2014/2015 Suspension on 2017+?

[superstu101]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has put springs / shocks from the early STs on a newer model with the larger stabilizer bar / stiffer twist beam. Here's the actual numerical differences between the two suspension setups...

2014 - early 2016:

Front spring rate - 171 lb/in
Rear spring rate - 143 lb/in
Stabilizer bar - 19 mm
Twist beam - 7.5 mm

Late 2016 - 2019:

Front spring rate - 154 lb/in (9.9% softer)
Rear spring rate - 131 lb/in (8.4% softer)
Stabilizer bar - 21 mm (9.5% larger diameter)
Twist beam - 8.5 mm (13% thicker)

I've had considerable seat time in a 2015 and have put about 10,000 miles on my 2017 since I bought it. Overall, the 2017 is a bit more comfortable and refined, but I think the 2015 feels more responsive and "planted" in corners. Not interested in lowering my car and probably not interested in doing anything to the suspension until it wears out. At some point, when shocks begin to wear I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to buy OEM springs & shocks from the early models.

What's everyone's thoughts on this? Would this combo improve handling or would it just stiffen the ride with no real benefit? Is there any way the larger stabilizer bar / twist beam would hurt handling when combined with stiffer springs?

Thanks for any input! Always appreciate the wealth of knowledge on this site.

 

[Dpro]

People have done it. If you are ok with the harder ride go for it. I felt even softened up the stock ride on my 18 was still somewhat over damped. In the end for me though it did not matter as I went aftermarket. Plus having the bigger sway up front with the stiffer twist beam in the rear is an advantage period!

I would say go uprated shocks if you don’t plan on lowering a Koni Yellow or Bilstein would be a much better choice over putting the factory 15 suspension in my view. combined with some Swift springs ya it lowers it slightly only about an inch but it trades off in spades the great springs and spring rate. These two combo are still way better than any year of stock suspension. Our stock shocks are not special and stock springs are meh stock springs.

 

[Mikey456]

I went with swift springs which has a even higher spring rate than stock to compensate for the shorter spring. But I did it for aesthetic. They are stiffer but the stock springs are fine. I would concentrate on the shock absorbers for better ride quality. I know I will when I buy Bilsteins when mine shocks wear out or when I can tired of being bounced around [emoji1]

 

[CarGuy]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has put springs / shocks from the early STs on a newer model with the larger stabilizer bar / stiffer twist beam. Here's the actual numerical differences between the two suspension setups...

2014 - early 2016:

Front spring rate - 171 lb/in
Rear spring rate - 143 lb/in
Stabilizer bar - 19 mm
Twist beam - 7.5 mm

Late 2016 - 2019:

Front spring rate - 154 lb/in (9.9% softer)
Rear spring rate - 131 lb/in (8.4% softer)
Stabilizer bar - 21 mm (9.5% larger diameter)
Twist beam - 8.5 mm (13% thicker)

I've had considerable seat time in a 2015 and have put about 10,000 miles on my 2017 since I bought it. Overall, the 2017 is a bit more comfortable and refined, but I think the 2015 feels more responsive and "planted" in corners. Not interested in lowering my car and probably not interested in doing anything to the suspension until it wears out. At some point, when shocks begin to wear I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to buy OEM springs & shocks from the early models.

What's everyone's thoughts on this? Would this combo improve handling or would it just stiffen the ride with no real benefit? Is there any way the larger stabilizer bar / twist beam would hurt handling when combined with stiffer springs?

Thanks for any input! Always appreciate the wealth of knowledge on this site.

I like your thought process and would also be curious as to how it handles. It seems that many commenting haven't tried the combo and poo-poo it with zero experience in the matter. I have owned a 2015 and now 2014 and like the stock ride and handling.

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[superstu101]

People have done it. If you are ok with the harder ride go for it. I felt even softened up the stock ride on my 18 was still somewhat over damped. In the end for me though it did not matter as I went aftermarket. Plus having the bigger sway up front with the stiffer twist beam in the rear is an advantage period!

