Mark's Mach-E Premium

General Information

MAKE
Ford
MODEL YEAR
2021
MODEL & TRIM
Mach-E Premium 4x
COLOR
Infinite Blue
Standard Range / Extended Range
Extended Range
AWD / RWD
AWD
MODS - SUSPENSION / CHASSIS
In an effort to slightly lower the car, I installed the GT version springs. This dropped the car 1/2" but what I was not expecting was the ride. The constant bouncing I had in the rear was reduced but not gone. I decided to go all the way and replace the front struts and rear shock with the GT versions. With the slightly lowered suspension and the slightly larger tires I put on, I was able to reduce the large gap in the wheel well.
MODS - WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES
This is a 5000 lb car and it needs a much larger/wider set of wheels and tires. I am not concerned at all about range on this car so loosing 10%-15% is not a problem. The OEM 225/55/19 tires are terrible at handling and are only on the car to gain maximum range. The OEM wheels are narrow at 19"x7" and are heavy. I had Terrance at Signature Wheels build me a set of Precision Series SV706 wheels in gloss black. I went with a staggered setup of 20"x8.5" up front and 20"x10" in the rear. I have been a Michelin guy for many years and their Pilot series are my favorite. I went with the Pilot Sport 4 SUV 255/45/20's up front and 295/40/20's in the rear.

This completely changed the way the car handles. It feels so much more planted and the steering is much sharper compared to the vagueness it had before. These tires are also quieter and have a higher load rating. Even though I went with much larger wheels and tires, I saved a total of 15 lbs weight (unsprung) since the Signature wheels were much lighter than the OEM wheels.

Painted the gray area on all four rotors satin black so they would look better behind black wheels.
MODS - EXTERIOR
Removed front license plate bracket and replaced with body colored plugs. Replaced the gloss black fender mouldings with ones I had painted Infinite Blue. Removed the Mach-E badges on the doors. Tinted all the reflectors with 20% film. Replaced rear license plate with a Reviver electronic license plate. Removed frunk divider. Drilled two 2" access holes (then capped them) above the LVB positive and negative connections in the frunk per Dan's DIY. Eliminated the Pedestrian Audio Alert sound and back up beeping by replacing the speaker with a resistor. Rewired the pony puddle lamps to come on anytime a door is open or the car is remotely unlocked. All exterior paint treated with Ceramic Pro 9H ceramic coating.
MODS - INTERIOR
Windshield and glass roof 70%, front door windows 50%, rear door and hatch windows 20%. Replaced factory floor mats with Lloyds Ultimat mats in the front, rear and cargo area. Completely sound deadened the interior with both Dynamat and Dynaliner in the doors, floor, cargo area and rear quarter panels. Added ambient lighting in the rear door storage area to match the lighting in the front doors. I only use the ice blue color for my ambient lighting so installed ice blue LED's in the rear doors. Had Exclusive Steering custom make a steering wheel all leather with space gray trim in the lower section and space gray stitching. Added shade for glass roof from Tesmanian and a full canvas protection setup for the rear cargo carpet from CanvasBack. Added hatch release button in the inside of the car at the front of the console just below the subwoofer remote volume control. Added a wireless phone charger mount under armrest.
MODS - IN-CAR ELECTRONICS
Replaced OEM sub with a JL Audio 400 watt powered sub and installed it in the lower cargo area under the floor. Added a remote volume control for the sub at the front of the console.
MODS - SOFTWARE / TUNE / PROGRAMMER
Disabled double honk when car is on and you get out with the key fob or phone in your pocket.

Comments

Wow that’s impressive. Love the rims! I noticed you removed the MachE branding off the side. I really like that. How easy was it and did you have to do anything after removing it?
 
Thanks for the compliments. It's very easy to remove the emblem on the doors. I just slowly pulled the letters away from the door starting with the X. Sometimes the sticky pad behind the letter comes off with the letters and sometimes sticks to the door. If it sticks to the door, just take your thumb and rub it in one direction and it will come right off the door. Another way you can do this is to take some nylon fishing line and run it behind the emblem and that will remove it also. After you remove the emblem and sticky pad, just take some cleaner wax or whatever type of auto spray cleaner/detail you might use and clean off your fingerprints.
 
Looks fantastic! I'm not into the aftermarket sound scene, but I can tell you do high quality work, and I can appreciate that. I keep going back and looking at those wheels....awesome!
 
Car looks great! Dumb question for you - I have a Route 1 and was looking at potentially adding a sub. Nothing fancy, just need a little more bass. Where was the B&O sub located in your Premium? Wondering how hard it would be to add something simple in there. Thx!
 
Car looks great! Dumb question for you - I have a Route 1 and was looking at potentially adding a sub. Nothing fancy, just need a little more bass. Where was the B&O sub located in your Premium? Wondering how hard it would be to add something simple in there. Thx!
Hi Shawn,

I guess you didn't happen to see my very lengthly thread ( #1 ) on adding a subwoofer. It is actually pretty simple to do but takes time. After you read it, if you have any questions let me know.

Have a great week,

Mark
 
Hi Shawn,

I guess you didn't happen to see my very lengthly thread ( #1 ) on adding a subwoofer. It is actually pretty simple to do but takes time. After you read it, if you have any questions let me know.

Have a great week,

Mark

Ha! I literally just read it and posted another question on there. /forehead slap/
 
Quality work and impressive results! You are giving me ideas my wife will not like! ?
 
Those wheels and tires....wow! Looks proper. Everyone always asks what the range is on my car. I tell them it is more than enough for my daily driving, and my "fill up station" is my house...with free energy from solar panels. I would gladly lose range to have that look. And you answered a question I asked my dealer, and they did not know. The GT springs and shocks/struts totally solved the bounciness, or do you think the lighter wheels also made a difference? How much did it cost to switch out the suspension?
 
