Building the ultimate Festiva street suspension...

[mikemounlio]

.......

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?57936-Ultimate-Street-suspension-guide

[Mini62cooper]

Those wouldn't work nearly as well as the threaded body coilovers, and would require more modification to fit. You'd save even more money just buying replacement mk2 front struts and coilover sleeves and Southwest speed springs, but you wouldn't get as much adjustability or performance as the threaded body shocks.

Thank you. Have you tried out any other brands yet? Koni or Bilstein?

[Zman86]

I remember reading somewhere that a suspension kit is in the works? Is this true? If so I'm going to hold off buying any parts for the moment...


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[Advancedynamix]

.......

He wrote a nice write up in another thread.

[Advancedynamix]

Thank you. Have you tried out any other brands yet? Koni or Bilstein?

Yeah. I've tried Koni, Bilstein, Sachs, FK, and ST (KW).

The Bilsteins were awesome, but they were made from Bilstein sport struts for a MK3 vw. Even though they are shorter than stock MK3, they were still too long for the way I like my cars set up.


I'm not a fan of Koni sport Dampers, but the race Dampers work well if you want to shell out 350 a shock. The other brands were no better than the Chinese eBay coilovers that I suggest using. Really, a set of 200 dollars front MK3 Tuning Art coilovers work the best for the money. I wouldn't bother with anything else unless you plan on contracting JRZ or Moton to build you a set of race shocks.

[Advancedynamix]

I remember reading somewhere that a suspension kit is in the works? Is this true? If so I'm going to hold off buying any parts for the moment...


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Yup. Working on them as often as possible. They will be a tad more expensive than DIY, but will be done just like mine are with OE quality fit and finish. They are also made with a new design of strut housing that allows height adjustment independent of spring preload in the front. I should have 5 sets done by the end of February. They will be sold through the Festiva store.

[Zman86]

I've contacted the guy that runs the store about buying a set, thanks for doing this!


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[Fecomatter]

No, 10" will work too. I just prefer to have as much adjustability as possible.

could you possibly elaborate more on this. I'm also confused on the 10" vs 12" front springs.

[Advancedynamix]

A 12" long 120lb spring has a slower rate rise than a 10" long 120lb spring. The length doesn't affect ride height, so long as the shock has enough length for full adjustment of both springs.
I prefer the slower rate rise on these cars. The 12" long spring gives more room for preload adjustment than the 10" long spring.

[mikemounlio]

I went with 12" and love mine. Never had the 10" so i cant say anything about them but the 12 inch is great. Also i have not done any test n tune on them. I just simply put them on and set the front to the same. Once the front end is all good to go i will adjust then drive then adjust repeat. So for just tossing them on i love it.

[TominMO]

Charlie, on the coilover sets you are doing for Ben, what spring rates are you using front/rear? Are you necessarily making them all the same, or is there room for input from committed buyers? I want 120# on front, and DrFestiva88 (who is splitting a set with me) wants 120# as well, for the rear (he has 150# front).

[Advancedynamix]

The 5 sets that I'm building initially will have 120/120 so you guys should be fine. The 105lb springs are great if you want to go really low and don't intend to carry much load, but that's only a small percentage of the community. The 120/120 combo is the most versatile.
The Actual spring rate on the car is closer to 180/140 when the car is at rest. The number that is painted on the spring doesn't tell much.

[TominMO]

The 5 sets that I'm building initially will have 120/120 so you guys should be fine. The 105lb springs are great if you want to go really low and don't intend to carry much load, but that's only a small percentage of the community. The 120/120 combo is the most versatile.
The Actual spring rate on the car is closer to 180/140 when the car is at rest. The number that is painted on the spring doesn't tell much.

Perfect, thanks!

[fasteva]

Where can these be purchased


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[Cory_Thurmond]

When is my question lol

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