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Plunge


Franko
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So I've decided to take the "Plunge..!"

As I'm Only Riding on 15" 4 spoke alloy wheels (of which I love the look of).

I thought the gap between the wheel Arch and Tyre was looking too Big..

So thanks to www.motorsportworld.co.uk My H&R Springs (Dropping it by 50mm) Have Arrived £158.

I would like to Exchange the Springs Myself (with a Friends Help Who has Spring Compressors).

As Haynes haven't published a Manual Yet.. & I have No Experience of modding Suspension..

My Question/'s would be..?

How Easy is it to change the Springs..?

Should I Try and Do It Myself..? (or go to a Garage to have them fitted..£***).

Any Advice, Guides, Tips, How To Instructions Would be Great..!!

Many Thanks..!!

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I have the 50mm H&R springs on mine. got my mate to fit them, back ones took 20 mins. front ones to a bit longer because you need to take some plastic trim off to access them. easy as pie though :)

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It is easy to do. Whether you should do it yourself, I don't know.

Ford recommends you replace all the hardware with new hardware. I'd bet money that even Ford dealership shops do not do this.

There are torq specs for the hardware, I don't know if your specs are the same as the ones on my US Fiesta.

Your car will need to be aligned at a shop.

The actual swap out is easy though. Get the car on jacks and remove wheels. Support the bottem of the control arm/wheel hub with your floor jack. Pop the hood and remove the three top nuts on the strut tower and anything that is in the way. I had to remove the hardware for the brake fluid reservoir so that I could get at the nuts. Remove any lines attached to the strut (think was just brake line and abs line). Disconnect the swaybar tie rod from the strut. Unbolt the hardware holding the strut to the pinch collar (actually not a pinch collar..but dunno what to call it) and remove strut. Compress springs and remove camber plate. Re-assemble with new springs. Attach the strut to the pinch collar and the tie rod and then jack the whole thing up into the strut tower.....don't attach the strut tower nuts first as then you'll probably have problems with the tie rod appearing to be too short......don't ask how I know.

The rear was very easy. Jack the car up and place on jack stands. Suppor the rear end with your floor jack. You can do the whole swap out on the Fiesta from the wheelwell. On my bimmer, I had to remove so much interior trim to access the rear tower...but yeah...for the fiesta you don't have to. I realized that after I already took my rear interior apart only to see the nuts on the rear tower are welded to the body. Anyway, remove the rear tires, remove the felt looking wheelwell cover to make it easy. With the rear end supported on jacks, unbolt the bottem bolt and the two bolts on top. Repeat on other side. Then slowly lower the rear end until you can remove the springs. Re-assmble with new springs. Go get an aignment.

This is just a brief, not really instructions as I think you should already be handy enough with wrenching on a car to have figured it out on your own. Really, three top and three bottem attaching points for the front on each side and 1 bottem two top for the rear. Not hard at all.......or a desaster waiting to happen for some people

Almost forgot. Besides a spring compressor, you should also have a tool that can remove the top plate from the strut without you using a vise to clamp onto the piston to keep it from spinning as this will damage it and void your warranty (maybe thats already voided just by not having a shop do it for you guys?)

You need to hold the nut and the torx screw at the same time. I have a special socket set that is hollow in the center and allows me to put other tools through it. A combo wrench will not be deep enough to reach the nut and an offset combo won't fit. On the cheap, you can try holding a socket with vise grips (even better, if your socket's have flattened ends made to be held by a wrench) and run the torx driver through the center of the socket.

img20100926131024.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi

Its not hard job just make sure you use good axle stands, don't lay under your car with just the jack holding!!!

http://www.discount-tooling.co.uk/workshop-equipment-including-lifting/64431-2-tonne-axle-stands-pair-.html

Backs are dead easy but the fronts do take quite a bit of time. Its all just nuts and bolts though so dont let it put you off.

You will defiantly need the tracking looking at afterwards or you will do your tyres in a matter of weeks.

You will not believe the transformation.

All the best and enjoy!

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Great description Casca you should work for Haynes!!!

It is well worth doing and not a hard job.

The job satisfaction is fantastic when you take it out for the first time!

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