PiggySmallz

Do I need to get the heavy duty upper strut mounts with the Tokico D Specs? Or will the factory ones suffice with them? What are the advantages besides the +/- 1 degree of camber and the elimination of the popping sound? Are the factory ones really only good for one install?

ThumperMX113

I'd like to know too.

06VistaBlueGT

I have the d specs and factory mounts. No problems. Not even the popping noise anymore.

PiggySmallz

no problem with negative camber? or the factory one time install mounts? Did you install or did you have a shop install?

06VistaBlueGT

Had a shop install, they gave me a great deal since I doa lot of busines with them (mostly tires, lol).I had them replace the factory mounts with new factory mounts during the install sinceI did have the popping noise.Theydid an alignment and mentioned something about needing to grind a little to make the alignment perfect but they didn't recommend it. It wasn't off far enough to make any kind of difference. Probably neg camber you're talking about.

JRT1

I to have been pondering buying the Steeda's, I have 2brand new factory mounts that I got with my BMR lowering kit.
I guess it depends on who you ask and what you are doing with your car.
CrazyAl says the are a waste of money but F1fan and others say definitly buy them.
I don't know what to think anymore, but I have time to decide.
I still need a rear sway bar and bumpsteer kit.

drbobvs

I have factory mounts = no problems so far.

Argonaut

Do you need aftermarket Camber Plates (aka Strut Mounts)? No, they are not technically needed. The minimum you need is replacement sturt mounts (the factory ones are one-time use items). Or, you could get the GT500 mounts, they are a little more heavy duty than the stock GT ones but stillinexpensive.If you are not lowering the car then your camber should not be affected, or at least not enough to worry about.

IMO however the aftermarket camber plates: Steeda, MM and J&M are very nice to have and I highly recommend if you can afford them. The principle advantages: 1) adjustability. The MM plates have camber and castor adjustments; 2) long term durability. There is no comparison to the stock ones (rubber). I would expect these aftermarket ones to last for many years under hard usage; 3) more solid. Removes one more bit of softness between you and the road. Note they are a bit louder than stock (more NVH) but not excessive at all.

The advantage of camber adjustability: 1) if you lower the car you can set it back to factory spec. 2) dialing in some negative camber makes the car feel more precise. When turning into a corner it feels a little quicker and sharper. -.75 to 1.5 degree of camber is generally pretty good for aggressive street driving without undue wear on inside of tires. -1.5-2 is more for the track.

I installed my own D-Specs along with Eibach-Pro kit and J&M camber plates. Install is straight forward, nothing hard about it but it does require the right tools. I did not have a very complete tool set, so I ended up buying a number of items: deep well sockets, floor jack, torque wrench, crow foots, etc. I wanted these for the long run anyway. If I didn't plan on doing lots of futrue wrenching myself...I probably would have had a shop install them.

PiggySmallz

thanks for the help guys, i failed to mention I will be going with either steeda ultra lites or the BMR 1.25 front and 1.5 rear springs. I'm also getting an adj. panhard rod, lower control arms and upper control arm. I know the control arms won't matter. I like the d specs because of their adjustability. I want to be able to adjust the suspension for my 20's on these Brooklyn Streets and when I go to my house in Pennsylvania I want to be able to stiffen it for a nice drive through the mountains.

Black05StangGT

I have the D-specs and Tein S-Tech springs, the drop is 1.7" in the front and 2.0" in the back...so I actually need more adjustment than most people do...so it was a better investment for my ride height probably, but if you are not dropping it that far and you can get a stock mount that doesn't actually have the popping issues, then I say you are probably fine not upgrading...I feel like the turning seems a lot smoother with the steeda mounts though...