I had the eibach pro kit, adj panhard bar, and camber bolts installed this weekend. It looks GREAT....but....I plan on upgrading my shocks w/in the next couple of months. Will the new shocks/struts take away most of the "bounce"??

 

There are many posts on this topic. Definatly worth a read. However I will tell you most would recommend aftermarket shocks. I went with Tokico D-Specs that came highly recommended...and I am very happy with them.

 

Yes, the bounce is caused by the high spring rates of the Pro-Kit sport springs and the relatively low rebound damping of the stock struts and rear dampers. Stiffer struts and dampers will improve the ride motion not to mention increasing control at speed. The best availablehigh performance streetdampers are Tokico D-Specsor Koni Sports.WAY back in thrid placeare theconfort oriented (NOT performance), high-end O.E. replacement Bilstein Heavy Duty dampers but they are only third by virtue of their extremely high quality construction and near performance damping rates. Hopefully at some point in the future Bilstein will produce a Bilstein Sport damper set ofr the S197 but don't hold your breath.

HTH!

 

F1Fan or anyone

Has anyone used the Steeda ProAction shocks that they sell as a matched set with their suspension kit. Supposedly they are made by Tokico with Steeda specs. I would be curious to know if their optimization to work with their springs produces a good result.

 

Hi rnail,

I don't know I have never seen or driven on a set of the new Steeda dampers as they are pretty new yet. I can't imagine that they could be any better than the standard D-Spec Tokico's for several reasons. The main reasons are that they are not adjustable an the fact thatSteeda did the actual damping curvedevelopment work for Tokicoand the fact that Steeda wasTokico's technology partner in developing the D-Specs for the S197 mustang chassis. Even if the Steeda Pro-Action dampers were identical internally (I doubt this as they are not externally adjustable), and usedan identical damping curve to one of the many possible D-Spec damping settings they are still not adaptable to differing conditions, springs or simple wear.

HTH!

 

does anyone know if the tokico d-specs along with steeda competion springs is a good setup for daily use along with accasion trips to the track or should i just go with their sport springs and also does it really change the handling alot with just shocks and springs

 

The BEST thing about the Tokico D-Spec is they are ADJUSTABLE!

They are perfect for doing exactly this driving during the week and racing on the week end. Takes less then5 min to COMPLETELY adjust a 4 shocks and be back underway. This is no exageration, it truely is this fast and simple.
As I have posted before: No many people complaining about their Tokico D-Specs!

 

you can really change the stiffness of the shocks on all four of them in that little amount of time if thats the case no one is gonna change my mind about getting the tokico d-specs

 

Hi rravolt,

The Steeda Competition springs are significantly stiffer than their regular Sport springs, about 14% or so. If you want abetter handling car Steeda Comps and Eibach Pro-Kit springs (bothtop working ratesin practical terms areidentical),are about as stiff as you really want to go on the street.Steeda's Sport springs are much more comfy riding but will notbe as responsive feeling compared withSteeda Compswhile offering a noticable improvement in roll resistance and brake dive. I'm running Eibach Pro-Kit springs and have had a set of Steeda Comps sitting in my garage for months that I have not managed to find the time to install yet. I bought the SteedaComps after installing a set for a local Mustang owner for their linear spring rate and better ground clearance in front. Other than ride height the Steeda Compsare really very similar to the Eibach Pro-Kit springs plus they seem toride better with the D-Specs I assume due to the linear rate vs. progressive rate of the Pro-Kit springs.

Yes the handling will be significantly better than stock as will the ride. But you need to add a good adjustable Panhard bar and heavy duty Panahrd bar support brace to get the most out of the new springs and shocks. The Panhard bar does more than just allow you to recenter the rear axle in the chassis which is very important to try to get similarhandling when turning due to changing the roll centerof a Panhard bar controlled axle and the way the car tracks. The Panhard bar is actually the 4th-link in the S197 Mustang's so called "3-link" rear suspension. The Panhard bar is the ONLY control rodbetween the chassis and rear axle that locates the axle laterally. Thisone link is what locates the axle laterally and whencornering is critical to handling feel and axlelocation. So ifyour car has astock Panhard bar with its soft squishy Panhard bar bushings and weak Panhard bar location your car willfeel and handle quite a bitless than whatthe chassis iscapable of delivering. When you replace theheavy stock shot dampened Panhard bar with squishy rubber bushings and the thin sheet metal brace with a very stiff, rigid tubular Panhard bar and firm polyurethane bushings orspherical rod endsand a very stiff, rigid tubular Panhard bar support brace to spread the load into the chassis you get much improved location which gives you improved handling precision andhandling feel.

Hope this helps!

 

Hi rravolt,

If you know what setting you need you can do it in less than 2 minutes. I change mine all the time depending on what I'm going off to do. For a run in the canyons I crank them up, for a long distance freeway drive I back them down. There is nothing like the D-Specs for the S197 chassis. Even the Koni Sport dampers will not be able to offer the same range of adjustmentbecause they are only single adjustable for rebound damping. The Tokico D-Spec dampers have a single adjuster that alters BOTH compression and rebound damping. This is the secret of the D-Spec dampers, as you increase compression damping you also increase rebound damping. With Koni Sports the compression valving is fixed and the rebound is what you are adjusting so you are basically trying to find the best rebound damping rate to work with the compression damping for the springs you have installed. This limits how comfortable the car rides and also how firm you can really go.

Cheers!