ST Suspensions Lowering Springs INSTALLED!

[FiestaSexyTime]

Hey guys!
I was on the fence for a little while about ordering lowering springs, and which to choose, etc etc...and I finally took the leap on ST Suspensions' Lowering Springs for our Fiesta's and got them installed last week.
I was surprised that I couldn't find any info on the forums for them so I figured I'd post a quick write up on them so anyone else that's considering them can get some info

For those of you that don't know, ST Suspensions is owned by KW Suspensions, and their products are actually designed and manufactured by KW. Not bad if you ask me!
The springs were ordered from ST Suspensions through Amazon for $246.79, and Amazon in all their glory sent them to me through Prime 2-Day (woohoo!...go Amazon!)

Here's some pics of my car on stock springs:

Front:

Rear:

Unpacking the box:
I love that they included a stamp on the box showing "Made by KW"

My friend is an aspiring foot model and asked if he could model with the springs. Who was I to say no?

Here I am, proud parent of some newborn springs!

and finally, what you've all been waiting for:
D-D-D-D-D-D-DROP THE FIST *DUBSTEBNOISES*

I'll be posting up some new pics this week after a nice bath!

One thing I'll note for anyone trying the installation themselves:
The rear is a piece of buttery cake to do. Finished in 15 min.
The front, while not that bad, is a little more complicated and tricky.

This nut/bolt combo is quite tough to break.

I used a breaker bar with an 18mm socket to break it, but once it's loose, the nut/bolt itself spins freely so you need to hold it secure with a crescent wrench and an allen key (not sure what size..).
However, the nut is recessed into the tophat, which makes it unreasonably difficult to get a good grip. Not sure how I would've done it with just one set of hands.. Just some food for thought.

All things considered, I'm glad I purchased. The springs are progressive so you maintain some comfort on the road, but they load up nicely in the twisties and don't add any harshness as far as I can tell.

Verdict: Recommend. Obviously, Coil-Overs are the route to go for bare-bones performance, but as far as springs go, these got the drop just right and for 250.00 shipped, made a nice aesthetic (and dynamic) difference.

Hope you all found this helpful!
ALOHA

 

[M-Sport fan]

Nice, and they do not 'slam' the car, but lower it tastefully.

But when I put springs or coil overs on this car, they HAVE TO BE linear rate deals, or it stays stock.

 

[FiestaSexyTime]

Nice, and they do not 'slam' the car, but lower it tastefully.

But when I put springs or coil overs on this car, they HAVE TO BE linear rate deals, or it stays stock.

completely agree! I couldn't live with it if it was slammed. and honestly, I'll agree with you on the linear rate. I'm going to do coilovers sometime this year for performance, but the springs just added the look that I wanted.

I know ... i know...SACRILEGE! Function over form!! but I had to please the hooligan in me

 

[Waterfan]

Nice, and they do not 'slam' the car, but lower it tastefully.

But when I put springs or coil overs on this car, they HAVE TO BE linear rate deals, or it stays stock.

I feel the same. Check out this review/discussion of Swift Spec R Linear Springs

 

[bodytech]

nice!

 

[A7xogg]

Any more updated photos?

 

[Accel Junky]

ST springs are linear aren't they? They are cheaper and I like the drop/rake a little better than Swift. Tough choice.

 

[FiestaSexyTime]

ST springs are linear aren't they? They are cheaper and I like the drop/rake a little better than Swift. Tough choice.

Never saw your reply! My bad

I contacted ST Suspensions before my purchase to ask them about this. They emailed me back saying that they do use a progressive spring, not linear.

but 1 year on,

The car still rides great. Stock dampers make for a slightly stiffer ride, but the springs didnt really affect it noticeably from stock.

One thing to note is that if you go to a wider tire (eg. 215/40/17) you will have some rubbing, which I did but with a little shaving of the plastic wheelwell liner, it was fixed. It does still rub a little if you load it up really hard while close to full lock, but I very rarely get that. Likely wouldnt have any problems with stock width tire, which I think I'll be going back to on my next set, but thats another topic for another thread.

I've also since autocrossed twice on this setup, without any single problem, and they felt great! Placed in top 3 of the rookie class!


I'll try to get some pics of her after I wash her to update it.

Overall, I'm really happy i went with these, and I'm likely going to stick with them for a little, since my eyes are on an X-47 at the moment...

 

[Domino81]

 

[STjake]

I'm currently thinking about getting these! I'm so glad I finally found someone who has them installed. I see it looks like you said ride was slightly stiffer, but how was handling affected? Better or worse? No change? Thanks!

 

[FiestaSexyTime]

I'm currently thinking about getting these! I'm so glad I finally found someone who has them installed. I see it looks like you said ride was slightly stiffer, but how was handling affected? Better or worse? No change? Thanks!

Sorry I didn’t reply to you! I’ve been slacking on my forum game.

I’d say as far as handling goes, I did notice a reduction in body roll, since the CoG was lowered slightly combined with the increased stiffness. Also, with stock width tires, the car loads up beautifully in the turns. I went with 215s after wearing up the stockers and definitely lost some turn in response but that’s on the tires

Overall it’s a definite improvement over stock and complements an already well set up chassis,
and for the price of the springs you get a good balance between aesthetics and handling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scootny]

Car looks great! I'm looking at the coilovers as I want to keep the ride height as close to stock as possible and the specs say that you can keep the drop to .2 front and .4 rear. I'd go .4 all around to keep the drop/rake even. Has anyone tried the ST Suspensions XTA coilovers?

 

[Dpro]

Car looks great! I'm looking at the coilovers as I want to keep the ride height as close to stock as possible and the specs say that you can keep the drop to .2 front and .4 rear. I'd go .4 all around to keep the drop/rake even. Has anyone tried the ST Suspensions XTA coilovers?

I am on ST XTA’s they are pretty nice.

 

[Scootny]

Nice how? Are they more compliant? I'm sure the control is improved but can you describe the change as far as turn in and understeer? How much of a drop did you go for? How accessible are the adjustment dials? A lot of questions I know, just really curious about them and if they'd be a good fit for what I'm trying to achieve. Thanks so much!