Excuses to upgrade

"whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU" (whiskey-business)
02/25/2015 at 11:06 • Filed to: None

Well, I'm reaching a fork in the road with my Focus Wagon. Because I need the space of the wagon for hauling work equipment, I'm stuck with it for the foreseeable future. However, with around 65000 on the original shocks they are wearing out. To make this automatic snoozebox a little more fun, I'm considering taking the opportunity to get some sport springs and dampers. Does anyone know of any suspension upgrades for a Mk1 Focus wagon? It seems like the hatch gets all the aftermarket love.

DISCUSSION (40)

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 11:14

I wonder if you can snag parts that would fit the SVT 2 door hatch?

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 11:16

I would think that the suspension that fits the hatch would also work with the wagon. At least that would make the most sense

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
02/25/2015 at 11:17

I think the wagon actually has a different rear suspension set up, the front should be the same though.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 11:18

oh and what engine? Maybe you should do an engine upgrade to bring it to life!

Vicente Esteve > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 11:20

It has plenty of potential, i'd say go for it.

RazoE > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 11:21

They sell 5.0L RWD conversion kits for these....just sayin'..

Twism > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 11:21

food for your thoughts?

http://www.kugelkomponents.com/focus/focusv8.…

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 11:28

Just get some koni yellows and new springs. That will let you set your dampers as you'd like. I'd also add a rear sway bar if it didn't come with one stock.

Moves-Like-Senna > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 11:29

I'm just going to throw this out there and you can hate me for it but why not just hit the junk yard and pick up replacement shocks that would work and sock the rest of the money to start saving up for your next car which would be something more fun?

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
02/25/2015 at 11:58

I've looked into this, as far as I know the front suspension would be bolt-in but the wagon's rear is a different setup. I may be wrong.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
02/25/2015 at 11:58

This is the problem I've run into. Not much love for performance wagons.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 12:00

You may be able to get lowering springs for the rear but better dampers would be difficult. Plus lowering springs would be of questionable help handling wise.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
02/25/2015 at 12:01

I have the 2.0l Zetec.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Twism
02/25/2015 at 12:02

I wish man. . . I wish. . .

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > RazoE
02/25/2015 at 12:03

I've seen this and the want is strong. . . but since I'm going to soon have a 5.0L RWD fun car in my life this doesn't really make sense. Plus money.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
02/25/2015 at 12:04

How does a quality damper/spring setup compare to a coilover kit? I know coilovers aren't the end-all-be-all of suspension but what is the difference?

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Moves-Like-Senna
02/25/2015 at 12:05

That's where the fork in the road lies. Since the FoFoWag is my dad's car, he wants to foot the bill for any repairs and said he'd be open to an upgrade as opposed to a direct replacement.

Moves-Like-Senna > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 12:13

Oh okay! In that case go for any upgrade you can! haha

and 100 more > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 12:15

There's something very appealing about a modestly-lowered 1st-gen Focus wagon... I know it's still just a run-of-the-mill family hauler, but they just look so damn nice with just a little bit of drop.

Kinja'd!!!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 12:16

http://www.fastwayracer.com/Forced-Inducti…

This might help lol

NaturallyAspirated > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 12:29

Personally I find a quality damper/spring setup to be greatly preferable to a coilover kit, especially if you're comparing sets of similar price. I've never seen a sub-$500 coilover kit that didn't ride like absolute garbage.

I'd consider upgrading dampers first, and then coils later if you still think you need them. I've been surprised in the past how much a solid set of dampers can improve the feel of a car.

If you can't swing the Koni yellows, I've had pretty good luck with the Koni orange shocks as long as you aren't going to lower your car much. They aren't adjustable but they are a decent upgrade over stock and the cost is pretty reasonable.

I put them in my SN95 Mustang:

Kinja'd!!!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 12:35

Good coilovers offer more adjustability, but not all coilovers are good. I'd rather just put upgraded OE style inserts and springs into the stock housing. A well done stock setup will be better than a mediocre coilover kit. The vast majority of them are poor to mediocre. Unless you're spending close to a grand a corner, you're not getting good coilovers.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > NaturallyAspirated
02/25/2015 at 12:37

The adjustability is why I suggested the yellows. While anything Koni will be an improvement over stock or worse, tired old stock, but being able to adjust your damping makes a huge difference.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
02/25/2015 at 12:49

I'll definitely consider this, thanks! This sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

EDIT: Just looked on Koni's website and they make nothing for the wagon rear suspension.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > NaturallyAspirated
02/25/2015 at 12:51

I really can't lower my car much, between Detroit roads and having to haul a decent amount of equipment, so Koni Orange may work. Although adjustables would be nice. . .

