MADZRXMATT

Hay All,

I got my bone stock 09 GT/CS w/18.5k on it back in Dec ’12 and put a Steeda CAI/Tune in after a couple weeks. Noticeable improvement. Next, handling. The main thing I noticed was that the rear end was completely spastic. Any bump on the road in a turn sent the thing twitching and squirming. I don’t need an autocross monster, I just want some composure for spirited street driving and mountain road touring. After monitoring some threads here and being pretty confused about what was needed. I called Steeda cause they seem legit, and talked to Don, and he recommended….

Steeda lowering sport springs
Steeda billet rear lower control arms
Steeda adjustable upper control arm
Steeda HD adjustable Panhard Bar
Steeda HD(metal) strut mounts.
I also got the strut tower brace while I was at it, cause it looked cool and couldn’t hurt.
Total of about $1200 + labor.

The rear is now relatively solid and stable. The lowering seems to have helped with grip, but it still tends to push in hard turns. I have the stock BFG tires with good tread at about 26k on them.
I must say that after a ’94 Taurus and 2 Mazda 6’s, the Mustang is disappointing. My youngest kid went off to college and I just had to have it, but it is very crude and clunky. Even after the suspension mods, I think I could beat it through the twisties in the Mazda. The driveline lash is a real distraction and makes me think that something is loose, but it’s been there all along and we’ve gone over it very carefully. My mechanic also warned me that the HD strut mounts would make more noise because of the metal on metal and it sounds like something is rattling over sharp bumps, but again, everything is tight and, other than the pushing in hard turns, handles fine….just not as good as I’d like.

Has anyone else noticed this with replacement strut mounts?
Is there anything that can be done about the driveline lash?
I see people comparing the Mustang to BMWs and I can’t believe it. Is there something wrong with mine, or are they really just crude American Hotrods?

Thanks, Matt

drewsky

1200 for labor?!

drewsky

You will get used to the rigid ness of the road bumps when it wants to shift the wheel side to side and turning I to parking lots and such.. They handle very well with the correct setup! Just not quite as (smooth) as the BMW on city streets

DocSnickers

Look into some adjustable sway bars, I would recommend Whiteline. That will let you adjust the stiffness of the body roll. You may also want to get some camber bolts, to make sure the camber of the front tires is dialed in.

Also like Drewsky said its not going to handle as smooth as a BMW. The mustang has a very wide stance.

moosestang

Replace two piece drive shaft with 1 piece from drive shaft shop. I think it's about $700 for the one with the cv joint, like stock, but it's worth it.

Replace axle housing bushing with prothane poly bushing. This really helped make that rear axle feel like part of the car, but it's a bitch and a half to remove the stock rubber from the bushing sleeve. Get some Koni shocks for the rear and front, if you haven't all ready.

I hope you aren't still using the stock all season tires? A bmw m3 comes with some high dollar, high performance summer tires, does it not?

MADZRXMATT

No, 1200 for parts from Steeda. My mechanic let me help and spent all day on it for ~900.

Thanks for the info.

Ricardo

You should upgrade your tires!
I completely understand what you mean, it seems easier to toss a fwd car into a turn. From my understanding, it's how Ford set our cars up from the factory and can be fixed by following the advice of people around here who track these cars instead of someone who simply can install the parts.

CMcNam

Shocks and struts, stock ones are crap.

MADZRXMATT

Yes, stock is more crapy than I would have expected. I must say I drove a '10 Camero before I got this and it seemed a lot tighter. Also saw the end of the Rolex series race at Barber the other day and a Comero beat the Ferarri for first in that class. Didn't want a Camero though

moosestang

The new camaro sucks a big fat one. It's soooooooooooo Slooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww!