[HRC1]

I drove 2 V6 fusions the other day, a sel and a sport appearance pack se. I loved the way the sport pack handled, but want a color other than the 3 that are offered. Is it mainly the wheel size difference that makes it handle different, or the whole combo? I'm not looking to kill corners or make the ride harsh, just firm it up like the sport pack felt.

thanks!

 

[thereisnospoon]

The sport pack includes stiffer springs (probably very much like the Steeda or Eibach springs), stiffer shocks and struts (and I'm currently in the process of finding out what this means), a bigger rear sway bar, and the 18" wheels. In addition it has a bada** trunk lip spoiler that has an LED brake light in it (that will cost me $676 to have installed on my Fusion). All in all it's a HELL of an upgrade for the $895 they're asking for on the sticker and worth EVERY PENNY. I've driven one and it drives better than mine does now....then again, I still have the regular OE shocks/struts and the standard rear sway bar.

Oh, and that interior upgrade and the 3-bar grille on the front looks pretty awesome too.

If you want performance, IMO you'd be an idiot not to get the sport package on a new Fusion.

 

[thereisnospoon]

So, basically, to make an SEL perform like the sport package, you would have to do:

Eibach or Steeda springs - $250 plus installation
Shock/strut upgrades - not available yet, but figuring probably $400 + installation
Progress Rear Sway Bar - $137 plus installation

So, $787 is what you're looking at assuming you do all the work yourself.

Or for the extra $108 you can get some surprisingly good looking 18" rims, a $676 LED lip spoiler third brake light, an interior upgrade and a different front 3-bar and lower 2-bar grille.

So, again, the $895 is WELL worth it.

 

[HRC1]

does anyone with 18's or larger on thier car have anything to say about a handling difference? i wonder if the spring rates are really that far off and if it's not the wheel size difference and swaybar i'm feeling.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Trust me - drive an SEL Fusion with the 17's and then drive the sport package car with the 18's on it. You'll find out that they are WORLDS different as far as handling goes, but I'd say that probably 10 percent...hell, less than that...maybe 2 percent....is due to the fact that you have 18's on there.

The biggest difference will be in your cornering, stop/start launch angle, the amount you rock back and forth, side to side, the amount you dip when you hit a pothole or a bump/hump in the road. All of this is mostly your suspension components much more than the tire.

I can't find the info on the 18" tire as far as sidewall height and width are concerned, but I wouldn't imagine that the ratio is any different from the SEL 17. That being said, most of what you feel is not the tire.

And, you're right - it's probably not just the springs, it's probably the shock and strut upgrade along with the rear sway bar...which has pretty much paid for the upgrade right there.

 

[oldschool720]

You can get the SEL in the Sport Appearance Package. Its an addition not a completely new trim level.

 

[fatabbot]

[quote author=oldschool720 link=topic=91139.msg1768220#msg1768220 date=1191915303]
You can get the SEL in the Sport Appearance Package. Its an addition not a completely new trim level.
[/quote]

[quote author=HRC1 link=topic=91139.msg1765759#msg1765759 date=1191848609]
I loved the way the sport pack handled, but want a color other than the 3 that are offered.
[/quote]

 

[HRC1]

[quote author=thereisnospoon link=topic=91139.msg1768213#msg1768213 date=1191914742]
Trust me - drive an SEL Fusion with the 17's and then drive the sport package car with the 18's on it. You'll find out that they are WORLDS different as far as handling goes, but I'd say that probably 10 percent...hell, less than that...maybe 2 percent....is due to the fact that you have 18's on there.

The biggest difference will be in your cornering, stop/start launch angle, the amount you rock back and forth, side to side, the amount you dip when you hit a pothole or a bump/hump in the road. All of this is mostly your suspension components much more than the tire.

I can't find the info on the 18" tire as far as sidewall height and width are concerned, but I wouldn't imagine that the ratio is any different from the SEL 17. That being said, most of what you feel is not the tire.

