How to lower your Stang!
05-26-2008, 10:56 AM
#54
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Ar
Posts: 555
RE: How to lower your Stang!
Hello all. Great write up ryan. I hear you on the washing hands/pics part. That's why I haven't done a write up yet. I think you left a little info out though. When you lower the car and inch or more, you need to change the length of your sway bar endlinks. It's also a great time to switch to urethane bushings(if that's your style). Kill 2 birds with one stone, go to autozone and buy energy suspension endlinks. They come with red urethane already on them. I bought the same links from an online retailer and had to buy a bushing kit separate. cost twice as much as the local components. Only diff. is that you just need to measure the local ones for the length you need vs. the guy on the phone gives you a part number.
For troy and others, a bit of info.
Always cut springs from the dead coil= Top. cut the bottom and you just bought yourself a high performance 1911 wood wagon.
Don't buy adjustable camber bolts unless you are planning on going 1 3/4 or lower, sometimes 2". I'm 1 3/4 and didn't need them, but it really depends on each persons' car, they run very different, but as a rule anything 1 1/2 or less doesn't need them at all. (BTW, I'm not talking about camber plates, there are bolts that replace the top bolt that holds your strut to the spindle and have a lobe to adjust the degree and cost 30-40 bucks)
To address camber plates, You generally don't need those unless you are going full coil-over. There is a mod(not really a mod, it should be in most every local alignment computers info) that you drill out the post in the strut mount plate and slide it around. It's kind of like you car came factory with camber plates... Amazing!!!! and free.
+1 for what ryan said about changing struts/shocks with springs. I did springs(eibach pro kit) and bought new monroes. Now I have 2003 cobra bilsteins all around. Long story short. Brand new monroes blew out within months and I had to pay to have it redone with proper parts. Nothing beats doing it right the first time.
For troy and others, a bit of info.
Always cut springs from the dead coil= Top. cut the bottom and you just bought yourself a high performance 1911 wood wagon.
Don't buy adjustable camber bolts unless you are planning on going 1 3/4 or lower, sometimes 2". I'm 1 3/4 and didn't need them, but it really depends on each persons' car, they run very different, but as a rule anything 1 1/2 or less doesn't need them at all. (BTW, I'm not talking about camber plates, there are bolts that replace the top bolt that holds your strut to the spindle and have a lobe to adjust the degree and cost 30-40 bucks)
To address camber plates, You generally don't need those unless you are going full coil-over. There is a mod(not really a mod, it should be in most every local alignment computers info) that you drill out the post in the strut mount plate and slide it around. It's kind of like you car came factory with camber plates... Amazing!!!! and free.
+1 for what ryan said about changing struts/shocks with springs. I did springs(eibach pro kit) and bought new monroes. Now I have 2003 cobra bilsteins all around. Long story short. Brand new monroes blew out within months and I had to pay to have it redone with proper parts. Nothing beats doing it right the first time.
09-02-2008, 09:03 AM
#57
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 245
Ok everyone, people keep asking about shox/struts, so I would like to offer my real life experience in addition to everything that has been said. I have a very large drop on my car, about 2.5" in the front. Originally, I was a super n00b and did JUST the springs. The handling was terrible. After educating myself, I learned I had to do lots of other things to make my car SAFE, first off, and handle like I wanted.
I got performance shox/struts, but I thought the ride was too harsh, although the handling was much better, so I put in monroe sensatracs. Because my car is my daily commuter, I opted for the monroes for the softer ride, but now I am second guessing my decision and will put in high performance shocks within the next several months.
2ndly, I had been battling with crappy steering geometry for a while and whined about it profusely on this message board. If you are going to do a huge drop, you HAVE to fix the steering geometry and alignment with longer ball joints, CC plates, and a bumpsteer kit. You must get it aligned by a CUSTOM shop that has experience and equipment aligning lowered vehicles. If your geometry and alignment is not set right, you will be putting lots of stress on your suspension and it is dangerous. Bottom line, if you want to do more than a 1" drop (even that's kind of a stretch) do it right for safety's sake and get everything dailed in properly. If you do a small drop, .5" or so, you can get away with OEM shocks and that's it. Learn from my experiences!
I got performance shox/struts, but I thought the ride was too harsh, although the handling was much better, so I put in monroe sensatracs. Because my car is my daily commuter, I opted for the monroes for the softer ride, but now I am second guessing my decision and will put in high performance shocks within the next several months.
2ndly, I had been battling with crappy steering geometry for a while and whined about it profusely on this message board. If you are going to do a huge drop, you HAVE to fix the steering geometry and alignment with longer ball joints, CC plates, and a bumpsteer kit. You must get it aligned by a CUSTOM shop that has experience and equipment aligning lowered vehicles. If your geometry and alignment is not set right, you will be putting lots of stress on your suspension and it is dangerous. Bottom line, if you want to do more than a 1" drop (even that's kind of a stretch) do it right for safety's sake and get everything dailed in properly. If you do a small drop, .5" or so, you can get away with OEM shocks and that's it. Learn from my experiences!
09-08-2008, 06:56 PM
#60
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Clermont, FL
Posts: 2,952
i must have gotten lucky with my struts, cause i am yet to change them at 136,000 miles and I cut and installed GT springs at 69,000miles. It obviously stiffened the ride but other than that there hasnt been any change in ride quality. the car is just as firm as it was the day i dropped it.