EDIT: As I just found out, nothing is available for the Focus wagon's rear suspension. Shoot.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
02/25/2015 at 12:52

That would be fun, but doesn't make sense for a work vehicle with an automatic transmission.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > and 100 more
02/25/2015 at 12:53

Those look awesome! Although I'm not sure I could swing going that low around where I live, I would destroy my bumpers and underbody. Detroit potholes are god awful.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 12:55

says you lol.

Then again, I don't have a problem with auto's.

NaturallyAspirated > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 13:35

Hmm, check out British American Transfer, Inc. They import Spax shocks from Europe, and they have adjustable wagon shocks available.

http://www.batinc.net/focus.htm

Twism > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 13:58

It would become the best Focus in existence.

start a Kickstarter, people will give money for anything these days.

Hell, I'd happily give 20-30$ toward that V8 conversion.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 15:27

I have the same car... only a different colour, a bit more mileage and it's a manual.

Simply putting new shocks in will *feel* like an upgrade btw. Also consider replacing the bushings too.

I checked on Rockauto... they have upgrades for the Sedan and Hatch, but not for the wagon.

And the reason why there are upgrade parts for the hatch/sedan and not for the wagon is because there were ST and/or SVT versions of those two body styles.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
02/25/2015 at 15:27

That's exactly the issue.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
02/25/2015 at 15:50

Anything would feel like an upgrade, it turns into a small watercraft at highway speeds. Every bump makes the rear end wiggle.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 15:56

If you have it skipping to the side when you hit a bump, get a 4 wheel alignment done by an alignment specialist. And if it's doing the boat thing, yeah, just replace the shocks with new OEM spec ones. The Focus, even by today's standards, is a fine-handling car. I recall Jeremy Clarkson saying that the 1st gen Focus has handling that's a bit sharper than the 2nd gen one.

When I bought my Focus recently, it seems that in the past, tie rods were replaced without any alignments being done after. Made it feel skittish. A 4 wheel alignment greatly helped.

Though I saw that you said you have one with the Zetec engine... so that means yours is 2004 or earlier. Mine is a 2007 with the Mazda engine. I figure in a few years, I may need to replace some shocks and bushings.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
02/25/2015 at 16:02

Yes, mine is a 2004. And I believe I will just replace the shocks with OEM ones and see how it goes. It has already had an alignment, so its not that, but I'll do the shocks for sure. Thanks! By the way, what trim is yours?

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 17:11

I have a well optioned SES... power windows, ABS, Traction Control, Power sunroof, heated mirrors, heated leather seats and power locks.

The OEM radio was replaced with a cheap Clarion unit by the previous owner and thus, the steering wheel radio controls don't work.

Also while mine is a loaded model, the interior is less attractive looking and feels cheaper compared to the 2000-2004 Focus or even the 2006 PT Cruiser I had. This first pic is very close to what mine looks like... only with a manual shifter.

Kinja'd!!!

Ford would have been better off just leaving the interior as-is instead of downgrading it the way they did.

On the bright side, the engine on my car has a timing chain that never needs to be changed.

But two issues the 2005+ models have... the passenger side hydraulic motor mount goes dry which has the effect of making it feel like the motor is bolted right to the chassis and vibrates like a Harley. I had that fixed by the dealer before I bought. It's a cheap part and only 1 hour of labour. The other issue is the wiring that goes into the rear hatch tends to crack and causes blown fuses. Cheap or a bit expensive to fix depending on whether you fix it yourself.

And of course on all FWD Fords, tie rods need to be replaced every so often. To pass the safety, the dealer also had to replace a tie rod.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Twism
02/25/2015 at 20:22

Its a possibility. . .

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
02/25/2015 at 20:26

Yours is comparatively loaded compared to mine. . . I have power windows, the Blaupunkt stereo, the alloys. and power locks . I wish it was manual, it is quite a good daily driver/work vehicle. And the wiring is god awful, my power locks/windows on the passenger door haven't worked while I've been driving it. Haven't had the time to fix it between school and work.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
02/25/2015 at 21:45

The root issue for those problems are electrical shorts that cause blown fuses which is caused by cheap/broken wiring in the rubber boot by the rear hatch. Here are a couple of links on how to check and fix it:

http://forums.focaljet.com/team-pit-stop/…

http://www.autoserviceprofessional.com/article/91503/…

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
02/25/2015 at 21:49

Thank you for the help, I'll make sure to fix that when I have some time!