adamS2RST

Hello chaps and chapesses

At current I have a set of PI shockers and springs (25mm) and the ride height is fine, I can't really go any lower than that as I run 7.5" X 17" RS 7's with no arch mods (plus I dont want to go any lower anyway)

Now, one of my shocks I know was on it's way out as at the car's last mot it was an advisory that it was "drooping" and I do notice it sits lower that side sometimes.

When I drive the car now it has got quite bad, at speed I dont feel safe and the wheel is jumping outta my hand on the smallest of road changes!!!

I have polybushed the rear end of the car when I did my underside but I've yet to do the front, so thinking this may help but I want some decent suspension too.

What do you suggest people? Should I go for a set of Koni's or similar? There was talk of coilovers on another thread which i'm really not sure about.....

Anyway, and help or suggestions or recommendations on suspension packages would be nice

Oh, the car is a purely road going car which is not used everyday. At the minute it is standard power but in the future I intend to go fairly big power....w'ell see how things go

vroooom ptssssh

Coilovers, good ones.....nothing else comes CLOSE!

ballin

iTrader: (1)

wouldnt personally bother with coilovers on a road car especially the S2 unless you're going to do the whole lot properly with fully adjustable tcas etc.

koni adjustables!

DazC

iTrader: (1)

https://passionford.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=125825

vroooom ptssssh

ballin, Out of interest, have you experienced an S2 on the road with coilovers and the correct poundage of spring and damper adjustment to compare with the Koni's?


Personally i feel koni's are just far far far too harsh, they aint very rewarding on potholes/bumps, the car skips about at high speed when hitting bumps, and are not stable at speed! IMO

adamS2RST

Cheers for your input so far The question in my mind is how far to take things If by getting a set of konis things wont change then i will need to think about other routesw, but cant really justify £1000+? on coilovers

James Raby

iTrader: (1)

sod Koni's, go for the uprated Ford suspension - i wish i had done

ballin

iTrader: (1)

vroooom ptssssh, no mate not experienced coilovers on a s2 at all. just think that for the money on a roadgoing car it cant be worth it, especially considering that a lot of the poor setup on a ERST is down to non-adjustable tcs etc?
maybe not konis for others then, but at set of adjustable dampers is good enough...?

James Raby

iTrader: (1)

Adjustable dampers are crap, they harden the ride far too much IMO
Stick with uprated monroe shocks and springs (ford DO do this kit) at £350 I think

Or spend £500 on a Gaz coilover kit from Chris (conoiseur) 'cossymad'

Andy-R

Adam would a good solution not be to change the front for coilovers then at a later date add the rears or visa versa.

adamS2RST

B8, I'm not sure, wouldn't that effect the ride/handling of the car some what?

Ideally i'm looking for an all round uprated suspension package as I mentioned Im not building a track monster so no plans to go the full hog and get adjustable this and adjustable that.....of course if I had money to blow then yea I would

James - Why do you mention uprated ford stuff? What was the setup that came with the s2 originally, wern't they gas shocks, can't remember the make, may even be monroe? but what are the "uprated" ones you mention? and they still have these for the rst?

I know the jist of most normal road going rst's will have the basic "koni" or equivilant suspension package, but in all honesty, how do people find these? I know it's still only an old escort at the end of the day and without spending mega amounts on it then perhaps it will still not handle / drive well but maybe there is an in between of these points?

Cheers for the links and info people.....any more info / opinions welcomed..

James Raby

iTrader: (1)

Adam, pm Rick, he knows more about them than I do
But they are genuine Ford monroe UPRATED items, seen them at shows for about £400 ish - prob get em for £350

supposed to be excellent

Combi_Chris

im using konis and i have 17'' wheels, i have NEVER once had a wheel rub, and the car drives great , i have adjustable tca`s too , but honestly if i had to id get konis again

vroooom ptssssh

The difference is like night and day mate, even on the road imo WELL worth the doller

adamS2RST

Cheers James

Charlie Chalk

iTrader: (1)

GAZ Coilovers are about £500, worth the money as there a top piece of kit


i wouldnt go back to konis etc etc

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

Gaz are oil damped struts just like the standard item from Ford. They have an adjustable platform for ride height and they utalise the common 2 1/4 inch spring size - so selecting suitable springs is relativly easy. This spring rate however is purely dependant on how you want the car to dampen the harshness (for want of a better word) and is specific to the individual.

Next stage is oil damped & gas pressurised to sort out both bump and rebound - they will work far quicker and better than just an oil damped strut and more suited to fast road / track.

Then you get oil/gas with adjustable valving inside so you can change the characteristics of the bump/rebound rate. In general common terms once this is set most people never touch it again despite going from a fast flat out circuit to one with many tight twisty bends.

If your looking at them to make your car go faster round corners then you would be better off looking at angles rather than damping.

