Can't deal with the bouncy ride anymore after two weeks with the Mach-E. What do I do?

[markboris]

Just how complicated is the spring swap? I've got some occasional bounce on bad roads, and I enjoy tinkering enough that this might be fun. Is it the same general idea as any 'mustang spring swap' video on YouTube? Can I get to what I need to with some jack stands, or will I need to get a pro with a lift? I always wonder how much the electric powertrain complicates/changes things.

If you are talking about just the rear springs, which would make the biggest difference in the bouncy rear end, it is a fairly easy swap. It would be similar to any S550 Mustang rear suspension.
Raise one side of the rear up and place on jack stand under the proper jack point. Remove the rear tire and place a jack under the lower control arm. Raise it up just a bit to remove tension. Remove the lower shock bolt and the lower control arm bolt and then lower the jack. With your hand, push the lower control arm down and pull out the spring. Reverse this to reassemble. The tricky part is trying to get the hole lined up to put the lower control arm bolt back in. Sometimes it goes in easy and sometimes it is a pain. Takes me about an hour to do both sides total, however I have done this several times both on this car and my GT500.

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[HuntingPudel]

Just how complicated is the spring swap? I've got some occasional bounce on bad roads, and I enjoy tinkering enough that this might be fun. Is it the same general idea as any 'mustang spring swap' video on YouTube? Can I get to what I need to with some jack stands, or will I need to get a pro with a lift? I always wonder how much the electric powertrain complicates/changes things.

In addition to what @markboris said the front suspension is McPherson strut, so you will need to pull the whole strut out of the car if you are swapping the front springs. You will need a McPherson strut spring compressor to remove the strut, remove The spring from the strut, install the new spring on the strut, and reinstall the strut. Since I don’t have an MME yet I can only go by the cars with struts I have worked on, but it should take less than an hour per side to replace the springs. If you’re doing the strut cartridges too (sometimes called the shocks), allow another 15-20 minutes per side.

 

[markboris]

In addition to what @markboris said the front suspension is McPherson strut, so you will need to pull the whole strut out of the car if you are swapping the front springs. You will need a McPherson strut spring compressor to remove the strut, remove The spring from the strut, install the new spring on the strut, and reinstall the strut. Since I don’t have an Mach-E yet I can only go by the cars with struts I have worked on, but it should take less than an hour per side to replace the springs. If you’re doing the strut cartridges too (sometimes called the shocks), allow another 15-20 minutes per side.

Steve is correct in that it takes less than an hour per side to do the fronts. Not a difficult job but just time consuming. For the Mach-E you have to remove all the panels in the frunk area and then the strut tower brace to get to the upper strut bolts. I don't have a McPherson strut spring compressor. I just use those inexpensive spring compressors (one on each side of the spring) and have no issues with them. Would be easier to have the McPherson spring compressor though.

 

[Fat Mach]

Manufacturers can’t void warranties or deny claims unless they can prove your modification caused the problem. I don’t see any way they could prove that a spring installed on an otherwise identical vehicle was somehow the cause of a failure in the vehicle.

Except they do it all the time. You might have the legal right to sue for performance, but the fact remains that the process of accepting or denying claims has little to do with what the law says.

That said, you're almost certainly fine to change the springs on your vehicle without fear of a warranty denial.

 

[physib]

After driving the GT for a day, and although I don't remember too well how Premium felt, it's still quite bouncy. Nothing I can't handle, but I can see how bad it'd be for passengers.

 

[HuntingPudel]

After driving the GT for a day, and although I don't remember too well how Premium felt, it's still quite bouncy. Nothing I can't handle, but I can see how bad it'd be for passengers.

One of the reviewers from the big Ford media event said that he felt the GT was still a bit bouncy but not as bouncy as the other models he'd driven (other than the GT-PE).

 

[chrisGT]

I went from a Porsche with the excellent air suspension to a GT and I can tell you the GT is bouncy in a bad way compared to my previous car.
Even my toddler kid noticed and commented about the bouncy ride..

Ford has to make MagnaRide a paid option for all trims because the suspension is the weak spot of the GT in my opinion.

 

[mkhuffman]

I went from a Porsche with the excellent air suspension to a GT and I can tell you the GT is bouncy in a bad way compared to my previous car.
Even my toddler kid noticed and commented about the bouncy ride..

Ford has to make MagnaRide a paid option for all trims because the suspension is the weak spot of the GT in my opinion.

One of the reviewers from the big Ford media event said that he felt the GT was still a bit bouncy but not as bouncy as the other models he'd driven (other than the GT-PE).

Oh no! I thought for sure @markboris had found the solution! I wonder why switching the springs works when the GT is also bouncy? Could it be the struts/shocks need to break in, and may be why the bounce decreases over time? I am not sure that make any sense because it would seem it is the springs that get broken in normally, but I am not a suspension expert.

I am still excited about receiving my GT, but one of the reasons I changed my order from a Premium to a GT was because of the bounce issue. Now I am a little less excited. While I am sure I will be fine with the bounce, I want my wife to like the car and she will absolutely hate the bounce.

 

[markboris]

Oh no! I thought for sure @markboris had found the solution! I wonder why switching the springs works when the GT is also bouncy? Could it be the struts/shocks need to break in, and may be why the bounce decreases over time? I am not sure that make any sense because it would seem it is the springs that get broken in normally, but I am not a suspension expert.

I am still excited about receiving my GT, but one of the reasons I changed my order from a Premium to a GT was because of the bounce issue. Now I am a little less excited. While I am sure I will be fine with the bounce, I want my wife to like the car and she will absolutely hate the bounce.

Mike, I think the issue might be that compared to other cars, the GT has a bit of a bounce and I can see that. However, the difference in the bouncy ride between a Premium (at least my Premium) and a GT is quite a bit and I will say again that replacing just the rear springs removed about 80% of that bounce my car had. After I replaced the front springs and the shocks/struts, I'd say 90%. I've even had friends notice and comment on how the ride was less bouncy than when they had ridden in it before. The way the car rides and handles now is so much more enjoyable to drive. If I were keeping the car, I would also be replacing the front and rear sway bars just to complete the GT suspension changeover.

 

[Cnote]

Mike, I think the issue might be that compared to other cars, the GT has a bit of a bounce and I can see that. However, the difference in the bouncy ride between a Premium (at least my Premium) and a GT is quite a bit and I will say again that replacing just the rear springs removed about 80% of that bounce my car had. After I replaced the front springs and the shocks/struts, I'd say 90%. I've even had friends notice and comment on how the ride was less bouncy than when they had ridden in it before. The way the car rides and handles now is so much more enjoyable to drive. If I were keeping the car, I would also be replacing the front and rear sway bars just to complete the GT suspension changeover.

I'm still waiting on my springs because of the back ordered parts issue but I'm still excited about getting the swap done. Even a 50% reduction in bounce would be so much better.

 

[Th mustang]

Check to see if the shipping blocks were removed from the springs.

 

[markboris]

Check to see if the shipping blocks were removed from the springs.

Thanks for the suggestion but everyone here is aware of this and no one has had shipping blocks left in their springs.

 

[Cnote]

Got the parts in and will have the work done on Friday morning. Crossing my fingers...

 

[Cnote]

I got the work done and unfortunately I'm not noticing a difference. It's still really bouncy for me. Even the guy at the shop commented on how stiff it still was.

 

[macchiaz-o]

I got the work done and unfortunately I'm not noticing a difference. It's still really bouncy for me. Even the guy at the shop commented on how stiff it still was.

Bummer!

Thank you for reporting back on this though. It helps.

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