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YCW install

15K views 84 replies 10 participants last post by  crashmw 
#1 ·
Started to install coilovers yesterday and only got the front done. Ran out of time. Biggest issue was getting the suspension to drop down far enough to get the button of the strut out of the lower arm. None is a 16, so the instructions/videos on the web made it look easy. Ended up using a length of wood and a small floor jack to compress the spring from below and that worked.
Then got it all in place and the car was way too low. While it is only the front end right now, it was crashing hard over bumps, so I raised it up another 3/4". Rides better now but still thinking I got to get the rears installed before making a final decision.
I'm thinking it is the geometry, but torque steer is worse right now.
I ran without the cowling, and boy do you hear a lot of noises that I did think our cars made. It even sounded like having a blow off valve, as I could hear the shhh, between shifts. Entertaining.
But, I put everything back together with the stock strut tower brace, even though I have the TB performance unit that I used as a pilot for the 3" holes. I was concerned that if I hacked the cowling in order to fit the TB bar that those previously mentioned noises would remain, and I would not want to live with that.
I have the dampers set to full soft or street.

CrashMW
 
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#3 ·
Also I would recommend driving without doing the rears also.

Sent from another galaxy.
You would, or would not recommend driving without doing the rears? Not that it's unsafe, but seems like it'd be a very unbalance comparison to drive around with the rear not done to match the front.

That's why I went with the Mountune brace as I am unwilling to remove or mod that cowling for what seems reasons you just mentioned.

Are you upgrading any other components in conjunction with the install; camber arms, tie rod ends, rear sway bar end links, etc? Curious to see what your alignment specs turn out to be. Mine are still sitting on the shelf waiting to go on. had some other projects overrule this one.
 
#5 ·
More about my install.
The reason that I cant install the rear right now is I sorta need help. I tweaked my back yesterday morning playing tennis, and installing the front end with a friend about wiped me out. I am hurting today.
I do want to install the rear...just worried that I might not have 2 hours left in me (back issues suck). We are planning on doing it next weekend...though I am kicking around the idea of trying to do it tonight...

I did have a small issue with the YCW drop links. After mounting up the passenger side, we got started on the driver side. When I got to the drop link, I was backing it out in order to insert it into the strut mount and I ran out of threads...the unit came apart. So I had to put it back together (tighten up lock nuts) and then force it into place. When I removed the stock drop links, they came out easily as there was zero tension on them. I like when things go back together the same way that they came apart...so this was certainly an exception. I have both sides within about a 1/8 of an inch (threads showing). So there should be no issues.

I have not purchased anything for the rear of the car. I am hoping that I do not need anything, though I am concerned about binding, but do not know what is the right rear end link to go with the YCW rears...
I did not think about tie rod ends either...do I need them as well?
I have a track day on the 30th, and want to be ready for that more than anything.
Now I am thinking that maybe I better try today...so that if I need anything, I have time to order it up.

Don't know what to do...
 
#9 ·
Well i finished the install. Couldn't stand looking at the car in stinkbug mode...plus I wanted to get a change to drive it and let it settle a bit.
Only drove around the block thus far, and it is a lot bouncier than I was thinking it would be. (again, my first time with coilovers).
I will drive them through the end of the month at least, getting in a track day during that time.
I hate the idea of doing all the work over again...so hoping that the bounciness subsides, or I get used to it.
If I have to pull it all off, it will likely be for the mountune kit...which should still be an improvement over stock.
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alloy wheel Automotive tire
 
#11 ·
Also if you are too low and running too soft of a spring rate i.e. the standard 4k/5k that come with this setup, the ride will be pretty bouncy as they will be out of their effective operating range.
 
#16 ·
I installed mine over the weekend, but still need to go back and install the extenders for the rears (I think I'm going to pull the shocks back out and see if I can use a center punch to mark the carpet directly above the adjustment knob). When I put them in, I have initially set the dampening in the middle between track and street. I left the ride height set where it was out of the box just to see where it ended up and actually like it as I ended up with a slight drop (between 0.25" and 0.50" drop right now). I might lower it a little more after I have some more time to look at the car and determine whether I still like the ride height where it currently is.
 
