Eibach GT Pro-Kit Lowering Springs on a GTPE

[markboris]

There is a thread on Eibach lift springs that Pat posted (https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...bach-front-rear-lift-springs-sway-bars.32640/) so I thought I would start one on their lowering springs and more specifically on a GTPE. I've had several members ask me how I was able to lower the GTPE with MagneRide suspension when Eibach and H&R (another manufacturer with lowering springs) do not recommend using their GT springs on the GTPE.

Without going into a lot of suspension detail, here's a quick explanation of why these lowering springs are not recommended for the GTPE's MagneRide. Shocks/struts have bump stops and their job is to cushion the shock/strut before it bottoms out when your car is loaded down and/or going over large bumps. When you lower a car, the end of your shock/strut becomes closer to the bump stop which means it will be contacting it more often. Eibach's solution to this is to replace the OEM bump stops with shorter ones which they supply with their lowering springs. H&R also sells lowering springs and their solution is for you to cut the OEM bump stops to make them shorter. Bump stops are generally made of a rubber type material.

The reason these lowering springs are NOT recommended for the GTPE with MagneRide is the bump stops on the fronts struts are internal and not accessible at all. The rear shocks have external bump stops but to get to them, you have to disassemble the electrical connection (not easy) at the top of the shock to remove the dust shield that contains the bump stop. Since you are not able to replace them on the front and they are not easily replaced on the rear, those bump stops will be contacting the end of the shocks/struts more often when the car is loaded down or going over large bumps. These bump stops are necessary because without them, you will damage your shocks and other suspension components if the car bottoms out. Also, once you change the static height of the car with a MagneRide suspension, you need to recalibrate the height setting in the VDM (Vehicle Dynamics Module). It is an easy 5 minute job as long as you have access to FDRS otherwise you will need to bring it in to your dealer and they will charge you to do this.

Why did I install lowering springs not recommended on a MagneRide suspension?
I wanted to lower the car a bit more from how it came from the factory. The only option right now is the lowering springs from Eibach and H&R. I cannot recommend the H&R lowering springs as once I installed them, the rear of the car was slightly lower (1/4") than the front. I thought it was very odd but then I read this is what others were experiencing so I used spacers in the rear to bring it up 1/2" so that the rear was 1/4" higher than the front. After I installed the Eibach springs they were perfect. The rear is 1/4" higher than the front. The car height with the Eibach springs are 1/4" lower all around than the H&R's. As the car sits now, measuring from the ground to the top/center of the fender moulding, the front is 29" and rear is 29 1/4". Overall, I have a 1" drop all around from stock height. This is less than what Eibach states the drop will be on their website but I'll take it.

How does it handle with the Eibach lowering springs?
First, I want to say I don't use the Mach-E as an SUV meaning it will never go off road and I never load it down with cargo or 5 passengers. 99% of the time I'm in the car alone but on occasion I may have one or two passengers. Also, I don't expect this car to be a sports car or want to turn it into one. I already have one of those however, I do want the Mach-E to handle better than it did from the factory. When taking slight turns, the OEM and H&R springs feel a little better because they are linear with a higher spring rate than the lower end of the progressive spring rate of the Eibach's. The Eibach's are a bit mushy and you loose that crispness on slight steering input but when pushed hard in a corner, the higher spring rate of the Eibach's progressive end kicks in and the car handles a bit better than the H&R's and OEM springs. Not sure if this makes sense but it is the best way I can explain.

NOTE: Replacing the front and rear sway bars were the best mod I (and many others here) could have done (and did). The car handles much flatter now and I highly recommend the Eibach sway bars. https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/eibach-sway-bars-now-avalable-for-the-mach-e.30162/

How is the ride with the Eibach lowering springs?
Now that I've had them in for while and recently (two days ago) rode in another member's stock GTPE, I can say they definitely ride a bit smoother with these progressive springs. I cannot comment on the bounce issue since the GTPE with MagneRide keeps it to a minimum compared to the non-MagneRide Mach-E. I am talking about overall road imperfections and because the Eibach lowering springs for the GT are progressive, the ride is definitely softer. When I had the H&R linear springs on the car, it felt like the OEM GTPE springs which are a bit more harsh. The OEM springs are also linear.

