kdf101

Is it possible to improve both the on-road handling of my car (curves) AND also improve the launching (drag strip)?Or are the two goals mutually exclusive?

Poco

When I had the FRPP handling pack installed on my 06'GT the lateral roll out on twisties and the rear dive on a hard lauch disappeared. Larger sways bars definately made a big difference.Then I added LCA's and that kept the car in a straight line on a hard launch.

MIKE562

Tokico D-Spec Shocks should help. You can adjust the firmness/softness of them.

kdf101

Good! I'm not much of a suspension expert, it has always been something of a "black art" to me. I'm just trying to do some realistic planning for future mods.

F1Fan

Hi kdf101,

You can to alimited degree improve your handling andability to launch hardover stock. But you have to realize that at the minimum you will have to adjust front and rear tire pressures andre-adjust the front and rear dampers to try and get the best handling or best launch. To get past this relatively small differenceyou will have to adjust ride height andIC (Instant Center) by repositioningyour LCA's or UCA. So you can't really have the "best" of both worlds at the same time on the same car. The two goalstend to need different things settings toget good results.

HTH!

GT Bob

Well said F1Fan. really optimal setups are kinda north and south. Drag launches, you want alot of rear squat, you want the front end to come up high. Both of these things help put the weight of the car on the rear tires for added traction. Cornering, you really don't want anything to move at all. suspension geometry needs to maintain it's alignment to keep weight where it is supposed to be.

To some extent, you can have a car that is decent at both, but there comes a point where increases in the one hurts the other. LCA's, UCA's, and panhard bars will help with both. so will a good set of Adjustable shocks... keep em hard on the twisties and soft on the drag launch. Stay away from lowering springs, because they will hurt the weight transfer on the drag launch, and won't yeild that much extra in the turns.

kdf101

Thanks guys. I'm just trying to do a little planning for the future. I guess I am kind of in the middle here, not a hard core drag racer and also not a road course guy (although I would like to try that). I actually think that, compared to what I have driven the past, the handling of this car isn't too bad. I would just like to make it better! If I had to choose, I would lean toward road handling over a strip only setup.

I have read a lot about the D-Specs, s this a worthwhile mod on their own, or should I wait and do them in conjunction with other mods? I will probably have to "chip"away at this car, rather than do the whole thin at once. Again, I am just trying to make it better, not make a strip killer or road course warrior out of it.

Argonaut

I have D-Specs and the Eibach pro springs (also the J&M camber plates, but wouldn't say they are needed), no other suspension upgrades. I really like the setup, its a significant improvement over stock. Handles great - no body roll, confidence inspiring on the corners. So if you can swing the $700 or so for springs and dampers at the same time, I'd say thats the way to go. You can add other mods later if you think they are needed.

F1Fan

Hi kdf101,

If you can only do one thing to your Mustang it should be instaling a set of D-Specs or Koni Sport dampers kits. The difference in handling and ride will knock your socks off. If Ford had given the S197GT's dampers with rates like these they would have sold twice as many cars! How simple and minor this change would have been and how big the difference in ride and handling!

The beauty of the D-Specs is that you can set the dampers on all four corners in less than 5 minutes from popping the hood to driving away. For fast road handling with stock springsI found that setting the front struts to about 4 turnsout from full hard and the rear set to about 5 turns from full hard gives you a smooth freeway ride and good around town with reasonable body control. For hard launching on a prepped drag strip turn the fronts down to 7 turns out from full hard and the rears turned up to 3 turns from full hard. The car will launch harder and waste less motion trying to compress the rear springs and react faster to weigh transfer to the rear tires when youhit of the throttle. Don't foget to let some air out of your tires before you do this on the strip.

HTH!

Sleeper_08

F1Fan

I agree with your suggestions for either the D-Specs or KONI's, I'm going with KONI's myself, but was wondering if the average North American buyer would appreciate the 'stiff' ride?

It seems that for most people softer is better, even in a 'sports' car.