Lowering a 2003 diesel mondeo

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

The next motor is a 2003 mondeo diesel.

I can only find 30mm up to 60mm lowering springs, can these not get low?
I know there not commonly modded other than the ST style.

Are springs chop-able?



Input plus what to look out for appreciated

[astranaut]

Fairly sure the springs are pigtailed, I'm on 60mm springs on my mk3 hatch

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

That sits nice

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Is it 60mm front and back?
Are alloys 18s?

Sorry for newb questions, I've never had a Ford 😁

[ChasR]

As said, they are pigtailed. They may not be pigtailed from the top, so there may be scope to lower them via chopping a coil or two out.

60mm, however, is quite a drop, and on a stock damper, there won't be much travel left.

[astranaut]

60mm front and back, sits a touch high empty but once I've got my normal family curse word in the boot it levels out. 18 wheels 225/40/18 tyres on 20mm spacers front and back. Drives lovely as long as the road is like glass, as Chas said, there is barely any shock movement and after blowing a couple I went with the best I could get hold of and they've lasted a lot longer, still a fairly harsh ride though. Still practical though, only things that catch is the mudflaps and I've moved house with it 😂

[brachunky]

I love these Mondys having had a couple as company cars. Always been blown away as to why they were never really popular mainstream cars to modify as they look brilliant when they are done.

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Sept 21, 2023 19:08:08 GMT astranaut said:

60mm front and back, sits a touch high empty but once I've got my normal family curse word in the boot it levels out. 18 wheels 225/40/18 tyres on 20mm spacers front and back. Drives lovely as long as the road is like glass, as Chas said, there is barely any shock movement and after blowing a couple I went with the best I could get hold of and they've lasted a lot longer, still a fairly harsh ride though. Still practical though, only things that catch is the mudflaps and I've moved house with it 😂

What shocks and springs did you use?

[ChasR]

I'd guess he went with Bilstein or Sachs shocks.

The better fix is to get dampers with a shorter travel from the getgo. Something like Bilstein B8s would do the trick here.

[astranaut]

LO springs and Bilstein shocks, genuinely hard to find shortened shocks for these considering how easy it is to buy springs.

[automax]

Make sure you buy new pinch bolts for where the shock is clamped in the hub. More often that not they are seized stupid. Not too bad if you are replacing the shocks as you can heat them to the surface temperature of the sun to get the gits out, but if they snap you've then got to drill them out.

[nalesutol]

Sept 21, 2023 18:28:13 GMT ChasR said:

As said, they are pigtailed. They may not be pigtailed from the top, so there may be scope to lower them via chopping a coil or two out.

60mm, however, is quite a drop, and on a stock damper, there won't be much travel left.

Never, EVER, cut coil springs!

[ChasR]

Oct 15, 2023 21:07:02 GMT nalesutol said:

Sept 21, 2023 18:28:13 GMT ChasR said:

As said, they are pigtailed. They may not be pigtailed from the top, so there may be scope to lower them via chopping a coil or two out.

60mm, however, is quite a drop, and on a stock damper, there won't be much travel left.

Never, EVER, cut coil springs!

I admit it's not my bag, but even key names back in the day chopped spring.

Dave Vizard suggested it on Triumph saloons back in the day, and mentioned how you got a stiffer spring as well

[nalesutol]

Oct 17, 2023 7:51:20 GMT ChasR said:

Oct 15, 2023 21:07:02 GMT nalesutol said:

Never, EVER, cut coil springs!

I admit it's not my bag, but even key names back in the day chopped spring.

Dave Vizard suggested it on Triumph saloons back in the day, and mentioned how you got a stiffer spring as well

Agreed, but Vizard was/is an engine genius, not a suspension expert. Cutting springs is dangerous, alters the spring rate in strange ways and is an MOT failure if spotted (usually when the car is jacked up to check bearings etc as the spring drops out of the cup :-) )

Back in the day they didn't have the options available that we do today. Anyone chopping springs now is a cheapskate idiot who shouldn't be allowed to play with cars (IMO). When they cut them do they flatten and grind the the end flat so it sits in the cup properly? No, they don't. If they cut springs to save money what else have they skimped on?

