Just installed the Steeda Springs and Sway bars

[meridock]

There were two things I did not like in the ST. My other car is even more performance oriented than the ST so these were something I looked to "fix"

• Body Roll
• Brake Dive

I wasn't in need of a lowering look, but as long as the rake was good I wasn't going to complain. I decided to settle on the Steeda package. Package was Front/Rear sways (middle hole), springs, and strut brace.

I will note the Strut brace is very sturdy compared to stock. The Stock one easily can be flexed/twisted by hand. I don't know if this translate to real performance gains in normal driving, but YMMV.


My impressions of the Springs/Bars/Brace eg a butt dyno of the kit in the last 3 days of driving around town and one 20mile highway jaunt:

• Improved/Similar Ride Quality. Similar to stock - wife approved. She commented that the quality of ride may even be better than stock
• No Bouncing. I had a 95 Mustang and I went with a Kenny Brown kit back in the day. That had a slightly annoying jounce to the ride on imperfections in the road and train track crossings. The Steeda doesn't yet exhibit any of those bad attributes. I have had to cross tracks multiple times a day and it is not harsh at all.
• Reduced Body roll. This is largely a function of the sway bars. I have a traffic circle to navigate thru a couple times a day. The stock suspension felt like it was going fall over at most speeds over a slow entry. This truck turns 60-70% flatter. REALLY love that.
• Less Brake Dive. This area in the stock annoyed me. Braking feel ow it is definitely better and more manageable. I have not yet panic braked, but in traffic and around driving, I like it.
• Turning Feel from Stop. This is related to body roll i know, but I had a complaint on the way the truck accelerated from a stop when turning. Drivers in NoVA are not known for allowing people out of cross streets so I found I was having to get into the gas a little bit to get onto the major roads. The Body roll aspect I mentioned above kicked in and I literally was pulling the foot off the gas and completing the turn off boost and the ST felt like a wet noodle until the truck got straight. This could be totally a "me thing" but I am more confident in this action so far.
• Look. The ST is dropped at least an inch and half. The shop parked it next to another ST and it is very noticeable.
• Noise. Silent so far - no creaks or popping sounds. I instructed the installer to lube up the perches for the springs and the sways.

Left to do next week - Alignment - I always let the springs settle for a week or two of light driving. There is no obvious camber issues with a direct swap, but I will get it aligned next week. I haven't done a forum search for any suggested alignment settings outside stock but please share if you have a slight performance oriented set of alignment settings I am not looking for tire eating alignment since this is my wet weather ride.


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