My Suspension Choices after weeks of researching!

cdown16 · 10-04-2009, 01:26 PM

Hey all, I wanted to share the setup that I feel will be a great setup for what I am wanting. My mustang is my DD and I do not track the car but I do like to carve some corners and take off fast every now and then. I do have staggered 20's as a FYI. After many HOURS and WEEKS of reading people's threads and taking to heart the opinions of Sam, F1 and Norm, I think I have come up with a setup that will make me happy for my needs. Here is my setup that I will be saving up for over the next few months but still am bouncing between which springs and particular brands of certain parts.

-Koni STR.T dampers
-Steeda Ultra Lites or Vogtland 1.3's (Opinions welcome on which for this setup)
-LCA relocation brackets
-non-adjustable LCA's (not sure specifically which ones yet)
-adjustable PHB (again, not sure which one)
-Either Steeda or J&M Caster Camber Plates

Now, this is what I will start with and install at the same time. From there on, not sure exactly what my car will NEED. And when I say need, I mean anything that should be CORRECTED with the current setup (ie: UCA, bumpsteer, ball joints, etc.) These opinions are welcome as well. Thanks for everyone's threads and opinions on helping me during this process and I have learned more then ever in regards to suspension.

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Sam Strano · 10-05-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdown16

Hey all, I wanted to share the setup that I feel will be a great setup for what I am wanting. My mustang is my DD and I do not track the car but I do like to carve some corners and take off fast every now and then. I do have staggered 20's as a FYI. After many HOURS and WEEKS of reading people's threads and taking to heart the opinions of Sam, F1 and Norm, I think I have come up with a setup that will make me happy for my needs. Here is my setup that I will be saving up for over the next few months but still am bouncing between which springs and particular brands of certain parts.

-Koni STR.T dampers
-Steeda Ultra Lites or Vogtland 1.3's (Opinions welcome on which for this setup)
-LCA relocation brackets
-non-adjustable LCA's (not sure specifically which ones yet)
-adjustable PHB (again, not sure which one)
-Either Steeda or J&M Caster Camber Plates

Now, this is what I will start with and install at the same time. From there on, not sure exactly what my car will NEED. And when I say need, I mean anything that should be CORRECTED with the current setup (ie: UCA, bumpsteer, ball joints, etc.) These opinions are welcome as well. Thanks for everyone's threads and opinions on helping me during this process and I have learned more then ever in regards to suspension.

Both Ultra-lites and Vogtlands are great, in fact they are almost the same. Steeda is always easier to get, Vogtland can be a little more hit and miss. The rates are slighly different, but not much.

The STR.T's are a great choice for a street damper with a killer warranty (should you need it).

I've got an assortment of LCA brackets, but not sure you need or even want them. Most of the axle hop usually goes away from a lowering. That does happen at a very slight loss of traction, but if the car hops you have to bail anyway on the run. If you do a lot of drag racing I'd think about those, if not, I'd recommend skipping that for now.

As for the LCA's and the PHB... again I've got lots of choices. Steeda, MM, UMI, Edelbrock and a few others. But really, I generally go UMI on most of that because it's nice stuff at a good price (not cheap).

Upper mounts/camber plates. Street car then I'd recommend the Steeda HD mounts becasue they use a urethane bushing vs. a spherical bearing which makes for a less harsh and less noisy ride than full blown CC plates which are best left to competition cars.

cdown16 · 10-05-2009, 01:24 PM

In regards to the brackets, I was reading about what happens to LCA's after lowering. The fact that the front of the arm will be lower then the rear supposedly poses a problem, thus needing relocation brackets. Is this not true or just not really an issue if you are strictly street driving?

I was also thinking about doing the UMI brand LCA's and PHB. The tubular non-adjustable LCA's with the on-car adjustable PHB w/ poly bushings. These good choices?

Sam Strano · 10-05-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdown16

In regards to the brackets, I was reading about what happens to LCA's after lowering. The fact that the front of the arm will be lower then the rear supposedly poses a problem, thus needing relocation brackets. Is this not true or just not really an issue if you are strictly street driving?

