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

[markboris]

You are aware the Eibach springs and sway bars have nothing to do with the rear end bounce. The springs soften the ride, less harsh over irregular road surfaces. The sway bars keep the car much flatter in corners. The Koni rear shocks lessen the bounce but doesn’t eliminate it.

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[azerik]

Also part of that bounce house might be depending on if you’re not running the tires high enough the suspension is not actually working. What I’ve noticed with mine is if the front tires are below 38 psi they act like balloons and they bounce what happens is if the rear is also too low it sea salt back-and-forth you get a double bounce from the back and that’s the suspension not rebounding fast enough so the tire works like a balloon. Reality is if you’re not driving hard into the corners, the stock sway bars are probably more than enough. They help keep the car flat, but the problem is is that if you hit something with say the right front tire you’re gonna fill it as opposed to with the stock sway bars that are a little bit more forgiving it’ll allow the car to absorb that impact so the sway bars I would do after the fact if you feel that the car goes side to side. Front to back will be the springs and the tire pressure. The bounce house depending on whether or not you’re getting it from the rear might be alleviated by just upping your tire pressure another two psi. On the dash it’s not very good for realistic PSI so use an actual gauge. You can use the dash to gauge how much pressure your car is building over the day of driving it. The tire pressure will start out lower in the morning when it’s cold out and it’ll get higher when it’s warmer out and the longer you drive it, but it’s only gonna go up a couple of psi that couple of psi may be exactly what you need to eliminate the bounce without going so far as to being able to feel every rock in the road.

 

[HuntingPudel]

My wife refers to my standard 23 MME GT, no magna ride, as a bounce house. I‘m 99% ready to order the eibach progressive springs and maybe the sway bars too. Question for azerik and mark Boris and others, can you recommend a good suspension shop in Northern California in San Jose area that can do the suspension mods for me?
Also if I’m not a really an aggressive driver do you recommend the eibach sway bar upgrade?
And last question, since eibach springs lower car by about an inch has anyone had any issues with car bottoming out and causing any damage to other suspension parts?

Is South San Francisco too far for you? ??

As Mark and Erik said, the springs and bars won’t solve the rear bounce issue, that’s up to the dampers. ??

 

[JAKO-23GT]

Thanks for the feedback about my "bounce house". I run the tires at 38-39 PSI so I don't think it's a tire pressure thing. I've read the thread on the Koni's but my thinking is the stock springs are just too stiff and that's why the Eibachs interested me since they are progressive springs which might also make the ride a bit smoother over minor bumps but still provide good cornering which I do enjoy. I'm thinking best solution might be the Eibachs with the Koni shock replacement in the back? and then if I think cornering need improvement to go ahead w/ the Eibach sway bars.

South San Francisco is not too far for me so if HuntingPodel knows a suspension shop up there let me know. I also read on some other thread a while back about a shop in Livermore, CA known as Life's Good Racing and Street Performance which is a little further than I wanted to drive since I'm guessing it might be a whole day job to replace the springs and the rear dampner.

 

[mkhuffman]

Thanks for the feedback about my "bounce house". I run the tires at 38-39 PSI so I don't think it's a tire pressure thing. I've read the thread on the Koni's but my thinking is the stock springs are just too stiff and that's why the Eibachs interested me since they are progressive springs which might also make the ride a bit smoother over minor bumps but still provide good cornering which I do enjoy. I'm thinking best solution might be the Eibachs with the Koni shock replacement in the back? and then if I think cornering need improvement to go ahead w/ the Eibach sway bars.

South San Francisco is not too far for me so if HuntingPodel knows a suspension shop up there let me know. I also read on some other thread a while back about a shop in Livermore, CA known as Life's Good Racing and Street Performance which is a little further than I wanted to drive since I'm guessing it might be a whole day job to replace the springs and the rear dampner.

The sway bars improve left to right stability, so it does make the ride more comfortable. It does not reduce the bounce, though. The Koni shocks on the rear reduce the resonant bounce, but the initial rebound is the same. There is an improvement, but your bouncy house people will still complain. Unfortunately.

This is a sporty car, and it has limited suspension travel. Progressive springs are your best bet, but I cannot comment on them personally. And still it won't be a plush ride (as others have reported). Your people will likely still complain.

(Lots of qualifying "buts" in this post. LOL.)

 

[Dysan911]

Thanks for the feedback about my "bounce house". I run the tires at 38-39 PSI so I don't think it's a tire pressure thing. I've read the thread on the Koni's but my thinking is the stock springs are just too stiff and that's why the Eibachs interested me since they are progressive springs which might also make the ride a bit smoother over minor bumps but still provide good cornering which I do enjoy. I'm thinking best solution might be the Eibachs with the Koni shock replacement in the back? and then if I think cornering need improvement to go ahead w/ the Eibach sway bars.

South San Francisco is not too far for me so if HuntingPodel knows a suspension shop up there let me know. I also read on some other thread a while back about a shop in Livermore, CA known as Life's Good Racing and Street Performance which is a little further than I wanted to drive since I'm guessing it might be a whole day job to replace the springs and the rear dampner.

