After
Project Pygmy Hearse...
After
Project Pygmy Hearse is no longer handicapped by towering ride height and skinny rolling stock. Our Focus gear-hauler now has the right attitude and altitude thanks to Progress Group springs, Focal wheels, and Nitto high-performance tires. This hardware so changed the look of our humble wagon that at an NMRA race shortly after installation, we had a surprising number of Ford-knowledgeable people approach and ask what kind of car it was.
The Progress Group doesn't only offer Focus coils-it recently introduced a complete Mustang suspension kit with sway bars, control arms, and springs.
One of the things that really sold us on our Focus was its canyon-carving surefootedness-something totally unexpected in a market segment generally regarded as basic transportation. Thanks to carefully tuned struts in front, working in harmony with a short-long-arm rear suspension and stabilizer bars at both ends, right out of the box our SE Sport wagon made us eagerly anticipate each curve in the road. That was with Ford's typically high-water ride height and stock 15-inch Eagle RS-A rubber, a combination that allowed both reasonably sporty handling and a silky ride quality that even Detroit's 19th-century road surfaces couldn't spoil.
But, hey, the Pygmy Hearse is a project car, so we couldn't leave it alone, could we? Our first modifications added some power and torque, thanks to a Borla Power Set, a JBA header, and a Paul's High Performance chip ("Sharpening the Focus," Jan. '02, p. 131). We knew the ever-expanding Focus aftermarket could make the wagon handle even better, but the trick was to do so without losing a kidney in the process. After all, this is no California creampuff that will see only glass-smooth pavement. It's a daily driver that spends more than its share of time on Detroit's tortured, decaying, concrete and asphalt oxcart paths. We wanted a combination with which both car and driver could survive this Motor City madness.
Credit for the altitude adjustment...
Credit for the altitude adjustment goes to these new coils from The Progress Group. Made to function with factory damper calibration, these springs firm up handling while exacting little, if any, ride penalty. The factory struts and shocks are just able to deal with the new spring rates. The Progress rear antiroll bar is 22 mm in diameter and 2 mm thicker than stock, for a reduction in understeer. What our photo doesn't show is the cool, teal powdercoating on all components. The spring kit lists for $259 and the bar is $219.
With that in mind, we chose our components carefully. At the moment, there aren't many aftermarket struts and shocks yet available, so we opted for Progress Group lowering springs that are engineered to work with the factory damper rates. We also ordered a slightly thicker rear stabilizer bar from the same company. And though there are some tempting 18-inch rims out there, we figured the necessarily low tire profiles would cause butt blisters at the mere sight of a pothole. So we went with stylish, five-spoke 17-inchers from Focal Wheel teamed with 215/40ZR17 Nitto NT-450s, high-performance rubber that is also quite capable in the wet conditions that often accompany daily driver duty.
Every once in a while a plan comes together, and this time the result was exactly what we had hoped-great handling, a supple ride, and a just-right muscular stance that has us looking back over our shoulders as we walk away from the little wagon in a parking lot. Even the installation was straight-forward, as you'll I see in the accom-panying photos.
Filling the lowered wheel...
Filling the lowered wheel arches are 17x7 Focal F5 rims. These stylized five-spokes are available in either silver or chrome finish and have a 40mm offset that keeps the rims just within the fenderwells. Don't go with any offset less than 40 mm or greater than 45 mm on the Focus. Aftermarket wheels for the Focus are still a bit scarce due to its unusual 4x108mm bolt pattern (the Focals use a dual bolt pattern). Note that the Focal wheels also require slim, spline-drive, "tuner" lug nuts.
Having noted the success of...
Having noted the success of the Nitto drag radials, we decided to try a set of the company's Extreme Performance street tires in size 215/40ZR17. According to Nitto, the NT-450 is equally at home in either wet or dry conditions, and it's even mud and snow rated (though we hope not to test that claim). Treadwear rating is an excellent 300. The tires have so far proven sticky, yet are quiet with great ride qualities.
We left installation of the...
We left installation of the Progress suspension bits to the capable hands at Paul's High Performance. The PHP crew starts at the rear with removal of the factory stabilizer bar-a simple job requiring unbolting the bar's end links from the lower control arms and the two bat-mounting brackets from the rear crossmember.
Because of the multi-link...
Because of the multi-link suspension, removing the Focus' rear springs doesn't even require a spring compressor. PHP's Karl Roekle simply places a tranny jack beneath the lower control arm to retain its position as he removes the arm's outboard bolt. The jack is then lowered and the old spring is lifted out of its perch on the arm.
A quick glance is all that's...
A quick glance is all that's needed to confirm the Progress rear spring is indeed a good bit shorter than factory. Closer inspection reveals the stock spring is of progressive rate, while the Progress rear spring is linear. The Progress front coils are progressive.
Note that we reinstalled the...
Note that we reinstalled the factory spring isolator on top of the coil. By the way, the relatively flat end of the spring goes to the top, while the bottom of the coil pigtails into a shaped groove in the lower control arm. With the spring seated, the control arm is jacked back up into position and rebolted. It's that simple.