I would say go uprated shocks if you don’t plan on lowering a Koni Yellow or Bilstein would be a much better choice over putting the factory 15 suspension in my view. combined with some Swift springs ya it lowers it slightly only about an inch but it trades off in spades the great springs and spring rate. These two combo are still way better than any year of stock suspension. Our stock shocks are not special and stock springs are meh stock springs.

Perhaps another route could be to get the springs with higher rates and pair them with aftermarket shocks.

 

[superstu101]

Ag

I like your thought process and would also be curious as to how it handles. It seems that many commenting haven't tried the combo and poo-poo it with zero experience in the matter. I have owned a 2015 and now 2014 and like the stock ride and handling.

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Agreed. I would love to know if someone has tried the combo. I personally have no qualms with the ride of the 2015 I have driven. Overall, I prefer the handling characteristics of the 2015 over my 2017.

 

[Dpro]

Perhaps another route could be to get the springs with higher rates and pair them with aftermarket shocks.

That is what my post said both Koni and Bilstein are aftermarked shocks and Swift springs are better than stock springs with a higher rate and only drop an inch. There are no stock height aftermarket springs with higher rate everyone lowers them from either slightly to extreme.

 

[Dpro]

I like your thought process and would also be curious as to how it handles. It seems that many commenting haven't tried the combo and poo-poo it with zero experience in the matter. I have owned a 2015 and now 2014 and like the stock ride and handling.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Like I said people have done it. Two things come to mind at least for me. I hate wheel gap so the less the better. I am not rallying my car. Two is unless you have smooth roads the stock suspension can get harsh even with a 2018. Now a bit can be mitigated by going to 16’s though the minute I put coilovers on my car I could not believe how much improved the ride was. You really don’t know till you go there.

Second off was when I went 16’s then went back to 17’s and switched back to 16’s . Part of the ride harshness is imparted by running a 17 inch wheel with 205/40 Tire . It’s not much sidewall and to maintain turn in crispness one must run a relatively stiff sidewall tire or they get washy steering response. IMO.

I went back to 16’s and love them for two reasons weight savings which is a big deal on unsprung rotating mass on the car. Two is the ride. I managed to maintain turn by adding negative camber which definitely helped. Some get afraid of going down that road though most serious people do it and love it. I.E. track , autocross, and hard core canyon fans.

 

[CarGuy]

Like I said people have done it. Two things come to mind at least for me. I hate wheel gap so the less the better. I am not rallying my car. Two is unless you have smooth roads the stock suspension can get harsh even with a 2018. Now a bit can be mitigated by going to 16’s though the minute I put coilovers on my car I could not believe how much improved the ride was. You really don’t know till you go there.

Second off was when I went 16’s then went back to 17’s and switched back to 16’s . Part of the ride harshness is imparted by running a 17 inch wheel with 205/40 Tire . It’s not much sidewall and to maintain turn in crispness one must run a relatively stiff sidewall tire or they get washy steering response. IMO.

I went back to 16’s and love them for two reasons weight savings which is a big deal on unsprung rotating mass on the car. Two is the ride. I managed to maintain turn by adding negative camber which definitely helped. Some get afraid of going down that road though most serious people do it and love it. I.E. track , autocross, and hard core canyon fans.

But if he wants to run in the stock autocross class he can't do aftermarket springs (but can update/backdate them) only shocks. I think he is seeing what he can do with stock components. That's what I read into his statements but everyone wants to quickly go right to aftermarket parts. I don't think that is what he is trying to do from what I've read.

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[Dpro]

But if he wants to run in the stock autocross class he can't do aftermarket springs (but can update/backdate them) only shocks. I think he is seeing what he can do with stock components. That's what I read into his statements but everyone wants to quickly go right to aftermarket parts. I don't think that is what he is trying to do from what I've read.

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I am just giving all the good options . I did not try to read into what he was doing.There is nothing in his post about what he was doing , beyond questions.

