EB base vs PP ride quality

[speedfrk]

I currently have a base EB automatic with the 18 in Foundry wheels. My only real complaint is that I hate the 3:15 axle. There is a 2016 EB PP with a huge discount at a local dealer that I'm considering. My question is how much stiffer is the PP suspension? The car is a daily driver and I don't want a punishing ride. I'd possibly even swap 18 in wheels onto it for a bit more sidewall and ride comfort if needed. Does anyone have first hand experience with switching from a base to PP?

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[xXANCHORMONXx]

It's like a boat, very soft ride imo

 

[CommyO]

It's very noticeably stiffer. I drove in many mustangs with and without PP and the PP adds a very stiff planted ride. I'm probably not going to touch the stiffness as it's pretty good for street. PS it's all going to be relative as someone who's used to driving an ACR will thing everything else is floaty. Get the PP. This car and the GT feels really slow with the 3:15s. Not so with the 3:55s in auto and sport mode.

 

[zrx4me]

the PP is fine riding.My old roush stage 2 was a torture rack compared.

 

[Maggneto]

I think it is going to depend on what types or roads you are going to be driving on to be honest. If the roads are smooth the ride will be a lot better than a bumpy road obviously, but the PP will amplify the road imperfections more than a non PP.

I tell everyone it drives like a Lincoln but I drive on relatively smooth country roads and like firm suspension. I Also keep the PP tires at 30lbs for a better ride.

 

[apx632]

Cheaper option could also be to swap out the rear housing to a 3.31, 3.55, or 3.73 final drive ratio as well vs a whole new car. Just another thought I figured I would throw in.

 

[prem]

With pp you are going to notice every bumps and cracks on the road so unless you do lot of tracks i would stay away.. i recently bought one with PP and thought it was too bumpy/shimmy at low speeds for everyday driving.. if you are still thinking about it then take the PP one for a test drive on normal roads.

 

[speedfrk]

Cheaper option could also be to swap out the rear housing to a 3.31, 3.55, or 3.73 final drive ratio as well vs a whole new car. Just another thought I figured I would throw in.

I've definitely considered that. Probably about 1000.00 to buy a used 3:55 and have it installed. The deal here is that they have a EB PP with 8K off the sticker. I could possibly come out with a new car and zero miles for about 2K difference.
I do need to go drive one- especially this one since I can't emotionally deal with another car that has the driveline vibration problem, lol.
I have no love for the PP wheels on the EB so swapping to the 18's is an option that would, I think, make a difference in ride. The car will never see a track and spends most of it's time on the interstate.

 

[Rebellion]

It's sort of subjective. I test drove a GTPP, the suspension seemed to soft for me, and the 3.73 to be too closely spaced. Actually my favorite was the 3.31, but there wasn't any more in stock with the specs that I wanted...so I ended up with the second best, the 3.55.

 

[dot]

6k mile EBPP owner here. The suspension softened up a bit after a few thousand miles, it's definitely smoother and softer than when you test drive a brand new one. It cannot handle the incredibly broken roads like in a few areas in Maryland, but it handles 98% of the roads so well, I would not want the car any softer. If anything, even the PP is too soft once you get used to it.

IMO, getting away from the 3.15 FD is worth it. I haven't driven an EB with one, but I can imagine it. I changed the FD in my old Honda from 4.4 to 4.9 (~22% increase) and it made the car actually move (though that car only had ~128 lb-ft of torque...at the crank).

Going from a 3.15 FD to the 3.55 FD, there would be an increase of ~12% more torque to the wheels (since the final drive will multiply the engine's torque 12% more). Similarly, going from 3.15 to 3.73 would be a ~18.6% increase. However, 3.55 to 3.73 is merely ~5% and Ford may have kept the EB at 3.55 for a reason.

The only real problem I found with the 3.55 FD and stock PP wheels is that there is no good gear for 50 mph, the speed limit highways around me are set at. 5th gear results in poor mpg cruising at ~2,200 rpm at 50 mph, and 6th gear requires engine-damaging throttle just to stay at speed at ~1,550 rpm at 50 mph). I often end up having to drive a little bit faster (~55+ mph) or if there's traffic, just sucking it up and staying in 5th gear, though this drastically lowers the MPG. There may be a similar issue with the 3.15, 3.31 or 3.73 FDs, but at different speeds.

Also, getting a GT driver's opinion of 3.55 vs 3.73 may be a little different because the Ecoboost has shorter 1st, 2nd, and 6th gears, while the GT has shorter 3rd and 4th gears, so the driving experience may change more drastically for an EB switching vs a GT switching.

I honestly recommend test driving the PP and see if you like the changes. If you're going Premium, that would help too, as the adjustable power steering strength can be fun (comfort mode makes the wheel very easy to turn and makes the car feel lighter, while sport mode makes steering smoother by requiring effort to turn the wheel)

 

[speedfrk]

6k mile EBPP owner here. The suspension softened up a bit after a few thousand miles, it's definitely smoother and softer than when you test drive a brand new one. It cannot handle the incredibly broken roads like in a few areas in Maryland, but it handles 98% of the roads so well, I would not want the car any softer. If anything, even the PP is too soft once you get used to it.

IMO, getting away from the 3.15 FD is worth it. I haven't driven an EB with one, but I can imagine it. I changed the FD in my old Honda from 4.4 to 4.9 (~22% increase) and it made the car actually move (though that car only had ~128 lb-ft of torque...at the crank).

Going from a 3.15 FD to the 3.55 FD, there would be an increase of ~12% more torque to the wheels (since the final drive will multiply the engine's torque 12% more). Similarly, going from 3.15 to 3.73 would be a ~18.6% increase. However, 3.55 to 3.73 is merely ~5% and Ford may have kept the EB at 3.55 for a reason.

The only real problem I found with the 3.55 FD and stock PP wheels is that there is no good gear for 50 mph, the speed limit highways around me are set at. 5th gear results in poor mpg cruising at ~2,200 rpm at 50 mph, and 6th gear requires engine-damaging throttle just to stay at speed at ~1,550 rpm at 50 mph). I often end up having to drive a little bit faster (~55+ mph) or if there's traffic, just sucking it up and staying in 5th gear, though this drastically lowers the MPG. There may be a similar issue with the 3.15, 3.31 or 3.73 FDs, but at different speeds.

Also, getting a GT driver's opinion of 3.55 vs 3.73 may be a little different because the Ecoboost has shorter 1st, 2nd, and 6th gears, while the GT has shorter 3rd and 4th gears, so the driving experience may change more drastically for an EB switching vs a GT switching.

I honestly recommend test driving the PP and see if you like the changes. If you're going Premium, that would help too, as the adjustable power steering strength can be fun (comfort mode makes the wheel very easy to turn and makes the car feel lighter, while sport mode makes steering smoother by requiring effort to turn the wheel)

This is an automatic, so the gearing is quite a bit different from your manual. The 3:73 gears would be useless with first gear on an automatic. My complaint is how much the car lugs the engine down at 40-55 mph. I'm constantly hitting the down paddle since it is at 1250rpm at 45mph and the whole car is shaking. Seems like all the regular roads I drive on are 40-50 mph, lol. Drives me crazy.

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