UPDATED: Replacing Rear Shocks: Reducing the rear end bounce.

[Ghost Ryder]

Would it be possible to put out a DIY on changing out the rear shocks? Would love to see if it's something the avg person can do.

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[markboris]

Would it be possible to put out a DIY on changing out the rear shocks? Would love to see if it's something the avg person can do.

Like a video? I generally don't do videos but someone else might. I have posted a couple of times how to do it and shown photos from the repair manual.. I will post it again. This is about as easy as it gets. If you can change out a tire on your car, you should be able to do this.

Tools required:

Floor jack
Jack stand (optional but recommended if your floor jack is weak or marginal)
1/2" Ratchet wrench
1/2" 21mm deep socket (wheel lug nuts)
1/2" 18mm socket (upper shock support bolts)
1/2" 15mm socket (lower shock support bolt)
1/2" 12" long or longer extension to remove and replace upper shock bolts unless you have power tools
Torque wrench (optional. Good and tight works too)

1. Using a floor jack and jack stand (optional) lift up either side of the rear. Using a 1/2" 21mm socket and ratchet wrench, remove the wheel/tire on that side.

2. With a 1/2" 18mm socket and ratchet with a long extension remove the two upper bolts holding the shock support to the body. Long extension is to get some leverage on removing the bolts and also tightening them. If you have power/air tools you don't need an extension.

3. With a 1/2" 15mm socket and ratchet, remove the lower bolt holding on the shock to the lower control arm. The photo below shows the nut side which stays in position. You just need to remove the bolt from the other side, no need to hold onto the nut.

4. Remove shock. To reinstall, reverse order and tighten all bolts using a torque wrench to 80 ft. lbs. Without a torque wrench, tighten fairly tight.

 

[mkhuffman]

Like a video? I generally don't do videos but someone else might. I have posted a couple of times how to do it and shown photos from the repair manual..

1. Lift up either side of the rear and remove the wheel/tire on that side.

2. With a 18mm socket and ratchet with a long extension remove the two upper bolts holding the shock support to the body. Long extension is to get some leverage on removing the bolts and also tightening them. If you have power/air tools you don't need an extension.

3. With a 15mm socket and ratchet, remove the lower bolt holding on the shock to the lower control arm.

4. Remove shock. To reinstall, reverse order and tighten all bolts to 80 ft. lbs.

That sounds easier than replacing the sway bars! Sign me up! ?

 

[markboris]

That sounds easier than replacing the sway bars! Sign me up! ?

MUCH easier. Like I said, I can do both sides in less than 30 min. However, I do have power tools so it makes things a bit easier and faster.

I updated this post #152 to include tools needed.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

If you have magnaride shocks, will the car throw codes if you replace them?

 

[markboris]

Yes, however you can get around that by using a shock/level sensor simulator plug kit ($400 for all four shocks/struts) and you also have to have FDRS software to recalibrate the VDM.

Here is my take on it... On the bouncy road we have been testing, the Koni single adjustable shocks on Anton's Premium, so far give the flattest ride where as the magneride's in my car still had a very slight bounce. The OEM's on this road are very bouncy. I would NOT replace the magnerides as there is more to the whole system than just a bouncy road. Going over bad roads with irregularities, the magnerides smooth that out more than the Koni's will. They are an active shock so even though I don't believe Ford did a great job tuning the module for these shocks (in this car), I am sticking with them. Of course you also have the option of softening them up at the touch of a button when wanting a smoother ride on the freeway.

As a side note, I have used DSC Sport's magneride controller modules in two of my Ford cars with magneride suspension. They are invaluable as you can dial in the compression, rebound and many other settings yourself using a program on your computer or having them send you files you can upload to the controller. I contacted them more than a year ago and sent them photos of the VDM magneride controller plus the wiring and pin out of the connectors to see if they would be interested in making one for the Mach-E. They said no. I contacted them a month ago, they still said no. So I guess we are out of luck. https://www.dscsport.com/

I believe the Viking dual adjustable shocks may work even better than the Koni's. I am sending a pair to Erik for him to test since I will be out of town for about the next two weeks.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

When they’re finally done retrieving all the data, how do we get this to the Ford engineers who clearly messed up when picking the shocks for our cars?

Wonder why Ford engineer messed up so badly. If a couple of guys in their garage can address the ride quality was some simple experimentation, surely Ford with all its resources could of done the same.

