IN YOUR OPINION

[Lexman]

With the Performance rate springs (like the min drop), you should not notice any increase in harshness. Doing the lockout kit, LCA bearing and toe bearing with those springs would be dynamite for a street car. I haven't personally driven a car with the LCA bearing or toe bearing, but from all reports, most of the handling vices the car has would be taken care of with those items together. Dampers would further improve things, but not required with those springs.

That's my thinking as well. Just need to work up the courage to tackle the LCA bearing!

Sponsored

 

[Lexman]

One more question, would replacing the RLCA and Toe Knuckle bearing make the ride quality more rigid (Stiff)?

 

[BmacIL]

One more question, would replacing the RLCA and Toe Knuckle bearing make the ride quality more rigid (Stiff)?

Not exactly. The toe bearing won't really effect ride at all. The LCA bearing changes how quick and responsive the springs and dampers work to control the car, so you'll feel more, but not really a stiffer/worse ride. It's not so simple. [MENTION=26233]Rebellion[/MENTION], [MENTION=19599]Bluemustang[/MENTION], thoughts?

 

[Bluemustang]

Not exactly. The toe bearing won't really effect ride at all. The LCA bearing changes how quick and responsive the springs and dampers work to control the car, so you'll feel more, but not really a stiffer/worse ride. It's not so simple. [MENTION=26233]Rebellion[/MENTION], [MENTION=19599]Bluemustang[/MENTION], thoughts?

I think it depends on the rest of your setup on the car. To piggyback on what you said BmacIL, it makes everything more responsive. Every reaction happens that's much quicker. I feel everything, but I've added other parts that make it stiffer to begin with. So you'll feel more as you said and at certain times, if you don't want, it could be a negative. Some people have said they feel no change to the ride quality. For me I do feel it.

But also it reacts better to some things at lower speeds. The chassis feels overall more connected to the car if you will. There's no more awkwardness in the rear suspension that would otherwise present itself. For instance if you go over some pavement where it's sortve bouncy and there's a series of humps, there's no bind where it's get caught up itself. It reacts more the way you'd expect it to. But because of that it was an odd feeling, because the car feels different and does not react how I am used to.

The reactions are really quick - up, down 1-2. But I had a firmer riding car before I had the LCA bearing upgraded so that obviously adds to it.

The toe bearing I did not any difference in the ride quality but I did feel an improvement performance wise. The LCA bearing also performance wise helped a ton, at least from what I can tell. But the ride quality definitely changes and that is good and bad depending on how you look at it. If you are person who likes a smooth, not cumbersome ride, it may not be for you. However if your setup is soft to begin with, this may not affect you as much. For me feeling more of the road is worth it and it's a more engaging experience overall.

Also: imo if you're gonna do the toe bearing, just do the LCA bearing too. Also I think the LCA bearing could also help prevent premature wear of other parts in the suspension because there's less bind and it eliminates big geometry changes from occurring. And there's a reason Ford put this toe knuckle bearing in their track kit. For me though if you're gonna go into the trouble of doing the toe knuckle bearing, adding the LCA is perfection. Just address it from both areas I think will sure it up more effectively.

 

[Rebellion]

One more question, would replacing the RLCA and Toe Knuckle bearing make the ride quality more rigid (Stiff)?

Not much to add to the above two post :cheers:

A few observations:
1. At any given given setup, adding the LCA will clamp the car down to the road more. Now, how much of this is NVH is debatable, but you do feel the road imperfections more at low speed. These are the imperfections you should feel (and are related to the rest of your setup), but where previously attenuated by the "gummy bear" OEM bushing. I'm not particularly annoyed by this, and I believe neither is [MENTION=19599]Bluemustang[/MENTION].

2. It is more rigid, but it's a welcomed type of rigid. It is not like you've magically installed coilovers in the car...you'll feel the car react much quicker to the road, to your steering input, cornering will be more precise. In other words, it's like you've removed this dead spot or blind spot from the IRS.

3. On the straight line, it's at low speeds where you'll feel more road. On higher speeds, it's as usual. On cornering you'll feel the responsiveness and feedback always. Without the LCA, you'll notice that at speed the suspension behaves differently than when slow. With the LCA everything behaves the same, which is how it should be.

4. Even with super stiff springs, there is a zone of "inflexion" right after the transition movements of the suspension (a tad after up/down or viceversa transition). With stock springs, it's hard to tell, but with stiffer springs is obvious...it is like some sort of hysteresis, where the suspension is OFF for a brief moment and then it's ON. This can be felt specially on low speeds and high displacement bumps. The LCA gets rid of this, and now it's always ON.

In sort of a summary, I'll tell you that the car now feels like a proper "lightweight" sports car, not a crown victoria (or a challenger!)

 

[Bluemustang]

Not much to add to the above two post :cheers:

A few observations:
1. At any given given setup, adding the LCA will clamp the car down to the road more. Now, how much of this is NVH is debatable, but you do feel the road imperfections more at low speed. These are the imperfections you should feel (and are related to the rest of your setup), but where previously attenuated by the "gummy bear" OEM bushing. I'm not particularly annoyed by this, and I believe neither is [MENTION=19599]Bluemustang[/MENTION].

2. It is more rigid, but it's a welcomed type of rigid. It is not like you've magically installed coilovers in the car...you'll feel the car react much quicker to the road, to your steering input, cornering will be more precise. In other words, it's like you've removed this dead spot or blind spot from the IRS.

3. On the straight line, it's at low speeds where you'll feel more road. On higher speeds, it's as usual. On cornering you'll feel the responsiveness and feedback always. Without the LCA, you'll notice that at speed the suspension behaves differently than when slow. With the LCA everything behaves the same, which is how it should be.

4. Even with super stiff springs, there is a zone of "inflexion" right after the transition movements of the suspension (a tad after up/down or viceversa transition). With stock springs, it's hard to tell, but with stiffer springs is obvious...it is like some sort of hysteresis, where the suspension is OFF for a brief moment and then it's ON. This can be felt specially on low speeds and high displacement bumps. The LCA gets rid of this, and now it's always ON.

In sort of a summary, I'll tell you that the car now feels like a proper "lightweight" sports car, not a crown victoria (or a challenger!)

I agree Rebellion and you are a smart dude. Agree with the lightweight feeling too it's real. It feels way more on rails than it ever did, even after extensive previous mods. No more Crown Vic feeling or feel like a pig handing in the tight corners. The car goes where you point it. Understeer drastically reduced.

Sponsored