MC Stang

I don’t know about you guys but I am not impressed with the ride quality of the ’06 Mustang I have. The car’s front end clunks when going over imperfections in the road. Is this normal? I’m wondering if it is the 28,000 miles on the front struts or the BFG KDWS tires that are wearing out. I can’t imagine that the springs are tired. I just think the ride is a little harsh or rough for an OEM setup considering that the handling isn’t that great ( it’s good not great).

Just wondering what you guys think and what your impressions are compared to other vehicles you have driven in the past.

ink003

not to hate, but you're driving a mustang, not a luxury vehicle. i'm not trying to flame, but if it bugs you that much, get a set of d-specs and set em soft; you'll notice a difference. but the bottom line is that a muscle car should feel like a muscle car, imho.

Mishri

Like they told me at the dealership when I bought the car... The suspension is very stiff... if you don't like stiff suspension, you can get softer.. its for performance was their claim..

Norm Peterson

No one single thing is to blame.

A lot of it is in the tires. KDWS's aren't a particularly good-riding tire (that they rank 15th for comfort out of 19 UHP All-Season tires ought to say something). They're not entirely bad tires, but better tires perhaps could have selected. Then again, when you buy tires a hundred thousand or a million at a time you tend to sharpen the expense-accounting pencil.

Some is from having wheels that are relatively wide for the tires. It's a great thing for handling response and good general cornering behavior, but that takes a little more compliance out of the path between road roughness and your butt on the seat and your hands on the wheel.

It's also general consensus that the OE shock/strut damping isn't as good as it could be for normal street driving (at least). Too much bump damping makes for a slightly harsh ride over small road imperfections. It does quicken the steering response, and that's probably what Ford was after given the car's 3500# curb weight and its visual ties to the earlier cars that were several hundred lbs lighter.


Norm

grampa_stang

The noise you're hearing are most likely the upper strut mounts. You can get them replaced for free
under TSB 07-18-02. Another area you need to watch and keep very very tight are the upper end links.
Especially on the passenger side.

Many of us member have already had this done last year and it resolves the problem.

johnnyv8

I came from a 3000GT, so this is a luxury to me. My buddy has a 350z, I've driven vettes, etc. The mustang is prob one of the more forgiveable(sp?) sport cars I've driven. However, i have to say going over bumps still feels like a sport car; just not as bad.

But i love my seats, they really help.

Nuke

Ditto on the TSB for the clunk. However, the Stang is a performance car and not designed for a luxurious ride. If the later is what you're after you definately bought the wrong car.

All-in-all, I do a lot of long distance highway and find the Stang to be quite comfortable despite it being a bit stiff. But I'm used to my SUV with stiff Bilstein's so to me, the Stang is smooth in comparison.

Read-up in the Handling section for some ideas on ways to improve the ride. But you'll find most people are looking to go stiffer or tighter than the other way.

MC Stang

Guys,
Thanks for all the replies and definitely no offense taken whatsoever, I appreciate the feedback. My complaint is not in the stiffness but in the hard “clunking” sound that I get which just doesn’t seem right. It's OK for it to be stiff but compliant, you know stiff but without the feeling of banging or bottoming out. And, true, I may have had the benefit of having hadsome luxury oriented cars (cadillac, BMW) that are difficult to compare to the 2006 Mustang, but I expected a bit smoother ride. And really, the best thing about the BMW and the new CTS is that they handle as well as they do butstill deliver a very comfortable ride. Firm but compliant I would say. Regardless, I don’t think I made a mistake, the car is very enjoyable as a daily driverI just want to fix or improve whatever is going on in the front suspension. The feedback you’ve given me lends me to think that theupper strutmounts and maybe theupper end linksprobably need to be inspected.

Grampa_Stang and Nuke thanks for the tip on the TSB 07-18-02. How do I handle the TSB? Just set up an appointment at the dealership for this issue??

Thanks again for the feedback guys – and those Tokico D spec’s sound interesting, but I bet they cost a bundle.

grampa_stang

That's all I did. Call 'em up and tell them your front end is clunking and mention
the TSB. Make sure theyorder the "new" mounts, Part # 8R3Z-18183-B.

Good luck.

MC Stang

Thanks for the advice I am going to do that. Thanks for the part#, too.