And, you're right - it's probably not just the springs, it's probably the shock and strut upgrade along with the rear sway bar...which has pretty much paid for the upgrade right there.
[/quote]


I have driven both, that's why i'm asking what it takes. I'm no noob to the suspension game, i have a 1990 5.0 that has about every suspension trick in the book done to it. CC plates, saleen race springs, steeda billet rear lca's, braces, solid steering rack bushings, heim joint tie rod ends, yadda yadda yadda, and i don't want to play that game with this car. It cost me a hell of alot more to lower it correctly than just $200 springs. This is gonna be my daily driver. And it has to work in snow as well. The SEL has more sidewall period. and one of the biggest handling tricks you can do in the mustang world is change wheel size. That's why i asked if anyone had a car with 18's and how it compared to the sport pack. I'm guessing the springs to be a little bit, and i mean little, stiffer, same with shocks, and the sway bar is probably one they already have, just a mm or 2 larger. I wanna cheat a sel to handle like a sport pack if i ad 18's. I've already delt with the caster/camber and bumpsteer issues on my racecar and i don't want to do it again. If getting a sel to handle sharp like the sp car is easy and not too $$$ i'll do it. If not i'll either buy the sport pack or live with mushy cornering and a color i like.
Maybe i'll call ford tech and see what the diff in components is...

 

[thereisnospoon]

Yes, I would call them. If ANYONE is able to tell you what those "stiffer shocks and struts" are, could you please post it on the board? I've tried about 10 times and they keep dumping me off on these third party people who have no idea what I'm talking about. Service guy and parts guys don't know since it's not in their computer yet. I just wanted to know since I will be updating my shocks/struts to a combo that can actually handle my Eibachs but have nothing to upgrade TO since no one in the aftermarket world as of yet makes a shock or strut that isn't a coilover for the Fusion.

As Abbot pointed out, the sport appearance package comes with every trim level - it's an add on that you can do to the S, SE, SEL, I4, V6, etc. Did they tell you differently at the dealership?

 

[HRC1]

I'll post the info if i can get it. Ford tech works sometimes, and sometimes it doesen't. Tokico or kyb, bilstein, nobody makes an ajustable strut or shock for this car yet? I know i can get it in any trim level, se or sel at least, but only 3 colors, silver burch, redfire, or black. I'd love the black but i must deal with dirt roads at work, and i plan on keeping this car for a while so i was hoping for vapor silver or white, but according to ford i can't have it. I'm talking to a dealer on thurs, maybe i can special order a diff color if they do that kinda thing anymore....

 

[thereisnospoon]

I'm thinking you probably can. If you go to fordvehicles.com you can add the sport package to any Fusion you like.

I have checked. KYB makes our OE shocks but as per the service guy they were not made to handle aftermarket springs. They CAN, but they also promise me that I WILL eventually have to replace them in 1-2 years.

Tokico doesn't make 'em either. Their application chart will verify this:
http://www.hitachi-hap-la.com/TokicoGasShocks/app/10a.html

I've been by Autozone, Pep Boys, and O'Reilly which are really the big 3 here in this area: they don't carry ANY aftermarket shocks or struts for the Fusion whatsoever.

H&R makes a COILOVER kit for the Fusion. That's just about as good as it gets right now.

I would LOVE some Bilstein's for the Fusion but no go - I have spoken with someone in person to verify this.

 

[Talisman]

The biggest difference is the shock and spring setup. I would go with a set of H & R's(I have these on my Zephyr) and a set of the shocks used on the sport package. Wheels and tires make a difference but not a huge one. Same with the rear sway bar.Now a racing beat rear and front sway bar will make a much bigger difference.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Talisman, in your opinion would a front sway bar or front tower brace make a bigger impact?

 

[Talisman]

[quote author=thereisnospoon link=topic=91139.msg1772080#msg1772080 date=1192055015]
Talisman, in your opinion would a front sway bar or front tower brace make a bigger impact?
[/quote]

The tower brace isnt gonna make much of a difference at all. There was actually a big discussion on this earlier on the board somewhere. I had to do a lot of research on the best setup for the car myself.Anyway, the car doesnt have strut towers like old cars. Your bracing a part of the car that doesnt need bracing. There are a ton of discussions on this on the mazda 6 forums.There is a lot of info there.

A front sway bar is gonna be your best bet but it needs to be paired with the correct rear sway bar. The front bar by itself will make your car understeer more and a rear sway bar will make it more tail happy.Together they chould keep cornering flatter and provide neutral handling. Racing Beat is the ONLY company I know of that makes high quality bars for our cars. You will just have to buy them for the mazda 6.If you have a V6, you need to buy the mazda6 06+ model front sway bar because of the redesign in the oil pan and exhaust(which matches our car).The rear sway bar for all mazda 6's fit our cars. I know a few people on here have the rear bar.

Edit: read this for more tower brace info

http://www.fordfusionclub.com/index.php?topic=81263.0