Making the pony handle!
05-09-2008, 12:52 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 3
Making the pony handle!
So i recently purchased an 03 Mustang GT 5 speed. Driven it about 4000 miles so far and just rotated the rears to the front due to being almost bald. (purchased car with new 400 treadwear tires) So needless to say im having a good time so far.
Looking around the forums I see lots of places to inquire about power but none for making it handle / stop well. (i understand its a muscle car with a live rear, I know what i was getting myself into) so im wondering if any of you autocrossers out there have suggestions for Suspention / Chassis mods that have made you happy on the track.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Looking around the forums I see lots of places to inquire about power but none for making it handle / stop well. (i understand its a muscle car with a live rear, I know what i was getting myself into) so im wondering if any of you autocrossers out there have suggestions for Suspention / Chassis mods that have made you happy on the track.
Thanks in advance for any help!
05-09-2008, 01:06 AM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 3
RE: Making the pony handle!
in your opinon is the chassis stiff enough for suspention stiffening stock or should strut-braces be my first upgrade. I have the coup.
and while switching out too independent rear would obviously be optimal, are there any sping/damper kits that would be less expensive and make the rear behave?
I was thinking Lowering springs and harder shocks and front and rear braces would do alot to take away the wobble. not to mention a 1.5 inch lower would do alot to the visual appeal of the car.
and while switching out too independent rear would obviously be optimal, are there any sping/damper kits that would be less expensive and make the rear behave?
I was thinking Lowering springs and harder shocks and front and rear braces would do alot to take away the wobble. not to mention a 1.5 inch lower would do alot to the visual appeal of the car.
05-09-2008, 01:24 AM
#5
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 10,551
RE: Making the pony handle!
ORIGINAL: Gtp_topgearhead
in your opinon is the chassis stiff enough for suspention stiffening stock or should strut-braces be my first upgrade. I have the coup.
and while switching out too independent rear would obviously be optimal, are there any sping/damper kits that would be less expensive and make the rear behave?
I was thinking Lowering springs and harder shocks and front and rear braces would do alot to take away the wobble. not to mention a 1.5 inch lower would do alot to the visual appeal of the car.
in your opinon is the chassis stiff enough for suspention stiffening stock or should strut-braces be my first upgrade. I have the coup.
and while switching out too independent rear would obviously be optimal, are there any sping/damper kits that would be less expensive and make the rear behave?
I was thinking Lowering springs and harder shocks and front and rear braces would do alot to take away the wobble. not to mention a 1.5 inch lower would do alot to the visual appeal of the car.
the mustangs unibody could always use some stiffening. i myself have full length subframe connectors and a strut tower brace, and i still dont thing its strong enough, but i have a vert lol. i eventualy want to swap out for an IRS and do a full blown Race car with the vert. IRS, K member swap, coilover set up up front, cobra r brakes...the works.
05-09-2008, 01:36 AM
#6
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: SF Bay.
Posts: 3,035
RE: Making the pony handle!
kk, how much money are you looking to spend, what are your goals and lastly most of the people here know nothing more than straight line dynamics on a mustang.
Cobra IRS's if setup properly would be the best way to go, the chassis has an insane amount of flex and should be the first thing addressed, mach 1 brakes from buyfordracing is the least expensive way to upgrade the front brakes, and the stock 4 link in the sn-95's suck. Thats just a quick rundown on basic suspension.
BTW Welcome to the 03 gt crowd, and its nice to see another mustang owner that loves a bit of twisties.
Just read your other post, shocks/springs wont do anything to get rid of the wobble in the rear, that is caused by the poor placement of the uca's. There is a ton of bind present in the stock 4 link setup and the last thing you want to do is to upgrade any part of the uca's. The least expensive thing to do to help you plant the rear a bit more is to get a set of lca's, shocks, springs. If you can spring for it then get a set of coilovers and the lca's, it's what I have atm and I can hang with a few of the imports through some of the more twistier roads. I have a torque arm and panhard bar also waiting to be installed.
I would recommend Maximum motorsports full length subframe connectors to strengthen the chassis a bit, if you can swing it, the griggs full length ones are the best you can buy. I would also only recommend maximum motorsports, agent47 and griggs for any of your suspension mods as they are the only company that thuroughly tests and tracks their products.
Oh and heres another cheap upgrade for the rear you can look into, a poor man's 3 link isnt the best setup but its by far better than the stock 4 link. Sites that will interest you http://miracerros.com/mustang/index.htm http://corner-carvers.com/forums/index.php http://www.2kgt.com/item.php?itemid=77
Enjoy, and with your interest being in the corner carving area of motorsports, I would recommend taking classes and ignoring 90% of info you read on mustang boards regarding handling.
Cobra IRS's if setup properly would be the best way to go, the chassis has an insane amount of flex and should be the first thing addressed, mach 1 brakes from buyfordracing is the least expensive way to upgrade the front brakes, and the stock 4 link in the sn-95's suck. Thats just a quick rundown on basic suspension.
BTW Welcome to the 03 gt crowd, and its nice to see another mustang owner that loves a bit of twisties.
