17 Inch Wheels

[Deanh]

trust me when I say for every Dealer ship nightmare story i hear I have 4 or 5 regarding customers and their demands....it does go both ways. And "sigh" stereotypes are rampant, and I apologize back for getting defensive...sad thing is, regardless of any type of transaction, its only the "bad" ones that get airtime...after all, society thrives on disaster, gossip and tragedy. Ever turned the news on and seen GOOD news being covered with the occasional bad news snippet????? lol. Have a Happy new Years Frieda...my car is your cars sister! Cheers. Dean

[Rubicon_TJ]

Originally Posted by GapBoyPCS

Bottom line: "Ford Racing Performance Parts" are not treated as Genuine Ford or Motorcraft replacement parts.

Because it's not a "genuine" Ford/Motorcraft part, the workmanship on that part isn't covered by Ford.

Thanks for the info. I was hoping that the kit itself would be covered. If I do go ahead and buy the Ford Racing kit I guess it won't matter too much who does the install.

[Frieda]

Thanks and to you as well !

PS - If Frieda has a sister we need to see her !

[Rubicon_TJ]

I have to say I really appreciate the amicable attitudes of everyone on this forum... it's refreshing. I take back anything I added that fueled anyone's frustration.

Happy 2011 everyone - though the actual date will match our model year in just a few hours, IMO the Fiesta is still ahead of its time.*




*Not intended as hyperbole AT ALL.

[telero]

Originally Posted by GapBoyPCS

Okay...let's lay some legal stuff on the ground first before answering this.

Here's Ford Racing's stance on Ford Racing Performance Parts:



But as it was mentioned, some dealers are "mod friendly", and could look the other way. Some are not as friendly, and they could toss out your warranty claim in an instant. It really depends on the dealer, and it's an excellent opportunity to get to know the people at the Service Department, including the technicians who work on your car.

More good info about the FRRP stuff, thanks.

As far as mod friendly dealers, that's kind of what I was getting at. If the 1yr/12K alignment is a procedure that the dealer would be reimbursed for, you might find a dealer shop willing to do it on a car with an upgraded suspension. Assuming they get paid either way, it seems it would be in their best interest to make the customer happy.

[GapBoyPCS]

Originally Posted by telero

More good info about the FRRP stuff, thanks.

As far as mod friendly dealers, that's kind of what I was getting at. If the 1yr/12K alignment is a procedure that the dealer would be reimbursed for, you might find a dealer shop willing to do it on a car with an upgraded suspension. Assuming they get paid either way, it seems it would be in their best interest to make the customer happy.

When I or others talk about dealers being "mod-friendly", it usually refers to dealers and staff being aware of you having modifications on your car, and them not denying warranty just because you put a fancy sticker on the back window. They will do their best to confirm what's wrong with your car, in case you have a legitimate warranty claim. However, they won't go to the extent that they are lying to Ford what was actually done on the car because that comes back to haunt them.

For a lot of warranty and "goodwill repairs", dealers do get reimbursed by the manufacturer, but the labour rate is usually less than what is considered a "normal job".

I don't think that clause is ever meant to cover alignments as a result of modifications by the vehicle owner. Still, I don't think anyone will stop people from trying. I think the dealer can still say no because they will argue the problem was a result of *YOUR* modification. Then your fight for coverage would be with Ford and being truthful in why you need an alignment.

I just worry that if people took advantage of that clause for their own gains, Ford could remove that coverage altogether, and those who really have a legitimate issue would be on the hook for the cost of an alignment.

[Frieda]

Originally Posted by andrew

They're not BSing you. It is a 4-wheel alignment car just like a Corolla or one of the many imports with similar designs. You place round shims on the rear of the car in order to change the alignment of the rear hub/drum assembly (camber/toe only). Technically, the only two wheel alignment cars have a solid rear axle but even those can be adjusted for thrust angle.

As for camber bolts, they may only cost $30 a side (they are grade 10.8 bolts and therefore, are expensive as hell) the labor is at least (and I mean at least as it's often more) 30 mins a side by the book. I would expect at least a $150 bill to add camber bolts so don't be shocked. However, any real alignment shop will do them without by pushing and pulling - there does exist the risk that these slip a lot more often though.

They will talk about these things because they are always a possibility. It is just good business practice to tell customers of this ahead of time in order to keep them prepared. Otherwise, a $400 alignment bill tends to freak customers out (it's very possible if both bolts and shims are required).

You also do not need alignment specs to align a car. We're not talking a BMW here - there are only two adjustments (officially) for this car on each wheel and camber/toe specs are pretty much absolute for most FWD cars. Even then, you can download specs and add them to the machine off Ford's dealership connection.

OK, the alignment is done. Did not require four wheel adjustment, nor did it requrie any camber bolts. The dealership had to wait to have the Fiesta numbers programmed into the alignment equipment as a modified specification. The affect to the Toe in was the worst, and was corrected. All in all was worth the few days wait as everything turned out great. I've attached the measurement sheet below for all to see. Keep in mind the H&R Sports are a mild lowering spring so any more drop may require further actions and mods to get it into spec.

[andrew]

You know, I always thought this type of rear axle handled worse than an IRS (and it still does) but that negative camber explains why the ass end handles so smoothly. -1.5 degrees is getting pretty aggressive.

To be completely honest though, that's a bit more toe on the RR than I would usually like to see.

I also do not like that it says "Modified Specification" at the top - that was a shady trick for making a spec green when it was a little out by factory specs... the RR toe is the only measurement remotely close to the limit though.


EDIT (again)

And I just realized you said it was dropped... that explains the extra negative camber.

[Frieda]

I'm pretty happy with the results, she rides fine. I'm now watching mileage to see if this correction to the Toe In had a positive impact on a recent slight decline in my MPG numbers.

[Mayo]

Originally Posted by Frieda

She is dropped with the H&R Sports, so ends up at just over 1 1/4".

Just curious but would the Ford Racing Performance Package result in the same lowering stance?