I merely gave info on what others have done and I have done for his knowledge and ability to make a informed choice nothing more nothing less.

 

[superstu101]

Like I said people have done it. Two things come to mind at least for me. I hate wheel gap so the less the better. I am not rallying my car. Two is unless you have smooth roads the stock suspension can get harsh even with a 2018. Now a bit can be mitigated by going to 16’s though the minute I put coilovers on my car I could not believe how much improved the ride was. You really don’t know till you go there.

Second off was when I went 16’s then went back to 17’s and switched back to 16’s . Part of the ride harshness is imparted by running a 17 inch wheel with 205/40 Tire . It’s not much sidewall and to maintain turn in crispness one must run a relatively stiff sidewall tire or they get washy steering response. IMO.

I went back to 16’s and love them for two reasons weight savings which is a big deal on unsprung rotating mass on the car. Two is the ride. I managed to maintain turn by adding negative camber which definitely helped. Some get afraid of going down that road though most serious people do it and love it. I.E. track , autocross, and hard core canyon fans.

Appreciate the insight. I have driven a 2015 on 17s and 16s and believe the trade off in turn-in / on-center feel is not worth downsizing to 16 inch wheels.

Also appreciate the discussion on aftermarket options. I am more interested in using stock components but it’s good to see all the options available.

 

[superstu101]

But if he wants to run in the stock autocross class he can't do aftermarket springs (but can update/backdate them) only shocks. I think he is seeing what he can do with stock components. That's what I read into his statements but everyone wants to quickly go right to aftermarket parts. I don't think that is what he is trying to do from what I've read.

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Running autocross is definitely in the back of my mind. Haven’t done it yet but have seriously considered it.

Also really like to keep my cars as close to stock as possible. I personally like the factory ride height. There’s been extensive discussion of aftermarket suspension setups but thought it would be cool to find the best combo of OEM parts.

 

[superstu101]

Would still like to hear from someone who has firsthand experience running a combination of the old / new suspension parts!

 

[M-Sport fan]

That is what my post said both Koni and Bilstein are aftermarked shocks and Swift springs are better than stock springs with a higher rate and only drop an inch. There are no stock height aftermarket springs with higher rate everyone lowers them from either slightly to extreme.

For some of us, that (even if it is less than a) 1" drop of the Spec Rs is way too much.

Yes, IF anyone offered a higher rate than even the earlier, higher rate than latter, stock ride height/travel spring, they would already be on my car, paired with Bilstein B6es.

 

[superstu101]

For some of us, that (even if it is less than a) 1" drop of the Spec Rs is way too much.

Yes, IF anyone offered a higher rate than even the earlier, higher rate than latter, stock ride height/travel spring, they would already be on my car, paired with Bilstein B6es.

Agree that “just an inch” is a significant drop. I mean, that’s the difference between a base Fiesta and an ST 🧐!

 

[superstu101]

For some of us, that (even if it is less than a) 1" drop of the Spec Rs is way too much.

Yes, IF anyone offered a higher rate than even the earlier, higher rate than latter, stock ride height/travel spring, they would already be on my car, paired with Bilstein B6es.

I keep reading that our cars are overdamped. Does the B6 have a lower damping rate vs stock?

 

[M-Sport fan]

Most on here seem to think that their valving, and rates are much better suited to the factory springs than the factory (Visteon made??) dampers.

My guess is that they are also a bit stronger than, with a greater longevity/ability to take the hard 'hits' from bad paved roads and gravel roads without blowing out, than the factory dampers as well.

 

[superstu101]

Most on here seem to think that their valving, and rates are much better suited to the factory springs than the factory (Visteon made??) dampers.

My guess is that they are also a bit stronger than, with a greater longevity/ability to take the hard 'hits' from bad paved roads and gravel roads without blowing out, than the factory dampers as well.

Interesting. I need to go educate myself on the inner workings of dampers. They aren’t as straight forward as springs 😂.