As far as the bump stops go, of course I couldn't change the front ones but I did shorten the rear ones by cutting them as per H&R's directions. I had the H&R lowering springs on the car for over a year and never had an issue with the car frequently hitting the bump stops unless I had rear passengers. Now that I have the Eibach springs on the car, I just left the shortened bump stops in the rear and did not use the Eibach ones that came with the springs. Still have not had any issues. When I go over larger bumps especially in the front, I can feel it contact the bump stop but this is not an issue.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the Eibach springs. I don't mind giving up the sportiness of initial steering for a softer ride but the car handles better than stock when pushed.

Eibach has been looking for someone with a GTPE to develop springs for (800-507-2338, Corona CA). I would imagine that since the bump stops can't be replaced in the front, they might be making a linear spring of a very high load rate so as not to contact the bump stop often. That is only my guess on this. Originally I was excited about them looking into developing springs for the GTPE but after having their GT springs on my car, I'm not sure I would want to go to a more firm ride if that is what they are going after. We will see. It takes me only a few hours to replace the springs and I've done it quite a few times so I may end up testing them out anyway if they do come out with a set for the GTPE.

NOTE: A member is coming to my place in two weeks to install the Eibach lift springs on his Premium. It will be very interesting to see how raising the car will affect the ride. The Eibach lift springs are linear and close to the OEM spring rate so not sure what it will be like but we'll find out.


At the bottom of this post I have included the Ford Repair manual instructions on removing the front and rear springs.

UPDATED: Added specs for Eibach's new Pro-Kit lowering springs for GTPE (with Magneride suspension). One thing to note: this kit does not come with bump stops and you still cannot replace the front ones and the rear ones are difficult but can be done. This kit has firm linear front springs so it has less of a chance to bottom out. The rear springs are progressive and you can shorten those bump stops if you want.

Eibach spring rate info:

Lowering Pro-Kit
Mach-E RWD/AWD (All trims except GT)
Part# E10-35-054-03-22 Pro-Kit
Front – 160-220 lbs/in (progressive)
Rear – 1000 lbs/in (linear)
STD. Bat. (RWD) Lowers: 0.8" Front, 0.7" Rear
EXT. BAT. (RWD) Lowers: 0.9" Front, 0.8" Rear
STD. Bat. (AWD) Lowers: 0.9" Front, 0.8" Rear
EXT. Bat. (AWD) Lowers: 1.2" Front, 0.9" Rear

Lowering Sportline (lower and stiffer than above Pro-Kit)
Mach-E AWD (except GT)
Part# E20-35-054-01-22 Sportline Kit
Front – 143-235 lbs/in (progressive)
Rear – 800-1089 lbs/in (progressive)
STD. Bat. Lowers: 1.1" Front, 1.2" Rear
EXT. Bat. Lowers: 1.8" Front, 1.6" Rear

Lowering Pro-Kit
Mach-E GT (not recommended for GTPE but I installed them on mine and others)
Part# E10-35-054-04-22 Pro-Kit
Front – 148-235 lbs/in (progressive)
Rear – 799-1089 lbs/in (progressive)
Lowers: 1.4" Front, 1.3" Rear

Lowering Pro-Kit (New Kit)
Mach-E GTPE (with Magneride suspension)
Part# E10-35-054-05-22 Pro-Kit
Front - 211 lbs (linear)
Rear - 799-1089 (progressive)
Lowers: 1.2" Front, 1.1" Rear

Lifting Pro-Kit
Mach-E AWD (except GT)
Part# E30-35-054-01-22 Pro-Kit
Front – 200 lbs/in (linear)
Rear – 950 lbs/in (linear)
EXT. Bat. Raises: 1.5" Front, 1.5" Rear
STD. Bat Raises: 1.8” Front, 1.8” Rear

Ford OEM Spring rates:

