Hey,

I've seen alot of comments on springs, but was wondering if anyone knows the comparitive specs, (or a site that may have done a comparison) of the Different spring choices (Eibach / Motorsport, etc) and how they handle and sit. I just added 20's and I'm trying to get the slightly lower look, but I don't want to have the ride I used to have on my old foxbody when I dropped it and don't want to be scraping everything. Does anyone know which spring provides only about a 3/4 to 1 " drop?

 

Denny, I was in a similiar situation a few weeks ago. I was tired of the poor ride, repainting the lower front facia every month and hitting the exhaust on speed bumps on my fox 'stangs and Cobra from back in the day and did not was to repeat this on the s-197.

From reading this forum and a few others, the Steeda sport or the ultra lights are the way to go with adjustable shocks like the Tokico D-specs if ride is important.

I can say the sport springs and the Tokico's set at 4 front and 5 in the rear is only slightly stiffer then stock but you can really rail in through a corner. I have not scraped anything yet and the front facia on my California special (1.5 inch lower) front end clears parking curbs. Ride height looks like it came that was from the factory i.e. it looks right.

There was no trade off with the shock and springs but once to get furthur along with LCA's, UCA, panhard bars you do transmit and introduce some more more NVH into the mix but even as my car sits now with all the bolt on goodies, it is still far more quiet and rides better then older my Fox stangs with similiar mods.

 

i had the same question regarding lowering but what does a "stiffer ride" feel like actually - people say it like its a huge negative - can you describe what the difference would be over factory?

 

Thanks.....I just started looking at those and my local ford dealers been putting Motorsport springs on a few of their new cars sitting on the lot. The stance looks great, and I think all the latest technologies are better than what I had back in '91, but still trying to get all the info.

 

The stance is right on those motorsport springs which might be the same as the Steeda sport springs....especially considering that the factory had to take into consideration clearance for snow chains and worst case senario conditions. The Shelby GT-350H uses these springs right off the showroom floor.

As far as ride quality goes, listen to the guys on this forum about the adjustable Tokico d-spec shocks. That is the key to retaining a factory like ride when doing the suspension mods and lowering. This is one of the few cases where you can have your cake and eat it too with little trade off. You have the control to make your car feel like a grown up go cart or scca race car at the stiffer settings or you can actually adjust for a plush factory like ride then stock while greatly improving the cornering and feel of the car. Those Tokico's do a great job at controlling the springs and great value/performance for the price.

 

I run the FRPP springs with the stock shocks. I have had this for about a year now. My impression is that the FRPP springs have roughly 1/2" of travel at all four corners that is so close to the stock spring i could not tell a difference in ride quality. But whenever you push them past that 1/2" "soft zone" they get MUCH stiffer and are a huge improvement to the dynamics of the car as it came stock. One thing to note: I see on this site and others that the stock shocks are not "set up" to work with a lowered car. A shock does not care where it sits at. It will have exactly the same compression and rebound due to that is the way it is valved. About the only thing that may be of concern is if the shock bottoms out...but we have these neat things called snubbers that will only allow the suspension to compress so far. Unless they are removed the stock shocks will never bottom out. And, if you think the stock ride is to harsh or you have a need to have adjustable shocks then I would agree that the D-specs are one of the best.

 

well said! those are my sentiments exactly.