NEW: MeisterR Coilovers for Fiesta ST, $995 Delivered

[KKaWing]

Have you thought about turning the rear damper upside down (For the love of everything... don't turn this into a semantics argument about the "I" word again)? Like the top mount screws into the damper body and the top of the shaft is attached to the "eye" near the hub? Much easier damper adjustments and a decent spring bag or heavy duty plastic and zip ties should keep the dirt out and away from the shaft.

 

[MeisterR]

Have you thought about turning the rear damper upside down (For the love of everything... don't turn this into a semantics argument about the "I" word again)? Like the top mount screws into the damper body and the top of the shaft is attached to the "eye" near the hub? Much easier damper adjustments and a decent spring bag or heavy duty plastic and zip ties should keep the dirt out and away from the shaft.

I have thought about it, but application wise it could be a problem.
There are one of 2 way, either do a twin tube damper so you can adjust from the base valve, or you do an inverted damper.

Twin Tube damper basically will throw damping response out the window, so not a route i want to go down.
Also, it is very common for the totally expose adjustment dial to seize up or break off, so an issue I wouldn't want.

Inverted damper are limited by room, there aren't much there for me to work with.
You will have to dramatically reduce the piston size to get the damper to fit, so that is performance out the window too.
You have issue like outer ram drying up, and they will start making noise so no one wants that.

So I did think about it, but for the "hassle" of reaching in to adjust the damper.
It isn't worth the potential performance and durability loss from positing the adjustment dial at the bottom of the damper.

It is getting more common now that a lot of manufacturer is going for this "seal" suspension route.
The only other way is to get the damper adjustment on top, and drill a hole through the metal panel and feed an adjustment cable through.

I had a brain storm with a few members... carpet most people can deal with.
As soon as you mention drilling through metal on a new car, everyone backs off that idea.
So this design makes the best out of the chassis limitation that we have to work with.

Jerrick

 

[CanadianGuy]

I
I had a brain storm with a few members... carpet most people can deal with.
As soon as you mention drilling through metal on a new car, everyone backs off that idea.
So this design makes the best out of the chassis limitation that we have to work with.

Jerrick

What about the cable option but have the option for the bracket to hold it inside the fender well (behind the protected liner) for protection and should someone want to drill and place it in the boot it can be.

 

[MeisterR]

What about the cable option but have the option for the bracket to hold it inside the fender well (behind the protected liner) for protection and should someone want to drill and place it in the boot it can be.

The damper move a lot, the last thing you want is for the knob to be rip off and have the cable trap somewhere.
This dial wheel design is pretty good, both in ease of adjustment and reliability.
It isn't extremely difficult to access, and most importantly it is durable and not exposed to the element.

Jerrick

 

[LilPartyBox]

Thanks for your patience with all of my questions. The idea of having to lift the rear to adjust it didn't sit well with me so I went over to BC racing's site to see if there's were top mounted. Turns out all of the threads i ran into saying that yours are just reworked BCs may have some merit. Your rear shock is IDENTICAL to BCs (so are your top mounts). That being said, I could care less. It's what inside that counts! In all my research of BC and MeisterR, BC had mixed reviews and my own experience with them has been spotty. I have yet to find a bad word about MeisterR and there's also the added bonus of you being around. so, uh, order# 25 baby! lol Can't wait to put them on!

EDIT: I ordered the coils, came here to post about it, then went to check my email and already had tracking! Feeling even better about this purchase

 

[MeisterR]

We had an older design that had the adjuster on the side.
It work, but depending on which way the knob is facing it can be very difficult to adjust.
There is also extra moving parts in there (a 90 degree bend), where the new wheel design is more durable as there are less moving parts.

We could have the adjuster at the top, but the way Ford design the Fiesta will mean you need to drill through the metal work to get to the top adjuster.
Some wouldn't mind; but when you say you have to drill a hole through the metal of their new car... most people would not want that.

It is a case of working the best with what we got.
The new adjustment wheel design I got to say is the most durable and reliable method of providing access to damping adjustments to the rear, without the need to drill anything or causing issue else where.