 

[azerik]

Friends and family are lucky to have you. Safe travels.

No doubt! Reading about what he’s going to work on makes me tired ?

 

[21st Century Pony]

Would it be possible to put out a DIY on changing out the rear shocks? Would love to see if it's something the avg person can do.

There is one already here. Search for "DIY KW Coilovers install" (these are keywords here) by Connoisseurr.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...pension-with-kw-v3-coilovers-on-mach-e.20904/

 

[azerik]

Wonder why Ford engineer messed up so badly. If a couple of guys in their garage can address the ride quality was some simple experimentation, surely Ford with all its resources could of done the same.

It’s not that they messed up. They didn’t invest boatloads of time to try to make it great. They most likely used existing maps for the controller, not wanting to reinvent the wheel.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

It’s not that they messed up. They didn’t invest boatloads of time to try to make it great. They most likely used existing maps for the controller, not wanting to reinvent the wheel.

With all due respect, I can't even say it's boatload of time. You guys tested 3 sets of rear shocks and by all accounts, the ride is better than OEM. It took maybe a week or so? And that's not doing it full time and having to source the part yourself. I can only assume that Ford have highly paid suspension engineers doing this and the car has been in development for years with thousands of miles of real world testing. You're telling me that they not one of them rode in the car and said "hey it's kind of bouncy, lets try a different shock?"

Really appreciate what you guys are doing for the community. Just wish it came better sorted from the factory. It's another self inflicted wound from Ford. I got the GTPE because of the magnaride suspension. And honestly the only mode that is drivable is unbridled. Whisper and engage is not dampered enough. I get the pogo stick sensation when going over So Cal roads.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

There is one already here. Search for "DIY KW Coilovers install" (these are keywords here) by Connoisseurr.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...pension-with-kw-v3-coilovers-on-mach-e.20904/

Thanks. That helps a lot.

 

[kennethjk]

With all due respect, I can't even say it's boatload of time. You guys tested 3 sets of rear shocks and by all accounts, the ride is better than OEM. It took maybe a week or so? And that's not doing it full time and having to source the part yourself. I can only assume that Ford have highly paid suspension engineers doing this and the car has been in development for years with thousands of miles of real world testing. You're telling me that they not one of them rode in the car and said "hey it's kind of bouncy, lets try a different shock?"

Really appreciate what you guys are doing for the community. Just wish it came better sorted from the factory. It's another self inflicted wound from Ford. I got the GTPE because of the magnaride suspension. And honestly the only mode that is drivable is unbridled. Whisper and engage is not dampered enough. I get the pogo stick sensation when going over So Cal roads.

All about the money, cheap (bean counter) and probably taking parts from the parts bin of other cars.


the way some of these old line legacy company’s work, just bad. there is no way they would accomplish what this forum will be doing in a week. Probably take them millions of dollars and a year of approvals to develop something new. Which is why they didn’t do it.

 

[azerik]

Oh yeah. They dropped the ball on the other non-magnaride cars.
I thought you were saying that they dropped the ball on the magna ride. That thing has three maps for different suspension settings and that’s it. They clearly dropped the ball on that.
I’m sure the engineer that said ‘put a 2.5 ton spring in the back’ was met by the suspension engineer huge sigh. I’d assume they did it to keep the car from getting too unruly when driving winding roads and hitting a pot hole. I haven’t dug into the spring rates that others are using on the MME. IT’s be amazing if someone made an actual progressive spring for the rear.

Probably take them millions of dollars and a year of approvals to develop something new. Which is why they didn’t do it.

Plus there’s what, 20 people reading this thread? Out of the number of MME’s out there only a handful will ever get something other than factory shocks.
Until Steeda sells whatever we come up with for shocks, very few will even know something other than factory shocks exist.

 

[mkhuffman]

All about the money, cheap (bean counter) and probably taking parts from the parts bin of other cars.


the way some of these old line legacy company’s work, just bad. there is no way they would accomplish what this forum will be doing in a week. Probably take them millions of dollars and a year of approvals to develop something new. Which is why they didn’t do it.

I was going to make this point as well.

I am willing to bet the final solution will be significantly more expensive than the shocks Ford put on the car. Even if they are slightly more expensive, every little thing that adds cost to the car bumps up the MSRP. Ford released an excellent car at a market beating price, and to do that, they had to make compromises.

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