I am looking to lower my car an inch or so to cover the gap that my new tires are going to leave and would like some help in how to do this...

First off I know that shocks and struts play a roll in this but I have also seen panhandle bars in posts about lowering... with all this bar... strut... shock... suspension talk I am lost so what goes into lowering a car?

Also does one outweigh the other in preformance?

 

No doubt F1Fan will be in here to clear things up and other members will certainly link to a post he made with greater deal, but to get your mental gears turning, here's some food for thought:

Springs: The piece that will ACTUALLY lower your car. For about an inch drop, the Steeda Sport springs will be perfect. I run these. Eibach Pro springs will drop you about 1.5." Springs are basically the heart of your suspension, determining ride height and allowing the car to react to input and road surface.

Dampers: dampers (or struts, shocks, etc) act as a control mechanism for the compression and rebound of the springs. As a force is applied to the spring, the damper will apply its own force to ensure the spring returns to its equilibrium position in a controlled manner (i.e. without excessive bounce) and will also play a part in determining the firmness of the ride. Dampers act as the brain of your suspension. A popular brand is the Tokico D-Spec. A good price and two-way adjustability allow you to tune the car to your heart's desire.

Strut mounts: Unfortunately, the Ford OEM strut mounts are not especially great. But strut mount kits offer a great alternative - providing a better platform to connect the strut to the body of the car. Steeda's HD Strut Mounts also offer camber adjustability, eliminating the need for camber bolts.

Adjustable Panhard Rod and Brace: the Live Rear Axle of the Mustang requires a direct connection from the axle to the chassis. This is provided by the panhard rod. Unfortunately, this design (while bullet proof and inexpensive) does not react well to changes in ride height. After lowering your car, the rear axle will be slightly to the side of the center of the car. For a 1" drop, the difference is small, but should not be neglected. Steeda's Adj. panhard rod and brace offer a great way to realign your rear end (by changing the length of the panhard rod) and offer greater control and stability of the rear end than the OEM bar and brace.

Front end alignment: After dropping the car, you will need a front end alignment. At the very least your camber specs will be off, and most likely toe. You can make use of this opportunity to dial in some more aggressive suspension settings (as I did) if that's your thing. If not, stock is great, too! Either way, get it done. Find a good shop you trust and become the alignment guru's best friend.

So all of this would be considered the bare minimum to drop your car properly. Start giving this some thought before the rest of the crowd rushes in here.

 

Ok so lemme see if this combo works out for this...

Steeda Sport Springs
Tokico D-Specs
Steeda HD Strut Mounts
Steeda Adjustable Panhard Rod and Brace
All installed with a preformance suspension setting adjustment.

I understand that brands need to be looked into and what not I am not just going to go with the first recommendation I see but if I have comprable parts to all 4 of these then it will work out?

Apriciate the help +1 to ur uber helpfull post Munchies

 

the mounts are not "needed' I would save the money from that for other toys, many other toys before that

 

I wouldn't. If you're going to do something, do it right. The mounts really aren't that much in the scheme of things and there benefits are worth it. Especially in the long run. And especially at such an important area of the car.

 

the mounts are supposed to get rid of that stupid popping noise. If he doesn't get the mounts then he should get chamber plates witch is almost as much as the mounts.

 

The new mounts mentioned in the Chuckle TSB are suppost to take care of that.
I would get those replaced with the newly designed FORD Upper Strut Mount bearing
and wait until down the road for the HD Steedas.
Install without the caster.camber adj. plates and get the front end checked for ailgnment.
Then you will know if you actually need them or not.

 

For a 1" drop all you really need is a set of springs and appropriate dampers. At such a small drop you can probably even get away with not changing the panhard rod.

 

Just added Ultralight springs and strut mounts. I love it. Perfect. Please, dont skip the mounts!