ODDYSEY

Ok I will go over everything so you can understand why you need to do the things you need to do.

Springs: Lowering springs have a higher compression rate, which means they don't compress as smoothly as stock springs. This helps prevent your car from being too bouncy but also increases how rough the ride is.

Shocks/Struts: Stock shocks and struts are designed to hold the car at a certain height level based on the specs of the shock springs. This is important, as I said stock springs. When you change springs, that lowers your car AND the shocks/struts into a new position that was not designed to be at. So this puts added pressure on your shocks/struts and ultimately wears them out at a rapid pace. The best way to describe what you are doing to your stock shocks/struts is, if you are standing up. Just standing there, you feel fine and could stand there a long time. But if you bent your knees and lowered yourself down a few inches, stand there and try and hold that position. You are basically putting pressure on your knees/back (shocks/struts) and after a while, they will give out.

Ok so now we have new springs, and new shocks/struts. What else do we need to change and why?

Caster/Camber: First we need to understand what caster/camber is. Camber is when your tire is sitting normally, but the top of the tire is leaning left or right. Camber is when your tire should be straight, but it it toed in or toed out, meaning both tires are not pointing forward. When you lower your car, the shocks/struts lower, which also typically pulls the top of your tires in also. This messes up the camber, so you need camber bolts to adjust that. With an agressive drop, more than 1.5" you might need caster/camber plates which help adjust the offset even more.

Now we have all the correct items right? We can lower the car? No, we have only talked about the front mostly, now let's talk about the rear axle, and why that is important.

Panhard Bar: A panhard bar prevents your axle from moving side to side. The factory panhard bar is designed to hold the axle in the middle of the car, it has a specific length based on stock shocks/struts/springs. When you lower your car, it changes the angle of your rear axle, and by lowering the top of the panhard bar, actually shifts your axel to the drivers side. Putting an adjustable panhard bar allows you to actually shorten the bar, which pulls the axle back into center. See image below on what a panhard bar is.



Ok well we should have everything by now right? Almost! There is one more major component left that should be checked first.

Control Arms: First let's talk about what pinion angle is and how control arms affect this. Pinion angle is the angle of your drivetrain (driveshaft, transmission, differential) and the angle that are linked together. See image..



How do control arms affect this you ask? Well here is the answer!

You have an upper control arm which is located right above your differential, this helps adjust the pinion angle for the rear axle. On the other hand you also have lower control arms, which help push axle to the ground, when you lower your car too much it can affect the lower control arms so much that it can actually make them want to try and lift the rear axle up instead of pushing it down.

The upper and lower control arms are something too pay attention to if they are out of adjustment, but a lot of peope don't have issues with mild drops.

I was very distracted while writing all of this, so I may have put wrong information in, someone please correct any mistakes I made, and I hope this helps you understand more.

157dB

mAN PLAN ON DROPPING SOME SERIOUS CHANGE
into that lowering project.
And cover all the bases or you will have a screwed up lowered mess
that wont corner or even drive straight down the road.
I real PITA to drive.

2010V6Stang

In addition to what oddysey said, you may want to look into some sway bars, not for lowering but better overall handling. Better to get it done all at once I feel.

08blackoutstang

wow thanks for all the information!

so for now this is what i am going to do, i am going to get an adjustable panhard bar for the rear axle, then i am going to get the camber bolts for the front, that way i can have the front in alignment and the rear in alignment, i also have a sway bar that i will install to.

And sometime down the road i will put in new shocks/struts (after the stock ones die on me) and i will put upper and lower control arms.

I dont have a ton of money to play with so as long as i lower my car and i get the right stuff to align everything than i think i am good for now, then down the road i will look into the control arms and the struts/shocks for the performance side of things.

I am just looking for what i need right now for my car to be operable with the lowering springs. And then i will look towards more of the performance side of things when i get to that stage

ODDYSEY

That is what I did. I put on springs, and adj. panhard bar, camber bolts. Then a few months down the road, I put on shocks/struts.

I haven't had a need for UCA, or LCA's but I will get them eventually.

08blackoutstang

this is what i am doing, how long after did you get the shock/struts, and how low did you go?

ODDYSEY

1.25/1.5" and I went about 3 months on stock suspension, after 3 months I could feel them getting bouncy and changed them shortly after that.

157dB

Skimp with springs only and you will pay for it with excessive tire wear.
Do it right the first time.
Wait until down the road when you can afford it.

2010V6Stang

Agreed^

08blackoutstang

i am not skimping with springs...

I have BMR lowering springs
Strut tower brace
Camber bolts
Steeda adjustable panhard bar
Panhard Bar brace
....

How is this skimping???

and later on i will get new shocks/struts and lower and upper control arms...
I dont need those right now (if at all)