Thoughts on Fortune Auto 500 Kit????

[Cheetah30]

Hi everyone. I love my fiesta but I have been having thoughts of selling it after driving my friends m235i. The harsh ride is starting to bother me. I don't mind stiff but I have driven a new STI and our cars are way worse over large bumps. Living in Michigan with our horrible roads the harshness over big bumps is starting to drive me nuts. Thats where I am wondering about the Fortune auto coils. How much can I reduce the harshness of the ride without compromising handling. How good of a job would the Fortune auto 500s do for what I am wanting. Thanks in advance!

 

[scooter123]

If you want to cure the ride it's as simple as ditching the 17's and going to 16 inch rims. BTW, I live in the Pothole Capital of Michigan, Metro Detroit. Within 2 weeks of purchasing my 2019 I had the 17 inch wheels and tires in my basement and some nice color matched 16 inch rims with a set of 205-50R16 Firestones on the car. Because I'm old enough to remember the benefit of having some sidewall height to cushion the ride.

BTW, I have a sister who lives a stones throw from the Blue Ridge Parkway and I will tell you flat out that 16 inch rims and 50 profile tires will NOT compromise the handling at all. If you want more evidence look at the number of Autocrossers who race with 16" rims.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^HA!
I'm old enough to remember when a /70 was considered a 'low profile' biscuit. LOL!

 

[Business6]

As stated above 16" wheels should help if you're running a 50 aspect ratio. 15" wheels obviously would be beneficial, too. Meat is good.

Additionally I recently installed the Pierce trunk brace and that helped remove some of the harshness unexpectedly. The car feels improved all around with it.

And after that I'd look into replacing the stock suspension. Do the research and you'll find what fits you.

Regarding the other cars they are considerably more expensive with a lot of that cost going straight to their advanced suspension set ups. I've driven a C7 Z06 flat out and could not believe how easy it was to drive and how well it handled the road. But it also had a suspension more technologically advanced than basically anything on the FiST while probably being as expensive as my whole damn car anyway.

Point being that people pay a lot more for the concept that they can have a car be both track and street compliant (different discussion.) You can't possibly compare a *stock* suspension you can adjust via the touchscreen in the dash versus our old-fashioned "it is what it is" set up.

 

[Cheetah30]

If you want to cure the ride it's as simple as ditching the 17's and going to 16 inch rims. BTW, I live in the Pothole Capital of Michigan, Metro Detroit. Within 2 weeks of purchasing my 2019 I had the 17 inch wheels and tires in my basement and some nice color matched 16 inch rims with a set of 205-50R16 Firestones on the car. Because I'm old enough to remember the benefit of having some sidewall height to cushion the ride.

BTW, I have a sister who lives a stones throw from the Blue Ridge Parkway and I will tell you flat out that 16 inch rims and 50 profile tires will NOT compromise the handling at all. If you want more evidence look at the number of Autocrossers who race with 16" rims.

Already on 16x8 Dekagrams on a 225/45/16 Direzza Z3. And metro Detroit isn't too bad [emoji6] Lansing is definitely worse

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[Cheetah30]

As stated above 16" wheels should help if you're running a 50 aspect ratio. 15" wheels obviously would be beneficial, too. Meat is good.

Additionally I recently installed the Pierce trunk brace and that helped remove some of the harshness unexpectedly. The car feels improved all around with it.

And after that I'd look into replacing the stock suspension. Do the research and you'll find what fits you.

Regarding the other cars they are considerably more expensive with a lot of that cost going straight to their advanced suspension set ups. I've driven a C7 Z06 flat out and could not believe how easy it was to drive and how well it handled the road. But it also had a suspension more technologically advanced than basically anything on the FiST while probably being as expensive as my whole damn car anyway.

Point being that people pay a lot more for the concept that they can have a car be both track and street compliant (different discussion.) You can't possibly compare a *stock* suspension you can adjust via the touchscreen in the dash versus our old-fashioned "it is what it is" set up.

Running 225/45/16s on a be 16x8 already. It's the crash over large bumps of what feels like your spine shooting out of your back I want to get rid of. My straight pipe gave out the other day after some bad Michigan roads literally shook it apart. Had to replace it

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[M-Sport fan]

You are on a full factory suspension setup currently?

