1G: what parts can be replaced or modified to

[juntjoo]

...smoothen your ride? I was just driving my friend's rental the other day which is a 2012 ford fusion sel v6 and man was that car smooth. it felt like a video game, kinda. anyway, I imagine its just how the car is built from the engine to the steering wheel, but I wanted to see what you guys might know about this and how much one can improve the smoothness of one's ride. thanks

[Aproductions]

Struts/springs and replace all the bushings in the Suspension and thats pretty much it.

That 2012 car obviously has no wear and tear like your car does.

[WES_393]

Originally Posted by Aproductions

Struts/springs and replace all the bushings in the Suspension and thats pretty much it.

That 2012 car obviously has no wear and tear like your car does.

+1 Bad shocks and worn out bushings can make the car feel like crap. Going from my 98 Spyder (smooth, quite, turns on a dime) to my 95 TSi AWD with abused/worn suspension is night and day. I find myself driving the Spyder to work more often since it's not so nerve racking.

[juntjoo]

Originally Posted by WES_393

+1 Bad shocks and worn out bushings can make the car feel like crap. Going from my 98 Spyder (smooth, quite, turns on a dime) to my 95 TSi AWD with abused/worn suspension is night and day. I find myself driving the Spyder to work more often since it's not so nerve racking.

the parts on those cars are basically the same right?

[Colt4G63 also]

Originally Posted by juntjoo

the parts on those cars are basically the same right?

Yes they are basically the same car, although a convertible usually feels worse over bumps than it's hardtop counterpart.

Another thing that wasn't mentioned is how inportant it is to have straight wheels, and quality, properly balanced tires. New brake rotors always have a plush smooth feeling too.

[bryanwheat]

You will never get a 1g to drive like a brand new car. They didn't feel like that from the factory. Yes you can improve how the car handles and feels with new suspension parts, BUT there is a lot more engineering that went into a newer commuter car than went into a early 90's sport compact. Your car isn't designed for comfort. It is designed to be nimble and sporty. If you want that feel than i would recommend buying a new car and leaving the sports car class.

[boost97gst]

You know the saying "they dont build em like they used to"? Yea its true, they used to build em like shit, now they dont. I go from my eclipse to my expedition and its night and day. From my eclipse to, like you said, a 2012 anything, and its like wtf! My car is loud rattly and fast. That is why its a sunday car for me.
I think if you really spent some money on all new suspension, stock size rims and tires and tore the car apart and put heavy sound damping around, you would have a much quieter, more comfortable car. But thats a ton of work and money that could be spent on performance parts ya know?

[juntjoo]

yeah, just curious as to what makes that difference and what one can do to bridge that gap however much possible.