A_J

Hey y'all -

So first off, where I'm at - bone stock GT suspension. I know that eventually I'd want to do a full suspension improvement, but I believe that I need to get better aquainted with the car first to identify my personal preferences for improvement. Being that I haven't had a chance to really toss it around at a track or skidpad yet, I'm holding off on jumping into a full suspension redo until I establish baselines. My ultimate goal is to have the suspension well rounded; it's a DD so nothing too harsh, but it will hold it's own at the occasional weekend romps and autocross days.

That said, one area for improvement immediately apparent is the rear end.. specifically the tendency for it to hop out on you when cornering and encountering elevation changes at the same time, whether they be gradual or ruts (road patches, railroad tracks, etc.). It's ok if you know what to expect, but spooky nonetheless..

From the reading I've been doing so far, it seems this behavior is partly a function of the panhard bar design, and the OEM bushings and parts that allow for too much lateral deflection under cornering.

So my questions to you seasoned suspension folks:

1) There are many products out there to address what is called wheel hop - so in my mind, straight line wheel hop on launching is one thing, but skittishness on cornering is another. Would the products billed as improving wheel hop also improve cornering behavior, such as Steeda's "Stop the Hop" pack? I can see how it could - better bushings for less deflection, and stiffer control arms. But I want to know I'd be getting some tangible improvements with cornering behavior before dropping the cash.

2) I've been reading up on Watt's link setups too.. from what I've seen, these can help a lot, but given the price and complexity I've seen some who say that unless you're you're doing hardcore racing it's overkill. I'd be willing to go this route if it's going to solve the rear stability issue once and for all, but if the cheaper and easier alternative of better LCA's, UCA, panhard bar, and possibly rear sway bar will get me 90% of the way there, then that seems to be the smarter choice. But if it'll only realize, say, a 50% improvement in cornering over a Watt's setup, I'd rather drop the $ on that and be done with it for good.

I will probably eventually do the standard lowering springs, dampers, etc., so all that aside and speaking specifically of the rear's cornering behavior -what areyour thoughts on the cost/benefit of improving the panhard configuration vs. a full Watt's setup?

Thanks,
A_J

Sam Strano

The issue with the rear jumping around it all shocks......

How do I know? Easy... I have '07 Mustangs I get to compare on a daily basis if I want. My GT with Koni's, and my girlfriend Marcy's V-6 under which we put GT springs, bars, and my take off GT shocks and struts (that had less than 1000 miles on them). Drive the two cars down the same road, and her's jumps all over the place in the back, mine is rarely upset. The difference is remarkable and repeatable.

Do NOT spend money on anything else trying to cure this issues until you have gotten youself some quality dampers. You'll be throwing that money away.

Vapour Trails

I just ordered the D-specs and I hope what Sam is saying is correct. I can't put any serious power down in 1st gear with a reasonable tire pressure (over 25 psi) without bad hop. Even on my auto-x launches, which are nowhere as hard as drag launches, I get bad hop whichmakesme let off the gas and lose speed before I cross the starting line.

Sam Strano

We want to note there are two different types of "hop" you can get from the rear. What Vapour Trails is getting is wheel hop, or axle hop. What A_J is getting is the rear stepping out on him because the rear shocks aren't great at dealing with certain kinds of road imperfections.

Now, shocks aren't used to control wheel hop, but can indeed help it. In fact, this is where something like the D-spec with it's ability to adjust compression damping is useful. Compression damping controls unsprung weight, and the axle and every attached is unsprung weight. More damping can indeed help the rear from jumping around quite a bit. However, it's likely that we'll need to go with a change in control arms on Vapour's car. Most of the hope experienced is do to bushing and arm wind-up. On the upside, the shock can still help the wheel hop, and will DEFINITELY help the way the car behaves and responds in general, and this is where A_J would see a big improvement, as that's his complaint.

What you see here is two folks both complaining of a jumpy rear, but it's coming from two different sources and in two different scenerio's. This is a prime example of why I don't rely on e-mail for solid imformation or to make recommendations.

A_J

Thanks Sam, you raise some good points - and given that I was planning on a good starter suspension package too (springs, dampers, etc.) I may as well do that first to see where that leaves me.

Sam Strano

No problem.

Please let me know if I can help you out. I try very hard to carry a large variety of brands so folks know they aren't getting "what we sell", but what we think will work best for the use. And I do own and run these cars.