the alignment.

As of now I have brand new OEM suspension all the way around and would really prefer not to have to replace them until after my zetec install. I don't even have a rear sway bar (as of yet) But plan on getting one when I see a good deal pop up on this forum.

I know the lowering springs might kill the longevity of the stock springs/struts but they have a lifetime warranty and I don't plan on waiting too much longer to do the Zetec Swap which is when I will put in the new suspension. Right now I am just trying to bring it down a little lower to earth and will worry about the performance handling side of it a little down the road. If the ride Is really too rough then I may just not have it aligned and put the stock springs back on and wait to do the springs when i get the stuts

[karmakc]

Originally Posted by Foci-runner

Funny thing is....

When I bought my car it had a bent strut on drivers side, two bald tires on front, key marks everywhere, a cracked windshield, craked headlight and wrinkled front pass. fender- it needed some work. but mechanically it was sound and the interior is immaculate. It only had 74,000 miles and I got it for just under $2,000. I did my research and found out it was worth almost $5,000 in good condition. So I bought it with the intent of just fixing everything wrong with it and turn around to sell it.

But now I am hooked on it and researching all the info on Foci on this forum just made matters worse. There is a lot you can do to these cars I didn't know about. back to the point- I replaced the front struts and rear shocks and took it in to have an alignment done already after putting two new front tires on also. It was spot on (except the pass. side had excessive toe out because I had to replace the outer tie rod and the replacement tie rod body was longer than the OEM so even when I screwed it back on with the same number of rotations it stuck out too far.

Had I knew that I was going to catch the "Focus Bug" I would have waited until after I had my new wheels/tires/suspension on before getting the alignment.

As of now I have brand new OEM suspension all the way around and would really prefer not to have to replace them until after my zetec install. I don't even have a rear sway bar (as of yet) But plan on getting one when I see a good deal pop up on this forum.

I know the lowering springs might kill the longevity of the stock springs/struts but they have a lifetime warranty and I don't plan on waiting too much longer to do the Zetec Swap which is when I will put in the new suspension. Right now I am just trying to bring it down a little lower to earth and will worry about the performance handling side of it a little down the road. If the ride Is really too rough then I may just not have it aligned and put the stock springs back on and wait to do the springs when i get the stuts

Wow! That's quite a story!
Are you swapping in another Zetec? Why not just get a Duratec 2.3/2.0?

The major issue you will see is that the stock/oem struts and shocks simply won't be up to par when it comes to the rebound rates with the FRPP springs. At the end of the day, I don't think anyone can/will stop you from doing what you want to do - however I'm not really sure if it is even safe to use the stockers.

As for your rear sway bar, I have a stock rear sway bar for sale. Hit me up if you'd like more information.

Have you finished fixing/installing new headlights? I purchased some mach headlights and have very clean stock headlights also for sale. Just saying :)

Btw TireRack has a 20% sale on Koni struts and shocks, both adjustable and non-adjustable. Check it out.

[Foci-runner]

Originally Posted by karmakc

Wow! That's quite a story!
Are you swapping in another Zetec? Why not just get a Duratec 2.3/2.0?

The major issue you will see is that the stock/oem struts and shocks simply won't be up to par when it comes to the rebound rates with the FRPP springs. At the end of the day, I don't think anyone can/will stop you from doing what you want to do - however I'm not really sure if it is even safe to use the stockers.

As for your rear sway bar, I have a stock rear sway bar for sale. Hit me up if you'd like more information.

Have you finished fixing/installing new headlights? I purchased some mach headlights and have very clean stock headlights also for sale. Just saying :)

Btw TireRack has a 20% sale on Koni struts and shocks, both adjustable and non-adjustable. Check it out.

I have already fixed everything that was wrong with the car when I bought it. The only thing left is to paint my replacement fender and install it. I actually went to the boneyard and snagged a decent pass. headlight for the time being.

I am planning on buying a 6K HID Projector Headlight Kit. That along with Taillights and Tint is next on the list after I finishThe lowering Springs.

I am going the Zetec Route because I actually had 2 Zetec long blocks just given to me. So I might as well use them. I don't really get to start all of the major mods until after I get married this summer. Weddings are so flipping expensive!

[Foci-runner]

And if I install the Springs and the ride seems too unstable I will just pull them off until I get the SVT Suspension.

[karmakc]

Originally Posted by Foci-runner

I have already fixed everything that was wrong with the car when I bought it. The only thing left is to paint my replacement fender and install it. I actually went to the boneyard and snagged a decent pass. headlight for the time being.

I am planning on buying a 6K HID Projector Headlight Kit. That along with Taillights and Tint is next on the list after I finishThe lowering Springs.

I am going the Zetec Route because I actually had 2 Zetec long blocks just given to me. So I might as well use them. I don't really get to start all of the major mods until after I get married this summer. Weddings are so flipping expensive!

Congratulations on making a big step for women and a giant step for men! (to somewhat misquote the lunar landing).

Glad to hear you've got the car up to almost tip top shape. If you're still looking for a rear sway bar, I've got one, pm me.

Originally Posted by Foci-runner

And if I install the Springs and the ride seems too unstable I will just pull them off until I get the SVT Suspension.

It isn't as though it would be unstable as much as:
1) you would have to compress the front struts a lot more to get the springs attached
2) the life of the stock struts and shocks will reduce considerably
3) possibly the most important point - the struts/shocks aren't tuned to be run with lower/stiffer springs.

If you're still hell bent on getting the look. Do it and keep us updated.

[karmakc]

Finally bit the bullet, and bought myself a set of Continental DW's from Tirerack.com
The icing on the cake is a rebate for an Nook simple Touch from Continental as a rebate.

I'll update you all when I've at least broken the tires in.

[KyleQ]

I just got those tires put on yesterday, they are quiet and the steering response is nice.

[karmakc]

Originally Posted by karmakc

Finally bit the bullet, and bought myself a set of Continental DW's from Tirerack.com
The icing on the cake is a rebate for an Nook simple Touch from Continental as a rebate.

I'll update you all when I've at least broken the tires in.

Originally Posted by KyleQ

I just got those tires put on yesterday, they are quiet and the steering response is nice.

I agree, the Continental Extreme Contact DW is whisper quiet and even with the stiffer suspension geometry and SVT rear sway bar, I still feel like I'm wafting in the clouds. Then again, I'm also driving around in the initial break in period --- so no real hard driving though I'm amazed by the grip from them vs my previous tires.

I'm pretty sure I love the way my car is right now - feels like the finished project that I somewhat projected I'd get about a year ago.

[karmakc]

I love my car <3