Premium 205/885

GT 228/970

Rally 183/627

EDIT: Alignment
You must bring the car in for an alignment after you install any springs that change the ride height. The camber can be adjusted in the rear of the car but not in the front without changing the strut to wheel knuckle bolts. The factory bolts are splined so that there is no adjustment. In the Ford Mach-E repair manual, it states if you want to adjust the front camber, you need to replace the bolts with standard, non-splined bolts which will allow some adjustment to set the camber properly when raising or lowering the car. The bolts required are 5/8" x 3 1/2" grade 8 plus nuts and two washers per bolt. If you want to make it easier on the alignment tech, you can purchase adjustable camber bolts and just replace the top bolts. It is more expensive to do it this way but easier to align. Below are photos of the 5/8" (16mm) bolts and the adjustable camber bolt kit.

Below are photos of the OEM, H&R and Eibach springs. While this does not mean anything because of design and spring rates, the Eibach springs are taller than both the OEM and H&R's but when installed, have the lowest ride height.

Front H&R and OEM Springs

Front Eibach and H&R springs

Rear H&R and OEM springs

Rear H&R and Eibach springs

Eibach's front and rear shortened bump stops

Stock height

Lowered height

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[mkhuffman]

Mark, this is good stuff. Thanks for posting!

Did you notice a difference in comfort between the Eibach and the H&R springs?

 

[azerik]

Interesting that the Eibach is designed to fully collapse the spring in the middle like an actual dual rate would require. I've thrown around the idea of springs lately as well. But I'm torn on dropping the car. I'd love the dual rate in the stock height but 1 inch drop wouldn't really hurt that much lol.

Did you notice a difference in comfort between the Eibach and the H&R springs?

That'll be that 'mushi-ness'. Coupled with us going possibly to the Hanook Ion's we might have found a combo that actually rides about like we're looking for (albeit losing steering input at the same time) in a crossover/suv 5000lb type thing.

I still think the front struts need<something>. Not entirely sure what it is for us that arn't spending the $3k on the KW. Only real thing that's held me up on springs is messing around with the front struts (and expecting kickback from the Dealer when i take it in for vibration issues, which it'sheaded in for next week along with all the recall stuffs)

 

[HuntingPudel]

Interesting that Eibach chose to have the higher spring rate at both ends and have the softer rate in the middle of the spring. Just a comment from the dog bone gallery. ??

 

[4sallypat]

Love the new lowered ride without being too low!

 

[azerik]

Interesting that Eibach chose to have the higher spring rate at both ends and have the softer rate in the middle of the spring. Just a comment from the dog bone gallery. ??

This was something I had been over thinking for a while. Due to the way the spring cup is I couldn't come up with a way to use an actual dual rate spring set up for the rear (which KW has in their pics of the v3 but doesn't supply for the MME). I figured this is because the lower rate spring would cause the intermediate ring to hit the spring cup on either end as it'd have to fully compress anyway in order for the second spring to start to function. In the past I've used various thicknesses of steel rings or aluminum on light weight racing applications like quads. The problem I hit with fabbing this was having to flatten the ends of the springs so they would sit correct in the ring, so I couldn't do it and it'd have to be done at the time the spring was made. Way more work than I could pull off in my garage.

So less in the middle keeps the ends firm in the spring cups.

 

[HuntingPudel]

This was something I had been over thinking for a while. Due to the way the spring cup is I couldn't come up with a way to use an actual dual rate spring set up for the rear (which KW has in their pics of the v3 but doesn't supply for the MME). I figured this is because the lower rate spring would cause the intermediate ring to hit the spring cup on either end as it'd have to fully compress anyway in order for the second spring to start to function. In the past I've used various thicknesses of steel rings or aluminum on light weight racing applications like quads. The problem I hit with fabbing this was having to flatten the ends of the springs so they would sit correct in the ring, so I couldn't do it and it'd have to be done at the time the spring was made. Way more work than I could pull off in my garage.

So less in the middle keeps the ends firm in the spring cups.

