Ecoboost suspension felt very unstable

I test drove an Ecoboost the other day and the suspension felt really unstable. Most notibly was the movement side to side on the highway, had to actively steer the whole time.

In general it felt unstable and the balance between harshness and side to side stability just wasnt there. It basically felt like the parts that made it "firm" werent connected to the parts that made it "floaty". Like it had two different suspension characteristics, which werent agreeing with eachother.

Might be the fact that you have a generally floaty US suspension combined with 19" wheels.

I drive a Volvo V40 myself which is a derivative of the Ford Focus suspension which is well known to be pretty good. Anyway on the highway the Volvo is insanely stable, zero side to side movement, even with very high winds you hardly notice a thing.

Guess what I am trying to say is that I was expecting more when I heard they tuned the US suspension for the EU version.

How do the Mustang owners on this forum feel about their suspension ?

I like the standard suspension they have in the US. The EU version has the Performance Package as standard, which I don't really care for. It's a lot more harsh but barely more stable at higher speed. This can however be improved by replacing the shocks with a set of Ford Performance ones.

Myself I ditched the entire suspension and replaced it with a KW V3 coilovet set. Quite happy with it. Lord Thunder and I did a side by side comparison and both felt the KW has noticably less roll and squat. The thing that remains is the weight of the car, which you will always keep feeling. It's not a C class hatchback.

Ericc B said:

I like the standard suspension they have in the US. The EU version has the Performance Package as standard, which I don't really care for. It's a lot more harsh but barely more stable at higher speed. This can however be improved by replacing the shocks with a set of Ford Performance ones.

Myself I ditched the entire suspension and replaced it with a KW V3 coilovet set. Quite happy with it. Lord Thunder and I did a side by side comparison and both felt the KW has noticably less roll and squat. The thing that remains is the weight of the car, which you will always keep feeling. It's not a C class hatchback.

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V40 is only 100 kg lesser in weight, not that big of a difference, and it rides higher.

I just expect cars like the Mustang to ride like they are supposed to from the factory, and not require after market parts.

Well, I can only agree. The standard setup on the EU Mustang is quite frankly terrible! If we ignore the fact that I drive a GT and you an EB, mine did feel quite bad on the standard setup. However, after lowering it by 25/20 mm its a lot better but still not a race wonder through the bends. It never will be. The weight goes against it and the Mustangs of today are more of a Grand Tourer than a Sports Car.

The GT is seriously quick and one has to be really careful when using a heavy foot, the worst being the bends when applying some serious power. Spins for no reason....in fact it spins even in a straight line! Using the wintermode helps though.

The V40 handles great (wife used to have one, replaced by an XC60 earlier this year) but needs the factory lowering to be really good.

Double said:

I just expect cars like the Mustang to ride like they are supposed to from the factory, and not require after market parts.

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Well they do drive exactly like Ford supposed them to. Even though I'm not impressed either with Ford's execution of the Performance Package I am not at all surprised by it either. This is what you get when buying an American ponycar. And mind you, this generation already is a HUGE improvement over the previous ones.

From what you write I get the impression that you are simply not part of the target group and would be better off with a BMW.

I am so far very impressed with the suspension with my EB. I'm a fan of the upgraded suspension on the EU Mustang.

Perhaps the test drive car has been somewhat used and abused sorta like a rental car. I find it common when I rent a car the car has too much play at the wheel , all over the place, not tight and just doesn't feel correct at the wheel.

It's certainly an upgrade for me - I feel like it sticks very well to the road. I did notice I had "to work the wheel" a bit much on our crappy roads though - ESPECIALLY in sports mode steering... for longer trips I put it on comfort, but for daily drives I've gotten accustomed to standard... I guess sports is for ... sports applications

(not entirely related to shocks, but the feeling you described of actively steering kinda matched mine... I however wouldn't describe the Mustang as floaty)

gojensen said:

I feel like it sticks very well to the road. I did notice I had "to work the wheel" a bit much on our crappy roads though - ESPECIALLY in sports mode steering...

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I think it's super stable as well! Actually, that was my first reaction during my very first test drive. The only thing I disliked about the stock suspension so far was that it leans (like in some highway exits) on stock tires. The leaning went away with new rims. Them being less in the fenders sure helped a lot. A downside of the wide rims and tires is that when there's tracks on the highway, the wide wheels really get sucked into them. I've really pushed it both at high speeds on the autobahn and on curvy mountain passes and like i said, can't complain so far! I'll try the Pedders coilovers some day though

On the steering modes: I actually love sports mode!! But that's a personal thing I guess

Interesting thread.
I've got a base EB with the stock suspension; we also have a 981BS with the X73 suspension that we track a lot.
The US spec EB suspension is a bit floaty but not terrible--more setup for driving on US Interstate roads at speed, in which it works fine.
Had the occasion to drive the Mustang GT with PP and FR suspension at the FR facility in Utah at the UMS track. A one day class where you learn how to drive the car at speed, mostly on a 2.2 mile track with lots of turns.
The FR suspension--different from the stock PP--transforms the car; very flat handling, great steering response even though it had BRG Comp2 UHP tires on it.
If you're having issues with the stock Ford PP suspension, think about the the FR track pack--parts run about $1200 US here.

Mr981 said:

The US spec EB suspension is a bit floaty but not terrible--more setup for driving on US Interstate roads at speed, in which it works fine.

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That's also my experience, I actually like it for it's comfort. You obviously don't wanna be doing 150 mph with that setup but for regular use it's very nicely balanced.

The optional Performance Package ruins that by making the car drive rock hard without adding much stability. This is the setup we get as standard here in Europe.

I was focusing 100% on straight line driving on the highway. No cornering nothing, just cruising.

That's why I was so suprised that my stock V40 suspension was night and day compared to the Mustang, after hearing so many good things about the european tuned Mustang suspension.

Guess that's what makes it a Mustang it's still just a pony car not a sports car, but then again neither is the V40 *wink*. It's just the reviews and the talks about the "tuned suspension for the EU Mustang" made me expect something more.

Vogtland coilover

I have changed with vogtland coilovers and I saw huge difference and much more comfort , I think is the best coilover for everyday car

Double said:

I was focusing 100% on straight line driving on the highway. No cornering nothing, just cruising.

That's why I was so suprised that my stock V40 suspension was night and day compared to the Mustang, after hearing so many good things about the european tuned Mustang suspension.

Guess that's what makes it a Mustang it's still just a pony car not a sports car, but then again neither is the V40 *wink*. It's just the reviews and the talks about the "tuned suspension for the EU Mustang" made me expect something more.

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Could also be something really stupid like the dealer didnt remove the suspension transport blocks during the PDI.... try driving a different car to see if it feels the same.

I have the US version of the EB, anybody know if the standard suspension of the GT is more stable ? On ebay some shops sell the GT standard struts for really low money, can be a good ideea to try an upgrade.

flay said:

I have the US version of the EB, anybody know if the standard suspension of the GT is more stable ? On ebay some shops sell the GT standard struts for really low money, can be a good ideea to try an upgrade.

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I wouldn't bother with that. The GT springs are different because of the higher weight of the V8 engine, so you will probably ruin the ride quality and gain zero stability. If you wanna upgrade your suspension for more stability go aftermarket.