Suspension Upgrades

[Myfeckin FTO]

Anyone on here upgraded any area of their FTO suspension?
I had put Poly bushes on the Front and Rear Anti roll bars and changed front and rear droplinks and added a front strut brace and thought all was fine with my car untill I drove CJ's which felt like a Go-Kart.

So I've resolved to sort my handling - getting KYB Dampers / Apex springs / Front Susp Rear bushes and front bushes (extra castor) / Rear trailing arm bushes and rear outer and inner bottom arm bushes.

Has anyone on here gone to any lengths to upgrade their current suspension? Anybody done anything that made a big difference to the handling?

[CJ]

Has anyone on here gone to any lengths to upgrade their current suspension? Anybody done anything that made a big difference to the handling?

Well you've covered pretty much what I've undertaken, you might have to factor in rear camber bolts\ outer lower arm bolts as the current ones may have to beaten out (as was the case with my suspension refit), they tend get pretty seized up. The only other thing that I'd recomend is an upper rear strut brace for that ultimate go-kart feeling! Seeing as you've a manual, you should also consider a lower front brace and while you're at it, a rear lower brace, that for me would provide the ultimate handling experience once you've got the tyres to match.

Do bear in mind that you will feel every bump in the road once all the work is done, while its worth the hassle, you would want to be carrying some forgiving passangers!

For posterity, heres the old thread with regard to my refit.

CJ

[kevinod]

Do bear in mind that you will feel every bump in the road once all the work is done, while its worth the hassle, you would want to be carrying some forgiving passangers!
CJ

Weren't you doing the work on your suspension 'cos the ride was too harsh in the first place?

Kev.

[Myfeckin FTO]

Do bear in mind that you will feel every bump in the road once all the work is done, while its worth the hassle, you would want to be carrying some forgiving passangers!CJ

Well I drove your car on some bad Kerry roads and thought it felt just right - quite stiff but it wasn't bone jarring - the Coilover Teins I had in the Mazda would have knocked fillings out in comparison. I learned my lesson there - coilovers does not necessarily mean a better road handling car especially on Irish roads.

Point taken on Rear and lower strut braces - Its on my to-do list - I'll see how I get on with this lot first.

[CJ]

Weren't you doing the work on your suspension 'cos the ride was too harsh in the first place?

To a degree, yes. The ride afterwards was a bit harder but much more responsive so I was will to take a hit on that front. When you tackle all the various componants at the one time, you're bound to tighten things up on all fronts, the problem is that theres a trade off in terms of comfort, its hard to explain but when I hit a bump with the old setup, I'd get a big solid clunk, now I get smaller clunks but more of them!

CJ

[CJ]

Well I drove your car on some bad Kerry roads and thought it felt just right - quite stiff but it wasn't bone jarring

I suppose ity kinda depends on the day, sometimes I'm zipping about the place and I don't notice ride quality being an issue at all, other days I notice it a lot but that tends to be about town where you're hitting the bumps and hollows at lower speed.

CJ

[Myfeckin FTO]

I guess while the ride will be harder and more responsive it will not be as "crashy" - you will feel the road more but will have beter damping with the new Poly bushes and dampers. As CJ says more feel with more little thumps but less of the bone shakers cuased by the older and less restrictive suspension.

[soc]

I guess while the ride will be harder and more responsive it will not be as "crashy" -

I changed all the bushes on my old GR and the difference was amazing. Ride was harder but in a good way, the car just felt much more solid and planted with more feel from the wheels so you've more confidence in the grip.

The only draw back was the slightly stiffer ride which was more obvious at slow speeds.