Improving my ride and handling with Koni Orange
#21
Now that you've had the Koni's on for a little while are you still 100% satisfied? How do your springs & shocks compare to stock ride-wise? over broken pavement, etc.? I'd like to maximize handling right up to the point where it still doesn't negatively impact ride quality too much. Jarring rides get old fast. I'm looking at doing the same mods as you and probably some stiffer sway bars and that's it, but I only want to do this once so I appreciate your opinion on this.
Thanks, Jim
Thanks, Jim
#22
GT Member
Thread Starter
Now that you've had the Koni's on for a little while are you still 100% satisfied? How do your springs & shocks compare to stock ride-wise? over broken pavement, etc.? I'd like to maximize handling right up to the point where it still doesn't negatively impact ride quality too much. Jarring rides get old fast. I'm looking at doing the same mods as you and probably some stiffer sway bars and that's it, but I only want to do this once so I appreciate your opinion on this.
Thanks, Jim
Thanks, Jim
Kevin
#23
GT Member
Thread Starter
Now that you've had the Koni's on for a little while are you still 100% satisfied? How do your springs & shocks compare to stock ride-wise? over broken pavement, etc.? I'd like to maximize handling right up to the point where it still doesn't negatively impact ride quality too much. Jarring rides get old fast. I'm looking at doing the same mods as you and probably some stiffer sway bars and that's it, but I only want to do this once so I appreciate your opinion on this.
Thanks, Jim
Thanks, Jim
Kevin
Good evening Jim. (Road Runner) I've driven the car a few hundred miles so far. Compared to stock, its a world of difference without much of a sacrifice in ride. Yes you will feel the bumps more, but not to the point of irritation. In stock form, the car rode like a Galaxy 500, smooth as silk on any road but it bobbed up and down so much that I felt I was going to get seasick. Excessive nose dive and squat. As for curves and corners, it felt like the car was going to roll over. So in stock form the ride was too soft to the point of irritation.
IMO the Roush and Koni combination is the most conservative way to go if you want to tighten up the suspension with minimal sacrifice in ride . I do like the stock ride height so the Roushs' dropped the car the least of all the springs I've considered. I do like the rear of the car a bit higher than the front and I am happy with the stance. The gap is 2 fingers in the rear and 1 finger in the front. I have small hands. btw, the springs were #401294 front and #401295 rear. Even with the small drop, consider getting cc plates. My installer used camber bolts to preserve the camber and I would have gotten have the plates had I known.
That said, the car feels a lot more planted and confident. Steering feel is better too. I drove it up and down some curvy mountain roads here and it didn't feel like the car was going to fall off the road. Actually wanted to chase some cars off the road because they were sooooo in my way (but I didn't). Body roll was reduced significantly. Ford should have done this from the get go. Personally, I don't feel an immediate need for sway bars because I've spent enough on the car for the moment. When the time comes, I'd get the SR Performance Adjustable front and rear kit. That way I could see which settings would be best.
Overall, I'm 200% satisfied and the car is more fun to drive. You can't really put a percentage on the smile the ride gives you. I'm a lot happier. Mind you, its doesn't handle like a Fiesta ST.
If I can go off topic a bit, I think my next mod might be the Roush grille and grill delete down below and GT/CS fogs. Maybe concave wheels with wider tires. I do think the rears should be wider than 245. Ford committed a major crime putting 235s on the base GT models. Then, maybe sway bars.
So there you have it. Pics and an opinion. If you live close by, I'd even let you try it.
#24
I ordered the Koni Orange today from American Muscle. They're having a great sale so I saved around 40%. $371 for a set of struts and shocks, so it was too good to pass up. The struts are backordered 6-7 weeks but its worth the wait. I'm using them along with Roush 1" lowering springs. Just street driving for now.
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