Those wheels and tires....wow! Looks proper. Everyone always asks what the range is on my car. I tell them it is more than enough for my daily driving, and my "fill up station" is my house...with free energy from solar panels. I would gladly lose range to have that look. And you answered a question I asked my dealer, and they did not know. The GT springs and shocks/struts totally solved the bounciness, or do you think the lighter wheels also made a difference? How much did it cost to switch out the suspension?
Hi Greg, I also don't care much about the range as I would rather have the look and better handling of the wheels and tires I have and I also "fill up" with my solar panels. That said, I probably lost about 40 miles range with the current Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tires. When I had the Michelin Latitude Sport 3 tires I lost only about 20 miles range. The lighter tire and wheel setup did not change the bounciness at all. It was mainly just the GT rear springs but changing the entire front and rear springs/struts/shocks helped a bit more and definitely made the car handle better. I think the springs were about $50 each ($200 total) and the struts/shocks $150 each ($600 total) so around $800 for the GT setup.
 
Hi Greg, I also don't care much about the range as I would rather have the look and better handling of the wheels and tires I have and I also "fill up" with my solar panels. That said, I probably lost about 40 miles range with the current Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tires. When I had the Michelin Latitude Sport 3 tires I lost only about 20 miles range. The lighter tire and wheel setup did not change the bounciness at all. It was mainly just the GT rear springs but changing the entire front and rear springs/struts/shocks helped a bit more and definitely made the car handle better. I think the springs were about $50 each ($200 total) and the struts/shocks $150 each ($600 total) so around $800 for the GT setup.
Wow, $800 is cheap for that fix! Wonder if the labor is just as much. My car is AWD Select with standard battery. I wonder if I would need a different spring, since the weight is less.
 
Wow, $800 is cheap for that fix! Wonder if the labor is just as much. My car is AWD Select with standard battery. I wonder if I would need a different spring, since the weight is less.
You need to use the GT rear spring and there is only one. The GT spring also lowers the car 1/2" but in your car, that may not happen as you have less weight. Regardless, if you want, just buy the rear springs and have them installed. That is only $100 in parts plus the labor should not be that much at all for that job.
 
You need to use the GT rear spring and there is only one. The GT spring also lowers the car 1/2" but in your car, that may not happen as you have less weight. Regardless, if you want, just buy the rear springs and have them installed. That is only $100 in parts plus the labor should not be that much at all for that job.
I re-read it all. You did not replace front springs?
 
I re-read it all. You did not replace front springs?
I did replace the front springs and struts but it was after I replaced the rear springs and shocks however it didn’t make any difference in the bouncy ride as that is all coming from the rear. I only replaced the front setup so it would be a complete GT suspension.

Am I being confusing? Sometimes I don’t explain things well.
 
I did replace the front springs and struts but it was after I replaced the rear springs and shocks however it didn’t make any difference in the bouncy ride as that is all coming from the rear. I only replaced the front setup so it would be a complete GT suspension.

Am I being confusing? Sometimes I don’t explain things well.
Thanks for the clarification. My main complaint is the bouncy ride, and now my only concern is whether it will look weird if the back ends up sitting lower than the front if I only do springs in the back. I will talk to my dealer. I really feel like Ford should be fixing this.
 
Ford will not fix this. They have said this is how they designed it which I think is wrong. Right now, your rear end is higher than the front by more than 1/2" so even if you just replace the rear springs, it will not lower more than 1/2" and probably less since you don't have the EX battery. Like I said before, the cheapest way to fix it is to replace the springs but since you have to remove the lower shock bolt, might as well replace the shocks too then the entire rear is a GT setup. Yes it is much more expensive to also replace those rear shocks ($300) but if you are interested in a car that handles and rides better than it does now, investing in the GT suspension is well worth it and much cheaper than buying a GT model.
 
Ford will not fix this. They have said this is how they designed it which I think is wrong. Right now, your rear end is higher than the front by more than 1/2" so even if you just replace the rear springs, it will not lower more than 1/2" and probably less since you don't have the EX battery. Like I said before, the cheapest way to fix it is to replace the springs but since you have to remove the lower shock bolt, might as well replace the shocks too then the entire rear is a GT setup. Yes it is much more expensive to also replace those rear shocks ($300) but if you are interested in a car that handles and rides better than it does now, investing in the GT suspension is well worth it and much cheaper than buying a GT model.
Does yours soak up the bumps more now, or is it really firm. I do not mind a firm ride. I've had an M3 and a Mini Cooper S, but the rest of the family may not appreciate it. I wish I could drive a GT to get an idea.
 
It is more firm than it was but nothing like my S550. I really like the way it rides now. I bet it is more similar to your M3. I wish you were closer so you can just drive my car. There is probably a member with a GT close to you. I know I have seen a few in the SoCal area.
 
It is more firm than it was but nothing like my S550. I really like the way it rides now. I bet it is more similar to your M3. I wish you were closer so you can just drive my car. There is probably a member with a GT close to you. I know I have seen a few in the SoCal area.
I called my local Ford dealer and they said there are actually different part numbers for GT springs, based on the specs of the model. Can you please let me know which part numbers you used for front and rear springs, and the struts and shocks? Thanks!
 
Unless Ford changed this within the last month, there is only one GT part number for the front springs and rear springs. My Ford dealer used a VIN for a GT and GTPE and both came up with the same part numbers. The shocks and struts however are different obviously because the PE has magneride shocks and struts. Also the sway bars are different for both GT versions.

Part numbers: #510
 

Item information

Added by
markboris
Views
9,848
Comments
21
Last update

Share this item





Top