Texstang
Well-Known Member
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- #1
Hello, I have a 2016 Ecoboost PP that I use as a daily driver, roughly 60/40 highway/city mix. Roads aren't the best quality in my area, but everyone says that where they're from (I don't envy you guys up north). I'm not looking to track the car, just looking to improve on some points I list below.
Current Setup:
Complaints:
- This picture shows an area of 40 mph roadway (traffic flowing at 45-50 usually) where the road has been patched, creating a small hump in the road about 2 car-lengths long. Note the area in the red circle showing the road in relation to the curb, which I estimate is about 6 inches high. It's hard to see in the picture, but the entire roadway, including the curb, has a slight upward slope in the patched section. I'm guessing this is around 3-4 inches or so. The area in the blue circle close to the crest has about an inch or so of clearance against the top of the curb, so I'm guessing the total elevation change is about 8 inches in total over approximately one car-length, after which the road appears to return to its pre-patch height. Going over this at 40 mph the car feels very bouncy, and once over the crest, it falls back down harshly as if the dampers aren't providing much support at all. I avoid this lane if possible and will slow down to about 30 if I'm in it.
- This picture shows an area of 50 mph roadway (traffic usually flows 55 or so) where the road has developed ripples. It's difficult to tell by the picture, but the ripples in the highlighted section are consistent across the road, so what you see on the curb is the same on the actual road. This section is at the bottom of a small downhill grade after which the road forms an uphill grade as you can see in the picture. Going over the ripples at 50-55 in the slight turn, the car bounces like a sedan from the 1980's (ok, it's not that bad, but you get the picture). The rear of the car doesn't feel very planted in this section. When I encounter roads like this with a sharper turn, the stability issue is amplified.
I'm pretty happy otherwise with the car. There doesn't seem to be too much body roll and the car feels decently planted when cornering in smooth turns. I don't often launch the car. It's mostly stock power-wise, and I don't have significant complaints about wheel hop. The brakes are pretty adequate for my use, and if I upgrade, it'll be separate to the suspension and I'll likely get a used set of 6 piston GTPP calipers/rotors if I go that route.
Goals:
Thanks
Current Setup:
- Stock EBPP suspension, ~50k miles. Alignment was done on the car by a shop about 6 months ago. I can grab a pic of the alignment specs if needed.
- 19x9 (square setup) GTPP takeoff rims on 255/55/R19 Continental Extreme Contact Sport tires. I run the tire pressures at the factory 32 psi spec when cold. Unfortunately I know the rims are pretty heavy - if I were to do it again I would've gotten something lighter, but I got a great deal on these.
Complaints:
- The car feels bouncy in certain situations, mainly when there is a hump in the road or uneven grade. I'm not flying through raised intersections at 60 mph or anything, but when traveling over any small humps or crests, the car feels like it doesn't have enough dampening. When I initially go onto the hump, the car feels very floaty, then bounces around a lot. When I come off of the hump, the car feels like it just falls back onto the road.
- and I'm not very confident when going over road imperfections at speed, particularly when turning. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, but it feels like the suspension isn't reacting quick enough, and the car doesn't feel very stable, and bounces around a lot. I used to drive an '05 Ranger which was very light in the rear and had the same, although much more severe, feeling.
- Not too much of a complaint, but somewhat symptomatic of the first issue: When I'm either accelerating and upshift, or am decelerating to a stop, the weight transfer causes the nose to move around quite a bit. Of course I would expect this to be the case in pretty much any car, but it feels like an awful lot sometimes.
- This picture shows an area of 40 mph roadway (traffic flowing at 45-50 usually) where the road has been patched, creating a small hump in the road about 2 car-lengths long. Note the area in the red circle showing the road in relation to the curb, which I estimate is about 6 inches high. It's hard to see in the picture, but the entire roadway, including the curb, has a slight upward slope in the patched section. I'm guessing this is around 3-4 inches or so. The area in the blue circle close to the crest has about an inch or so of clearance against the top of the curb, so I'm guessing the total elevation change is about 8 inches in total over approximately one car-length, after which the road appears to return to its pre-patch height. Going over this at 40 mph the car feels very bouncy, and once over the crest, it falls back down harshly as if the dampers aren't providing much support at all. I avoid this lane if possible and will slow down to about 30 if I'm in it.
- This picture shows an area of 50 mph roadway (traffic usually flows 55 or so) where the road has developed ripples. It's difficult to tell by the picture, but the ripples in the highlighted section are consistent across the road, so what you see on the curb is the same on the actual road. This section is at the bottom of a small downhill grade after which the road forms an uphill grade as you can see in the picture. Going over the ripples at 50-55 in the slight turn, the car bounces like a sedan from the 1980's (ok, it's not that bad, but you get the picture). The rear of the car doesn't feel very planted in this section. When I encounter roads like this with a sharper turn, the stability issue is amplified.
I'm pretty happy otherwise with the car. There doesn't seem to be too much body roll and the car feels decently planted when cornering in smooth turns. I don't often launch the car. It's mostly stock power-wise, and I don't have significant complaints about wheel hop. The brakes are pretty adequate for my use, and if I upgrade, it'll be separate to the suspension and I'll likely get a used set of 6 piston GTPP calipers/rotors if I go that route.
Goals:
- My primary goal is to Improve the feel and stability when encountering road crests/humps and imperfections, and improve the rear stability when encountering these through a curved section of roadway.
- Maintain or if possible improve the ride quality overall. I realize that's a tall order, and usually handling comes at the expense of comfort, but I don't want something extremely harsh or jarring. I'm daily driving this car, and don't plan on taking it to the track. Otherwise the most action it will see is when I take it on semi-annual trips to the Texas hill country and take it out on some twisty roads.
- I'm fine with lowering the car and actually like the look, but would prefer not to drop it more than 0.5". I don't want to cringe and worry when entering a raised parking lot or driveway.
- I'd like to stick to a budget of around $1,000. I can go up to $1,250 if you guys can convince me.
- I'd like to be able to do as much of the work as possible myself. I have a floor jack and jackstands with a decent set of hand tools, but don't have much experience in suspension work.
- I realize I'll need an alignment once I upgrade. With the parts you recommend, would I be able to get an alignment that preserves tire wear?
Thanks
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