Car Feels Different After Installing FR Springs

[guszetec85]

So a couple of days ago I had the Ford Racing lowering springs installed in my 2012 SEL Focus, after driving it for a while I noticed that whenever I turned right or left, sometimes the tires wont straighten up, they keep pulling to whatever direction I have turned and they even sometimes slip and lose traction. The tires were apperently aligned at the shop after the installation, but who knows, probably they didn't even bother. Any ideas what else this could be?

[Sponsor]

[Geezer]

It could be that the upper mounts were not installed correctly and the strut bearing is binding.

[JayDeZ]

Originally Posted by guszetec85

So a couple of days ago I had the Ford Racing lowering springs installed in my 2012 SEL Focus, after driving it for a while I noticed that whenever I turned right or left, sometimes the tires wont straighten up, they keep pulling to whatever direction I have turned and they even sometimes slip and lose traction. The tires were apperently aligned at the shop after the installation, but who knows, probably they didn't even bother. Any ideas what else this could be?

This sounds like an alignment problem. I'd take it back and tell them to do it again. When i replaced the struts and outer tire rod ends on my sister-in-law's neon a few weeks ago it did this. The problem was the tires were both alligned out and needed to be pulled in.

Get this fixed ASAP before something brakes or someone gets hurt driving it like that.

[guszetec85]

Thanks for the input. I'll take the car today, hopefully it will only be an alignment problem. If it were the upper strut mount binding, should it make a noise or something? 'Cause I just get the feeling that whenever I turn, the car will simply keep on going and end over the sidewalk.

[thenorm]

do you have a print out of the last alignment?
you could feel the strut bearings through the steering wheel, it would be sticky or crunchy

[mikebontoft]

what's the caster at?

[Geezer]

Originally Posted by mikebontoft

what's the caster at?

I was thinking about that too as caster effects the ability of the steering wheel to return to center after a turn. Caster is however, not an adjustable perimeter and would be hard to impact with the stock focus suspension design. Some screwed up strut bearings could cause the same symptoms.

[Michael Jackson]

Hey, how about some before/after pics of the ford racing springs?

[guszetec85]

I took the car back to the shop where they installed the springs but the mechanic was gone, it seems he leaves early and there is no way I can catch him on a working day. I'll have to go back on saturday. What I could do is try to identify if there were any noises and I could hear a crunchy noise whenever I turn the steering wheel all the way to the right, the funny thing is I can feel the crunchy noise all over the car. If it were the strut bearings would it be because of a failed installation? How expensive would it be to repair them?

[guszetec85]

I'll take some pics this week-end and upload some before and after...honestly, call me ignorant or something but I can't notice that much of a difference...but, the're still Ford Racing springs..hehe.