I should be at Croft this weekend and if anyone wants to have a taster of coilovers on the road then just give us a shout. The car is road legal so it shouldn't be a problem.

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

Rudey I havn't posted this before as I know you have those but I made about 4 sets of those before realising that the strength of the tube at the bottom was the main problem for me. They bent like banana's whenever It was chucked into a pot hole sideways. Always kinks just above the mounting collar.

Stay on the black stuff and they might just survive

vroooom ptssssh

* Rudey *, i see what you mean mate! i stand corrected

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

Just advice like

ON-UJAH

Just like to back up the others on the angles and good dampers advice - I've run adjustable setup with Monroe Sensatrac, and had no problems on the track. Obviously they are not up to rallying, but if you go rallying then be prepared to spend thousands for decent stuff.

I'm only going to coilovers because of the fully adjustable rear link kit. There's no other way to fit the kit.

Decent tyres are obviously a huge influence on the ability to corner at speed, as well as bushes and rose joints.

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

Yep you can set it up so it handles like a Mk2 escort round corners if you want it that way

adamS2RST

Plenty of responses here!

Not sure what option to take at the minute. Im debating putting my standard suspension back on for the time being as this PI setup is terrible

B19-TRB

I ran avo adj shox which were shorttened!

i then had chasis dynamics -40mm springs!

poly bushed all round(proper pol bushes none of the deflex shite)

rear strut bar

handled well on smooth roads! but would lob ya ll over on rough surfaces!

CasperR

Im a bit confused..
So The 500 gaz coilover kit does the same thing as the MEFmotorsport one, but the MEF one is way better build quality.
Does the gaz one need the rear turret modded?

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

On the Gaz website I think it says they recommend it Casper.

If you think an oil damped strut will perform as well as an oil damped & gas pressurised strut then your not in the market for needing coilovers yet.

Hard to type too much without it sounding like a sales pitch so I will leave it there

gym-rst

Just finished reading this and have to say have been concerned about my handling for some time now, i cant relate to quite a few of the problems people have mentioned. I am running Konis with 25mm koni springs and standard bushes alround i did have the whole front end done with deflex bushes but took em off as was not happy at all with them. I have just had the car chipped due to the fact if i kept it running standard boost and spending more and more money on sorting the front end out i was going to end up selling her. she is flying now and am over the moon with the power i have got but dont want to fly off the corner due to her being flighty as fook. I think it was vroooom ptssssh who descrided just about exactly how my car is just now so was wondering mate what is the best set up for car on the road. I used to have a 106 gti dropped 40mm on billies and she was awsome round the corners and i can except the fact the scort will never be as good as the 106 but i just miss being able to go into a corner fast and not have to brace myself for the car decideing na i want to go this way your advice is much appreciated lads as i am at totaly baffled as to what to do next

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

What size rims are you on ?

gym-rst

17" with 205 40 rubbers but i thought when i changed over from standard rimz it made the car feel a lot more stable on the road

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

Why did you remove the bushes after fitting them ? Sorry for the q's just trying to get a feel for the problem as it is now. 17's are not exactly ideal if you want a race feel type of set-up.

gym-rst

The car just felt a lose and wobbly did not like going in a straight line at all the slightest change in the tarmc and she was away had to be corrected all the time and you could feel the leg bending when going round corners quickly, plus the fact that i everything up front had been renewed in the mean time as i thought it could not be the bushes but after spending more money going back to OE bushes there was an improvement but it did not last long also this may help i am going through N/S hubs like no tomorrow every time i get one from breaker they say it a good one but as soon as i get it and put the new bearing in the flange not get a tight grip inside the bearing which i am lead to belive is suppose to be a tight fit , so after a couple of hundered miles it makes the steering wobble at speeds 50 above all the basics have been done ie tracking balincing i am just totaly sick just now as everyone tells me different stories about these hubs. I am not after full on track handling just summit thats going to keep a nice line through the corners and to get some confidance again as i cringe going into corners just now hope this makes sense mate and cheers for the advice

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

Reads to me like there is possibly a castor/camber angle problem on the front. Take some basic measurements from reference points (say centre wheel to wheel arch, back of hub to chassis rail etc) and compare these side to side.

The low profile tyres on the 17's wont be helping the problem either.

gym-rst

Nice one will do mate would those MEF Top Mounts sort that out, i started to think that she might have been i a bump but the is defo no signs of that still has original pannels and welds up front you said you were going to Croft on sunday I will be there helping out will keep my eyes open for you if its ok to have a wee chat with you

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

No probs both me and MEF will be there

They wont really solve the problem unless its fixed first tho.

If its taken a knock on a front wheel (say hit a kerb) then something could be bent and all panels would still be original.

paconassa

try replacing all rubber bushes like i did and dont tell it is not stable at speed, specially hitting bumps!!! best thing in the world (specially for the money they cost)!!!