I have an 06 GT Vert that's stock. I already did the CAI with Bama Diablosport inTune and now I want to better the suspension before I do anything else. I know Ford control arms are lacking, this I learned from my Expy which had it's control arms rust and snap in half. My questions:

1. If I change the LCA is it really necessary to change the UCA and mount

2. What should I do first that'll make the most difference

3. I'm experiencing wheel hop and on turns if I hit a bump it seems as if the rear slides out

4. Should I swap out the panhard bar and support bar

5. I'm working on a budget so which brands would be best for my wallet

Thanks any help would be great,
Alex

 

Alex,

I think I can clear a few of your questions up for ya.

1. You don't have to change the UCA and mount when doing adj LCA's. It's certainly recommended to have the best possible suspension geometry, but tons of guys get away with just adj LCA's.

2. I highly doing a set of Adjustable LCA's first, before anything else.

3. The LCA's will help drastically reduce wheel hop. You'll be surprised when they first get on there!

4. Adding an adj Panhard bar is highly recommended for lowered 05+ Mustangs. If you don't add it, your rear axle will stick out to the side .5", as well as .5" too far in the wheel wheel on the other. If your Mustang is not lowered, than you can continue to use the stock ride Panhard bar without any issues.

5. Eibach makes one of the most affordable adj LCA's that we carry. J&M makes an affordable adj Panhard bar, also. I suggest checking both of these out!

This should cover everything. Give me a shout if you have any other questions!

Shane

 

You know what's worse than the control arms? The shocks/struts. Get rid of them, put in some Tokico D Spec's, Koni Yellows, or Koni Orange if you don't care for adjustability and get some lowering springs while you're at it.

I've tracked my Mustang and believe me, the shocks REALLY help. These cars are ridiculous body roll.

 

LCAs and a damper swap look like good places to start. Stay away from LCAs with rod end bearings (metal or plastic) if your car is a daily driver both from a comfort and wear aspect.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm gonna go with new shocks/struts, springs all around and LCA's.

Next question, why are LCA's with rod end bearings not good to go with if it's a daily driver sometime strip car. I thought bearings would make for a smoother quieter ride.

 

A solid metal or plastic rod end transmits more NVH compared to the urethane or rubber bushed LCAs and with the rod end exposed to the elements they are more apt to wear quicker, and in the case of the UMI roto-joint arms I had installed on my car which used what essentially amounted to a delrin rod end, the design would trap grit in there requiring you to religiously flush the roto-joint with grease (as often as 2-3k miles).

Don't get me wrong, rod end equipped arms are really great when it comes to freedom of movement and providing a direct acting suspension. I highly recommend them if your looking to equip our car with the most articulate and free moving suspension possible but be prepared to learn what bad NVH really is.

I'm currently on Whiteline's lower control arms and it was a good improvement in ride with no real loss in performance - my only complaint with the Whiteline LCA's are that they are adjustable which I consider just another failure point on an item I don't feel needs to adjustable - that said I wanted to give them a try and with a little muscle and some locktite the jam nuts shouldn't be much if any issue.

Speaking of which, my adjustable UCA with rotor-joint was especially susceptible to drivetrain vibration. I muscled the jam nuts down the first time only to have them back out, locktite'd them a second time only to have the whole unit spin itself out but that took some time to do in any event as soon as I get the chance I'm switching that out too with Whitelines UCA for street duty which I consider a superior design with its eccentric bushing used for setting pinion angle, much better from a failure standpoint compared to the three piece adjustable UCAs most companies make which could like in my case could separate and ruin your day as the rear end tried to rotate around.

 

Thanks Bob, that helped a lot.

 

Good luck and have fun with your upgrades!

I have Koni Yellows and Steeda Sport Springs that just arrived, and AMR wheels with 555's on the way...

 

Post pictures when complete!

Best Regards,

TJ

 

This is where I am so far. I bought a suspension kit from CDC that came with front & rear struts/shocks and springs. FRPP strut mounts from CJPony. J&M LCA and aluminum panhard rod, Whiteline panhard bar support brace and FRPP Jounce bumper kit from American Muscle.

I plan on doing the install starting May 6th. I'll make sure to take pictures before and after. The only thing I wanted to get now while I'm doing the work is a rear sway bar upgrade but everything I find is only compatible with the coupe because the vert came with support bars that get in the way.

Does anyone know of a sway bar that works with the vert?