The Official Fiesta ST Suspension Thread

[EverydayStruggle]

My reason for changing the front bar was that I found the Eibach bar to be too stiff for my liking.
The rear bar however, is great.
I originally installed a non-ST Fiesta rear bar but had to add spacers to fit correctly on the ST Twist Beam.
Eibach liked my modification and added different tabs to their non-ST rear bar and that is what they now offer for all the Fiestas.

Yes, Eibach was thinking of using the B-Spec coilovers for street/track use however they decided not to market these in the US.
To my knowledge I have the one and only US set.



Dave

Interesting,

That is pretty damn cool as well. Hopefully they change their mind. I know the market is saturated with cheap low end coils since nobody want to pay for the quality suspension.

 

[LilPartyBox]

Posted this in the Meister thread but wanted to share it here as well...

Installed MeisterR ZetaCRD+ coils on Sunday. From full stiff I set them to -10/,-11 and changed nothing else. Just slapped them on. I set mine to the outside of the slot as well to remove as much negative camber as possible. There's still a bit but totally drivable.

I've been driving on them for all of 2 days. But I gotta say, in all my years I've been on H&R, KW, Bilstein, FK, and Koni... MeisterR is by FAR the best setup I've experienced. Tight and controlled but somehow so compliant and buttery. It's hard to explain. There's an elasticity to the way they dampen. The tires just feel like they are always clawing at the ground, even when just driving straight. Turn-in is instant and the grip is confidence inspiring. Let's just say that if i exceed it then i'm going way too fast for the street. I also have Cobb sways and Pierce front/rear bracing but it's safe to say most of my new found cornering prowess belongs to Meister.

Zero noises from anywhere! AND NO BOUNCE! My usual morning commute is riddled with broken pavement and i've dreaded it every morning since i bought the car. This morning the drive was truly enjoyable. This setup has changed the character of the car completely. It's got a germanic quality now. Bank vault feel with a smooth controlled ride. The car feels 10k more expensive. I couldn't be happier.

The wife took it out and actually noticed it. She compared it to my former favorite, the Biltein PSS9s I had on an R32. That's saying a lot. If you're on the fence, don't be. I was VERY apprehensive but no regrets here. Buy these things. You'll never look at any other vendor again. Just perfect. Now to wait & see how they last...

This is when i knew this was no ordinary setup. ALL of the collars were set and precisely matched each other. This gave me the confidence to just slap them on. I've never had a set that was this dialed. Someone cared before packing these into the box.

This morning at the train station. The drop right out of the box:

 

[Jason3d]

Great review. I've had the same impression about the ST XTA coilovers I installed a couple weeks ago. Responsive yet incredibly comfortable and compliant. I am happier with these than all of the setups I've had on my cars in the past.

 

[codestp202]

So my tax return is burning a hole in my pocket. I'm thinking about purchasing a sway bar (or a set) or a set of coilovers. I would be buying them with all out performance on the track in mind. My ride is already terrible, I don't think it can get any worse.

The meister R's sound nice. I think these would be the best choice as they have height, camber, and dampening adjustability.

The Ksport kontrol pro's also look nice:
https://whoosh-motorsports.myshopif...pro-coilovers-ford-fiesta-fiesta-st-2014-2017

The KW's are a bit out of my price range once you add the race alignment and corner balancing. The ST suspensions only offer height adjust-ability.

I've also thought about just doing sway bars and camber bolts. The car handles really well on track, but there is still some body roll and I notice outside tire wear from suspension roll. I want to dial about a bit more of my understeer, and I think the combo of the camber bolt and the sway bar would help a lot.

Thoughts?

 

[LilPartyBox]

So my tax return is burning a hole in my pocket. I'm thinking about purchasing a sway bar (or a set) or a set of coilovers. I would be buying them with all out performance on the track in mind. My ride is already terrible, I don't think it can get any worse.

