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Front Suspension upgrade Mk2

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79Escort
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2011/11/12 11:17:57 (permalink)
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Front Suspension upgrade Mk2

 
Hi all,
Ive been looking into upgrading the front suspension on my 4 door. Its a 2L and my daily driver, and i want it to be like its on rails. I currently have 13inch rims with 205/60 tyres, and at the rear i have a 16mm sway bar and 4 leaf springs, but will be getting reverse eye king springs soon.
 
I was thinking:
All new poly bushes,
Koni yellow adjustable shocks,
and 190Lb 1inch lowered springs from Smckaperformance
 
The part im having trouble with is the sway bar, im definitely getting a castor adjust one but dont know whether to get a 20mm for smckaperformance or 24mm kmac.
Also are these springs a good choice?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
Thanks
#1


38 Replies Related Threads

    Mickas
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/12 13:02:41 (permalink)
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    http://www.superpro.com.au/
    Best bushes by far.
     
    Kings do front springs also.... Get them to suit the rears your getting...
     
    Koni's front struts are a good choice... Get single adjustables as the duals are double the price... There a dealers everywhere... Where are you?
     
    24mm sway bar is pretty big for everyday, most go to a 22mm from kmac... 
     
    This would be a great little package without going over the top....
    #2
    79Escort
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/12 18:31:22 (permalink)
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    Ok thanks for the advice. Im in adelaide, ill be able to find a dealer somewhere i reckon.
     
    Yea i thought about getting kings for the front too but have read on other threads that they are not that good.....but i personally wouldnt have a clue. I didnt want to go too heavier spring rate for a bit more forgiveness, but still want a tighter front end.
     
    Is the 22mm from Kmac a custom order? Because on the site they only have 24mm advertised. Would it be about the same price?
    #3

    Mickas
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/12 21:53:05 (permalink)
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    It may be a custom order but they do ,do them.
    DannyM on here gets them all the time... Pretty sure if you ring and ask they wont say no...
    #4
    79Escort
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/13 11:21:22 (permalink)
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    Ok no worries, ill give them a ring and order one in.
     
    I figure its best to get the same bar that is used by many and rated highly than go down another path.
    The only thing that made me query the difference between 22 and 24mm for my car is the fact that my spring rate wont be up in the 250-300Lb range. Is 190Lb a decent upgrade from standard escort 2L springs though? Or will just changing the shocks and sway bar make that much difference?
     
    My other option was to get the current coils reset, but that was only if there wasnt going to be a significant benefit using ones made by kings or the ones from smcka
     
    Sorry to ask all these questions but ive never done my suspension before and want to get it spot on.
    #5
    Mickas
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/13 11:58:34 (permalink)
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    Questions don't bother me at all...
    22mm is fine... I used a 24mm with 190Lbs springs, understeered and steering was heaving...
    Never heard any complaints with a 22mm, especially for a daily...
    New coils are cheap... I would also pay a bit extra for new rather than reseting springs.... had a bad experience...
    190Lbs for street is fine, I wouldn't go anymore... And alot of the suspension guru's I know will say the same...
    You want to enjoy the ride and a bit of firmness without feeling all the bumps
    #6

    79Escort
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/13 13:02:17 (permalink)
    +1 (1)
    Perfect, thats exactly how i want it, a bit firm without being a pig.
     
    Yea im not a fan of and understeering car, ill go the 22mm then i wont have any worries.
     
    Yea your right i should really go with new coils, i dont want any issues, and i dont know what my springs are at the moment, they're pretty soft so i assume they are standard but i have no way of telling really.
     
    Are king springs a good company to deal with? Im unaware of anywhere else that does springs to specific order or stocks my desired spring, i definitely want lowered ones. Anyone in adelaide know of a good spring dealer/maker? Or should i go through smcka? I like the idea of going through someone who really knows escorts.
     
    Thanks Mickas for ur help, its really appreciated!
    #7
    Paul
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/13 19:31:27 (permalink)
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    (Industrial engineers and spring makers) on port road make all springs. They will have whatever you want, give them a try.
    #8
    Mickas
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/13 22:39:48 (permalink)
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    Lots of suppliers do kings... Smcka does UK stuff...
    Stick with kings, national wide warranty... and very well known in the race car industry...
    #9
    79Escort
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/14 00:09:53 (permalink)
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    Thanks Paul ill give them a ring and find out prices.
     
    Ill try kings too for price, ill see whats the cheapest and probably go from there
    #10
    Paul
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/11/30 22:13:04 (permalink)
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    Industrial alloy springs in adelaide are the competition to king springs and have been around
    for decades. They make coil springs for all cars I have never had a problem with them in my escorts.
    #11
    danny m
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/12/01 10:59:32 (permalink)
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    If you're in Adelaide don't gin around just go and see Mike Dale in Jacobsen cres Holden Hill he's next door to Velo seats
    And also go with a 22mm bar and go to at least 220lb front coils as 190's are too soft especially for a 2 litre and make sure they are linear rate fronts
    #12
    SaggaRS
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2011/12/30 12:47:41 (permalink)
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    Hey Ryan,
    Let us know how you are going with this. I would be interested to see what you end up installing and where you manage to source all the parts from.

    CheeRS Shaul,

    1980 MKII RS2000
    http://www.classic-ford.org/cfp/tm.aspx?m=16455
    #13
    79Escort
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2012/01/14 11:43:57 (permalink)
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    Sorry, ive been on holiday for a while without a computer. Ok, thanks, thats a good idea. He tuned my carby and i was really happy with the results! Ill go and see him about it.
     
    Well the going is a bit slow due to the fact that my bank account doesnt like me much, but at this stage I have bought the 190lb springs from smckaperformance. I went to industrial springs and their heavy duty front springs were 193lb, so i figured they would be ok, but that was before i saw danny m's post!
     
    Have i made a mistake??
     
    Also i now have a 22mm front bar from kmac
     
    I want to do all the suspension at the same time so ive got to buy things one at a time so i still have money, im in uni and dont have a huge income.
     
    One thing i want to reduce is castor the wrong way (sorry, forgot whether its called negative or positive) but the bottom of the outside wheel is further under the car than the top when i turn. So ive been thinking about strut tops too.
    I currently have stage 1 kmac adjustable strut tops which came with the car, but the strut top isnt much smaller than the hole it goes through, so i dont have any room for adjustment! There is only a couple if mm around it, so they are basically useless. Will different strut tops solve this problem and give me more adjustment?
     
     
    The thought of unwanted company came to mind too as ive been caution defected a while ago for having spotlights on the front! She tried to say that the fuel filter wasnt meant to be there too......
     
    Anyway are adjustable tops legal? I didnt think they are but i told her it was standard anyway
     
    Thanks again!
    #14
    79Escort
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    Re:Front Suspension upgrade Mk2 2012/01/14 11:56:30 (permalink)
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    If the photos work, here are the tops. the pictures are sideways though, sorry. 
      

     
      
      
    #15
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