I was also thinking about doing the UMI brand LCA's and PHB. The tubular non-adjustable LCA's with the on-car adjustable PHB w/ poly bushings. These good choices?

Ahh yes, the famous "you must have these if you lower or the sky will fall".

Let's see what you think of this... The Shelby GT I've been autocrossing for the last 3 years (and kicking butt with) is lowered, being a Shelby GT. And because of the rules in the class I've run it, I cannot have brackets (or for that matter a different set of LCA's or PHB). It's not only fast, but you may have seen the proof of it in various video links I've posted this year.

More to the point, I'm moving my GT class wise, it will be lowered--it will not have LCA relocation brackets on it (not allowed for one, but also haven't had a need for they either).

If you take every single description @ face value, then you'd think you need every single part made and known to man to have a good car. You don't, and it's my job, at least how I see it, to help you sort through this stuff.

UMI makes really nice stuff. I have no issue recommending any of the big brands or UMI and I say that knowing that if you aren't happy since it's my name on the door, I'm the one who will pay should I make a bad recommendation.

All poly LCA's and PHB's. They both tend to bind a bit making the rear suspension not as willing to articulate over bumps and imperfections in the road. I really prefer the poly/rod-end combinations because the rod-end eliminates any binding in rotation that you will get some of on the LCA's, and because the S197's PHB is angled forward bind from all poly is a bit of issue there where it's not on say an F-body who's PHB is straight across and has not angle present where the bolt goes through the bushings. The trade-off is that the rod-end side can make a bit of noise (not always either) where all poly is quiet. All rod-ends are much more noisy and are best left to competition cars on the LCA's, but dual rod-end PHB's are streetable.

cdown16 · 10-05-2009, 03:13 PM

OK, I understand now. Thanks for the advice. So, now I know I need to get poly/rod combo LCA's and PHB. There is just so much stuff out there to read about suspension and differing opinions as such. With all the products that are offered out there, its very complicated to sort through with what really works and what you really need. I already got suckered from a front strut tower brace which I now found out a few months ago, is worthless as far as suspension firmness goes. Thanks Sam, you are a big help.

cdown16 · 10-05-2009, 03:48 PM

I won't NEED LCA's or the Koni's right away will I? Meaning, can I purchase and install the springs, PHB and Strut Mounts and then get the Koni's and LCA's in a few months?

Sam Strano · 10-05-2009, 04:18 PM

LCA brackets, no.. Shocks--if you are smart you'll do those right away. In fact they are the biggest single issue with the car stock. I think it's a bit silly to do the work to change the springs, only to leave the sub-par dampers and questionable upper shock mounts.

If you opt to do LCA's, PHB, and all that you can add those things later and much more easily too. The dampers are the weak link in the car. Add stiffer and shorter springs and you are asking even more from them that they don't have to give. While you have the springs and struts out the upper mounts are off. So to do this the easiest and most efficient way, it'd be springs, mounts, dampers first.... add the rest later as necessary.

Norm Peterson · 10-05-2009, 05:18 PM

If I was farming the strut/spring/mount part of the job out, I'd really hate paying twice to have the same basic stuff taken apart, just to end up where I wanted to get to in the first place.

If I was doing the strut/spring/mount part of the job myself, I'd begrudge having wasted the time doing it the second time.

Either way, it's an extra stress cycle on the strut/knuckle fasteners that they don't need, or another set of new ones.

Norm

Sleeper_08 · 10-05-2009, 08:08 PM

And another alignment check/adjust if it is done twice.

Rubrignitz · 10-16-2009, 09:24 PM

I own a double rod-end panhard from UMI and can definitely hear it when swapping the stock ph in/out. I've swapped it several times and plan to swap it again tomorrow. The 40 series tires I went with this week are much more compliant compared to the 35's and I'm going to reinstall the double rod end bar to see if it bothers me to the same degree. I rode in a 750whp mustang last week with dbl rod end panhard and it didn't annoy me as much. Maybe because I was pinned to the seat and didn't care

.

I sold my rod end LCA's because they were unbearable. Lots of nvh and lots of noise. I like the soft stock lca bushings and think the poly phb will compliment that now that I'm not running super low profile tires.

It's a balancing act for sure...