Yeah, makes sense. Those beehive coil springs sure make life interesting. ??

 

[Fluid Dynamics]

I just emailed Eibach to offer my car for testing........

Let's see if they take me up on it.

 

[markboris]

Mark, this is good stuff. Thanks for posting!

Did you notice a difference in comfort between the Eibach and the H&R springs?

Between the OEM and H&R springs, I really did not notice any difference and believe I mentioned that about a year ago when I installed them (after my air suspension tryout). Maybe they felt a bit more firm but it was hard to tell. However, between the H&R and Eibach's, yes I noticed a difference but I held back on really commenting on the ride until I had several hundred miles on them. I like to give springs a good month or two to settle down and we are there now. Again, I want to say that I cannot comment on the bounce as I do not have roads around here that induce it so this is just about the ride. I have some rough asphalt roads close to my home and the car seems to glide over these more than they did before. I don't feel the imperfections as much on the road surfaces like I did. On the freeway, the car as an ever so slight float to it. I really don't want to use that word because it is not a caddy but again, it kind of glides on the road instead of noticing the small imperfections. This is all very minor but it's there. Just this slight smoothness that is hard to explain. I'm sure Erik or Steve can explain differences between linear and progressive springs better than I can.

It wasn't until I was at another members place a couple of days ago doing some FORSCan mods that I noticed more of a difference. We rode around in his GTPE to make sure the high beams were ramping up and down properly and had to take a few side streets to do this. I realized his car rode more firm than mine although he does have the OEM sway bars that have the vulcanized bushings which can be a contributing factor. I'm looking forward to others that might be getting these to see if they have the same opinions that I do.

 

[markboris]

Interesting that the Eibach is designed to fully collapse the spring in the middle like an actual dual rate would require. I've thrown around the idea of springs lately as well. But I'm torn on dropping the car. I'd love the dual rate in the stock height but 1 inch drop wouldn't really hurt that much lol.

That'll be that 'mushi-ness'. Coupled with us going possibly to the Hanook Ion's we might have found a combo that actually rides about like we're looking for (albeit losing steering input at the same time) in a crossover/suv 5000lb type thing.

I still think the front struts need<something>. Not entirely sure what it is for us that arn't spending the $3k on the KW. Only real thing that's held me up on springs is messing around with the front struts (and expecting kickback from the Dealer when i take it in for vibration issues, which it'sheaded in for next week along with all the recall stuffs)

Yes I have run progressive springs before and usually the rate differences are at the ends and not in the middle.

Yes, I like I mentioned in the original post, lost a bit of steering input since the springs are a bit softer initially. I'm ok with that though as I switched back to my PS4's summer tires to get it back, well, not all of it. As much as I love the Pirelli P Zero All Season's, I can't stay away from the PS4S's.

Looking forward to you getting the Eibach springs Erik and hearing your thoughts on them...... Oh, and if you want some extra help, I would be glad to stop by the next time I'm in AZ. I'm going to be installing these in a couple of months in my previous Mach-E that now lives in Surprise, AZ.

 

[markboris]

Love the new lowered ride without being too low!

Thanks Pat. And I like your lifted car also. I mentioned this before but I'm installing a set of those lifted springs on a members car next weekend so looking forward to taking some photos of it along side my lowered car. Will be interesting. ?

This is a little different angle of the car that I just took yesterday but yes I like the ride height a lot. I've been used to it for a year since I had the H&R's on there previously but now it is 1/4" lower and I don't need spacers to bring up the rear end like I had to with the H&R's.

 

[azerik]

Looks like I’ll probably have them for the second week in February.

 

[markboris]

I just emailed Eibach to offer my car for testing........

Let's see if they take me up on it.

I hope so David. I've contacted a few members but none were able to be without the car for a week. It will be very interesting what they will come up with for the GTPE if they even end up with anything at all.

 

[4sallypat]

Thanks Pat. And I like your lifted car also. I mentioned this before but I'm installing a set of those lifted springs on a members car next weekend so looking forward to taking some photos of it along side my lowered car. Will be interesting. ?