[mk2cossie]

Oct 22, 2023 23:12:24 GMT nalesutol said:

Oct 17, 2023 7:51:20 GMT ChasR said:

I admit it's not my bag, but even key names back in the day chopped spring.

Dave Vizard suggested it on Triumph saloons back in the day, and mentioned how you got a stiffer spring as well

Agreed, but Vizard was/is an engine genius, not a suspension expert. Cutting springs is dangerous, alters the spring rate in strange ways and is an MOT failure if spotted (usually when the car is jacked up to check bearings etc as the spring drops out of the cup :-) )

Back in the day they didn't have the options available that we do today. Anyone chopping springs now is a cheapskate idiot who shouldn't be allowed to play with cars (IMO). When they cut them do they flatten and grind the the end flat so it sits in the cup properly? No, they don't. If they cut springs to save money what else have they skimped on?

Cut springs aren't an MOT fail.
Nothing in the manual for it, but pig tailed springs with no locating device is a fail

[nalesutol]

Oct 23, 2023 6:00:01 GMT mk2cossie said:

Oct 22, 2023 23:12:24 GMT nalesutol said:

Agreed, but Vizard was/is an engine genius, not a suspension expert. Cutting springs is dangerous, alters the spring rate in strange ways and is an MOT failure if spotted (usually when the car is jacked up to check bearings etc as the spring drops out of the cup :-) )

Back in the day they didn't have the options available that we do today. Anyone chopping springs now is a cheapskate idiot who shouldn't be allowed to play with cars (IMO). When they cut them do they flatten and grind the the end flat so it sits in the cup properly? No, they don't. If they cut springs to save money what else have they skimped on?

Cut springs aren't an MOT fail.
Nothing in the manual for it, but pig tailed springs with no locating device is a fail

Agreed, as long as the modification has been done safely.

Just found this:

A Lesjofors spokesperson said: “Despite some improvements, the regulations are still too vague and should be updated with specific examples of reasons for rejecting a coil spring.”



Currently, a coil spring should only be rejected if the spring is insecurely attached to the chassis or axle, or has loose fixings to the extent that relative movement is visible



Other reasons for rejection include a spring fracture, missing spring and unsafe spring modification.



The spokesperson added: “These guidelines give MOT testers a lot of leeway to pass a spring which may in fact be dangerous, as words like ‘insecurely’ and ‘seriously’ are not defined and thus must be interpreted by the tester.



“The new guidelines finally include ‘unsafe modification’ of a coil spring as a potential reason for rejection/failure, but still allow welded repairs in certain circumstances, despite the fact that introducing heat to a coil spring can pose a significant safety risk.



“Every automotive coil spring requires heat-treatment during the production process.



“This involves hardening, tempering and stress-relieving, followed by pre-setting to further improve fatigue performance and reduce the risk of breakage.



“Once the heat-treatment process is complete, introducing extreme temperatures via welding will alter the internal structure of the spring, while the electrode rod used to complete the weld will not be of spring-steel quality, significantly increasing the risk of breakage.



“Even errant weld spatter from neighbouring repairs can create stress risers in the spring, leading to premature failure.”



Lesjofors claims that the document also states that “welded repairs to highly-stressed components aren’t normally acceptable, other than where the component is made up of sections that are welded together. To pass, the repair should appear to be as strong as the original design.”



The Lesjofors spokesperson added: “This ambiguous guideline appears to allow welded springs to be passed without testing the actual strength of the spring, as long as it looks as strong as the original.



“As the ‘appearance’ of strength does not necessarily indicate a strong spring, this is potentially dangerous.”


This indicates that it is down to the interpretation of the regs by the tester. The ones I have spoken to err on the safety side.