[abhipuru16]

Just a few days back, the rear driver side Shock Absorber in my Fiesta Sports was replaced in warranty as it had developed a leak.
I am not sure if they used the same spare part required for the S, there was speculation about difference between the suspension of the "Normal" Fiesta and Fiesta S on the forums.
Please clear the confusion for me.
Is there indeed a difference between the rear suspension, the shock absorber especially, between the Normal Fiesta and Fiesta Sports.

[vvijay]

Of course the 1.6 S comes with a different set of rigid shock absorbers for better ride and handling capabilities. Rigid shocks and wider tires on bigger 15" rims were the technical changes apart from cosmetic additions done on the S. So check with your service station if they have replaced it with the right spare.

[SirAlec]

Just a few days back, the rear driver side Shock Absorber in my Fiesta Sports was replaced in warranty as it had developed a leak.

Interesting as most modern car will have gas filled shock absorber.

BTW most car manufacturer will use same shocks from OEM to cut cost on production. Forget variants its even similar on different models.

[vnabhi]

If I am not mistaken, the rear shocks of the Fiesta S are of Bilstein make,but we can ask an owner to confirm.

OT--The Fiesta S is the only model manufactured which actually lives up to the 'S' tag. Apart from a re-mapped ECU, even the suspension has been made taught to improve handling, though at the cost of low-speed ride.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by abhipuru16

Just a few days back, the rear driver side Shock Absorber in my Fiesta Sports was replaced in warranty as it had developed a leak.
I am not sure if they used the same spare part required for the S, there was speculation about difference between the suspension of the "Normal" Fiesta and Fiesta S on the forums.
Please clear the confusion for me.
Is there indeed a difference between the rear suspension, the shock absorber especially, between the Normal Fiesta and Fiesta Sports.

I read that some suspension bits (and other things that matters elsewhere) in a Fiesta 'S' is different from the regular Fiesta 1.6. Also afaik the S version sits closer to the ground than the regular Fiesta.

Now Ford may be the only manufacturer in India who does more to its car than just sticker change job with its S model. Fiat did it with its S10 long back, now only Ford remains i guess.

Originally Posted by SirAlec

Interesting as most modern car will have gas filled shock absorber.

BTW most car manufacturer will use same shocks from OEM to cut cost on production. Forget variants its even similar on different models.

Even the gas dampers have oil in them. Gas is sealed in a separate compartment from the oil and its job is to prevent the oil from foaming.

[ghodlur]

Abhinav,

There are two aspects to look at. One is the shock abosrbers and second the suspension tuning setup. Agreed that for S the suspensions are tuned hard as compared to the soft tuning for Classic Fiesta but does this mean a different shock absorber, my guess is the the shock absorber will be the same. The suspension unit tuning is definitely different.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by abhipuru16

Is there indeed a difference between the rear suspension, the shock absorber especially, between the Normal Fiesta and Fiesta Sports.

Did a little googling and this is what i found on ACI website:

Ford has lowered the suspension of this S version and added stiffer dampers to get the car to drive and handle better. This unleashes a lot more of the fundamental potential of the Fiesta’s chassis and its expensive suspension that’s otherwise lost in the standard car’s much softer setup. The car has been lowered by 5mm and though the springs are shorter, they have the same amount of coils, giving them a greater degree of stiffness. This feels great out on the open road, as you can ‘lean’ the S on its stiffer suspension and 195/55 15 tyres and really loosen the reins of the 1.6 motor.

Stiffer damper and springs and its lower by 5mm, so yes its got a different suspension setup compared to regular 1.6.

Source: Ford Fiesta S - Review - Autocar India