Jerrick

 

[LilPartyBox]

I was ready to pump a hole in the car for extenders. But it is what is. I'll only adjust them twice a year for the seasons anyway.

One more question Would leaving the camber plates at 0 allow my alignment shop to set it up to factory specs WITHOUT using the camber plates?

 

[F1Fletch]

Jerrick

Will you offer upgraded springs like the Swift for an up charge? It looks like you already have the bearing upgrade for the top to reduce noise so no upgrade needed there looks like .

Really looking forward to reading more DD reviews as these get mounted up! I was holding out for the Koni Sports specific for the ST but now my piggy bank has a new name!!

 

[LilPartyBox]

I asked the same question a while back. His explanation is on page 6, post# 54

 

[F1Fletch]

Thanks, he responded to my pm as well. Honestly it sounds like the GT1's are really the way to go. For better ride and lifetime warranty it's worth the extra money. Just gotta save now...

 

[D-resonant]

I was ready to pump a hole in the car for extenders. But it is what is. I'll only adjust them twice a year for the seasons anyway.

One more question Would leaving the camber plates at 0 allow my alignment shop to set it up to factory specs WITHOUT using the camber plates?

Received and installed my ZetaCRD on Monday. Held off posting till I got a quick canyon run on them today.

The upper strut hole is slotted and I got over -2.2 deg, but my 215 tires on 17x7.5 43mm offset TD 1.2s barely cleared the strut (like a shop-rag width clearance). Using the outside of the slot (normal position) I got -1.4 deg with the upper camber plate still at 0. Camber on my factory strut was -1.3. Checked toe and it was .2 deg in, down from .4 deg of factory. Out-of-box, the ZetaCRD dropped the front 7/8" and the rear 1/2". Adjusted my front to 3/4" drop for now. The front ride height can be adjusted to be higher than stock (for those who were inquiring), but I didn't try that configuration.

 

[LilPartyBox]

Completed the install 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:

 

[CanadianGuy]

[MENTION=4046]LilPartyBox[/MENTION] nicely done sir. Quick question. Did you require an alignment once you were done?

 

[LilPartyBox]

Thx. No alignment yet. I'm hoping I can get an appointment two weeks from now. Give them some time to settle. I'm only doing it cuz I should, u know. Car drives and tracks perfectly fine. There's a bit of negative camber up front that I will ask the shop to keep or dial in for a compromise b/n handling and tire life.

And I just want to say there is no way in hell the rear dampening is going to be adjusted without getting the car off the ground. Just look at the gap in my pic. How is my arm getting in there? lol Good thing I like where it's set.

 

[MeisterR]

Thanks for the detail review, and I am glad you like them.
It is high praise for you and your wife to compare the MeisterR ZetaCRD To Bilstein PSS9 on a road car.
The PSS9 is more road oriented where the ZetaCRD is more a dual purpose setup.

I am glad that it ticked all of your box and that the usual morning commute is more enjoyable now.
As usual I am on hand if you have any concerns, so just let me know if you need any help.

Jerrick

 

[trahma]

[MENTION=4046]LilPartyBox[/MENTION] nicely done sir. Quick question. Did you require an alignment once you were done?

Here's my alignment sheet after installing the coilovers. My alignment guy told me he felt bad charging me money.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Here's my alignment sheet after installing the coilovers. My alignment guy told me he felt bad charging me money.

Better to know than not.

 

[worfab]

Can they be ordered with different spring rates?

 

[jdubs]

[MENTION=4680]MeisterR[/MENTION] any ideas when they'll be back in stock?

 

[MeisterR]

Can they be ordered with different spring rates?

For the moment, we will keep the springs rate the same as our damper are valved pretty specific for those springs rate.
If someone have specific need, let me know and we can sort something out.

[MENTION=4680]MeisterR[/MENTION] any ideas when they'll be back in stock?

I will let everyone know shortly, they are in production and I just want to confirm a date before i make any promises.

Jerrick