Do the 225/45s rub anywhere at all, under any conditions/scenarios??

Those tires have a very stiff side wall, despite their decent side wall HEIGHT, so that is contributing to that harshness right there.

The sad problem is that NO ONE makes a more 'pedestrian', NOT 200 tread wear/autocross, daily driver, BOMBED OUT roads use, street type tire, with more flexible/forgiving side walls, in that size at all.

I have 205/50-16 Nitto Neo Gens 'stretched out' on the same Dekagrams as my daily driver setup, and they are pretty damned 'cushy' over the crap roads around here, even on the so called 'crashy/bouncy' factory suspension.

Actually, they do not appear (visually) to be stretched on the 8" wide wheels AT ALL, and even appear to have the bead 'sucked in' a bit, probably due to those tires having the very widest section width of any of the 205s available?

You might just be a candidate for the Bilstein B6es paired with the factory springs, since you do not want to be giving up any wheel travel on those cratered, frost heaved, destroyed roads, by going to any lowering springs, despite how 'cushy' everyone on here calls theirs (their roads are most likely NOT as bombed-out as your's are!).

 

[Cheetah30]

They rub a tiny bit every now and then over huge bumps. Going to roll my front fenders in a couple weeks with my buddy's roller. I think I may be able to make them fit on coils with a bit of camber and the rolling. Idk

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[CSM]

They rub a tiny bit every now and then over huge bumps. Going to roll my front fenders in a couple weeks with my buddy's roller. I think I may be able to make them fit on coils with a bit of camber and the rolling. Idk

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I've got the same wheel/tire setup on Bilstein coils and even at Max height, the fronts rub pretty bad on crappy OH roads. I'm gonna try to dial in more camber and roll fenders at some point, but my front left tire is getting trashed.

I think fortune auto makes for a good product. However their warranty terms are a deal breaker for me.

 

[Business6]

Running 225/45/16s on a be 16x8 already. It's the crash over large bumps of what feels like your spine shooting out of your back I want to get rid of. My straight pipe gave out the other day after some bad Michigan roads literally shook it apart. Had to replace it

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Ahh, that set up adds a bit of complexity to this for sure.

I'll say again to look into the trunk brace. It did to the ride quality what people told me going to 205/50 would do but actually didn't. I don't find 205/50 remotely different from stock size despite other people swearing by it, though the extra protection for the wheels makes me feel a lot better. The trunk brace took the upper ends of the suspension crashing and mellowed it out.

For around $100 and a super simple install there's little to lose.

 

[CFRmotorsports]

Depending on what you decide to choose for spring rates, the Fortune Auto 500’s would be a great option for you to get a more comfortable ride, along with keeping the handling characteristics of the ST. The adjustable dampers give the best of both worlds with their digressive piston design.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^How HIGH can one adjust the collars on the 500s?

Are they able to go to even the factory ride height or do they stop/are they maxed out MUCH lower than that, like pretty much every other kit out there?

Keep in mind that he is already rubbing on the factory suspension with that wheel/tire setup (24.1" tall tire, with an 8" tread width), any much lower than factory ride height and it will rub even with MAX fender pulls, AND the max camber one could possibly get.
Yes, if he opts for immovable,1000 lb. in. spring rates and valving it might keep the fenders/wells off of those tires, but it is still a street car, not a dedicated track toy, and then he is going in the exact polar opposite direction he desires, as far as ride goes.

 

[CFRmotorsports]

^^^How HIGH can one adjust the collars on the 500s?

Are they able to go to even the factory ride height or do they stop/are they maxed out MUCH lower than that, like pretty much every other kit out there?

Keep in mind that he is already rubbing on the factory suspension with that wheel/tire setup (24.1" tall tire, with an 8" tread width), any much lower than factory ride height and it will rub even with MAX fender pulls, AND the max camber one could possibly get.
Yes, if he opts for immovable,1000 lb. in. spring rates and valving it might keep the fenders/wells off of those tires, but it is still a street car, not a dedicated track toy, and then he is going in the exact polar opposite direction he desires, as far as ride goes.