 

[Dpro]

Appreciate the insight. I have driven a 2015 on 17s and 16s and believe the trade off in turn-in / on-center feel is not worth downsizing to 16 inch wheels.

Also appreciate the discussion on aftermarket options. I am more interested in using stock components but it’s good to see all the options available.

If one knows how to set up a set of 16’s they will not lose turn in. (In fact our chassis was never designed for a 17 inch wheel and the factory stuffed them under their for almost form over function.)

It‘s all about learning and setting aside personal bias’s one may have developed. I see a lot of people defy logic in favor of non logical personal bias’s. That are usually created by seeing people going to extremes with things and then posting them on the internet.

For instance a 1 inch drop over stock is not that low at all, . One cannot sight the stock Fiesta as an example either IMO because like a lot of stock cars it sits abnormally high wheel to wheel well. I appreciate M Sport Fans view though because he is a rally guy. If one is going to set the car up for that then ya raise it up. Keep it stock height! Outside of stock class autocross a inch lowering spring is not a problem.

Therefor to say for example a swift spring drops the car too much because it drops it one inch has no factual truth in suspension geometry setup. In fact it’s just fine and actually helps handling rather than detracts. You are not lowering your roll center too much.
I am a function before form person. I do like form but function comes first.

I will end this with anyone asking about this stuff owes themselves the favor of listening , reading and learning about all the alternatives for the sake of education and knowledge. Better to make an informed decision rather than let people say he does not need this so dismiss it.

Lack of knowledge and education is a bane to progress and enjoyment.

 

[superstu101]

If one knows how to set up a set of 16’s they will not lose turn in. (In fact our chassis was never designed for a 17 inch wheel and the factory stuffed them under their for almost form over function.)

It‘s all about learning and setting aside personal bias’s one may have developed. I see a lot of people defy logic in favor of non logical personal bias’s. That are usually created by seeing people going to extremes with things and then posting them on the internet.

For instance a 1 inch drop over stock is not that low at all, . One cannot sight the stock Fiesta as an example either IMO because like a lot of stock cars it sits abnormally high wheel to wheel well. I appreciate M Sport Fans view though because he is a rally guy. If one is going to set the car up for that then ya raise it up. Keep it stock height! Outside of stock class autocross a inch lowering spring is not a problem.

Therefor to say for example a swift spring drops the car too much because it drops it one inch has no factual truth in suspension geometry setup. In fact it’s just fine and actually helps handling rather than detracts. You are not lowering your roll center too much.
I am a function before form person. I do like form but function comes first.

I will end this with anyone asking about this stuff owes themselves the favor of listening , reading and learning about all the alternatives for the sake of education and knowledge. Better to make an informed decision rather than let people say he does not need this so dismiss it.

Lack of knowledge and education is a bane to progress and enjoyment.

I understand that 16s are likely objectively better from a performance standpoints on the ST.

Turn-in / on-center response though, is largely about feel. Even if a high performance 16 inch tire with stiff sidewalls has better turn-in than the OEM setup, wouldn’t that same tire on a 17 inch wheel have better steering feel? Or is there something I’m missing?

Also, regarding ride height…from a performance perspective, lowering center of gravity is certainly beneficial. But keep in mind that the stock height has a couple of advantages. Autocross (as you mentioned) and versatility as a daily driver. I can’t be the only person who has taken an ST up dirt roads, through snowstorms, and into places where it wasn’t really designed to go. Having extra clearance has definitely saved me from unwanted scrapes / rubs / plowing (more) snow with the air dam. Also, having taken a cross country road trip with a hitch bike rack, I needed every cm of clearance I had to avoid dragging the rack on uneven surfaces. One of the biggest appeals of the FiST for me is that it can be used for so many purposes. I don’t want to go too far down a path of modifications that makes it a one trick pony.

Absolutely agree that there are benefits to lowering but there are also benefits to staying at stock ride height ✌️