I can offer some insight on this. I no longer own my MME GT, and the excessive bounce among other things was a major reason I moved on. I tried various solutions, including Eibach Springs, Koni adjustable rear shocks, and sway bars. However, none of these provided the normal suspension feel you'd expect from other makes and models you may have driven.

Before selling my MME, I reverted to the stock springs. After running the Eibachs for about 8-9 months, I had a solid basis for comparison. Switching back to stock revealed only minor differences. The transition from stock to aftermarket often creates a placebo effect, exaggerating the percieved changes. However, going back to stock springs honestly didn’t feel drastically different.

Ford's stock spring rate likely influenced Eibach's design to ensure the springs could handle the vehicle's weight, passengers, and cargo. Despite this, the Eibachs still felt overly stiff when hitting speed bumps or dip transitions. The main difference I noticed was that the stock springs gave the MME a slightly floaty feel, while the Eibachs provided a more firmer ride which is where I think the improvement is found. The weight of the MME on the progressive springs was probably pressing those down near the 2nd stage and helping to absorb the tiny little ripples and waves in the road where as the stock linear springs would seem to react to those.

Would I recommend the Eibachs? I honestly would say you should try the Koni rear adju shocks first and see if that gets you closer to what you like then go from there with the Eibachs. I personally didn't like the look of the MMe Lowered either. I know the look is subjective to personal preference but for me it just didn't look right. SUV's should be sitting up higher imho.

Good luck!

 

[azerik]

The Eibach's are only lighter for a small part of the travel. If I had to guess about 1/2 inch or less of the whopping 1.5 inches from rest to the bottom of the bump stop. That half inch is things like cracks in the road, minor imperfections, concrete to blacktop imperfections (unless you live where I do and the blacktop can end up being 1.5 inches taller than the concrete, that, cost me a wheel...) So the rest of the ride really isn't going to change much at all. I can say the front mellowed out on mine for sure, the headlights at night still flick up but much less than previously. The rear I'm still messing with, and not getting drastic results one way or another. But i have to mess with something, you know?

 

[garrett12]

Is South San Francisco too far for you? ??

Hey @HuntingPudel I’m also looking for a suspension shop in this area if you have a recommendation, thanks!

 

[Track9979]

KYB rear struts are out... $50 a piece, can't imagine it's any better than stock
https://www4.rockauto.com/en/parts/kyb,5550026,shock+/+strut,7556

 

[markboris]

KYB rear struts are out... $50 a piece, can't imagine it's any better than stock
https://www4.rockauto.com/en/parts/kyb,5550026,shock+/+strut,7556

If they are like every other KYB shock, they have a very fast and strong rebound which is the exact opposite of what this car needs. So far the Koni's are the only shock with an adjustable rebound that will fit the rear of the Mach-E and still offer a decent ride.

 

[sci_goat]

Hey @HuntingPudel I’m also looking for a suspension shop in this area if you have a recommendation, thanks!

I had mine done in 2023 at The Driveway San Jose, now known as TDW Auto. They were very accommodating, and did a fairly good job for a reasonable price. I gave them the instructions Mark wrote up and they followed them very well!

However, as HuntingPudel and Markborris know, they installed my front Steeda sway bar upside down. I don't blame them for this though, it was Steeda's fault, they neither included markings nor instructions. Also, Steeda ghosted me when I attempted to bring it up with customer support.

I am still indebted to HuntingPudel and Markborris for the help in figuring it all out.

 

[intoMME]

I contacted Koni a long time ago regarding making shocks and struts for our cars. I just reached out to them again and got this response:
Greg,

Nothing new to report unfortunately. At this time is very unlikely that we ever develop a direct replacement for the Mach E.

Mason O’Hara

Product Specialist

KONI - an ITT company





1961A International Way Hebron, KY 41048



T (859) 488 0324 | F (859) 334 3340) | [email protected] | www.koni-na.com

 

[intoMME]

And this just in from Bilstein...
Hello Greg,



Thank you for contacting Bilstein of America, we appreciate your continued interest in our products. At this time, there is no estimated availability date or confirmation that they will ever be available for the Mach E Mustang. Thank you for understanding.


Kind Regards,

Jose
Technical & Warranty Support Specialist
Thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America, Inc

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE CATALOG

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[markboris]

And this just in from Bilstein...
Hello Greg,



Thank you for contacting Bilstein of America, we appreciate your continued interest in our products. At this time, there is no estimated availability date or confirmation that they will ever be available for the Mach E Mustang. Thank you for understanding.


Kind Regards,

Jose
Technical & Warranty Support Specialist
Thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America, Inc

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE CATALOG

Feedback Surveys

Even if there were they wouldn’t work. Only the Koni Sport shock with adjustable rebound will work.

 

[janstubbs]

I propose a business opportunity for some entrepreneur, sell us the Koni shocks upgraded per the instructions in this thread. Let me know how many buyers there are with replies here.

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