naapp Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 i was hopeing someone could tell me how to improve the ride of my 2010 fusion hybrid maybe diferent shocks ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) i was hopeing someone could tell me how to improve the ride of my 2010 fusion hybrid maybe diferent shocks ? Hi naapp. :D Unless the shocks are bad/worn, changing the shocks is not the answer. If you think they may be worn, have a tech/mechanic check them for you. Overinflated tires will lead to a harsh ride, so have you checked your tire pressures lately? What are they set at now (psi)? Also, worn tires will give a harsher ride. How many miles are on your tires and have you performed regular/proper tire rotations? Out of curiosity, what did you drive before your Fusion Hybrid? Keep us updated and good luck. :beerchug: Edited November 28, 2011 by bbf2530 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naapp Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 Hi naapp. :D Unless the shocks are bad/worn, changing the shocks is not the answer. If you think they may be worn, have a tech/mechanic check them for you. Overinflated tires will lead to a harsh ride, so have you checked your tire pressures lately? What are they set at now (psi)? Also, worn tires will give a harsher ride. How many miles are on your tires and have you performed regular/proper tire rotations? Out of curiosity, what did you drive before your Fusion Hybrid? Keep us updated and good luck. :beerchug: thanks for response we drove a crown vic only 14,000 on shocks and tires 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FusionDiffusion Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Crown vics have air suspension, so most ind. suspension cars will feel different/ more harsh to you. Check your tire pressures, but otherwise everything should be fine at only 14,000 miles. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolder Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 (edited) Ford gave the FFH a sort of sporty suspension so the gear-heads at the automotive publications would give it good ratings and the low rolling resistance tires are a little harsh on pavement strips. It is what it is. It's a pleasure to drive on interstates and smooth roads. Edited November 29, 2011 by lolder 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 thanks for response we drove a crown vic only 14,000 on shocks and tires Hi naapp. :D As FusionDiffusion and lolder have mentioned above, the Crown Victoria was designed for a "smoother" ride" but less handling ability. So the Fusion Hybrid (or any Fusion and modern car on the road) will feel as though it has a harsher ride. Also, while you mention the mileage, you forgot to answer the questions concerning what psi reading your tires are currently inflated to and whether you have rotated your tires properly as per the Maintenance Schedule. If you are concerned about harsh ride characteristics, you should inflate your tires to the Ford recommendation (which is located on the Manufactures sticker located on the drivers door sill/jamb). And at 14,000 miles, you should have rotated your tires at least once and preferably twice by now. Please post back with the answers to those tire questions and we will see what sort of help can be offered. Good luck. :beerchug: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonoreTn Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 My experience is that changing shocks usually makes the ride worse (firmer), unless they shocks were shot and the complaint was a series of undulations after a bump. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acdii Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I think the ride is OK, but the handling sux. I drove a Sport for 44k miles, and going to the Hybrid it feels like it wallows, and is all over the road. The Sport was glued to the road and felt like it was on rails. I too drove a Crown Vic for many years, huge difference in the ride quality. Body on Frame and Unibody are two totally different ride types. I am going just the opposite, putting larger sway bars, lower springs and performance struts on it, the only thing not being changed will be the tires, though the handling will still suffer a bit from the soft sidewalls, but there aren't many choices for LRR performance tires that will fit the Hybrid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfruth Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) The ride & handling is okay in my book (there is too much body roll IMO) - A strut tower brace would help but not sure if its worth $ 85.00 to find out Steeda link Edited December 1, 2011 by rfruth 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acdii Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I am not sure if that strut brace will fit the Hybrid though. I also doubt it will help at all with the body roll, all it does is stiffen the upper chassis, the roll is coming from underneath. Stiffer sway bars will help quite a bit there, also lowering the car an inch, and stiffer shocks will get the car to stick to the road better, downside is the bumps will be felt a bit more, but not as bad with the stock tires as they would be with the LP tires on the Sport. The higher sidewalls will absorb the impacts to help cushion the ride. My goal is to turn the Hybrid into the handling and looks of the Sport which I just loved, while keeping the good MPG of the Hybrid. I don't really care about the get up and go the Sport had, if I feel the need for speed, the 350 HP in the Flex handles that quite well. Since the Fusion is my daily driver for 2 hours every day, it needs to be fun while still economical, and right now, it ain't much fun. Well, except when I sneak up on my wife with it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engratsea Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Wow, the FFH being too harsh of a ride? I had just the opposite reaction; I thought the ride was incredibly soft. I guess driving sport cars will do that to a person. To be honest if the ride is too harsh I would go back to something designed to have a softer ride. I agree that it is all over the road, but it is designed for fuel conservation, so it may have been purposely built that way to avoid sport driving. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomass38 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 i was hopeing someone could tell me how to improve the ride of my 2010 fusion hybrid maybe diferent shocks ? My Lincoln MKZ Hybrid came with low profile 17 inch tires. Low profile tires improves handling at the expense of ride quality, period. It appears some of the Fusions come with a 16 inch tires and a higher profile sidewalls. I plan to replace my tires with the 16inch when I need new tires. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfruth Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 The Fusion S comes with 16s but the hybrids come with 17s and there not low profile but its still a blast to drive 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Eater Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I was driving a Jeep Rubicon as a daily driver before the FFH so my take on this is more on the lines of "Holy moly you guys are picky!" That said, be careful what you ask for. As said above, you can replace the OEM shocks with "better" units, but that will absolutely result in a firmer, more controlled ride. Some of us desire and like that and are willing to forsake the smooth ride. I've not heard of anything from the aftermarket that will make it ride smoother. Replacing the 17" tires/wheels with 16's and a less aggressive tire may help smooth things, but that may mess up your odometer and that may affect your fuel mileage. Swapping the tires/wheels with the 18" set from a Fusion Sport would be cool, the mounting pattern and offset look to be the same. I'm prepared to sacrifice some economy for a set of better handling tires. Joe 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monochrome11 Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Replacing the 17" tires/wheels with 16's and a less aggressive tire may help smooth things, but that may mess up your odometer and that may affect your fuel mileage. Joe This should not be a problem if the proper tire profile is used. An example would be to go from a 50 series in 17" to a 60 series in a 16". You can keep the same overall diameter of the tire when going to a different diameter wheel. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 This should not be a problem if the proper tire profile is used. An example would be to go from a 50 series in 17" to a 60 series in a 16". You can keep the same overall diameter of the tire when going to a different diameter wheel. Hi gang, :D Just to avoid any confusion: In the scenario listed above (downsizing from a 17" to 16" wheel), the decision as to what tire sidewall ratio to go to would depend on what width tire was being mounted. The decision is based on keeping the closest overall wheel/tire diameter as we can to the factory wheel/tire setup. Essentially, it is called "Plus Sizing" when going to a larger wheel and "Minus Sizing" when going to a smaller diameter wheel setup. For example, take a 225/50-17 wheel/ tire factory setup. If going to a 16" wheel with a 225 tire, we would only increase sidewall ratio to a 55 series tire, not a 60. If mounting a 215 width, we then would go to a 60 series and so on, all based on how narrow a tire we are installing. We can use this Tire Size Calculator to help in the decision making process - LINK - Tire Size Calculator Hope this information helps. Good luck. :beerchug: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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