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

[tmjt82]

I just test drove a 2021 Select RWD SR (I have a 2022 coming next weekish) and was very disappointed. We have concrete roads near me, one has issues with the best riding cars, and it was awful. I didn't get the jarring people have discussed, but that bounce. How do you people live with that? I-80 was fine for the 3 miles I drove with minor bounce, but the local streets were so bad.

I'm going to try and get a long test drive from the dealer and will need to try it with family in the car.

I also could not live with the bounciness of our 2021 Mach-E GT when we first picked it up but a few things have helped:
1) Snow tires with a higher sidewall during the cold winter months
2) Additional back support and neck pillow for the front seats found by my wife at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075R6TMXN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
3) After about 6,000 miles it seemed like the suspension was softening up.
I love how our GT drives and think it is the best EV available at its price point but then I am biased.

Sponsored

 

[mkhuffman]

I also could not live with the bounciness of our 2021 Mach-E GT when we first picked it up but a few things have helped:
1) Snow tires with a higher sidewall during the cold winter months
2) Additional back support and neck pillow for the front seats found by my wife at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075R6TMXN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
3) After about 6,000 miles it seemed like the suspension was softening up.
I love how our GT drives and think it is the best EV available at its price point but then I am biased.

I am glad you are happy, and I am also happy with my car. But the ride does not improve over time. You are getting used to it.

The tires could definitely make a difference, but the suspension does not soften up. I really wanted mine to, but no. It is exactly the same after 20k+ miles.

 

[Caliboyz001]

Could the GT (non PE) ride comfort improve with the X4 shocks? I recalled a old reply that someone compared shocks between GT and X4 and found X4 to be softer.

 

[markboris]

Could the GT (non PE) ride comfort improve with the X4 shocks? I recalled a old reply that someone compared shocks between GT and X4 and found X4 to be softer.

Leo, that would be the opposite way you would want to go to reduce the bounce. The shocks don't have enough damping for the springs that are on the car. I changed my Premium shocks for GT ones and got a slight improvement. GT owners find the ride is slightly better than the Premium when they have driven both. GTPE owners find that they have even less bounce on the Unbridled drive mode because the shocks are at their stiffest setting. What many have been waiting on is for Bilstien and Koni to come out with their performance shocks so it would hopefully tame some of the bounce on this car.

 

[Caliboyz001]

Thanks for the advice. How about a combo of softer springs (ER AWD or SR AWD) with GT shocks? Would this work in theory?

 

[markboris]

Thanks for the advice. How about a combo of softer springs (ER AWD or SR AWD) with GT shocks? Would this work in theory?

I am not a suspension expert and I know there are other here that know way more than I do but I think that would work. The issue is, you are controlling a lot of weight so doubt you want to go too much softer on the springs. You would bottom out more easily with a load and rough roads.

 

[DrSteveBrule]

I solved my suspension problems. I bought a BMW i4. It rides dramatically better, has a nicer interior, and is faster and more efficient. I do miss the space of the Mach E, but I think it was an overall upgrade and I caught the tail end of inflated used car prices and last gasp of foreign EV tax credits, so I was able to go from a 2021 Mach E to a 2023 i4 for almost zero net cost. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Mach E, but the ride and winter range hit were enough to point me another direction. It's frustrating because I think Ford could solve both issues with a handful of engineers over a couple weeks or months and minimal per-unit cost. A retuned suspension and a heat pump could make this car so much better than its competitors.

I saw a Mach E in my color a few days after the trade and wondered if that was mine, so there are bittersweet emotions wrapped up in this transition. I wish all of you well and am very curious how this suspension situation can be addressed. The i4 has rear air suspension and specifies front tires to be inflated to lower PSI than rears. All of that seems to add up to a real difference without a lot more (and maybe less) suspension travel. Frost-heaved roads are no longer a pain and the car tracks straight as an arrow through mid-corner bumps. Handling is also on another level. I'll be curious what Ford and the aftermarket do going forward. I see a lot of potential and appeal with this form factor and the Mustang name, purists be damned.

 

[kindofblue]

I too got an i4 40e last week and now have it and the grabber blue Mach e Premium (for Shannon) ;-)

 

[azerik]

Does anyone know if we're nailing the rear bump stops constantly? I looked in the front and there's a lot of spring. I'm assuming it's a really hard spring though as I can see the front of my MME bounce and skip over expansion joints and our constantly repaired pot hole roads. In the back though I get the buck. Dropped the tires down to 35ish, made a pretty good improvement. But I still think the rear might be bucking from slapping bump stops or not enough rebound damping.
I'd kill for some QA1's on this car. They helped my '00 Lightning out massively.