#17 ·
JDW How is your ride? Is it bouncy?
I left my fronts almost as they arrived from the factory, but there was zero preload from the factory as delivered...I could rattle the spring.
Also, I had to raise the car as it was just too low for my liking after installing (though it looked nice)

As for the rear, I will read up on UnfocuST's build and hopefully your notes...
I don't cherish the idea of taking the rear shock back out...that lower damper/shock bolt is a major ***** to get to..
 
#20 ·
My ride isn't really bouncy, just stiff (best way I can think of to describe it). It seems bouncy, but that is just because of the road surface, the struts/shocks themselves are not bouncing excessively best I can tell. I've had a car before that was on coilovers (Tein Basics, which had no dampening adjustment, with pillowball upper mounts on a Nissan Sentra) and it feels similar to how I remember those riding.

For the time being, I've left my ride height collars where they were straight out of the box and am going to give it a little time before I drop it to make sure it doesn't settle out any further (showed 0.125" of drop after initial install and then settled another 0.25" in the front after a drive around the block), so I still have to set my final ride height. I checked my spring preload before and after installation and didn't have to make any adjustments as I could not rattle the springs.

Based on what I noticed while installing the rear shocks and springs, the spring will need to come back out in order to raise/lower the height collar, but it should just be a matter of the one bolt at the bottom of the spindle that goes through the control arm, which was fairly easy to get out. The part I had a little difficulty with was getting the control arm back into the spindle and getting everything to line up easily. While the spring is out, the bolt at the bottom of the shock is easy enough to get to so that the shock can be pulled out and the extenders installed.
 
#18 ·
I noticed that UnfocusedSTs rear height is MUCH different than mine. My collar is difficult to access as it is up in the upper spring mount, though not so far that I cannot reach it...Odd.
I wonder if it is a result of the 2016 being different than the 2014s? I found a few other issues that earlier cars apparently did not have...
 
#22 · (Edited)
Further thoughts:
First off, I have to say that YCW was no help whatsoever. I guess they assume that anyone installing their suspension must have installed their suspension in the past. The instructions and or guidelines were a joke.
First off, the literature that comes with the kit says that the suspension was set up from the factory…Not true. Collars were not tight, and my springs in the front were rattling which means the preload was not set. So I set them to where they just eliminate rattling, and then one full turn in further. But that is a guess…it would have been much better to have a setup guideline for our particular application.
The brake line mount is a difficult piece to get into place…as it is at a slightly different height than the stock units…but it was workable. The fact that pre-load was not set correctly from the factory is a big problem, as preload is so important to suspension setup (at least it is for my motorcycles). Then there is this mysterious note in the guidelines from YCW stating NOT to turn the lower collar on the shocks/dampers, but if you don’t at least loosen it, you cannot thread the shock body up or down to adjust ride height? So that is unclear to me. It also would have been nice if they mentioned the right way to set the end links. When I pulled off the end link on the passenger side, it slid out nicely, without any load on the end link. So naturally, when I installed the YCW end link, I adjusted it so that there was no load (so that it slid right into place). Unfortunately, the other side was much further off (even though the stock unit on the driver side slid out without resistance as well…) –It’s the little things when it is your first time.
The red knobs for damping adjustments will not fit with the stock strut tower brace, so I had to not install mine. I will go back and drill the stock brace so that I can get a screwdriver in there for damping adjustments, and later will modify it so that the 3” hole that I cut is fully accessible. I just don’t know if I like the TB designs unit enough to install it since it affects other parts (the lower cowl needs to be cut). Again, this is easy enough to sort out, I just need more time in that area to figure out what I want to do. I do want to keep the car quiet inside…
For the rear, instructions would have been nice. Most coilovers that I have seen (you tube videos) in preparation for this install show the height adjustment being made from the bottom. So imagine my surprise when I realized it was not going in that way. Luckily there is the Focus ST forums that saved me (mainly UnfocusedST). I cannot emphasize enough how much help he (and others) was on Sunday while I was installing. I am lucky that some of my questions were answered quickly, and before I ran out of daylight. I would have never thought to remove the bolt securing the rear subframe to mount the collar for the height adjustment. The instructions should have shown this, as it is kinda important…especially since YCW does not have any install videos on the web (that I could find) pertaining to the Focus. This really is a kit for those experienced with suspension installations. –this coming from a mechanical engineer. I am not saying that the design is lacking, just that there were some curveballs.
Then there is the height setting for the rear. What is the shock body length supposed to be? Is it supposed to be the full extended length of the rear when on jack stands? Or slightly longer (such as when the lower bolt from the lower arm is removed (when removing spring)? I would like to know.
I currently have it set equal to the unloaded height, with the spring installed and the lower arm bolt in place (spring was not under tension just yet). So, once I installed the shock in this position, I removed the slack (rattling) of the spring, and like the front, I went one more full turn in. I measured the length of the exposed threads to the collar, and both sides matched, so I called it a day on that. BUT, this is still misleading as the angle of the lower mount was still pretty severe, so the spring was not able to sit as flush on the lower seat as I would have liked.
Now, after reading on the forums, I am not even sure how to adjust the rear height. Do I have to remove the spring? So much for on-car adjustment. I don’t see why I would need to remove the spring if I unload the suspension. But, then if I do lower it for example, do I need to change the extended length of the damper to match (so that when the suspension is unloaded, the spring is not loose (able to rattle)?
Clearly I have much to learn. It would have been nice to have some sort of guidance from the factory…In fact, I contacted YCWengineering for some setup tips and instructions in anticipation of the install, and they informed me that this was included in the package. I figured that I must have missed something during my first review of the contents…but nope. The response for support was useless. Again, I am grateful for the support of this site…Hopefully with the assistance of this site, I will be able to set up the car the way that I was hoping, or at least as best as it gets before I pull the trigger on a less aggressive setup (maybe the mountune kit). I do not mind the stiffness of the ride as it sits right now. I do however mind the bounciness… that is simply unsafe in my book as it puts the tires under the stress of keeping traction under bumpy conditions, vs the suspension.
 
