Finished installing new suspension
#1
Finished installing new suspension
Here a couple of photos. The after pic is with snow....
My goal was track day improvement not a lower look. Went with the Steeda Boss 302 springs, Steeda HD plates, Koni Yellow, Ford Racing jounce, Fays2 Watts Link.
The springs and struts were a piece of cake to install with the car on jack stands. The Fays2 requires careful measurements. In the end I had an issue with the axle not being centered. A call to Jim, owner of Fays2, got a quick resolution to a problem he knew immediately. Jim said, "did you do the install on jack stands instead of weighted on ramps"? Yes; I did the install with the car on the jack stands due to wanting clearance due to my Track Pack finned differential cover. The unweighted install created the axle issue so I dropped the car onto the ramps, loosened the axle clamps, re-centered the car, tightened up and perfect. Thanks Jim.
I chose the Steeda HD mounts as I was told with a struts and springs set up the max negative camber of -2.3, without interference, was obtainable with the HD so a more exotic camber plate would be a waste.
Also installed the 2013-14 model JLT Brake Cooling kit. This is a very nice kit for a reasonable price. Install was a bit of a pain but not difficult if care is taken locating the holes you must cut in the lower fascia. You can see the intake in the lower fascia of the top photo.
No driving experience yet as the roads here in Northern NH are a mess for a while yet. I will report back once the car is on the road and again after my first track day; May 9.
Very pleased with all the pieces. Steeda customer service was exceptional. The Mustang aftermarket is highly competitive and everyone I have corresponded with and bought from has been great but Steeda's follow up and responsiveness was astonishing.
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My goal was track day improvement not a lower look. Went with the Steeda Boss 302 springs, Steeda HD plates, Koni Yellow, Ford Racing jounce, Fays2 Watts Link.
The springs and struts were a piece of cake to install with the car on jack stands. The Fays2 requires careful measurements. In the end I had an issue with the axle not being centered. A call to Jim, owner of Fays2, got a quick resolution to a problem he knew immediately. Jim said, "did you do the install on jack stands instead of weighted on ramps"? Yes; I did the install with the car on the jack stands due to wanting clearance due to my Track Pack finned differential cover. The unweighted install created the axle issue so I dropped the car onto the ramps, loosened the axle clamps, re-centered the car, tightened up and perfect. Thanks Jim.
I chose the Steeda HD mounts as I was told with a struts and springs set up the max negative camber of -2.3, without interference, was obtainable with the HD so a more exotic camber plate would be a waste.
Also installed the 2013-14 model JLT Brake Cooling kit. This is a very nice kit for a reasonable price. Install was a bit of a pain but not difficult if care is taken locating the holes you must cut in the lower fascia. You can see the intake in the lower fascia of the top photo.
No driving experience yet as the roads here in Northern NH are a mess for a while yet. I will report back once the car is on the road and again after my first track day; May 9.
Very pleased with all the pieces. Steeda customer service was exceptional. The Mustang aftermarket is highly competitive and everyone I have corresponded with and bought from has been great but Steeda's follow up and responsiveness was astonishing.
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Last edited by todcp; 01-14-2014 at 02:17 PM. Reason: added a not re: steeda service
#4
The drop is great...For me it is about handling not looking low.
I found the stock Mustang suspension to be awful. Even with the Track Pack. Poor dampers and spring rates even for street use. Yeah you can get the stock car to run on the street or track at a high rate of speed but it is not much fun trying to control.
If your car is a DD then all it needs is good spring rates and Koni's. I would go for the Steeda Sport Springs instead of the Boss 302 springs I bought. Almost identical drop but less spring rate so better suited to the street and to the Koni SR.T shocks that I would highly recommend.
Another option that gets great feedback is the BMR springs at the same drop as the Steeda Sports but supposed to have a great street ride quality.
Give Sam Strano a call about his Steeda Sport Spring and Koni SR.T package and discuss what you want to accomplish.