The meister R's sound nice. I think these would be the best choice as they have height, camber, and dampening adjustability.

The Ksport kontrol pro's also look nice:
https://whoosh-motorsports.myshopif...pro-coilovers-ford-fiesta-fiesta-st-2014-2017

The KW's are a bit out of my price range once you add the race alignment and corner balancing. The ST suspensions only offer height adjust-ability.

I've also thought about just doing sway bars and camber bolts. The car handles really well on track, but there is still some body roll and I notice outside tire wear from suspension roll. I want to dial about a bit more of my understeer, and I think the combo of the camber bolt and the sway bar would help a lot.

Thoughts?

I have the MeisterR setup and adore it. I've been through damm near every brand on many different cars and the MRs are the best I've owned in this price range without a doubt.

Ur gonna hear a lot guys say this car is tail happy and speak against adding a rear sway. I have front and rear sways with front and rear bracing. I don't track and never will so I can't comment on behavior at the razor's edge but I've intentionally tried to kick the rear out on deserted back roads to prove the point and while she does oversteer, I wouldn't describe it as tail happy. It's progressive and predictable.

I've gotten the car into gradual 4 wheel drifts on speed ramps and again, nothing tail happy about it. But again, take my feedback with a grain of salt as I've never tracked the setup and she could be tail happy if I was ripping around a course at 9/10s

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[Plainrt]

What about isc coilovers? Anyone here running them?

 

[codestp202]

I have the MeisterR setup and adore it. I've been through damm near every brand on many different cars and the MRs are the best I've owned in this price range without a doubt.

Ur gonna hear a lot guys say this car is tail happy and speak against adding a rear sway. I have front and rear sways with front and rear bracing. I don't track and never will so I can't comment on behavior at the razor's edge but I've intentionally tried to kick the rear out on deserted back roads to prove the point and while she does oversteer, I wouldn't describe it as tail happy. It's progressive and predictable.

I've gotten the car into gradual 4 wheel drifts on speed ramps and again, nothing tail happy about it. But again, take my feedback with a grain of salt as I've never tracked the setup and she could be tail happy if I was ripping around a course at 9/10s

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I would classify my setup and progressive. It will progressively understeer, but oversteer is also very easy to do if you want to get the car to rotate when you are mid corner. I think the MR's are a good idea so far.

 

[TDavis]

I concur. The MR's are pretty amazing for what they are. I have only gone down a few roads aggressively since I bought the car and put the coilovers on in the winter there isn't much time to do that in the winter since its cold but I can say the car definitely does stick. I just have MR coilovers and the optional A/S tires too, no bracing as of yet.

 

[danbfree]

I am interested in conservative budget setup, how would Koni Orange STR.T shocks go with Eibach springs? That's only $500 in parts while probably much better quality than Rev 9 eBay coilovers right? LOL Anyway, I hear to get the softer ride of the Eibach springs then the shocks should be replaced with slighty softer and was wondering if that's true and/or what good conservative shock/dampers there are?

 

[TyphoonFiST]

I am interested in conservative budget setup, how would Koni Orange STR.T shocks go with Eibach springs? That's only $500 in parts while probably much better quality than Rev 9 coilovers right? LOL Anyway, I hear to get the softer ride of the Eibach springs then the shocks should be replaced with slighty softer and was wondering if that's true and/or what good conservative shock/dampers there are?

I am going to do this route in the spring with koni STR.T With Swift Spec-r Springs...with replacement of all OEM Piston boots...bearing plates....Strut stops...etc....ill let you know how it goes! In the spring.....

 

[danbfree]

I am going to do this route in the spring with koni STR.T With Swift Spec-r Springs...with replacement of all OEM Piston boots...bearing plates....Strut stops...etc....ill let you know how it goes! In the spring.....

Yeah, good idea to do all the pads, stops, etc., I should probably look at doing those too even though my car is still pretty new just so I don't have to worry about it in the future.

