Steeda Competition Springs and customer service
03-12-2010, 12:43 PM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 329
Steeda Competition Springs and customer service
A few weeks ago I bought some Steeda Competition springs. I called the Steeda tech line to ask about using stock bumpstops or shortened bumpstops. The "tech" guy who answered the phone initially told me the springs were designed to use the stock bumpstops and that I should use those without cutting them. I told him that I had some shorter Roush bumpstops. He then said I should use the Roush ones since they were shorter and would give more suspension travel. When I questioned him about why he initially recommended the uncut stock bumpstops, he became arrogant and defensive and said something to the effect that if I really needed the competition springs then I would not have ANY stock parts on my suspension. Not sure it is a good business strategy to insult your customers and that should have been a warning. I later called Sam Strano and got some better, more reliable advice.
I have had the springs installed a little over a week now. They are clocked and seated properly. The rear lowered exactly 1.33" from stock. The ride height in the front went UP .25" from stock after a week of settling and use. After reading the reviews on this site, I was expecting the front to go down maybe .25-.50", but not go up. The front wheel gap is now noticeably wider than the rear, even from a distance. I have no complaints about the handling as they work great, but aesthetically they look terrible.
I made the mistake of calling Steeda about this. I was rewarded with an arrogant and impatient tech, who assured me that there was no way the front ride height could have increased since the springs were shorter. I reminded him that the spring rate is increased and he testily reiterated that it was not possible for the ride height to increase. I assured him that it did and offered to e-mail him pictures and measurements. He said to go ahead and do that, in a tone that was indicative that he was done discussing this issue with me and would be ignoring my e-mail. It's one thing to say 'maybe they were installed wrong' or offer advise to double check the install. But it is another thing completely to be a jerk and tell people that they are wrong in what they see and experience from the other end of a phone line.
I'm not sure what to do here. But one thing I am sure of is that I will no longer do business with Steeda. They will not get any more of my money. I highly encourage others not to do business with them either until they can learn to a) treat customers with respect, and b) offer real and knowledgeable technical support. If you're marketing sportline springs to 17 year olds to slam their ride, then you can be arrogant and rude all you want because they apparently don't care. But if you're going to try to market yourself as a legitimate racing and performance oriented company, this attitude doesn't cut it. It boggles my mind that a company can stay in business when this is the way they treat their customers.
Sorry about the long rant ... anyone want to buy some slightly used comp springs that raise your ride height?
I have had the springs installed a little over a week now. They are clocked and seated properly. The rear lowered exactly 1.33" from stock. The ride height in the front went UP .25" from stock after a week of settling and use. After reading the reviews on this site, I was expecting the front to go down maybe .25-.50", but not go up. The front wheel gap is now noticeably wider than the rear, even from a distance. I have no complaints about the handling as they work great, but aesthetically they look terrible.
I made the mistake of calling Steeda about this. I was rewarded with an arrogant and impatient tech, who assured me that there was no way the front ride height could have increased since the springs were shorter. I reminded him that the spring rate is increased and he testily reiterated that it was not possible for the ride height to increase. I assured him that it did and offered to e-mail him pictures and measurements. He said to go ahead and do that, in a tone that was indicative that he was done discussing this issue with me and would be ignoring my e-mail. It's one thing to say 'maybe they were installed wrong' or offer advise to double check the install. But it is another thing completely to be a jerk and tell people that they are wrong in what they see and experience from the other end of a phone line.
I'm not sure what to do here. But one thing I am sure of is that I will no longer do business with Steeda. They will not get any more of my money. I highly encourage others not to do business with them either until they can learn to a) treat customers with respect, and b) offer real and knowledgeable technical support. If you're marketing sportline springs to 17 year olds to slam their ride, then you can be arrogant and rude all you want because they apparently don't care. But if you're going to try to market yourself as a legitimate racing and performance oriented company, this attitude doesn't cut it. It boggles my mind that a company can stay in business when this is the way they treat their customers.
Sorry about the long rant ... anyone want to buy some slightly used comp springs that raise your ride height?