500’s should go to OE ride height. They have a very large range of height adjustment. The spring rates arnt a issue either as he can choose whatever he wants for his specific application! What is he running for camber? I could see getting all of -3.5 - -4 degrees with camber plates and camber bolts if it is not a track car and he’s not worried about that

 

[Cheetah30]

500’s should go to OE ride height. They have a very large range of height adjustment. The spring rates arnt a issue either as he can choose whatever he wants for his specific application! What is he running for camber? I could see getting all of -3.5 - -4 degrees with camber plates and camber bolts if it is not a track car and he’s not worried about that

Right now I am running whatever factory is lol. What would good spring rates be? I am wanting it to still handle like factory or better and be more compliant in the ride.

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[scooter123]

I suspect that your 245-45x16's on a 16x8 rims is contributing to your ride harshness. I'm not a fan of purchasing wheels due to road damage or curb rash so I like my sidewalls to provide both a smoother ride and protection for the rum. That is why I chose the rims and 205 tire width on 16x7 wheels. I know that rims and tires can be expensive but I would suggest that you look into a set of wheels and tires chosen specifically for daily use and reserve your current wheels and tires for weekend use when you'll be doing some hot driving.

I'll also note that the reason why your exhaust hanger failed is due to how it was attached to the main tube, that is NOT how and exhaust hanger should be mounted. I would suggest a call to the Billy Bob who pt your exhaust together. If you want an example of a properly mounted hanger take a look at a Cobb system or even the original factory system. There you get the wire wrapping about 1/4 of the circumference of the tube and fully welded so that the forces are distributed over a much larger surface area. I'll also note that the major reason I spend the dollars for a Cobb system is because it is 100% 304 stainless. I've spent way too many dollars on replacing mild steel exhausts to ever use a Mild Steel system if there is stainless available. On the 1986 Cutlass I had for a daily driver before I got my FiST I was replacing the exhaust every 2 years and every time it was due to rot.

 

[CFRmotorsports]

Right now I am running whatever factory is lol. What would good spring rates be? I am wanting it to still handle like factory or better and be more compliant in the ride.

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6k front and 4k rear would be a good middle ground and will give you the best of both worlds imo. If you want it even a little softer you could go with 5k/3k.

 

[Ford ST]

I would throw on some KONI STR.T Orange shocks for the rear. If you don't want to spend too much money.
I haven't done this but I have seen multiple posts about them when it comes to ride quality.

I also recommend a trunk brace that someone else has mentioned I do have that and it does help some.



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[Cheetah30]

I would throw on some KONI STR.T Orange shocks for the rear. If you don't want to spend too much money.
I haven't done this but I have seen multiple posts about them when it comes to ride quality.

I also recommend a trunk brace that someone else has mentioned I do have that and it does help some.



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I was under the impression under hard driving these caused the car to get upset

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[Ford ST]

I was under the impression under hard driving these caused the car to get upset

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I have heard it both ways. I personally would not use them, but I don't mind a harsh ride my work truck is much harsher.
Some people seem to love them though.

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[Cheetah30]

I suspect that your 245-45x16's on a 16x8 rims is contributing to your ride harshness. I'm not a fan of purchasing wheels due to road damage or curb rash so I like my sidewalls to provide both a smoother ride and protection for the rum. That is why I chose the rims and 205 tire width on 16x7 wheels. I know that rims and tires can be expensive but I would suggest that you look into a set of wheels and tires chosen specifically for daily use and reserve your current wheels and tires for weekend use when you'll be doing some hot driving.

I'll also note that the reason why your exhaust hanger failed is due to how it was attached to the main tube, that is NOT how and exhaust hanger should be mounted. I would suggest a call to the Billy Bob who pt your exhaust together. If you want an example of a properly mounted hanger take a look at a Cobb system or even the original factory system. There you get the wire wrapping about 1/4 of the circumference of the tube and fully welded so that the forces are distributed over a much larger surface area. I'll also note that the major reason I spend the dollars for a Cobb system is because it is 100% 304 stainless. I've spent way too many dollars on replacing mild steel exhausts to ever use a Mild Steel system if there is stainless available. On the 1986 Cutlass I had for a daily driver before I got my FiST I was replacing the exhaust every 2 years and every time it was due to rot.

Haha 225 not 245 but I get your point. My buddy from work is the Billy Bob that did it [emoji23]. It has since been replaced by a Thermal R&D catback lol. I already have 2 spare sets of wheels in my garage. If I can solve this with coils I would prefer to go that route

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