i want to upgrade the suspension on my car, to soften up the ride and improve handling - i was told my multiple sources that bilsteins are among the best for shocks and struts , and i checked out some onlline stores and they arent even that much more expensive that most others i saw so i may go with them - the question i have, is can i go with my stock springs, can i go with new ones? or does it not matter. what would the effect be of going either way? reason is that i wanna start improving it now without dumping evetryhting in the car at once, you know? to see the effect of each thing. i just dont know if springs are necessary to put in at the same time or not (as shocks).

Thanks

 

well you don't need to change them a the same time...but its a pretty good idea to change them at the same time...while your there do them at the same time...so i say change them at the same time while your down there

 

ALso depends on what you want outta the car in the long run. Im a Koni man my self. Life time warrenty, and Adjustible.

You should definatly change the springs. Makes life alot easier doing both at the same time.

 

well, i dont need adjustablity since i dont really race this thing i just want to make a great daily driver. and from that you can tell that i dont want a 'super sport' type ride. i want it to feel solid, and not bounce around on bumps.

maybe it would help if i knew more about what shocks/struts do versus what springs do (as far as the ride feel....the physics i understand )

 

Good if you know the physics wont be hard for you then.


When you grab springs alls you need to watch is the poundage of the spring. The bigger the number the worse your *** is gonna feel after a long ride

Hard to explain shocks in your sense so ill do it the way I look at it.


Stiffer is better for handling softer is for a caddy

 

if bigger number is really firm, does that mean lower ones will be all bouncy? or do the shocks/struts take care of that

 

The lower ones will be softer not bouncy. The shocks will control that to a point. Ask the other guys around here what springs they use and what rate they are. Its been years since I have bought springs to know what kind to recommend

 

If you can afford it, it always makes sense to change the struts and shocks at the same time as the springs because you already have the suspension all apart. This is particulary true if you have someone else doing the work for you. No sense paying twice to take thinga apart. I put in Steeda sport springs, Tokico blue struts & shocks with KYB quads. I like the combination and it handles like stink. If you change nothing but the springs, you'll notice a big change in handling even with the stock shocks. Then again, put in good struts and shocks and you also will notice a dramatic change. Between the two, overall handling change will be the most dramatic with a change in spring rates, and, the profile of your Stang will look much improved. No more than 1 1/2" for the lowering otherwise you will have to add caster/chamber plates and other assorted additions to your suspension to compensate for your compromised suspension geometry. I don't yet have CC plates in my '98 GT and the alignment has held perfectly.

If you want a look at a Mustang with these mods, just go to my gallery under '98 GT Convertible (Deannostang) where I have a few pictures posted. You can also read up on suspensions by going to www.steeda.com. One sight that carries alot of parts for the V6 is www.mustangsunlimited.com and www.brothersperformance.com. Good luck with your Stang!

 

Thanks for the info, helpful. only thing is, i dont really want to lower it if i can avoid it, since i live in bk/manhattan its not very practical with all the crappy streets i need to drive on. i figure with good subframes, stb, and suspension, i can get it to handle good enough. (ill have to deal with it i guess)