Opinions on this suspension setup

[kracer1]

So Spyder you going with the 2002 struts? I finally got mine pulled off today (thanks ShoZ I found the connectors); Have you found a good supplier for the OEM 2002 struts? I was looking at Rock Auto. seems as though they have fair prices and all the parts I need.

 

[iSpyder]

So Spyder you going with the 2002 struts? I finally got mine pulled off today (thanks ShoZ I found the connectors); Have you found a good supplier for the OEM 2002 struts? I was looking at Rock Auto. seems as though they have fair prices and all the parts I need.

I'm pretty sure I'm going this route. I've heard people recommend either Tasca or FastParts. For these parts I found Tasca to be a bit cheaper and past orders I made from them were delivered pretty quickly. Good luck!

 

[wymjym]

kracer1,
I also have a 97 and am thinking of replacing the struts. If the price hadn't been so high I would have replaced them some time ago. If you are going to the 2002 oem units I'd appreciate a report after you install them, as to the ride and handling compared to the 'worn out sarc units'.
wj

 

[Cheetor1981]

I need to replace the struts on my '98. You have been making me think that I should use OEMs off a 2002 SES. I had been looking into getting Monroe QuickStruts which I had heard would work but Amazon says:

"This product fits your 1998 Ford Taurus
Body Style: 4 Door Sedan
Notes: Rear Quick Strut Assembly | EXC SHO - ADAPTOR KIT MAY BE REQD TO REPLACE ORIGINAL LOWER MOUNTING BOLTS AND NUTS IF DAMAGED OR UNABLE TO BE REUSED"

RockAuto doesn't list the 171616 & 171615 part numbers as fitting a '98 SHO. However, looking at the 2002 SES, these Monroe QuickStruts are listed along with the AST50, AST51, & AST52 part numbers.

So I guess my question is...if I wanted to spend the extra cash for Monroe QuickStruts, will they fit?? Which is better??

Thanx for any and all advice.

 

[SHOZ123]

The front and rear suspension except for the struts and springs is the same as all the Taurus sedans of that year.

FWIW the strut mounts with bearings for the front is also the same as the wagon. Sometimes these are cheaper than the sedan listed parts for whatever reason.

 

[kracer1]

wymjym Since I'm not planning on tearing up the roads anymore in the SHO (my wifes going to be driving it to work), performance isn't my main objective so I'm going to go the 2002 route with the struts. My biggest complaint with the suspension has been what I believe is the strut bearings but since the car has 140K miles I figure it's time to replace the struts. These aren't leaking or anything but the car just feels loose up front. I've installed the aluminum subframe bushings when I replace the tranny several years ago and I'm going to replace the rest of the rubber parts now. The only thing I haven't planned on replacing are the lower control arm bushings. Question; has anyone found a need to replace these on the Gen 3's as of yet?
Anyway I've got everything apart and now I just need to find the parts so I'll let you know how things progress.

 

[wymjym]

kracer1,
I understand the 'hand-me-down' approach but since you do know how the sarcs used to perform you should be in a position to gauge what you give up in feel/performance etc.
I have 90K on the car and I can still feel them 'tighten up' when I go through some sweepers and switch backs at 60-90 mph. I wouldn't be willing to go to a floating sensation in these encounters....I await your outcome and reply.
thank you
wj

 

[SHOZ123]

A way to lengthen the life of the SARCs is to unplug them. As they wear then the firm setting becomes more palatable when on all the time.

You can test this by pulling the SARC fuse. You will loose the VAPS but you can compare the way the struts work in that mode. Then if you want unplug the struts and the put in the fuse to get the VAPS back and keep the struts firm.

 

[EvolutionAte]

Ok so I found these struts and they are very affordable. The recommendation seems to be to replace the strut mounts as well. Do I order the ones for a 2002 or for my 99 or does it really matter? Same question on which Eibach's I would order as well. Also, are there any other things I should replace while I'm in there? I currently have sway bar bushings and rear Gen III subframe bushings for all around waiting to go in. Thanks guys for all the great info!

Doing my part to keep the economy going...