This is a little different angle of the car that I just took yesterday but yes I like the ride height a lot. I've been used to it for a year since I had the H&R's on there previously but now it is 1/4" lower and I don't need spacers to bring up the rear end like I had to with the H&R's.

View attachment 115755

Well I do like the looks of yours for sure!

Glad the Eibach lowering springs did the trick!

And thanks for asking for volunteers to Eibach.

Please let us know how the lift springs work on your other client.
I'd like to see it.

 

[dmitry]

There is a thread on Eibach lift springs that Pat posted (https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...bach-front-rear-lift-springs-sway-bars.32640/) so I thought I would start one on their lowering springs and more specifically on a GTPE. I've had several members ask me how I was able to lower the GTPE with MagneRide suspension when Eibach and H&R (another manufacturer with lowering springs) do not recommend using their GT springs on the GTPE.

Without going into a lot of suspension detail, here's a quick explanation of why these lowering springs are not recommended for the GTPE's MagneRide. Shocks/struts have bump stops and their job is to cushion the shock/strut before it bottoms out when your car is loaded down and/or going over large bumps. When you lower a car, the end of your shock/strut becomes closer to the bump stop which means it will be contacting it more often. Eibach's solution to this is to replace the OEM bump stops with shorter ones which they supply with their lowering springs. H&R also sells lowering springs and their solution is for you to cut the OEM bump stops to make them shorter. Bump stops are generally made of a rubber type material.

The reason these lowering springs are NOT recommended for the GTPE with MagneRide is the bump stops on the fronts struts are internal and not accessible at all. The rear shocks have external bump stops but to get to them, you have to disassemble the electrical connection (not easy) at the top of the shock to remove the dust shield that contains the bump stop. Since you are not able to replace them on the front and they are not easily replaced on the rear, those bump stops will be contacting the end of the shocks/struts more often when the car is loaded down or going over large bumps. These bump stops are necessary because without them, you will damage your shocks and other suspension components if the car bottoms out. Also, once you change the static height of the car with a MagneRide suspension, you need to recalibrate the height setting in the VDM (Vehicle Dynamics Module). It is an easy 5 minute job as long as you have access to FDRS otherwise you will need to bring it in to your dealer and they will charge you to do this.

Why did I install lowering springs not recommended on a MagneRide suspension?
I wanted to lower the car a bit more from how it came from the factory. The only option right now is the lowering springs from Eibach and H&R. I cannot recommend the H&R lowering springs as once I installed them, the rear of the car was slightly lower (1/4") than the front. I thought it was very odd but then I read this is what others were experiencing so I used spacers in the rear to bring it up 1/2" so that the rear was 1/4" higher than the front. After I installed the Eibach springs they were perfect. The rear is 1/4" higher than the front. The car height with the Eibach springs are 1/4" lower all around than the H&R's. As the car sits now, measuring from the ground to the top/center of the fender moulding, the front is 29" and rear is 29 1/4". Overall, I have a 1" drop all around from stock height. This is less than what Eibach states the drop will be on their website but I'll take it.

How does it handle with the Eibach lowering springs?
First, I want to say I don't use the MME as an SUV meaning it will never go off road and I never load it down with cargo or 5 passengers. 99% of the time I'm in the car alone but on occasion I may have one or two passengers. Also, I don't expect this car to be a sports car or want to turn it into one. I already have one of those however, I do want the MME to handle better than it did from the factory. When taking slight turns, the OEM and H&R springs feel a little better because they are linear with a higher spring rate than the lower end of the progressive spring rate of the Eibach's. The Eibach's are a bit mushy and you loose that crispness on slight steering input but when pushed hard in a corner, the higher spring rate of the Eibach's progressive end kicks in and the car handles a bit better than the H&R's and OEM springs. Not sure if this makes sense but it is the best way I can explain.

