I wouldn´t go on the softest seeting @ first. You´ll have the same "thum" at the first bump, cause it´s much to soft (trust me i did that with my H&R springs and the result was a horrible "baaammm" on the first bump)

Start at 5 full turns (from firm to soft) and do some experience....

Cheers Dennis

 

Exactly....I'm at 3 full turns from hard on the front and 4 on the back ( I recall full range being about 7 turns). I have the FRPP "P" springs though which have a soft initial rate so require a little more initial damping.. These settings are about perfect for me They are Day to day comfortable with great ride quality, but also performed perfectly, with no changes, in 300 miles of Mountain driving a few weeks back..
It takes a little experimentation to come up with the perfect settings for your needs. When you do, you'll know it.

 

note,

not sure with the 197 but the rears you can buy a cable for easy adjustment?

it is a 7 turns back to full soft from all the way tight. to be honest. i run them 7 turns out for dd and to and from track.. on track fronts 3 turns out and rear 4.

this is simple and takes about 2 min. total..

beers

 

Yeah...You can buy a short Cable adjustment extender, but it's so easy to just pull back the liner I couldn't see any advantage to it. For me, once I found the sweet spot there was no need for further adjusting..

 

Unless you are going to track the car I wouldn't bother changing the suspension. I only notice the bouncing (with Brembo's as well) on my 11 while driving slow. It seems to smooth out just fine while driving hard or on any reasonable highway. Mine is a daily driver and I have taken it on 1000+ mile trips. I think it is exceptionally comfortable on long rides. Also, unlike a Camry, it goes where you point it.

 

It depends on the highway. Blacktop is smooth and you never feel it. Its the concrete with the tar filled seams that produce the bouncing.

 

My 2012 handles like a rail car for having 235 tires. It is about to be changed with Saleen Wheel & Tire combo with 275 or 285's. My suspension is great for a stock car. I'm glad that I didn't go with the Brembo package.

 

Yeah I do wish I had the chance to drive Brembos before buying the car but there was nowhere local that had them. I do plan on tracking the car though and read it was pretty much a necessity. Not sure if it would have completely changed my mind but saving $2500+ (Brembos + cost of shocks/struts/springs for lowering) would have certainly made me think about it.

 

It's not really a huge loss considering you would likely swap the Brembo suspension anyways. The big savings with the package is really the brakes. There's a huge difference in the trackability of the Brembos vs. the stock brakes. With track pads and DOT 4 fluid the Brembos should hold up for a track weekend, whereas the base brakes really aren't enough unless you are willing to gingerly go about your track day.

 

Back when I got my '10 V6, I got a hand-me-down '11GT (Brembo) suspension from a friend of mine. I had the same "bouncy" action you are getting. What made all the difference in the world was to just change out the rear shocks with the OE V6 shocks that came off my car. That fore/aft pitching of the car is what you are feeling, and the F/R balance of shock damping is responsible. It didn't make logical sense to me that a LOWER damping rate shock solved my problem as the GT rear springs were a higher rate than my OE V6 rear springs. But that was the solution I went with, and it rides nice and smooth now while still handling great.

 

what about the Ford Handling Package? heard of anyone go with this ? results?

 

To the OP, I would suggest looking at the koni STR-T shocks and struts unless you plan on taking your car to the track a lot. They will be a big improvement in comfort and rather than the suspension being bouncy, it will be firmer but at the same time, not uncomfortable. The shocks/struts will absorb those bumps that the stock suspension would simply translated into bouncing up and down.

I personally went with the steeda sport springs after talking with sam strano. He's convinced that they offer the best performance to comfort ratio. I can't vouch for other springs but I can say that the steeda sports on my car are great. The ride is tight and firm but not uncomfortable at all.

What an informative thread!

I would still recommend buying a compressor. I got a good one for $40.

http://www.amazon.com/OEM-25550-Stru...8409198&sr=8-1

My mechanic that used to do the work on my volvos uses this same one and recommended it to me and it's also the same compressor that the auto shop on the AF base I work at uses and they typically use only high end durable stuff that noobs can't easily break.

Even though you technically CAN install the struts/springs/strut mount without a compressor, if you get the steeda HD mounts, you HAVE to have a compressor to get that top nut installed to lock everything together.

Getting the top nut properly torqued down with the struts/springs installed in the car is very difficult because the nut is sunk down below the strut towers. putting it all together outside of the car and properly torqing down the top nuts before putting it in the car is infinitely easier.

I talked to sam strano about this and he confirmed that a spring compressor is pretty much a must have for the front suspension install. They're cheap and save you a lot of headache.

 

Here's what I did and the result for those who may find themselves in a similar situation.

Mainly due to the warranty work but also because the price wasn't too much more than going to another shop I bought the FRPP shocks/dampers, struts, and springs. Dealership installed resulting in slightly lowered car and did the necessary realignment. Total cost was around $1,350 including tax. It feels like it handles better but more importantly I feel the crazy bumpiness is about 75% gone. I need a good lengthy highway drive to really confirm but so far I feel much less like I'm on a pogo stick than I did before the work. I can live with that.

 

could u take a picture of the car so i could see how low the car got from package? thanks mike

 

Sure I'll do it tomorrow during daylight.

 

thanks mike

 

A little later than I meant to post but got distracted. Hope this helps!