Erik

Does anyone know the awnser to this question about the strut mounts with the 2002 SES struts yet? Thanks. -Jeremy

 

[iSpyder]

Does anyone know the awnser to this question about the strut mounts with the 2002 SES struts yet? Thanks. -Jeremy

It appears the same strut mounts are used from 96-03 or at least that is what I found when looking for these parts. I ordered these plus the struts which should be coming tomorrow, springs came today.:woo-hoo:

 

[SuperHO]

for what it's worth, i went with motorcraft struts and the cheapest strut mounts i could find from a 2002 taurus ses. i then went to tire rack (which is about 20 miles from me) and told em i wanted eibachs from a 98 taurus se. bolted everything together, and aside from the vastly lowered ride height even compared to the factory stuff with completely blown SARCs and two broken springs, the ride quality is so far better than stock that to me there's no argument. if/when i ever pick up another gen III, i don't care what the mileage is, the first thing i'll be doing is replacing the suspension with the OEM/Eibach setup. and let's not forget to mention the wicked stance...

 

[EvolutionAte]

for what it's worth, i went with motorcraft struts and the cheapest strut mounts i could find from a 2002 taurus ses. i then went to tire rack (which is about 20 miles from me) and told em i wanted eibachs from a 98 taurus se. bolted everything together, and aside from the vastly lowered ride height even compared to the factory stuff with completely blown SARCs and two broken springs, the ride quality is so far better than stock that to me there's no argument. if/when i ever pick up another gen III, i don't care what the mileage is, the first thing i'll be doing is replacing the suspension with the OEM/Eibach setup. and let's not forget to mention the wicked stance...

Could you post the part numbers for this setup? Thanks.
-Jeremy

 

[SuperHO]

i could, but why? strut part numbers were already posted, and the mounts were nothing special purchased at rockauto.com. i believe the springs are all the same for any taurus from 1996 to 2004, but i could be wrong. just do a search at parts stores for years and models listed, and you'll find what you're looking for.

 

[SHOZ123]

RockAuto has the cheapest mounts. They are listed for the wagon. Don't know if they updated the info. be sure they include the bearing.

 

[Daedalus]

...aside from the vastly lowered ride height even compared to the factory stuff with completely blown SARCs and two broken springs...

Do you have a picture of the new ride height, or a measurement fromt the center of the wheel to the bottom lip of the fenderwell? I've considered the Eibach springs, but I scrape my trailer hitch on the way into the parking lot at work with 4 guys in the car, so I'm very hesitant to lower it any further. I will likely keep my stock springs (as they don't seem to be broken) and go with the '00+ struts. Both (stock non-SARC) rear struts are leaking. :-/

 

[SHOZ123]

When I went to the Eibachs the rear end height did not change. This was due to the OEM springs being all saggy and worn struts. You can easily raise the strut in the knuckle to actually get the rear end up higher an inch or so.

 

[iSpyder]

Get the Eibachs while you can. According to ShoSource.com Eibach has stopped making them for the Gen 3/4 and are no longer in stock.

In regards to the mounts, I believe I had read in other threads that not going OEM was a bad idea because they tend to fail prematurely. Not sure if that is proven but that's what I heard. Hey if it's on the Internet it has to be true right?

 

[EvolutionAte]

Does anyone know if the moog springs would work with the 2002 SES Struts? I don't know if I will have the exrta cash for the eibachs anytime soon. Thanks for the help. -Jeremy

 

[SuperHO]

Eibach'd Gen III with 60 series tires...

 

[EvolutionAte]

Alright, after doing a ton of reading on here I purchased the 2002 SES rear struts to replace the SARC struts on my 98 SHO. I also purchased new rear strut mounts. From everything I read on here these parts should have been interchangable with my SARC setup. I was going to reuse my stock springs as they were not broken. The car is currently being worked on and my mechanic is telling me that the SARC struts are 2 inches longer than the new 2002 SES struts and that he doesn't think that they will work. I know people out there are running this setup successfully. What should I do? Just tell him to install them and to not worry about the difference in length? I think that if anything the car would just sit a little bit lower than stock. Thanks for the help.