Let’s talk struts

[DoomsdayMelody]

So, until some... errr, recent developments, I had been planning on swapping out my stock rims for some 16lbs enkei j10s, and swapping appropriate tires on. Since a large chunk of the money I had been setting aside will be going to repairing some damage that appeared on my car after I left it parked, I’ve decided to look at other options for taking some of the harsher characteristics out of the ride.

So, let’s talk about how I drive and use the car. I’m usually pretty lax, the FiST is my daily. I do take it up onto mountain roads occasionally, but for all intents and purposes I generally use the car to commute.

That said, I’d like to soften the ride a touch, to make it a bit more bearable for my significant other (I’m tired of having to drive a prius on the weekends because my car rides too harshly in her opinion) and frankly the roads by me are rough so I’m sure I wouldn’t mind if the car were slightly softer. That said I’d like to keep the cost as low as possible due to the afore mentioned event, and that has lead me, quite comfortably to dampers... dampeners? No ones sure.

Seems like the Koni Orange STR.Ts would fit the bill since I have no plans to drop the car, was just hopping for a bit of feedback on other options (koni yellows/bilsteins etc) would compare with the stock springs. Coilovers are out of the question due to price. My suspension is fully stock with the exception that apparently the previous owner put a different front sway bar on (a later MY Fiesta ST one because apparently it’s better?) so I was just hoping for some testimony from people who have had experience with anything mentioned.


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[green_henry]

You may want to consider 15s instead of 16s to soften the ride. I'm on 16s now and the difference wasn't as noticeable as I had hoped, but I think 15s would probably do the trick. Since you're planning on changing wheels anyway, that's where I'd start.

 

[FJ16]

I would second the thought of going with the beefiest sidewall tire you can (depends on if you plan to lower it). I'm finally dialing in the car as far as comfort goes; I've gone through stock springs, whiteline lowering springs, and now Mountune sports with combinations of Bilstein B8s and Koni Orange front/rears. I currently have the Koni's with Mountune springs on 205/45/16 tires (16x7 Rota Grids) and it's the best combo I've tried so far. It's still not as comfortable compared as some past rides, but it's acceptable and removes most of the jarring harshness that existed with other setups. I really wanted Grids or else I probably would have tried to move down to a 15" wheel with a higher sidewall.

If Mountune is still running their 20% off fall sale you can pick up springs for ~$210 shipped.

 

[felopr]

if you want to soften then go on 15's with 205/50 or 225/50
koni str orange, i would stay away from the front struts. with stock springs the car didn't feel stable on highway speeds and up and was feeling like the front was rocking up and down. i changed them like 3 days later and put the stock back on. the rear ones softer up the car a bit but is not like a lot of difference. IF you want a better damping alone , you might want to invest on blistens or koni yellows

 

[Ford ST]

You can also put the suspension components from a later model ST.
At some point in the 2016 model year I believe, and definitely 2017 and later they changed the suspension to make it less harsh.
They made up for it by stiffening the rear torsion bar, and increasing the size of the anti roll bar in the front.
So that's also an option probably the cheapest option and of course less wheel more tire.
You could get OEM front struts and rear shocks from RockAuto for probably like $250 and you could probably get springs off of hear from somebody for cheap.
I'm sure it would soften it up a little bit.

You are definitely nicer than me I would tell my Wife get over it or walk.

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[DoomsdayMelody]

if you want to soften then go on 15's with 205/50 or 225/50
koni str orange, i would stay away from the front struts. with stock springs the car didn't feel stable on highway speeds and up and was feeling like the front was rocking up and down. i changed them like 3 days later and put the stock back on. the rear ones softer up the car a bit but is not like a lot of difference. IF you want a better damping alone , you might want to invest on blistens or koni yellows

Would a 225/50 fit with no rub?

Gah I want to do rims so bad but I’m dropping the grand I had saved for it in body repairs.


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[felopr]

Would a 225/50 fit with no rub?

Gah I want to do rims so bad but I’m dropping the grand I had saved for it in body repairs.


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on 15's? pretty sure yes

 

[slowcord]

I did koni yellows and it made the car feel more controlled and less bouncy. Tires with more sidewall (50s) will also help make the ride less busy.
I suppose if bilstein is back in stock you can go with those as well. I would have if they had been available when i got my konis.

 

[DoomsdayMelody]

I did koni yellows and it made the car feel more controlled and less bouncy. Tires with more sidewall (50s) will also help make the ride less busy.
I suppose if bilstein is back in stock you can go with those as well. I would have if they had been available when i got my konis.

I’m planning on doing rims at some point although I haven’t decided on 15” vs 16”.

In the meantime; I wanted to try to clean up the ride as much as possible for around $300. One of the biggest complaints people who daily this car have is that it feels overdamped. So, if I stick with the stock 17’s for now, and swapped dampers I’m hoping that will take some of the rough edges off of the ride while still allowing the car to feel as connected.


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[slowcord]

Try doing the rear shocks first, i know on mine they made a huge difference. Bilsteins should be under your $300 budget.

 

[DoomsdayMelody]

Try doing the rear shocks first, i know on mine they made a huge difference. Bilsteins should be under your $300 budget.

That opens up the B6 VW Koni Yellow debate though....


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