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**Seawolf** · 05-29-2002, 12:22 AM

Just want to warn a few people out there. Here's a previous post I did in this thread.

I'll take a quote out of the Feb 2002 Sport Compact Car magazine:

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> "Due to the ZX3's excellent chassis and suspension design," says Andy Slankard, SVT Focus program manager, "we didn't have to make any major changes--just some tuning to give us extra control, agility and percision." Spring rate is increased 10 percent in the front and 20 percent in the rear. To offset the stiffer springs, SVT engineers increased the amount of low-speed rebound damping and decreased high-speed damping for better ride quality. ...rear roll bar was increased by 1mm.

The car's lofty ride height which is identical to the ZX3 for crash test reasons, inherently makes the Focus feel a bit tipsy.<hr></blockquote>

So, the SVT springs are not much lower, and that suspension actually has LESS damping at high speeds. SCC goes on to say the SVT benefits from the aftermarket to bring the ride height down.

I would NOT get SVT dampners on an otherwise stock ZX3. With the soft springs (zx3) and soft dampners (svt), you'll do nothing for performance!

AND about the S2, it seems to use a stock Euro-spec suspension.

Focus S2 uses the same springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars found on the European Focus ZX3, offering more aggressive handling, feel, stability and grip. These modifications improve upon a front suspension that incorporates zero-offset geometry to improve stability, and MacPherson struts for better steering feel.

05-29-2002, 12:22 AM	#61
Seawolf TEAM Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: in the Chi-Town area Posts: 849	Re: SVT spring swap Just want to warn a few people out there. Here's a previous post I did in this thread. I'll take a quote out of the Feb 2002 Sport Compact Car magazine: <blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> "Due to the ZX3's excellent chassis and suspension design," says Andy Slankard, SVT Focus program manager, "we didn't have to make any major changes--just some tuning to give us extra control, agility and percision." Spring rate is increased 10 percent in the front and 20 percent in the rear. To offset the stiffer springs, SVT engineers increased the amount of low-speed rebound damping and decreased high-speed damping for better ride quality. ...rear roll bar was increased by 1mm. The car's lofty ride height which is identical to the ZX3 for crash test reasons, inherently makes the Focus feel a bit tipsy.<hr></blockquote> So, the SVT springs are not much lower, and that suspension actually has LESS damping at high speeds. SCC goes on to say the SVT benefits from the aftermarket to bring the ride height down. I would NOT get SVT dampners on an otherwise stock ZX3. With the soft springs (zx3) and soft dampners (svt), you'll do nothing for performance! AND about the S2, it seems to use a stock Euro-spec suspension. Focus S2 uses the same springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars found on the European Focus ZX3, offering more aggressive handling, feel, stability and grip. These modifications improve upon a front suspension that incorporates zero-offset geometry to improve stability, and MacPherson struts for better steering feel.