My Mustang is not a DD but rather a nice day toy and will be on the track so my choices will be different. The Strano package above is all I would do for a street car suspension and then just enjoy the car. No other changes needed. No other cash to waste. Have fun.
I found the stock Mustang suspension to be awful. Even with the Track Pack. Poor dampers and spring rates even for street use. Yeah you can get the stock car to run on the street or track at a high rate of speed but it is not much fun trying to control.
If your car is a DD then all it needs is good spring rates and Koni's. I would go for the Steeda Sport Springs instead of the Boss 302 springs I bought. Almost identical drop but less spring rate so better suited to the street and to the Koni SR.T shocks that I would highly recommend.
Another option that gets great feedback is the BMR springs at the same drop as the Steeda Sports but supposed to have a great street ride quality.
Give Sam Strano a call about his Steeda Sport Spring and Koni SR.T package and discuss what you want to accomplish.
My Mustang is not a DD but rather a nice day toy and will be on the track so my choices will be different. The Strano package above is all I would do for a street car suspension and then just enjoy the car. No other changes needed. No other cash to waste. Have fun.
#5
I DD on Koni Yellows and I find that I like to adjust them every now and then. The last time I adjusted them was when I took the car to the drag strip and I wanted to soften the struts... but I typically run the Yellows at full stiff on my 2011 5.0 with UPR suspension. It corners incredibly well that way.
#7
I did not change the sway bar(s) yet. With the spring rate and watts link change I am not sure how to proceed on the bars. I tried to contact Sam Strano and will try again. With enough seat time on the road and track time I should get a feel for what to do since I cannot find anyone with this setup yet with track time advice.
Very limited drive since installing. Northern NH has had one heck of a great winter for us skiers but not for the Mustang.
My initial impression is the rear bar may be a bit too stiff.
Very limited drive since installing. Northern NH has had one heck of a great winter for us skiers but not for the Mustang.
My initial impression is the rear bar may be a bit too stiff.
#8
Let me know how it feels. I plan to do the whiteline Watt's link along with springs/struts but haven't made up my mind on swaybars either.
I hear you on the weather though, up here in the middle of the Great White North, it really sucks to wake up on the 4th day of "spring" (we use air quotes when we say "spring" here) to a -35 degree windchill. NOT Mustang weather.
I hear you on the weather though, up here in the middle of the Great White North, it really sucks to wake up on the 4th day of "spring" (we use air quotes when we say "spring" here) to a -35 degree windchill. NOT Mustang weather.
#9
I have had the car out for a bit over a hundred miles now on our still frost heaved roads. The watts link is awesome. The car is far less upset by poor road surfaces. No noises coming from the rear. Very pleased.
The Konis are superb as are the steeda boss 302 springs. I like a firm ride and this is. But not harsh at all. Reminds me of my brothers 2013 M3. Also eliminated the wheel hop. I did not expect that but not totally surprised as I felt a lot of the wheel hop was brought on by crappy damping and poor spring rates.
The Konis are superb as are the steeda boss 302 springs. I like a firm ride and this is. But not harsh at all. Reminds me of my brothers 2013 M3. Also eliminated the wheel hop. I did not expect that but not totally surprised as I felt a lot of the wheel hop was brought on by crappy damping and poor spring rates.
#10
After you've done a couple of track days you may have a better idea concerning front vs rear sta-bar stiffness based on how the car feels midcorner in a long sweeper vs adding throttle coming out of the slower turns.
I'm a bit curious about what you'll be running for wheel width & offset and tire model & size.
Your home track would be NHIS? (it's still Bryar to old geezers like myself, NASCAR's redevelopment notwithstanding)
Norm
I'm a bit curious about what you'll be running for wheel width & offset and tire model & size.
Your home track would be NHIS? (it's still Bryar to old geezers like myself, NASCAR's redevelopment notwithstanding)
Norm