Suspension Plan: Stage 1
07-30-2017, 07:46 PM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 142
Suspension Plan: Stage 1
I bought my 08 Mustang Bullitt 9 1/2 years ago and after 9 1/2 years of threatening to upgrade my car's suspension I finally have assembled the parts necessary for what I'm referring to as a Stage 1 suspension upgrade...not that I have 'Stage 2' planned or even defined but there's always a way to spend more money! 
This is a street car with little chance of seeing track time. Not because I don't want to track my car but because I've got a wife, three kids, four dogs, six chickens and a fish. I'm as likely to get to the track as I am to get to Mount Everest.
But on the upside I live is SoCal so my daily commute has lots of twists and turns on hilly, curvy roads...SoCal is great that way...so over the past 9+ years I've had a lot of time to get very familiar with the factory suspension. It's funny, because just about the time I'm feeling good about the factory suspension not being so bad, I drive our kids somewhere in our Honda Minivan and I am at once reminded of just how much my Mustang's factory suspension struggles mid-corner. When a minivan does it with less effort then you know it's real.
Once upon a time I fantasized about getting Koni 2800 series dampers, an SLA font suspension and other high zoot components...still do...but I decided on a conservative progression of suspension upgrades so I could feel the difference every step of the way and possibly stop before going overboard...way overboard. My idea is to upgrade the current suspension components as defined by Ford rather than an outright changing of the factory suspension components, i.e. not running out and adding coilovers...or a watts link...or a SLA front end, as cool as it would be to do so.
So to that end here's what I got:
Tokiko D-Specs
Steeda Sport Springs
Steeda Camber Plates
Steeda FCAs w/ Prothane Bushings
Steeda X5 Ball joints
Steeda G-Trac Brace
Steeda Adjustable Comp/Street UCA Kit
Steeda Adjustable Panhard Bar, Street
Ford GT500 LCAs
Still running on factory wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport series tires. Stage 2 will be 9.5" wheels with more more Pilot Sport rubber.
I bought the D-Specs years ago, before the Koni Sports became the damper of choice for S197 upgrades. D-Specs are still great so I didn't feel like I HAD to get Konis after the fact.
So that's what I've go so far. Will probably be performing the upgrade in the next month or so and will post progress here.
This is a street car with little chance of seeing track time. Not because I don't want to track my car but because I've got a wife, three kids, four dogs, six chickens and a fish. I'm as likely to get to the track as I am to get to Mount Everest.
But on the upside I live is SoCal so my daily commute has lots of twists and turns on hilly, curvy roads...SoCal is great that way...so over the past 9+ years I've had a lot of time to get very familiar with the factory suspension. It's funny, because just about the time I'm feeling good about the factory suspension not being so bad, I drive our kids somewhere in our Honda Minivan and I am at once reminded of just how much my Mustang's factory suspension struggles mid-corner. When a minivan does it with less effort then you know it's real.
Once upon a time I fantasized about getting Koni 2800 series dampers, an SLA font suspension and other high zoot components...still do...but I decided on a conservative progression of suspension upgrades so I could feel the difference every step of the way and possibly stop before going overboard...way overboard. My idea is to upgrade the current suspension components as defined by Ford rather than an outright changing of the factory suspension components, i.e. not running out and adding coilovers...or a watts link...or a SLA front end, as cool as it would be to do so.
So to that end here's what I got:
Tokiko D-Specs
Steeda Sport Springs
Steeda Camber Plates
Steeda FCAs w/ Prothane Bushings
Steeda X5 Ball joints
Steeda G-Trac Brace
Steeda Adjustable Comp/Street UCA Kit
Steeda Adjustable Panhard Bar, Street
Ford GT500 LCAs
Still running on factory wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport series tires. Stage 2 will be 9.5" wheels with more more Pilot Sport rubber.
I bought the D-Specs years ago, before the Koni Sports became the damper of choice for S197 upgrades. D-Specs are still great so I didn't feel like I HAD to get Konis after the fact.
So that's what I've go so far. Will probably be performing the upgrade in the next month or so and will post progress here.
Last edited by ccwebb; 07-30-2017 at 07:48 PM.
08-03-2017, 02:37 PM
#3
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 142
Hi Norm,
Yeah I'm late in finding out about the Photobucket policy change. I haven't posted any pics in my thread yet but will be sure to find another way when I do. In the meantime I'll update my profile to delete the missing sig line picture. Thanks!
Yeah I'm late in finding out about the Photobucket policy change. I haven't posted any pics in my thread yet but will be sure to find another way when I do. In the meantime I'll update my profile to delete the missing sig line picture. Thanks!