 

[MellowJohnny]

I actually think the seats don’t help - they are far too springy for my taste (comfortable, but I’d prefer a stiffer foam) and I think contribute to the wave propagation we are feeling after going over bumps.

It would be interesting to throw a Recaro in there and see if it “feels” any better, but I doubt the Minister of Finance will approve

 

[markboris]

Does anyone know if we're nailing the rear bump stops constantly? I looked in the front and there's a lot of spring. I'm assuming it's a really hard spring though as I can see the front of my MME bounce and skip over expansion joints and our constantly repaired pot hole roads. In the back though I get the buck. Dropped the tires down to 35ish, made a pretty good improvement. But I still think the rear might be bucking from slapping bump stops or not enough rebound damping.
I'd kill for some QA1's on this car. They helped my '00 Lightning out massively.

Hey Erik, I highly doubt we are contacting the rear bump stops unless the car is weighted down in the back. In the rear, there is 2.5" of travel on the Premium's and 2.1" of travel on the GT's. Unless you have passengers or heavy cargo in the rear, you would not contact the bump stops. I don't know how much travel there is on the front as the bump stops are internal (inside the shock cartridge) but most of this bounce issues seem to be coming from the rear.

 

[markboris]

I actually think the seats don’t help - they are far too springy for my taste (comfortable, but I’d prefer a stiffer foam) and I think contribute to the wave propagation we are feeling after going over bumps.

It would be interesting to throw a Recaro in there and see if it “feels” any better, but I doubt the Minister of Finance will approve

Christian, I've had the Premium (very springy seats) and now the GTPE (very firm seats). One of the two reasons I got the GTPE was for the Ford Performance Seats. I was upset they did not use Recaro like my Focus RS and GT500 but they are very similar in that they have high bolsters and a very very firm seat cushion. I didn't really notice a difference between the two cars with the bounce but I don't have roads around here that induce as much bounce as many other members do. If I had to take a guess, I would agree with you and say the more firm seat would be better than the springy one.

 

[azerik]

I actually think the seats don’t help - they are far too springy for my taste (comfortable, but I’d prefer a stiffer foam) and I think contribute to the wave propagation we are feeling after going over bumps.

It would be interesting to throw a Recaro in there and see if it “feels” any better, but I doubt the Minister of Finance will approve

I have some seats out of my Can-AM X3 you can use. It's like a Sparco seat with a maxi-pads worth of foam.. lol.

I tried looking for the rear suspension diagram with no luck. Looking at the spings from H&R and Eibach I'm thinking the rear is actually springs and shocks not struts? If so we're a lazy bunch because a shock swap would be no time at all (hopefully)
Only info I can find is https://www.carid.com/motorcraft/shock-absorber-mpn-ash866186.html when using rockauto to cross ref. No pics that I can really trust but I REALLY think if that's a shock I'll be talking to QA1. The ones I used on my truck were actually for a Mustang.

Does everyone realize that swapping springs changes your damping rate because your shock/strut is now constantly more compressed? At x given ride height your shock pressure is at x. at a lower height the shock is under more pressure thus usually harder to compress. But that usually results in more rebound. The idea being the shock manuf. wants to get your car back to the stock right height for safety and leveling.
I know Monroe and several others have pressure tapers in the shocks. Usually designed to slow compression or rebound. Its a reason a lot of suspension people end up using a shock off a heavier or shorter car.

I really think an adjustable rebound would make a world of difference. BUT it will require some tuning because to hard of a rebound and the tire will skip from one bump to the next. But this car weighs so much it might not be an issue.

 

[DrSteveBrule]

Does anyone know if we're nailing the rear bump stops constantly? I looked in the front and there's a lot of spring. I'm assuming it's a really hard spring though as I can see the front of my MME bounce and skip over expansion joints and our constantly repaired pot hole roads. In the back though I get the buck. Dropped the tires down to 35ish, made a pretty good improvement. But I still think the rear might be bucking from slapping bump stops or not enough rebound damping.
I'd kill for some QA1's on this car. They helped my '00 Lightning out massively.

I don't think so. In all the cars I've owned, you know when you hit the bump stops.

 

[azerik]

If this is to scale there isn't much of a stroke in the rear shock. If you replace the springs with the Eibach kit they supply what looks like an inch shorter bump stop, obviously needed as it's a 1 inch drop on the rear.

Sponsored