Smooth out the ride - biggest impact mod

[Tberg]

My 2014 ST is my daily driver, which is awesome when solo driving. However, I’m trying to smooth out the ride for my family, which is 70% of my driving. My fiesta is on stock suspension and stock wheels. The potholes and bumps can get jarring after awhile. I like the performance that it has now and am willing to sacrifice a little bit for comfort. I already have a mountune AP, drop in filter and RMM.

1. I wanted to get your take on which mod to start with to make the biggest impact. I’ve read dropping down to 16 inch wheels with some meaty tires (larger sidewall) will help, especially looking at lighter wheels and hopefully not too heavy tires. Will this alone have the biggest impact? Or can I get away with a larger tire on stock wheels

2. I also have seen that the stock springs don’t match up with stiff dampers. How much will Eibach street lowering springs smooth out the ride? Is it only on highway transition strips? I don’t want it to feel bouncy and don’t care on the dropped look.

3. When shifting between first and second, I feel extra engine movement if I don’t let the revs drop. It’s annoying to me while putting around. I’ve seen Whoosh engine mount inserts for the passenger and driver side that can stiffen up some of the slop. Looking at the street inserts. Are these inserts ideal for that engine movement when not pushing it?

I understand that all of these mods may help, but I’m on a limited budget. I’m willing to start with the best mod then go to the next if I still have the itch.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

Tires and rims would be pretty effective, but wouldn't be that cheap. I was really happy with stock springs and Bilstein B6 shocks and struts. They offered a better ride and were a big help on the jouncy autocross courses we have up here.

 

[SteveS]

I have not done any suspension mods, but most are aimed at lowering and increasing cornering, which usually leads to harsher ride.

I can say that smaller wheels with tires that give the same overall diameter (more sidewall) does give smoother ride, at the expense of a little bit of steering precision. The decrease in precision is not terrible, and the car still retains its go-kart feel. This is based on using 15" wheels with 185/60-15 snow tires. Obviously with a 16" wheel you'd be getting an inch less sidewall than with a 15". Nonetheless, with a 16" wheel and, say 205/45-16 tires, you'd gain an inch of sidewall and more comfort.

 

[RubberDucky_82]

It sounds like you're trying to tackle two different areas of "smoothness," and I think you're on the right track.

The most effective for smoothness as it relates to ride quality will be your wheels. This is widely acknowledged across all platforms; more sidewall will help a great deal, guaranteed. You won't get much more sidewall sticking with 17's, but different tires can help marginally. (My all-season tires ride smoother than my summer-only ones.) If you go down to 16's, you will most definitely feel a significant difference.

I have the Eibach springs. They help a tiny bit with the harshness of the ride quality, but not by much. I did it more for the looks. The feeling is so minimal, it may just be a placebo effect.

As for smoothness as it relates to applied power and shift engagement, a rear motor mount from Whoosh will definitely help. It's one of the most frequently recommended first mods. It will make more of a difference than the engine mount insert (passenger and transmission) to which you are referring. Getting the side mounts in addition to the rear mount will help a bit, but the return on investment won't be nearly as high as with the rear mount. Many folks skip the side mount and transmission mount.

 

[Tberg]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think going with smaller wheels 16 or 15 inch will give the best improvement on ride quality. I see more options in 16s. What is the widest sidewall that can fit on stock suspension without throwing off the speedo?

 

[FJ16]

205/45 is a hair smaller than stock, 205/50 is a hair larger. If you can find tires you like in 215/45 (difficult), I believe those are about as close as you can get to the stock size and the speedo should be bang on. I personally run 205/50/16, and it helps with the ride quality but it's still not where I want it to be... interested to see what you settle on.

 

[LionsTooth]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think going with smaller wheels 16 or 15 inch will give the best improvement on ride quality. I see more options in 16s. What is the widest sidewall that can fit on stock suspension without throwing off the speedo?

Try this for your speedo question....https://tiresize.com/calculator/

 

[M-Sport fan]

205/45 is a hair smaller than stock, 205/50 is a hair larger. If you can find tires you like in 215/45 (difficult), I believe those are about as close as you can get to the stock size and the speedo should be bang on. I personally run 205/50/16, and it helps with the ride quality but it's still not where I want it to be... interested to see what you settle on.

Yes, very sadly, the tire manufacturers just do not believe in making ANY 215/45-16s in anything but 200 tread wear gumballs, USELESS for cold/cooler year 'round use in much of this land, let alone a high(er) performance all season tire in that size.

 

[Mikey456]

I might add that you might consider going to a 215 size tire. Since you are not lowered you might get away with a 215/45 tire. The tires will fill in the fenders better too instead of lowering springs. I’ve heard Koni orange shocks give a softer ride too if the tires don’t do enough. U have options. U don’t have to buy smaller wheels. IMO


2017 Ford Fiesta ST, Shadow Black, Recaro seats, Mountune RMM, Swift springs, 5mm rear spacers, Falken 615+ tires

 

[E34less]

Koni orange shocks on the rear axle paired with more sidewall will get you a lot of the way towards "good" ride quality. I've got 15s and konis on my car for the winter and it is both mom and girlfriend approved.

 

[haste]

A 215/45 aspect tire will NOT work on stock suspension. You will be OK with 215/40 but not many options.

How many mile on the car? It may be time to replace you shocks and struts. I've got 88k on mine and am replacing the stock shocks/struts with the bilstein B6s. It's not terribly expensive to order them from rock auto.

 

[Tberg]

My car only has 35k miles on it. I think I’m trying to adjust the car to be wife approved haha

 

[Mikey456]

Sorry Haste is right. You might rub going too big on 215/45r 17. Better off with 215/40r17. I think some guys run 205/45r17 but you will have to research that yourself.

 

[haste]

I think some guys run 205/45r17 but you will have to research that yourself.

Yep, those will work. I've run a couple sets of the Continental DWS with no issue.

 

[CraiMart]

A 215/45 aspect tire will NOT work on stock suspension. You will be OK with 215/40 but not many options.

How many mile on the car? It may be time to replace you shocks and struts. I've got 88k on mine and am replacing the stock shocks/struts with the bilstein B6s. It's not terribly expensive to order them from rock auto.

How have the B6’s worked for you? I know some have said they have experienced a raise in ride height. Have you at all?

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

16s HELPED THE MOST. IF I DIDN'T CARE ABOUT LOOK THE 15s WOULD HAVE BEEN MY ROUTE

 

[Magnetic]

Coilovers inadvertently smoothed out the ride with my car. SO MUCH BETTER!

The pierce 6 point brace also worked wonders.

For $850 @ Whoosh you can get the K-Sports I got and you will def be happy if performance isn't your #1 priority. (They still increase the handling SUBSTANTIALLY)

https://whoosh-motorsports.myshopif...pro-coilovers-ford-fiesta-fiesta-st-2014-2017

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Cheaper than most car mods, makes your buttcheeks a lot happier https://purple.com/seat-cushions

 

[haste]

How have the B6’s worked for you? I know some have said they have experienced a raise in ride height. Have you at all?

Ended up with Fortune Auto 500 series coilovers with hyperco springs. Love it. Had them add an inch to the shock bodies so I could easily maintain stock ride height.

 

[Magnetic]

Ended up with Fortune Auto 500 series coilovers with hyperco springs. Love it. Had them add an inch to the shock bodies so I could easily maintain stock ride height.

I didn’t know that was an option. Good to know.