littlebrownbike Posted August 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Cheers, think I know everything I need to for the time being. Cheers for all the help Tony! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebrownbike Posted August 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 Got the car back 30 minutes ago, it’s as high as a range rover but it was a risk I had to take. The ride is smoother as you'd expect and there is quite a bit of roll, however I didn't get the chance to test the handling. Although I did chuck it over a roundabout and it did seem to have plenty more grip, I will report back tonight and get a wheel alignment in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted August 22, 2007 Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 I'll be very interested in the handling results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammy Posted August 22, 2007 Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 this thread has got me thinkin now ! my last 2 mk1 mondeo's havnt been lowered atall and though the handeling was!well pooo tbh.but this 1 i have now is lowered 40mm on monroe shock's {standard replacment i beleave } not sure who made the spring's but cant beleave how well it handle's! nice tight steering,very direct and responsive! the last owner never had alingment done after droppin it and the steerin wheel is a nat's c**k out to the right ! strange how on 1 it make's the handlin bad and on the same car but differant mk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted August 22, 2007 Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 Don't forget littlebrownbike's problems was a combination of the lowering and the new wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebrownbike Posted August 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 Been out for a drive tonight... Ride quality has been improved, the roll isn't that bad really although the looks will take some getting used to. The handling has improved noticeablely which I am happy about, its not as good as I was expecting but I will put that down to the tyres as the Dunlops its on arent that great; they seem too soft. The steering seems to have lost a lot of responsive though, it feels really saggy at low speeds. Overall I am glad I got the old springs fitted, the whole dilema has cost me a lot of money which is a shame, but I will live and learn. I'll go to the alignment centre tomorrow and get a print out report of the alignment, I'll then post it here and hopefully Tony or someone will be able to tell me if its worth fixing/aligning. Tony, do you know what the standard SAI be for my model car? (Mondeo TDCi). Once again, thanks all very much for your help; I'll be sure to stick around. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted August 22, 2007 Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 Been out for a drive tonight... Ride quality has been improved, the roll isn't that bad really although the looks will take some getting used to. The handling has improved noticeablely which I am happy about, its not as good as I was expecting but I will put that down to the tyres as the Dunlops its on arent that great; they seem too soft. The steering seems to have lost a lot of responsive though, it feels really saggy at low speeds. Overall I am glad I got the old springs fitted, the whole dilema has cost me a lot of money which is a shame, but I will live and learn. I'll go to the alignment centre tomorrow and get a print out report of the alignment, I'll then post it here and hopefully Tony or someone will be able to tell me if its worth fixing/aligning. Tony, do you know what the standard SAI be for my model car? (Mondeo TDCi). Once again, thanks all very much for your help; I'll be sure to stick around. Gary The "stock" positions for the KPI was never released by Ford.... You need to concentrate on the Toe positions for now since they must be in distress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammy Posted August 22, 2007 Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 Don't forget littlebrownbike's problems was a combination of the lowering and the new wheels. so it was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebrownbike Posted August 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Done a few miles since having the suspension fitted so I thought it was time to get a wheel alignment, you were right Tony; the toe was well out! However the SAI is now 14*, it use to be 15*. Is this bad? I asked the operator what the SAI to test his knowledge and he told me its how much the wheels can turn from left to right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 The SAI at 14d has now changed the good old scrub radius more toward the tyres centre, or below the steering pivotal axis... This is good news How goes she handle now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebrownbike Posted August 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 The SAI at 14d has now changed the good old scrub radius more toward the tyres centre, or below the steering pivotal axis... This is good news How goes she handle now? Yes it does handle better mate, much more acceptable and the feel through the steering gives me more confidence. Its not as good as I had hoped but maybe thats just the Dunlop tyres (they are very soft). So would you say 14d is more normal? You wouldn't think 1 degrees would make such a difference but it does. The car drives sweet now that its been re-aligned, although they charged me £64 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebrownbike Posted August 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 If we compare the before and after print outs we can see that theres quite a few differences despite them all being within tolerance. BEFORE AFTER The camber has been drastically reduced, as has the caster and the total SAI has gone from -0.08 to 0.07. What does this tell us Tony? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 The SAI/KPI is a perpendicular angle measured against vertical. The lower the figure, the higher the pin is to the vertical. So the after figures show the pin in a more elevated position... Moving the position of the scrub radius inward to the centre of the steer axis ..... "That's good" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebrownbike Posted August 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 But what about the camber and castor? They were within tolerances on both occassions but have been reduced considerably in the after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 But what about the camber and castor? They were within tolerances on both occassions but have been reduced considerably in the after. Point to remember is the cars suspension components are not fixed at right angles. So any change in the parallelograms will move the entire chassis positions. The "checking range" is vast. What everyone needs to concentrate on is the "target positions" not the range. It angers me to the max that the range is color coded? Example> Outside the range is red, near is yellow, within is green. Within for the camber has a target of -33' with a range of + - 1 degree 18' and displayed green within that range? So you could have a front camber like \ \ and it be seen as green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 That's interesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebrownbike Posted September 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2007 Hello guys how are things going? I just thought I'd add something that may be of significance. Both alloys have the same offset of 52.5! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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