#25 ·
I have never had instructions that came with an aftermarket suspension. They have always said to use the factory procedures. Spring preload wouldn't be set by the manufacturer since most people adjust their setups to meet their needs. For on car ride adjustment front are easy. The rear is a PITA due to the seperate spring and dampener setup from the factory. The rear dampener can be remove with the spring in place. I've done it and it's simple.

Sent from another galaxy.
 
#26 ·
@UnfocusedST, I wanna come hang out in your garage and wrench on my car while you point and laugh (and hopefully teach me a thing or 1000).
 
#27 ·
To the OP...

I’m sub’ed. I was in the first round of pre-ordered kits. My problem is a matter of knowledge, space, tools, time, and the ST being my DD. I can’t afford to be down a car for more than a couple of days, and I’m petrified at the idea of having something go horribly wrong. When I think of taking it to a shop, I also think about all of the little tricks and just extra tidbits that folks like @UnfocusedST have unlocked. Those guys might not have that kind of insight. (I have thought about printing his install out for a shop, though. With permission, or course.)

Unfortunately, and I guess this is a confession of sorts, this is the case with a list of parts that I have sitting in the shed, waiting to be installed.

I appreciate you sharing your grievances with the install. It helps me to know that even if a guy has a degree in mechanical engineering, a decent garage to work in, I assume a nice array of tools at hand, AND experience wrenching on things (you mentioned bikes), doesn’t mean it’ll be easy or straight forward.

I guess it wasn’t super straight forward for UnfocusedSt, but he sure made it look easy-ish (for him). I think he might be a magician.
 
#28 ·
Yeah, my ST is also my daily driver so I knew I had to get the install done over the weekend. Luckily, my parents came to visit for the weekend and dad wanted to install these while he was here. I will recommend reading through the Edge Autosport thread where they installed their KW coilovers. I used that as my guide for the installation of these coilovers and feel like they did a good job of stepping through the installation, but your mileage may vary.

Edge Autosport KW Variant 3 Install Thread

And speaking of worrying about things going horribly wrong, I had one thing go wrong on me during this install. When I went to reinstall the strut on the front driver side, I screwed up the bolt and threading in the knuckle because I had opened the knuckle too far (in order to get the old strut and spring out). Luckily, we were able to source a replacement bolt and were able to re-tap the threads (I now own a tap and die kit) on the knuckle in order to get everything back together.
 
