Hello,

Who has made the switch from standard springs to Eibach Pro Kit on a Focus MK4 ST-line? I am wondering what it does on handling and driving comfort.

I am hoping that I will reduce body-roll a significant amount. Is that the case? Or can I better opt for a strut bar or something?

And how much of the driving comfort an filtering out irregularities do remain? I don't want to have to to every speed bumper in walking pace and feel every little pebble on the road. 

Hope you can share your experiences!

 

I doubt it'll improve the handling other than make the ride harsher.

If you want to improve the handling fit an independent rear axle

I dont doubt that springs improve handling, I experienced that my self, but I am curious to how much it decreases body roll on the mk 4 st-line 1.0 (with twistbeam).

Any people who switched standard springs to Eibach Pro and can tell me there experiences on the difference? 

No one with Eibach springs on the Mk4 St Line on here?

16 minutes ago, Theovv said:

No one with Eibach springs on the Mk4 St Line on here?

I haven't seen many Mk4 ST-Line's modified tbh.  Can't think of any on here.

Eibach pro kit were always my first choice for lowering, often improving comfort over sporty OEM setups. Though I haven't had any since 2018, and not on a Focus, so can't offer anything useful here.

On 6/30/2023 at 5:57 PM, TomsFocus said:

I haven't seen many Mk4 ST-Line's modified tbh.  Can't think of any on here.

Eibach pro kit were always my first choice for lowering, often improving comfort over sporty OEM setups. Though I haven't had any since 2018, and not on a Focus, so can't offer anything useful here.

It surprises me not many people choose to improve their MK4 St-line that way. I've read that it has quite some body roll, especially the 1.0 and 1.5 after may '19, which have a twist beam instead of multilink. 

12 minutes ago, Theovv said:

It surprises me not many people choose to improve their MK4 St-line that way. I've read that it has quite some body roll, especially the 1.0 and 1.5 after may '19, which have a twist beam instead of multilink. 

Vehicle modification in the UK just isn't done as much as it used to be.  Most people have less money now.  Many new-ish cars are financed or leased with restrictions on mods.  And it can be difficult to insure modifications such as lowering.  

People with the extra money just buy a proper ST to start with.

On 6/30/2023 at 4:57 PM, TomsFocus said:

Eibach pro kit were always my first choice for lowering, often improving comfort over sporty OEM setups. Though I haven't had any since 2018, and not on a Focus, so can't offer anything useful here.

I'd agree.

On a 2001 Puma I rebuilt the suspension with Eibachs, and I thought both ride and handling were improved, but no experience of Foci (Plural of Focus ? Over to the Latin Scholars!)

After reading some more on this topic, I think I could better go for sway bars, cause they really target the body roll, and wont make the ride uncomfortable, like stiff springs do. Would love to hear about peoples experience with that.

20 hours ago, Theovv said:

After reading some more on this topic, I think I could better go for sway bars, cause they really target the body roll, and wont make the ride uncomfortable, like stiff springs do. Would love to hear about peoples experience with that.

If it already has anti-roll bars fitted, can you a) Fit stiffer ones and/or b) replace the mounting bushes with polybushes?

I've been searching, but I can't find any sway bars for the Ford Focus Mk4, it seems they only exist voor the Mk3. That would be too bad. Maybe stiffening the mounting bushes is possible, I have to look into that. But I don't know if it has the same effect.

Hello there, mk4 mates.

I am looking for stiffening my Focus too for control the roll movement, and my main options are the eibach Pro kit or sway bar the rear axle too, or maybe a strut bar to the engine bay. 

It always depends on how you drive and what you are looking for. 

In my opinion and my experience, the mk4 with torsion beam at the rear, it's really stiff and sometimes going hard driving it's a little critical, and moreover when I switched the rims and installed the Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires. Now I have more grip, and it's more critical when going hard. 

So, from my experience, the rear axle is stiff enough by now, and I will stiff the front with the strut bar, and then lower it with the eibach Pro kit. It lower 20mm aprox front and 30mm rear, and I think is more than enough to go flat in every corner. After that, I would adjust the set up for cornering, and with the previous feedback, maybe I would stiff the rear axle.

For purchasing bars, I looked in hardrace shop (a well known Spanish racing manufacturer), and there are plenty of mod for handling. https://www.hardrace.es/car/ford/focus-4th-gen-2018-present/hatchback-c519-2018-present/focus-1-0-turbo-hybrid-2018-present

If anyone mount something of above, please report it, and give us feedback, we could make a good threat here.

 

 

Thanks for your reply

I also came to the conclusion that the Mk4 St-line 1.0 Ecoboost doesnt have a sway bar yet at the rear. Only one I came across is indeed from Hardrace. I didn't know the brand, so good to hear that is a wel known brand. 

For this type of car, they make this sway bar: https://www.hardrace.es/soporte-con-estabilizadora-trasera-q0497.html

Its only 17mm thick, most of the times sway bars are 22mm or thicker. But maybe they choose a more modest thickness because the twist beam/torsion beam of the 1.0 is already quite stiff?

The one they make for the 1.5 multi link is thicker, 22 mm, so that would make sense. But I also hear people claim the multi link Focus has less body roll than the twist beam Focus. 

 

Can anyone confirm that this construction picture from the Hardrace site is indeed from a Mk4 St-line 1.0? 

16 hours ago, Theovv said:

Thanks for your reply

I also came to the conclusion that the Mk4 St-line 1.0 Ecoboost doesnt have a sway bar yet at the rear. Only one I came across is indeed from Hardrace. I didn't know the brand, so good to hear that is a wel known brand. 

For this type of car, they make this sway bar: https://www.hardrace.es/soporte-con-estabilizadora-trasera-q0497.html

Its only 17mm thick, most of the times sway bars are 22mm or thicker. But maybe they choose a more modest thickness because the twist beam/torsion beam of the 1.0 is already quite stiff?

The one they make for the 1.5 multi link is thicker, 22 mm, so that would make sense. But I also hear people claim the multi link Focus has less body roll than the twist beam Focus. 

 

Can anyone confirm that this construction picture from the Hardrace site is indeed from a Mk4 St-line 1.0? 

Hello mate,

Exactly, the Focus STLine 1.0 don't have any sway bar at the rear axle. The torsion beam works as sway bar, but it doesn't a really good job. It's normal, because they design the chassis for every kind of use and people, so have to be sportive for enthusiasts and kindly for pleasure drive to whom they look for it.

And yes, Hardrace is a very well-known brand here in Spain, and every fan racer or early modder mount this brand for chassis upgrades. 

I think that the fact to install a sway bar is enough to reduce the body roll, maybe 17mm is the narrowed one, but it's quite enough to feel it. If you want more stiffening, try strut bars at the rear in the trunk, but I think that too much stiffening.

And yeess, that picture is from a stline 1.0 torsion beam. You can see in "accessories" the cars compatibility with that item.

If you are installing this finally, let me know how the car responds and how it's the performance then please.

I will install the strut bar at the engine bay and I will let here my opinion and feedback.

Hey mate,

Any news about this topic? What did you finally do? Did you install the rear sway bar?