NOTE: Replacing the front and rear sway bars were the best mod I (and many others here) could have done (and did). The car handles much flatter now and I highly recommend the Eibach sway bars. https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/eibach-sway-bars-now-avalable-for-the-mach-e.30162/

How is the ride with the Eibach lowering springs?
Now that I've had them in for while and recently (two days ago) rode in another member's stock GTPE, I can say they definitely ride a bit smoother. I cannot comment on the bounce issue since the GTPE with MagneRide keeps it to a minimum compared to the non-MagneRide MME. I am talking about overall road imperfections and because the Eibach lowering springs for the GT are progressive, the ride is definitely softer. When I had the H&R linear springs on the car, it felt like the OEM GTPE springs which are a bit more harsh. The OEM springs are also linear.

As far as the bump stops go, of course I couldn't change the front ones but I did shorten the rear ones by cutting them as per H&R's directions. I had the H&R lowering springs on the car for over a year and never had an issue with the car frequently hitting the bump stops. But like I said, I rarely have a big load and or 5 passengers. Now that I have the Eibach springs on the car, I just left the shortened bump stops in the rear and did not use the Eibach ones that came with the springs. Still have not had any issues. Yes when I go over larger bumps especially in the front, I can feel it contact the bump stop but this is not unusual.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the Eibach springs. I don't mind giving up the sportiness of initial steering for a softer ride but the car handles better than stock when pushed.

Eibach has been looking for someone with a GTPE to develop springs for (800-507-2338, Corona CA). I would imagine that since the bump stops can't be replaced in the front, they might be making a linear spring of a very high load rate so as not to contact the bump stop often. That is only my guess on this. Originally I was excited about them looking into developing springs for the GTPE but after having their GT springs on my car, I'm not sure I would want to go to a more firm ride if that is what they are going after. We will see. It takes me only a few hours to replace the springs and I've done it quite a few times so I may end up testing them out anyway if they do come out with a set for the GTPE.

NOTE: A member is coming to my place in two weeks to install the Eibach lift springs on his Premium. It will be very interesting to see how raising the car will affect the ride. The Eibach lift springs are linear and close to the OEM spring rate so not sure what it will be like but we'll find out.

Eibach spring rate info:

Lowering Pro-Kit
Mustang Mach-E AWD (except GT)
Part# E10-35-054-03-22 Pro-Kit
Front – 160-220 lbs/in (progressive)
Rear – 1000 lbs/in (linear)
STD. Bat. Lowers: 0.9"Front, 0.8" Rear
EXT. Bat. Lowers: 1.2" Front, 0.9" Rear

Lowering Sportline
Mustang Mach-E AWD (except GT)
Part# E20-35-054-01-22 Sportline Kit (lower and stiffer than Pro-Kit springs)
Front – 143-235 lbs/in (progressive)
Rear – 800-1089 lbs/in (progressive)
STD. Bat. Lowers: 1.1" Front, 1.2" Rear
EXT. Bat. Lowers: 1.8" Front, 1.6" Rear

Lowering Pro-Kit
Mustang Mach-E GT (not recommended for GTPE but I installed them on mine)
Part# E10-35-054-04-22 Pro-Kit
Front – 148-235 lbs/in (progressive)
Rear – 799-1089 lbs/in (progressive)
Lowers: 1.4" Front, 1.3" Rear

Lifting Pro-Kit
Mustang Mach-E AWD (except GT)
Part# E30-35-054-01-22 Pro-Kit
Front – 200 lbs/in (linear) (I've been told these front and rear lift spring rates are similar to OEM spring rates)
Rear – 950 lbs/in (linear)
EXT. Bat. Raises: 1.5" Front, 1.5" Rear
STD. Bat Raises: 1.8” Front, 1.8” Rear

Below are photos of the OEM, H&R and Eibach springs. While this does not mean anything because of design and spring rates, the Eibach springs are taller than both the OEM and H&R's but when installed, have the lowest ride height.

Front H&R and OEM Springs

Front Eibach and H&R springs

Rear H&R and OEM springs

Rear H&R and Eibach springs

Eibach's front and rear shortened bump stops

Stock height

Lowered height

? I’ll add this mode to my to-do list for sure!

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