Hoofprint

I am completely in the dark on this so I want to ask, what is a good way to improve the handling on my 2010 GT? Would springs make a difference? Would sway bars make any difference?
If so, I found these from Ford Racing
http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts...tKeyField=8685

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help!

Blair

The three best things you can do to improve handling are 1) better shocks, 2) lowering springs, 3) and good sway bars.

If you want to lower go with springs like the Roush springs, Steeda, or H&R sports springs that only lower about 1.0" If you lower anymore than that you can cause geometry changes in your suspension that will needed additional costly mods to fix like relocation brackets, taller balljoints, and adjustable panhard rods.

Good shocks like Tokico adjustables or Koni Sports will improve response and handling. They will improve handling and your suspension's ability to soak up bumps. If you get lowering springs you definitely need new upgraded shocks to handle the additional spring rate. Even if you don't lower, the shocks will still have a big improvement in handling and will get rid of the stock rear end suspensions tendency to bounce around feel unsettled wehn hitting a bump in a corner.

Sway bars are a great upgrade to flatten the cornering, but the stock sway bars are actually pretty good as is. The Roush bars are good but are not adjustable in the front. The Eibach bars and the FRPP bars are the same thing and have adjustable front bars.

I bought a Roush Stage 2 suspension and am very happy with it. You can find them on Ebay for about $950 to $1000 and the kit includes springs, sway bars, bump stops, and front and rear sway bars. I highly recommend this kit, I have used this suspension at open track events and HPDEs and it performs quite well. Also, on the street it rides just like stock. I would avoid the FRPP handling kit as the springs lower the car a little too much (1.5") and the shocks included with the kit are absolutely awful.

xspsi

The best suspension/handling advice I was given by a fellow racer for a street/track car are compromised of just 2 components:
-H&R Pro-Kit Springs
-Bilstein Struts/Shocks

Other complimentary items (I prefer Steeda):
-Steeda HD Upper Strut Mounts
-Steeda Upper/Lower Control Arms
-Steeda Lower Control Arm Relocation Brackets
-Steeda G-Trac Brace
-Steeda Panhard Bar
-Steeda HD Panhard Bar Brace

BL00DSH0T

I have had a few recommend the Ford Racing suspension. I'll be doing that but will probably change the struts to Koni or Tokico adjustables.
I'll be starting slow and work my way to get it how I want. I'll do springs first then do the struts/shocks and sway bars later.

As for whats best it is really personal preference.

bingo2

I just completed a suspension upgrade on my '10, same mechanical setup you have, 5 speed, 19s and 3.73 axel ratio. I did my upgrades incrementally after reading many, many posts in the S197 Suspension fourm; there are a lot of internet experts making unsustantiated statements in that forum and a few that really know what they're talking about, one of which is Sam Strano. He is a championship driver and owner of a performance parts business. He will freely provide you with advice and won't sell you anything you don't need to accomplish your goal. My suspension knowledge is based in the sport motorcyce world, both on the street and on the track but, I was ignorant regarding car suspension, especially on Mustangs, since the '10 is the first one I've owned. My car is a DD and I wanted it to corner better (although from the factory they're not exactly terrible) when I do some spirited driving in the canyons near where I live. Better can be defined as lessening the body roll and eliminating the side stepping of the rear end when encountering mid-corner road irregularities. After talking to and exchanging emails with Sam, my first step was to change the dampers to non-adjustable Koni SRT.T and retain the stock springs; I also replaced the strut mounts with Steeda HDs. This combination made the car ride much better than stock, still firm but much more controlled, body roll was still present but much less pronounced and the side stepping of the rear end was reduced dramatically. I also bgan to get some feedback from the suspension in the form of a little more road noise and better front end feel; this I welcomed and is probably a result of the strut mounts and different bushing material on the Konis. I was pretty satisfied with the change but, I wanted the car to corner a bit flatter and eliminate as much of the rear side stepping as possible. Another consultation with Sam resulted in adding Steeda Sport Springs. That did the trick and also leveled the car and reduced the fender to wheel gap! The car now corners very well and the rear of the car stays planted. Ride quality is still quite good although you will know you have stiffer springs, especially on some major dips in the road at slower speeds. The faster I drive the better the suspension performs. The car is now easier to drive fast and a lot more fun. Disclaimer: I do not advocate exceeding the speed limit or attempting to explore the threshold of traction on public roads and my perception of ride quality and performance my differ from yours! Check out Sam's site www.stranoparts.com and give him a call, he's really a great guy to deal with.

crescent_wrench

Thanks for the informative post. Did you have to make any other mods to the suspension because of the Steeda Sport springs? I get so confused because of some of the strong opinions people have. I've read many times about panhard bars, bump stops, camber plates, etc, being needed after lowering a Mustang.

bingo2

I installed the Steeda HD strut mounts as Sam suggested; they are all metal and have a different bearing configuration than the stock mounts and provide for some camber adjustment as well. The stock mounts have plastic parts that, in some cases, have a tendency to fail sometime after installing lowering springs. I've also read that some have replaced the stock mounts with GT500 mounts with some success. I don't know if the GT500 mounts have any provision for camber adjutment; others have been successful using camber bolts . I did purchase and install an adjustable panhard bar as in many cases the body of the car will shift position after installation of the lowering springs and the adjustable bar will allow you to recenter the body over the axle. The other suggestion that is made most often when installing lowering springs is to replace the dampers; the stock dampers will work with mild lowering springs like the Steeda Sports but, will wear prematurely and I've read that the ride quality suffers dramatically as the stock dampers are not up to the task of handling the new spring rates. Much of what you must do depends on your goals and how the car will be used; road or drag race, street handling or posing. Give Sam a call; he is patient and willing to share his knowledge and won't "steer" you in the wrong direction.

dominant1

I have set of eibach sportline springs for sale cheap. I used them for a month...i decided i wanted a smoother ride and will have the eibach pro set installed this coming Thursday...The sportline set lowers your stang 1.6 in the front and 2.0 in the rear..It will ride firm but if you use aftermarket dampeners the ride quality is improved..I'm using the stock strut and QA1 12 way adjustable shocks in the rear..I will sell these springs for $150.00, pm me if interested....here is how your car will look with the sportline springs on it:

Nuke

This is a question best asked in the handling section where there are pros x-cross and are in the Nationals that scour that sub-forum and can provide you with the best info.