 

[LilPartyBox]

I am interested in conservative budget setup, how would Koni Orange STR.T shocks go with Eibach springs? That's only $500 in parts while probably much better quality than Rev 9 eBay coilovers right? LOL Anyway, I hear to get the softer ride of the Eibach springs then the shocks should be replaced with slighty softer and was wondering if that's true and/or what good conservative shock/dampers there are?

I ran that exact setup for maybe two weeks. hated it. Just too soft for the way i drive. I'd be doing 100mph on the highway and dive into an offramp braking hard and the car would just wobble everywhere under braking and bob and weave it's way through corner entry. Scary shit. My MR coilovers under the same conditions are SOLID. The setup your considering is for comfort and looks. It is a downgrade in "because race car" performance. Buuut, if ur looking for comfort and a decent drop without the aggressive driving aspect then go for it. They were def very comfy! Not the MRs are back breaking either. I soften the dampers a bit for the winter and it's comfy enough but still in full control of the car.

Maybe swift springs, as Typhoon is planning, would be a more buttoned down setup. But the Eibach/Koni setup is kinda floaty. Or perhaps Bilstein B8s with Swift springs? I mean, MRs are only 1,000. Just save up for a lil longer. I've been through 30k trouble free miles and can't recommend them enough.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I ran that exact setup for maybe two weeks. hated it. Just too soft for the way i drive. I'd be doing 100mph on the highway and dive into an offramp braking hard and the car would just wobble everywhere under braking and bob and weave it's way through corner entry. Scary shit. My MR coilovers under the same conditions are SOLID. The setup your considering is for comfort and looks. It is a downgrade in "because race car" performance. Buuut, if ur looking for comfort and a decent drop without the aggressive driving aspect then go for it. They were def very comfy! Not the MRs are back breaking either. I soften the dampers a bit for the winter and it's comfy enough but still in full control of the car.

Maybe swift springs, as Typhoon is planning, would be a more buttoned down setup. But the Eibach/Koni setup is kinda floaty. Or perhaps Bilstein B8s with Swift springs? I mean, MRs are only 1,000. Just save up for a lil longer. I've been through 30k trouble free miles and can't recommend them enough.

How did the MRs stand up to our salt soup winters?
Do you coat them with anything (i.e.; fluid film, Amsoil Metal Protector, etc.)?

 

[danbfree]

I ran that exact setup for maybe two weeks. hated it. Just too soft for the way i drive. I'd be doing 100mph on the highway and dive into an offramp braking hard and the car would just wobble everywhere under braking and bob and weave it's way through corner entry. Scary shit. My MR coilovers under the same conditions are SOLID. The setup your considering is for comfort and looks. It is a downgrade in "because race car" performance. Buuut, if ur looking for comfort and a decent drop without the aggressive driving aspect then go for it. They were def very comfy! Not the MRs are back breaking either. I soften the dampers a bit for the winter and it's comfy enough but still in full control of the car.

Maybe swift springs, as Typhoon is planning, would be a more buttoned down setup. But the Eibach/Koni setup is kinda floaty. Or perhaps Bilstein B8s with Swift springs? I mean, MRs are only 1,000. Just save up for a lil longer. I've been through 30k trouble free miles and can't recommend them enough.

Great feedback, I was wondering that exactly, so thanks! Also considering ST height adjustable coilovers for like $760 from Whoosh... Not dampening adjustable but drop goes from only 0.2" on up, looking to dial in the best balance of comfort and decent performance, although won't be hitting 100, I'd like to feel pretty stable at 75-80 anyway.... But also, don't want to drop too much since I'm pretty sure I want 215 wide tires and even staying at 40 series there is 0.3" more sidewall there and don't want to rub... B6 are for stock springs so yeah looks like B8 with Eibach or the ST's probably...