#29 ·
Trust my I'm no magician. Just experience. This is my third car that I've modified the suspension on, my second Focus and my second set of coilovers on this car. I've watched plenty of YouTube video and ready plenty of threads. In fact when I installed these I was confused about how the rears went together. Another member here helped me. He had the original prototype coilovers and I have the second version. So there has been lots of learning on my part. I do help were I can but trust me I'm no expert.

Sent from another galaxy.
 
#30 ·
Yeah, but you are very helpful, and if it's important to acknowledge that fact..
So let me day thank you once again.
Now I am chasing a noise in my right front... I drove over a drop down in the road, maybe a few inches, that I drive over every day, and it made an awful noise. Actually sounded like my windshield.
I assume it was from the strut extending or the wheel dropping down suddenly... But it was not right. So then I started hunting for bumps... And it sounds like something is not quite right at the passenger front.
Already checked the top side. So tonight I will pull the wheels and check end link, lower strut mount bolt, as well as the locking collars on the strut itself.
Anything else I might be missing?
Oh I did try to remove the other bolt on the lower arm, cause I could not get the arm to drop far enough for the original strut to come out, so I will check that as well.
I ended up having to use the floor jack and piece of wood to compress the spring about a 1/4" to get it out (both sides).

CrashMW
 
#35 · (Edited)
Correction, i removed the nut from the steering arm, but not the bolt. I was thinking that I might be able to free up the lower arm a little bit more so that I could get the stock strut out of the lower socket. Anyway, after I removed the nut, and before I tried to separate the ball joint, I decided that I might try to compress the spring using a floor jack and a length of wood under the ABS bracket on the strut (as I only needed another 1/4" to get the strut clear, and it worked. Anyway, I checked it, and it is tight, so that was not the noise.
I think that I might have found the source of the noise...and that is the stock strut bar made contact with the upper strut adjuster...Fortunately, no damage to the adjuster beyond what can be seen in the photo below
Tire Auto part Automotive tire Automotive wheel system Coil spring


But that was on the driver side, and I could have sworn the noise came from the passenger front. No signs of contact there.
But, I checked the springs on both sides, and they were rattling...So, I guess that they settled a bit, so I had to increase preload by 4 full rotations to stop the rattling, actually 2 rotations, but I decided to go 2 more. I left ride height alone, although the proper preload would probably increase right height by a fraction.
I also checked all bolts and fasteners, and nothing obviously loose was found.

So, I took the time to address the stock strut bar interference with the strut adjusters, and fortunately, the bottom of the stock strut bar has a flat plate with a 3" hole, so I got out the hole saw and went to town...I now have clearance for the top of the strut, PLUS I can now keep the adjuster knobs on the car. I also kept the fresh air sealed from engine air, so no increased interior noise...and now I will sell the TB strut tower brace and pick up a Mountune unit, and still have access for camber adjustment (sorta).
Auto part Disc brake Engine Clutch Wheel

Auto part Suspension Suspension part Tire Automotive wheel system


I have a few more images of the fronts...still need to come up with a game plan for the rear adjusters, but might wait until I am motivated to pull the rear shocks back out...or more images from others who have done the same as I want the interior to stay new looking.
I may start pulling the interior pieces to see if I can access the rear dampers that way. At least to get an idea of what I will have to work with.

I leave tonight with images of both left and right side front coilovers as I am about to bolt the car back up.
Left Side:
Auto part Disc brake Vehicle brake Brake Rotor

Right side
Auto part Disc brake Vehicle brake Suspension Brake


Oh, and evidence of cooked brakes after my first track event...yeah, not related to suspension,
Wheel Auto part Tire Automotive tire Automotive wheel system
 
#36 ·
Correction, i removed the nut from the steering arm, but not the bolt. I was thinking that I might be able to free up the lower arm a little bit more so that I could get the stock strut out of the lower socket. Anyway, after I removed the nut, and before I tried to separate the ball joint, I decided that I might try to compress the spring using a floor jack and a length of wood under the ABS bracket on the strut (as I only needed another 1/4" to get the strut clear, and it worked. Anyway, I checked it, and it is tight, so that was not the noise.
I think that I might have found the source of the noise...and that is the stock strut bar made contact with the upper strut adjuster...Fortunately, no damage to the adjuster beyond what can be seen in the photo below
View attachment 284218

But that was on the driver side, and I could have sworn the noise came from the passenger front. No signs of contact there.
But, I checked the springs on both sides, and they were rattling...So, I guess that they settled a bit, so I had to increase preload by 4 full rotations to stop the rattling, actually 2 rotations, but I decided to go 2 more. I left ride height alone, although the proper preload would probably increase right height by a fraction.
I also checked all bolts and fasteners, and nothing obviously loose was found.