Just read your other post, shocks/springs wont do anything to get rid of the wobble in the rear, that is caused by the poor placement of the uca's. There is a ton of bind present in the stock 4 link setup and the last thing you want to do is to upgrade any part of the uca's. The least expensive thing to do to help you plant the rear a bit more is to get a set of lca's, shocks, springs. If you can spring for it then get a set of coilovers and the lca's, it's what I have atm and I can hang with a few of the imports through some of the more twistier roads. I have a torque arm and panhard bar also waiting to be installed.
I would recommend Maximum motorsports full length subframe connectors to strengthen the chassis a bit, if you can swing it, the griggs full length ones are the best you can buy. I would also only recommend maximum motorsports, agent47 and griggs for any of your suspension mods as they are the only company that thuroughly tests and tracks their products.
Oh and heres another cheap upgrade for the rear you can look into, a poor man's 3 link isnt the best setup but its by far better than the stock 4 link. Sites that will interest you http://miracerros.com/mustang/index.htm http://corner-carvers.com/forums/index.php http://www.2kgt.com/item.php?itemid=77
Enjoy, and with your interest being in the corner carving area of motorsports, I would recommend taking classes and ignoring 90% of info you read on mustang boards regarding handling.
05-09-2008, 02:02 AM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 3
RE: Making the pony handle!
wow, good stuff thx for the info. Im a college student so money is always tight. sounds like first thing to do is stiffen up the chassis. Ill probably be doing things one at a time over a long period of time. when i drive the car fast i feel like the department it lacks in is handling not power, although the temptation to supercharge it is there.
WoW the cage in that chads 2000 white stang is REALLY sexy.... Must find a friend with a mandrel bender and welder!
WoW the cage in that chads 2000 white stang is REALLY sexy.... Must find a friend with a mandrel bender and welder!
05-09-2008, 02:23 AM
#8
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: SF Bay.
Posts: 3,035
RE: Making the pony handle!
ORIGINAL: Gtp_topgearhead
wow, good stuff thx for the info. Im a college student so money is always tight. sounds like first thing to do is stiffen up the chassis. Ill probably be doing things one at a time over a long period of time. when i drive the car fast i feel like the department it lacks in is handling not power, although the temptation to supercharge it is there.
WoW the cage in that chads 2000 white stang is REALLY sexy.... Must find a friend with a mandrel bender and welder!
wow, good stuff thx for the info. Im a college student so money is always tight. sounds like first thing to do is stiffen up the chassis. Ill probably be doing things one at a time over a long period of time. when i drive the car fast i feel like the department it lacks in is handling not power, although the temptation to supercharge it is there.
WoW the cage in that chads 2000 white stang is REALLY sexy.... Must find a friend with a mandrel bender and welder!
05-09-2008, 02:43 PM
#9
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,031
RE: Making the pony handle!
ORIGINAL: Gtp_topgearhead
So i recently purchased an 03 Mustang GT 5 speed. Driven it about 4000 miles so far and just rotated the rears to the front due to being almost bald. (purchased car with new 400 treadwear tires) So needless to say im having a good time so far.
Looking around the forums I see lots of places to inquire about power but none for making it handle / stop well. (i understand its a muscle car with a live rear, I know what i was getting myself into) so im wondering if any of you autocrossers out there have suggestions for Suspention / Chassis mods that have made you happy on the track.
Thanks in advance for any help!
So i recently purchased an 03 Mustang GT 5 speed. Driven it about 4000 miles so far and just rotated the rears to the front due to being almost bald. (purchased car with new 400 treadwear tires) So needless to say im having a good time so far.
Looking around the forums I see lots of places to inquire about power but none for making it handle / stop well. (i understand its a muscle car with a live rear, I know what i was getting myself into) so im wondering if any of you autocrossers out there have suggestions for Suspention / Chassis mods that have made you happy on the track.
Thanks in advance for any help!
I'm a corner carver myself as opposed to the mostly, at least in these forums, drag strip guys.
I've done quite a bit of research on this topic and since I have a vert, my ride is the worst at stock level you can get.
The stang can be made into a fun corner carver with not too much expense and work.
My first mod was a MM (Maximim Motorsports) front strut tower brace.
I went with MM because the firewall mount has 2 seperate points to the mount and also mounts to the pinch weld as well.
This mod made a HUGE difference in the solidity of the front end.
Just backing out the driveway and down the curb I could feel the difference.
Next mod was a set of weld in full lenght MM subframes.
Oddly enough this mod helped the back end of the car more than the front and again the difference was very noticeable.
The car feels more solid in the rear and going over bumps and stuff it has a tight thud rather than a wobble.
These two mods make the car handle like a totally different car and neither had any effect on the normal ride as far as harshness is concerned.
IOW the car rides smooth until it is pushed and then the mods kick in and help out a great deal.
My next mod is going to be either the "Bullitt Kit" or a set of Steeda springs and Tokico adjustable struts.
To be honest, I'm not really sold on lowering the car because of the potential of suspension alignment problems, bumpsteer etc.
I don't want to get into the endless "change this, effect that etc" run around.
The Outback look doesn't bother me much.
I might just keep the stock springs and get either the Mach struts or a set of Tokico adjustables.
Still, I am toying with the idea.
Next mod after that is going to be Cobra brakes as the GT brakes are fine until you start leaning on them going through the turns etc which is when they start to show their weaknesses.
Considering the size of the rotors, the stock brakes are really pretty dammed good, but the Cobra brakes are better.
Best of luck to ya!