 

[LilPartyBox]

How did the MRs stand up to our salt soup winters?
Do you coat them with anything (i.e.; fluid film, Amsoil Metal Protector, etc.)?

well it's all about maintenance, right? I clean them after every summer and winter. I fully disassemble the fronts for the winter cleaning. I coat the threads with silver anti-sieze at all four corners every time. It has anti-corrosive properties, goes on thick and stays put so it traps all the crud... and it's cheap!

b4 anyone says anything I do know what anti-sieze is actually for and use it for dissimilar metals and all that. but it made sense and isn't as sloppy as the high temp lithium I used one yr long ago and regretted lol

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[LilPartyBox]

Update on my experience with MRs.

Installed 5/29/2016 with 5,279 miles. The coils are still going strong today almost 36,000 miles & 3+ yrs later. They're not as buttery as they were brand new but still dampen very well. Despite my efforts to clean them at the end of each season, the winters in the northeast can be brutal. The black coating on the springs has seen better days and there's rust beginning to form. But the rest of the coil body is perfect. Even the adjustment collars are perfect. There's also no weird noises other than the usual winter bang the rears do but OEMs and the Konis i had on made the same exact sound. Chalk it up to that econobox life yo.

About a year ago the driver side damper did loosen up from the top hat for some odd reason but tightened back down and all was well. During that same incident the camber plate loosened a tiny bit and i was riding around stanced on one side but that was also an easy fix. Nothing has ever gotten loose again. I plan to reach out to them and price out replacement dampers and top hats to do a refresh of the setup. Another 36k of trouble free miles sounds good to me.

 

[CaptainCheesy]

I'm stuck.. can someone help please? I'm struggling to pick between the two. I've heard good things about Megan Racing, but I want to be different and try new things, instead of being like everyone else.

ISC Suspension Kit

Megan Racing Kit

 

[HBEcoBeaST]

Isc > Megan

Not sure what platform you heard about Megan's on, but they are [emoji1418] as far as quality and performance. Equivalent to GodSpeed SS. They are the 'cheap' coilover and are STIFF. Longevity is not their strong point.

A couple local people run ISC and are happy with them. Ride is much better than the megans and they are still a performance coilover. If I didn't get bilsteins I would have gotten ISC.

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[danbfree]

Isc > Megan

Not sure what platform you heard about Megan's on, but they are [emoji1418] as far as quality and performance. Equivalent to GodSpeed SS. They are the 'cheap' coilover and are STIFF. Longevity is not their strong point.

A couple local people run ISC and are happy with them. Ride is much better than the megans and they are still a performance coilover. If I didn't get bilsteins I would have gotten ISC.

I've heard the same as well, the ISC for like $984 is about the cheapest you want to go and very good overall, excellent for the money.

I ended up wimping out and just going with Eibach springs, they really seem to match up well with the slightly softer '17+ shocks/struts... but I'm even happier than I thought with them, I don't know why more people don't go with them more often for a daily, the small bit of progressive rate to them kills the harness but still definitely keeps things nice and firm but allowing for some nice travel when taking the freeway whooop te doo's when you need it with only a smidge of added body roll that actually helps you dig into the corners better.

 

[Dpro]

I've heard the same as well, the ISC for like $984 is about the cheapest you want to go and very good overall, excellent for the money.

I ended up wimping out and just going with Eibach springs, they really seem to match up well with the slightly softer '17+ shocks/struts... but I'm even happier than I thought with them, I don't know why more people don't go with them more often for a daily, the small bit of progressive rate to them kills the harness but still definitely keeps things nice and firm but allowing for some nice travel when taking the freeway whooop te doo's when you need it with only a smidge of added body roll that actually helps you dig into the corners better.

For that much money one is better off buying the MeisterR’s . Same price and a much more proven suspension for our cars. Has WON BTC championships. If I was going to do it again I would probably get the MeisterR’s myself.

P.S. Fixed spring heights are fine if you like them suck if you don’t. Lol I am not a fan of Eibach springs out of first hand experience as well.