Suspension fix - no more front end clunk

[slowmazda3]

So to keep it short and sweet, there was no way in hell I was getting anywhere with Ford, so I took matters into my own hands and fixed the damned clunk once and for all.

The broken parts include 2 front struts that were puddling oil around the front seals



as well as a very broken strut bearing on the right side.


After working on a few C1 chassis cars, I started to research suspension fixes and ended up with the following parts...



in addition, 2 new motorcraft strut bearings - part number AD-1094 and 2 strut pinch bolts for the front. You will not need 2 new strut nuts, as the Koni struts come with them.

front struts from a mazdaspeed 3 2010+



front springs are eibach pro kit for a 2012 focus



and in case anyone was wondering what the original application was for these parts, and what they look like put together...




The front struts required modification to the pinch bolt bracket (cutting) as pictured below-





The brake line bracket does not bolt up, but does require securing, using zipties and safety wire




and all put together...





I went with Bilstein B8 shocks in the rear for a 2008 volvo v50 wagon, which has a firmer bounddamping than the HD or Koni yellow, as well as offering the benefit of a high pressure gas charge (more stable when loaded down).

These bolted right in, no modification necessary.


Overall the ride is great, feels good to be a pioneer, the clunking is gone, and the ride is much better than before.

As it sits... "lowered"

[Shahe]

This thread could be extremely helpful but the formatting is all screwed up

[illinipo]

Pause for effect... he is working on it

[slowmazda3]

Originally Posted by Shahe

This thread could be extremely helpful but the formatting is all screwed up

SMH... i got owned by the "share this photo, embed in website" from picasa. :(

[Holden]

What, a 2012 already had clunks!?!?

I'd thought that was merely a damn SVTF problem...

[Bimmer-Bob]

Good on you for the creative solution, but I'm way too OCD to put mismatched dampers on my car. Is there really not a dedicated aftermarket solution specifically for the 2012 Focus?

[Bwill9886]

Nicely done sir. I wondered if anyone was going to get fed up with Ford and just replace everything haha!

I'm eager to hear how the ride is, though I would think it's pretty good.]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Good on you for the creative solution, but I'm way too OCD to put mismatched dampers on my car. Is there really not a dedicated aftermarket solution specifically for the 2012 Focus?

Besides coilovers I haven't seen any aftermarket companies come out with shocks/struts for our cars yet. Only a matter of time though.

[illinipo]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Good on you for the creative solution, but I'm way too OCD to put mismatched dampers on my car. Is there really not a dedicated aftermarket solution specifically for the 2012 Focus?

Because off the shelf Konis are so carefully matched out of the box

yellows front and PSS9 rear with prokit on my wagon for the last ???? miles. 30k+ easily. Still rides better than any car I've driven or ridden in except 2 (slowmazda3's race car and our friend's very similar race car)

[slowmazda3]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Good on you for the creative solution, but I'm way too OCD to put mismatched dampers on my car. Is there really not a dedicated aftermarket solution specifically for the 2012 Focus?

"Mismatched" is the wrong way to think about it. Its more like matching off the shelf parts to the spring rates and motion ratios of the specific platform and its use. I was looking for something where I could tune rotation and have the option of adjusting rebound damping with a firm, high pressure damper in the rear to control dynamic spring input from a 32mm rear bar, and relatively soft rear spring rate.

Originally Posted by Bwill9886

Nicely done sir. I wondered if anyone was going to get fed up with Ford and just replace everything haha!

I'm eager to hear how the ride is, though I would think it's pretty good.

I would put it on par with an entry level european small sedan (3 series/ C class mercedes). Dynamic suspension control is much better than the aforementioned vehicles.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by illinipo

Because off the shelf Konis are so carefully matched out of the box

yellows front and PSS9 rear with prokit on my wagon for the last ???? miles. 30k+ easily. Still rides better than any car I've driven or ridden in except 2 (slowmazda3's race car and our friend's very similar race car)

I'm not talking about matching spring rates to the dampers. I'm talking about matching front and rear dampers by brand - while there may be nothing wrong with it technically, I did say that I'm "way too OCD" to do that. I tend to believe the things were engineered to work together, and that Koni and Bilstein did not consult with each other on their damper tuning.

And great that your Frankenstein kit worked out for you. Again, my personal preference is to stick with the same dampers on all four corners. I loved my PSS9's too but the struts only lasted 10k miles - I don't know, maybe that's why you didn't use the fronts.