So, I took the time to address the stock strut bar interference with the strut adjusters, and fortunately, the bottom of the stock strut bar has a flat plate with a 3" hole, so I got out the hole saw and went to town...I now have clearance for the top of the strut, PLUS I can now keep the adjuster knobs on the car. I also kept the fresh air sealed from engine air, so no increased interior noise...and now I will sell the TB strut tower brace and pick up a Mountune unit, and still have access for camber adjustment (sorta).
View attachment 284226
View attachment 284234

I have a few more images of the fronts...still need to come up with a game plan for the rear adjusters, but might wait until I am motivated to pull the rear shocks back out...or more images from others who have done the same as I want the interior to stay new looking.
I may start pulling the interior pieces to see if I can access the rear dampers that way. At least to get an idea of what I will have to work with.

I leave tonight with images of both left and right side front coilovers as I am about to bolt the car back up.
Left Side:
View attachment 284242
Right side
View attachment 284250

Oh, and evidence of cooked brakes after my first track event...yeah, not related to suspension,
View attachment 284258
Another shout out to unfocussedST as I adjusted my front dampers one click in from full soft, and did nothing to the rear yet, and sure enough, the ride is MUCH better. Now I just gotta do the rear and I'm pretty sure I will be a happy camper.
Is truly amazing the difference One click makes!
Reading Reds build thread, I was sure that full soft was the way to go.... But apparently the pre-production units are different in their valving as well.
At least now I am no longer thinking about how I may need to offload my coilovers [emoji16]. Just my TB designs strut bar.

CrashMW
 
#38 ·
Do you have any advice on how to install the adjusters on the rear? I may have missed it in your thread, but I did see how you shortened the extension... Just not clear how you determined how or where to put the holes in the carpetted panels.
How much clearance is there under the panels to the top of the strut?
Do I need to remove the dampers, install the extension (minus one knob) and try to fish it through the hole in the carpet, or what?
Having done it already, perhaps you have some advice?

Thanks

CrashMW
 
#43 ·
Ok, so I actually took some notes this time.
I decided that I would rather not pull apart the interior panels, so pulled the shocks and drilled a hole through the carpet from the bottom.
The extenders that come with the YCW coilovers are very long, too long in fact, and like UnfocussedST, I trimmed mine. Unlike him, I drilled the holes large enough to pass the cable housing, but elected to not even run the housing when I was done.

Here is the view from below, to the top mount. If you look closely, you can see that I already drilled the hole, which I later opened up from the interior by hand using a larger bit...
Auto part

It is a straight shot, so I got creative with extensions and a drill bit to make the hole in the carpet.
Product Tool

I then passed the shock adjustment extender through the carpeting, and put the union on before trying to bring the shock into place as I could not get it to work if already installed on the shock...plus, this way you don't have to try to poke the extender up into a hole that you cant see.
Water Plumbing fixture Sink Plumbing

and then I attached the union to the shock adjuster...
Tool accessory


And done, after a bit of trimming the extension itself using wire cutters...
Vehicle Car Vehicle door



I was really worried about this part of the install, but the carpet is literally about an inch away from the opening in the body. So it was not difficult at all. Plus, I did not have to pull any interior pieces, meaning all the carpet stayed in place the entire time. The best part is the hole in the carpet is difficult to see should you ever want to remove things.
 
#44 ·
Yeah, I went back and installed my rear adjusters this afternoon, but I went the opposite direction and took the rear carpeting out. It wasn't too bad - I think I spent about an hour doing both sides. I also got my TB strut bar installed up front, so I installed the front adjusters as well (and got the wipers back on in the right spot the first time).

On a side note, is the ride still improved for you since you moved away from full soft? Last I remember seeing, you had done the fronts and it had improved, but you still had to do the rears. Glad to see you making progress and hope you are enjoying the ride better!
 
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