S197 650

Hello all,

I've been lurking on this forum for a few weeks and finally picked up my '12 GT a few days ago. I crossed over from the import scene and I gotta say.. this car is a blast to drive!

I'm looking to upgrade my wheels/tires and do some very basic suspension mods. From looking at some of the posts, there's quite a bit of expert knowledge here and I was hoping I could get some help deciding.

My goals:
1.5"+ lower
Improved or same-as-stock comfort
Improved or same-as-stock handling

Not worried about:
height adjustment
damper adjustment
trackability
rust

What do you guys recommend?

I've read that the surefire way of going about it is springs/shocks, but I'm just not sure I need to upgrade the shocks for what I'll be doing with the car. Will I see a loss of comfort/performance if I just upgrade springs?

Would a Koni sport / spring combo be more comfortable for me than a full coil over setup?

Also, how about any other pieces? Would I need a camber kit for this kind of drop?

Thanks in advance, everybody.

ShaneM

koni yellows and steeda sport springs, fantastic ride quality.

Sleeper_08

Note that drops over about an inch can be detrimental to the handling because it drops the front roll center too low and leaves very little rear suspension travel.

1.5"+ lower & Improved or same-as-stock comfort - these goals are probably not compatible with each other as by lowering the car 1.5 inches you leave so little suspension travel that the springs and struts/shocks have to be really stiff to keep you off the bump stops.

S197 650

looking through the posts and other threads, it looks like my best bet will be springs/shocks or full coilovers.

If I were to go springs/shocks, I would go with the Koni sports.

Now I ask this: There are so many different brands and kinds of coilover systems. How much would I need to spend on full coilovers to match/beat the comfort/performance of a Koni/spring set up?

Sleeper_08

Why would you want to use coilovers instead of a Koni Sports and good springs, i.e. what additional benefits do you expect the coilovers to give you?

S197 650

Are there no additional benefits? (besides height adjustment / damper adjustment)

I'm trying to be unassuming as I'm new this car and having a live axle. It looks like Koni sports / good springs will be good for what I need.

What should I be looking for in springs? Progressive? Linear? What's a good spring rate to look for if I won't be tracking the car?

Whiskey11

If you were doing an extreme drop the coilovers would be worth it since the hope is that they are designed to operate correctly within the full range of adjustment for height where a standard shock/strut set up may bottom out on extreme drops.

As above though, Steeda Sports drop plenty much and allow better handling with a good ride.

For springs, Progressive, Linear, it pretty much equals out the same. When I talked with Sam he stated rather clearly that the "progressive" springs for the 05+ Mustangs become basically linear as the weight of the car compresses the first part of the progressive spring and it becomes essentially linear. For rates, the Steeda Sports are 225 lb/in front 175 lb/in rear IIRC. The factory springs are about 140 front and rear IIRC. No need to go much higher than the Sports for spring rates. FWIW the Sports are linear.

Others may correct any info I've posted if it's wrong. I have yet to install my Steeda Sports as I'm waiting on parts from Sam.

Speaking of, you may want to give him a call and your business. He may be a bit busy but he is still willing to bend over backwards to help customers and that to me is worth any price difference between him and any other place online. I doubt AmericanMuscle or any other online store would be so willing to talk you out of super expensive parts that you don't need for your goals and help you actually build a suspension set up that WORKS.

Had I not found smoking deals on my Steeda Sports and Steeda HD mounts lightly used, they would have been bought from Sam as well. I can't speak highly enough of him and his business.

S197 650

great info, thank you. Steeda Sports sound like a good direction.

I also took a look at the Steeda Extreme springs (lower stance). However, the Steeda website recommends a bumpsteer kit, ball joint kit, rear control arm relocation, adjustable upper 3rd link and adjustable panhard bar if installing the Extreme springs. There's no recommendation for these extras if just going with the Steeda Sports.

What will the car feel like if I just installed Steeda Extreme / Koni Sports and nothing else? Will it handle worse than stock?

Also, I'm guessing I'd need the HD mounts to correct front camber after lowering?

UPRSharad

You started out this thread saying you wanted to improve or maintain the car's ride quality. Steeda Extreme springs are incompatible with that goal. (in all fairness, Steeda offers a full range of springs from mild to wild)

I would suggest Koni Sports, UPR Pro Series springs, UPR rear control arms, UPR adjustable panhard bar, Eibach swaybars, and UPR swaybar endlinks. This is an absolutely fantastic handling setup, and we carry all of these parts in-stock, with the exception of the Konis.

www.uprproducts.com

S197 650

What are the spring rates on the UPR Pro Series springs?