Rear suspension improvements

[dugateau]

I bought a 2010 ford Fusion SE and I love it.

The other day we went camping and decided to ditch the wagon for the Fusion. It was a good choice since the cabin is wonderful and even having 4 people on board plus equipment the car was handling well.

The only problem I faced was the sagging rear suspension that showed how low the spring rates were. It looked like the rear was grinding on the road and backing up was always worrying.

 

So my question to all is this:

How can the rear suspension be improved to allow proper leveling when loaded.

 

Options:

1- New Springs: I looked at changing the spring for something stronger but since most of the time I am alone in the car I do not want a bouncing rear suspension.

2- ail lift boots: I just saw those on the internet but I do not think they fit since the rear suspension coils are not hollow, they seem to have a rubber stopper in the middle.

3- ... Any ideas ?

[Aleksey Kravtsov]

this one is a tough one...since there is nothing out for the fusion in terms of suspension (some people use 1gen spring on new fusion) but it usually also lowers the car. not much you can do at this moment unless you want to spend some money on custom spring or air bags...

[Waldo]

You can get little rubber "spring helpers" that fit in between the coils and prop up the rear end. They are meant for trucks but would do the same thing. However installing them and removing them everytime you carry a load would be a pain. Anything you do to "prop up" the rear end will increase it's stiffness, which will increase the car's oversteer, making it more likely to spin out in an emergency maneuver. Please carefully consider this when you modify your suspension.

[dugateau]

Just had a look at Firestone Air suspension ... and I found a kit for the Fusion 2006-2010 ... http://www.firestoneindustrial.com/riderite/rrkit/kit.php?rri=433&rrk=4169 ... the kit includes air bags and a top plate but requires drilling of the top jounce bumper mount.

... I am not sure if this kit is any good ... or if it properly fits the fusion 2010.

Anyone else tried this ?

[2010SEL]

Looks like a great solution. These air bags have been around for decades and are fairly simple to install. It says it'll fit 2006-2009, and it should fit a 2010 since Ford didn't change much besides the styling in '10.