03-12-2010, 12:52 PM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,190
Steeda is located not too far from where I live and they're a bunch of douchebags. I called them one time to use their dyno when I had my old car and after a 2 minute phone call and being treated like crap I decided they will never ever get a single dollar from me. I've been treated better at walmart buying a $0.25 pack of gum at 3am in the ghetto.
sorry you got screwed on your purchase. the only thing I can think of is to make sure that you have the right parts. there should be part numbers on the springs, the front should be a different part # than the rear. maybe you just have the wrong parts and the spring rates are different and that's why the height is wrong.
personally I'm going to get Ground Control's mustang kit. the make great stuff that I've used on my older cars. they have great customer service and their kits are ride height adjustable. I only get adjustable height suspension since everything settles a little and I can adjust the height to the way I want.
sorry you got screwed on your purchase. the only thing I can think of is to make sure that you have the right parts. there should be part numbers on the springs, the front should be a different part # than the rear. maybe you just have the wrong parts and the spring rates are different and that's why the height is wrong.
personally I'm going to get Ground Control's mustang kit. the make great stuff that I've used on my older cars. they have great customer service and their kits are ride height adjustable. I only get adjustable height suspension since everything settles a little and I can adjust the height to the way I want.
03-12-2010, 01:47 PM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,692
Ahhh - now I think I understand why somewhere Sam Strano mentioned them as a good choice for an SC equipped car. The extra weight of the SC results in the front dropping a bit more than for a stock GT.
Mine were bought based on the recommendation of F1Fan as one benefit of them is that they are a linear rate spring wheras a lot of the others are "Progressive" rate springs. Shock tuning with linear rate springs is apparently easier.
Mine were bought based on the recommendation of F1Fan as one benefit of them is that they are a linear rate spring wheras a lot of the others are "Progressive" rate springs. Shock tuning with linear rate springs is apparently easier.
03-12-2010, 03:26 PM
#5
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 329
Ahhh - now I think I understand why somewhere Sam Strano mentioned them as a good choice for an SC equipped car. The extra weight of the SC results in the front dropping a bit more than for a stock GT.
Mine were bought based on the recommendation of F1Fan as one benefit of them is that they are a linear rate spring wheras a lot of the others are "Progressive" rate springs. Shock tuning with linear rate springs is apparently easier.
Mine were bought based on the recommendation of F1Fan as one benefit of them is that they are a linear rate spring wheras a lot of the others are "Progressive" rate springs. Shock tuning with linear rate springs is apparently easier.
03-12-2010, 03:30 PM
#6
2nd Gear Member
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 329
03-12-2010, 03:34 PM
#7
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,692
The reason I bought them was because they were linear front and rear. Also, the spring rates have been tested and published on this site. I knew the front was not going to drop much, but I never thought it would go up... It handles great, no complaints there. The only thing I don't like is that it looks like an old hoop dee with junk in the trunk... Very ghetto.
03-12-2010, 08:22 PM
#8
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: TX
Posts: 4,897
I had the same experience with Steeda Competition springs. Rode 1/2'' higher up front. I kept their competition rears and added ultralite fronts for zero rake.
I swapped some Roush rears in tonight with the ultralite fronts. PERFECT rake, 1/2'' higher rear and looks f-in awesome. We'll see how they actually WORK together tomorrow. I wanted a smoother ride out back and think the Roush's will do the trick. With my "honkin' big" Hotchkis bars I can tune out body roll even with soft springs so it should work out great.
I swapped some Roush rears in tonight with the ultralite fronts. PERFECT rake, 1/2'' higher rear and looks f-in awesome. We'll see how they actually WORK together tomorrow. I wanted a smoother ride out back and think the Roush's will do the trick. With my "honkin' big" Hotchkis bars I can tune out body roll even with soft springs so it should work out great.
03-12-2010, 09:55 PM
#9
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 100
While I haven't had occasion to interact with Steeda customer service regarding technical issues really, I have had to warranty a D-Spec front strut and the experience was awesome. Great customer service and a quick RMA; even got a follow up call to make sure I was happy with my service.
Not saying they didn't treat you like crap, but I've dealt with both Don and Gus and their customer service was exceptional.
If I had to speculate, I'd say that the "Comp" springs are more focused on handling (i.e. good spring rate, little roll center change) than looks. Also, a competition car very likely has a gutted interior and no spare tire, both of which will remove weight from the rear and raise the rear ride height.
Not saying they didn't treat you like crap, but I've dealt with both Don and Gus and their customer service was exceptional.
If I had to speculate, I'd say that the "Comp" springs are more focused on handling (i.e. good spring rate, little roll center change) than looks. Also, a competition car very likely has a gutted interior and no spare tire, both of which will remove weight from the rear and raise the rear ride height.
