XR5 springs in normal focus?

[Mullett]

Is it just me, or would this be a very cheap and worthwhile upgrade?

RM.

[RJO89]

I asked this question not long ago over on fordxr5turbo.com. The springs would fit, no doubt about that, but the XR5 weighs about 200kg more than the stock focus, and you would end up with the car not really looking much lower at all. So they wouldn't be so much 'lowering' springs as they would be 'replacement' springs. I was disappointed too, don't worry!!

[zetec]

So Regular springs in an XR5 Turbo would technically cause it to sit lower.... albeit softer ride though.. hmmm

[Mullett]

yeah, that thought struck me today (although all the extra weight is at the front...that'd look strange...) The reason I was chasing them was more for the significantly heavier spring rate than the lowering...

*wanders off to do some research*

RM

[Mullett]

Focus CL: 1268kg
XR5T: 1366kg

I think the difference in ride height would be a matter of millimetres...one way to find out

RM.

[Mullett]

Just bid on them! woohooo!

[RJO89]

Good luck mate. Let us know how they go in the end. Will be interesting to see, as generally ST springs are a bit cheaper than the other focus models.

[BlackLS]

I would have thought that an upgraded swaybar would do more for less bodyroll?

[Mullett]

That's in the pipeline as well, but the car needs to come down, and stiffer springs are a must too...and shocks :P

RM.

[blue_focus]

The sway bar will make a bit of diference but it also for looks too..

[Mullett]

yeah, I'm not one for dumping a car on the ground, but the standard CL rideheight is a little tractor spec...Springs should be here next week! I'll post up pictures when they're in and the wheels have arrived...

RM.

[Mullett]

Got the springs! Fitted them yesterday, and I'm very happy with it. Much less roll, but more importantly, the front to rear dive has been cut in half, and the response is much improved. For $20 worth of springs, I don't think there's a better mod around

RM.

[Loris]

nice one!! would love to see pics

[RJO89]

So how much did it end up dropping by RM? Significant drop? Are they the stock XR5 springs, or are they aftermarket XR5 lowering springs?

[Mullett]

Stock XR5 springs, they're a really great compromise for a street car to my mind. Since ford spent so long and so many $$$ calibrating them, i can't argue with that If you're chasing bulk lowering, they're definitley not the way to go, it's low, but not excessive. I'll post some pics when I get time, but it's pretty much the same height as an XR5. It has balanced out the 'nose heavy' look of the standard suspention. Next is some FSD shocks, and mags. REALLY want some decent rubber.

RM

[want-a-XY]

post pics and driving impressions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you may have convinced me to go that way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TITO]

Originally Posted by blue_focus

The sway bar will make a bit of diference but it also for looks too..

Sway bay will improve handling quiet alot. How is a swaybar for looks???

[Mullett]

Driving impressions are fantastic, it's made the car much more balanced at low speed, and more adjustable at high speed. Pitch recovery is much, much better, body roll is down, the steering feels more alive...it's still hampered by the stock skinny tyres, but that'll change in time

Swaybar is on the cards, but $$$/gain, the springs take it away...Also, swaybars have some negative effects, you've gotta remember that you're tying one wheel to the other, hurting the advantage of idependent suspention. If one wheel hits a bump, the other one suffers, which can make the car more twitchy on broken surfaces, and slower to recover. Shocks are a much better solution, remember that bodyroll isn't the devil it's made out to be. Look at the Lotus Elise, one of the finest handling cars in the world...what really matters is that the roll is controlled, and that's the job of the dampers, to control the transition and balance the car as the weight changes, preventing the *jolt* and improving the steering response in directional changes.

bah...ranting again!

RM.

[want-a-XY]

could you please post some pics? you've got me interested in doing the same mod to my focus

[skriblz06]

Originally Posted by want-a-XY

could you please post some pics? you've got me interested in doing the same mod to my focus

2nd that, Mullett would you be able to post pics of any before and after shots since you got the xr5 springs installed? Would be very interesting to see how low its dropped

Cheers

[Mullett]

I'm in dubai until the end of the week, but I'll post some on the weekend. It would look 100x better with rims though I haven't got before pics, but there should be some on the ford website, or i'll go to a dealer and measure the difference...

RM.

[want-a-XY]

Mullett how much did you pay for your springs all up? $20 i read on your post.....

[Mullett]

The springs were $20A, but the shipping was another $140 :P I got them from ebay UK, the shipping was arranged through Interparcel UK, and shipped by DHL.

www.interparcel.com

I was pretty happy with the service, it got from UK to Perth in 3 days, and it was the cheapest I found. Point of interest, to book it thru DHL direct was $400+

You might be able to find some locally, but the sheer volume of STs in UK helps alot. When I was looking there was 3 sets on ebay.co.uk

RM.

[want-a-XY]

Mullet how much lower are they compared to std? i've also heard of people putting xr5 springs under their LX and it actually raised the ride height? :S

[RJO89]

Yeah I spoke to Chris on the XR5 cruise not long ago and he said that he stuck his old XR5 springs in his LX and it raised the ride height, but improved the driveability remarkably. He's got a set of Pedders Ultra lows for that car now, and he said it dropped it lower than his XR5

[want-a-XY]

Originally Posted by RJO89

Yeah I spoke to Chris on the XR5 cruise not long ago and he said that he stuck his old XR5 springs in his LX and it raised the ride height, but improved the driveability remarkably. He's got a set of Pedders Ultra lows for that car now, and he said it dropped it lower than his XR5

money is the problem. i got a quote from pedders and they want $793 including fitting the new springs..... bit pricey for me cos i'm a uni student living off my savings

[RJO89]

Understandable. You could try installing them yourself. They're not too difficult. And there's a great write-up over on fordxr5turbo.com about how to install them. Written how-to with pictures and everything. You could save yourself a whole bunch of money by doing it yourself. But if you've never done anything like that before and are hesitant and don't feel overly confident, I would suggest getting it done professionally. There are probably a few people on here around your area that could help you get it done for cheaper than a retail store like Pedders.

[Mullett]

Installing them wasn't too bad, the worst bit is seperating the front strut from the hub and then lining all the bolts back up at the top. It'll still cost you $70 for an alignment, but much better than $700 :P You'll want spring compressors, a jack, axle stands, and basic hand tools to do it.

RM.

[want-a-XY]

Originally Posted by RJO89

Understandable. You could try installing them yourself. They're not too difficult. And there's a great write-up over on fordxr5turbo.com about how to install them. Written how-to with pictures and everything. You could save yourself a whole bunch of money by doing it yourself. But if you've never done anything like that before and are hesitant and don't feel overly confident, I would suggest getting it done professionally. There are probably a few people on here around your area that could help you get it done for cheaper than a retail store like Pedders.

i'm not at all interested in doing it myself, i've never worked on suspension before so i'm not going to use my daily driver as my test. i'll get a proper mechanic to do it.

[want-a-XY]

Mullet one guy on the XR5 forum said that when he put his xr5 springs under his LX it raised the ride height? now i'm not 100% sure i want to do that.............