2digits

Ayh, fellow S197 owners! I currently have (20"x8.5"/20"x10") Front: 255/35/20 Rear:285/30/20 and was wonder if anyone has any Suspension, suggestions to get my car more nimble, and corner better (Besides saying: Buy some 18"s). Personaly I like the feel of the 20"s it seems like I'm able to feel the road/car more.

Cell Phone Picture...

2digits

Lowering Springs?
Strut/Shock Tower Braces
Control Arms?
Shocks & Struts
Sway Bar?

I'd like the car to perform exceptionally well in a straight line, but also hold its own in corners
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

thrift

check out this thread...

https://mustangforums.com/m_934501/mpage_2/key_/tm.htm

start on page two or three; and check out what F1Fan says....he really knows his stuff; from what i've seen...

hope this helps

mygt500

Yeah I will move this to that section and him and Sam can make some recommendations for you! For cornering get new springs and shocks. For body roll new front and rear sway bars will help with that. Get the Lca's and UCA and panhard bar for hooking off the line better and the panhard bar should be adj so you can center the rear axle with the 20's (so the tires dont sit wrong in the wheel well {offset}). I think many suggest adj Lca's and UCA if lowered and your pinion angle needed to be adjusted (esp after a drop of greater than 1-1.25 inches with the new springs)

Jazzer The Cat

Figure out EXACLTY what you are lacking/needing within the handling dept (a budget is a good idea as well [&:]).

There are many, many things you can do, and all may not be what you are after in the end result. Sam is VERY good with this type of question, so I suggest you contact him. F1Fan, Argonaut, RadeoFlyer, jayel579 (among others) have lots of experience with the S197 chassis as well as track/course experience. They can have somewhat differing opinions on what they like and how to go about it, but all want you to enjoy your ride however you want it to be

I don't know nothin', I drive a New Edge []

Jazzer [8D]

2digits

Wicked advice mygt500!

uh...

Oh hey thanks Jazzer The Cat. I think I'm going to hold off contacting "Sam" until I'm more serious about buying suspension upgrades (Wallets running a little thin).

Norm Peterson

Briefly, shocks and struts should be first. Preferably adjustables if you want to have the capability to swap between damping that better suits the straight line at the strip and something that"s better for the hard corners. A "best overall" solution for DD might be a third.

Forget the tower braces as far as performance is concerned. They only stiffen the tower crosssections of the car slightly, and some designs don"t even do that job very well. None of them stiffen that huge open area where the coupes have a roof (and where all of the cars have huge door openings). They might quiet any cowl shake over rough roads down a bit, so if you do that at all, do it for that reason. If you have a cowl shake issue to begin with.

Then drive it and see what it needs from there. It"ll cost you a few one-time-use fasteners to work piecemeal, but if you had to buy things twice you"d have to anyway. Maybe take it to the strip and an autocross or two. Get somebody to take pictures of the car in action so you can see different views than only out the windshield. At auto-X, get a ride-along instructor or at least somebody with a little experience to help make sure that what you want to upgrade is more likely mechanical rather than just you over- or under-driving the car. Right now, the car is almost certainly capable of providing better performance than your driving can consistently get out of it (don"t take this comment as flame, BTW).

Only then start thinking about springs/bars/PHB or Watts link/control arms/LCA relo brackets/etc., and whether you really have a problem that needs fixing that by using any of them you"ll fix. For example, if you aren"t getting any wheel hop and aren"t going to get at least semi-serious about auto-X or other corner-carving activities, LCAs won"t do much for you. If you only get a little hop, LCAs would probably fix it but UCA replacement would probably not be indicated. Etc., and the same sort of thought path applies for understeer/oversteer issues.

Might be just me, but if there is a wheel/tire upgrade in the car"s future that I"d get that done before tinkering with anything in the suspension other than perhaps the shocks/struts. It might make a little difference here and there.


Norm

BMRFabricationSales

Hello, There are quite a few options for you to make your car handle. Like the other members have stated a good adjustable strut is very important. We offer the TOKICO D Specs, they areless expensive than the koni's. If you go with a lowering springyou will also need an adjustable panhard rod. Lower control arms are also a good addition along withan adjustable upper control arm. You use the upper to reset your pinion angle. Ourspring lower your car 1.25" in the front and 1.5" in the rear.We also offer 1 7/8" front sway bar and a 7/8" rear bar with billett end links. I will post a link to our site, we offer a very complete line of partsfor 05 and up mustang. If you have any questions please give me a call.


http://www.bmrfabrication.com/2005MustangSUSPENSION.htm

Sam Strano

You need to start with shocks.... They are the single most important part of the suspensionIMO. They deal with sprung and unsprung weight. They change how the turns in. They deal with how it reacts to bumps. They even control roll and pitch rate.

I am a Koni fan. In fact I changed my cars over from D-Spec to Koni's. I have run both, and most importantly I *sell* both as well. My opinion is not based in any way on the fact I only have one to offer you. In fact I don't hate D-specs and in other threads have gone into how I see the differences between them. BTW, I also have dynoed both shocks and know how they compare.

I won't even get into the rest of the suspension at this point, though we can by phone etc. I'm not the guy who pops in and says "you need this" and leaves. I'm a one man company, my name is on the door, and I pay my own bills. I have to give the best advice and support I can, and that means I work with details.

Your 20's are not ideal, they add a lot of unsprung weight to the car. If you want to stay with them that's fine, but it's harder for the shocks to do their job as well. What you are feeling is the extra mass. The weight doens't move over bumps as easily and so you feel them more. But also you are turning more flywheel, basically and that has effects on braking and acceleration too.

2digits

Holly crap!

Information...

Thanks Sam Strano, BMRFabricationsSales, and Norm (Nice to see you take an intrest in another one of my post!).

Personaly I love my 20" and was thinking of Lowering springs as more of as cosmetic upgrade. But now I know a little better
I think I'm going to purchase a digital camera before I go all out. Just so I can track my progress.

I'd like my lowering springs to enhance my stance, as well as perform as they should. I was thinking lowering the front 1.5" giving me 1" or clearance in my wheel well. And 1.4" in the Rear giving me 2" of rear wheel well clearance.

I for some reason like the theroy of this just because it reminds me of former Pro-Street cars (big Mickey Thompson wheel in the back). That lets go racing look.