avi06gt

hey guys,

maybe you can help me to figure out if something is wrong with my suspension. about a month ago i lowered my 06 GT w/ the steeda ultralite springs using the OEM shocks. after short drive i notice there is a poppin noise when i am turning. After reading online i decided to replace the factory mounts and install the steeda strut mounts.Got it done at the shop and the noise when turning is gone, BUT now when i am driving i can feel every little bump on the road which i haven't felt before as bad. I don't know if something is loose? or what is going on but it definitely not feeling right.

what should i do? annoyed

jsnyng

Are you running the factory shocks/struts? If so, they are probably shot with those lowering springs. The new strut mounts got rid of your popping but they are giving you more feedback about the struts right now. I've got an '11 GT that I ran for about a month on the factory shocks/struts before I couldn't stand the bouncy nature of the ride when hitting any sort of transition. If you don't need adjustable shocks/struts, I'd recommend Koni STR.T's. I'd also recommend you call Sam Strano - 814-849-3450, and ask for his opinion.

Ministang

Your next step should definitely be new struts and shocks. I'll second the Koni recommendation, either STR.T or the Sports. I got my Koni Sports from Strano.

Barricade

...on a quick note what do you torq the bolts up top to??

ryan1112

I also recommend some Koni str.t shocks. I didn't realize how bad my stock shocks had gotten after lowering until i put the Koni's on. They really aren't that expensive given how good of shocks they are. I'd give Sam a call.

Commbubba19

the noise would not be due to worn or even failed struts. Check your sway bar end link bolts and all other bolts and make sure they were torqued to spec.

i ran stock shocks/struts for 20k miles with H&R SS springs. I only switched out do the Koni's due to needed to replace my worn strut mounts.

ryan1112

Loose endlinks will make a clunking noise, not make a rough ride. He said he could feel every little bump in the road. The combination of the hd strut mounts and struts that aren't designed for lowering will make a rough ride. Changing to a strut that will still be in a "working range", for lack of a better description, will help smooth out the ride.

avi06gt

I got the springs and the strut mounts installed at Dallas mustang. It just seemed weird to me that just by installing new mounts i'll feel such a difference in the ride. small bumps sounds like big holes on the road now.
thats why I posted the subject on here to get maybe other ideas to why this could happen

Glenn

stock struts and shocks suck on a lowered car.

Commbubba19

strut mounts will not change ride quality.

SteedaGus

What strut mounts can do is transmit more impact harshness in the vehicle. Out of the aftermarket strut mounts out there ours has the least increase in impact harshness because we still try to isolate the bearing by putting it in with a urethane bushing instead of making it completely solid.

This goes back to the debate of whether shocks and struts should be done with springs. Some say yes, some say no.

We normally recommend if the car is brand new that you can get away with it. Especially if you just intend to lower the car and dont plan on doing any track events where the weakness of the factory shocks and struts may present itself.

However this becomes even more important as the vehicle ages. O.E. shocks and struts lose a good bit of their effectiveness over time. Add a higher rate spring into the equation and you will have a serious lack of control and dampening.

With a more solid upper strut mount, the lack of dampening and control is magnified and made a lot more noticeable.

I recommend you upgrade your shocks and struts. That will get the impact harshness back down and also improve your ride quality and handling as well.

You will get different recommendations on what to use, we recommend Tokico D-specs. But anything other than stock will be a major improvement.

ford4v429

did they air-up your tires when aligning? kinda bet they did...when I first got my 06, it had 35 PSI in the tires, and every expansion joint on the highway gave that hollow ringing sound just like a basketball on cement...dropped just a couple pounds and it rode better and the noise went away...ran them to 38,000 miles

sounds like its shock time, but might be worth a look just to check if your inflation pressure is where it used to be. My front Pirellis sounded/felt bad at 35 vs 32, and pretty sure alignment shops should set/match the pressure before aligning...

crescent_wrench

I know its more money....but you gotta get them shocks. My Koni's are magic.

garbledwords

I've been happy with my Ultralites and the non-adjustable Pro Action shocks/struts from Steeda. Cheaper and I didn't see where I would need to adjust them.

Mas35NYR

Amen, I was running the stock shocks and struts after I had the Eibach pro springs installed for a while and every bump was felt, horrible ride. Then I finally added the Ford Racing shocks and struts and that help a lot. Still not the smoothest ride but very tolerable. I just don't go off roading with my baby so it's all good.

shooterm1

I'm looking for a set of rear lowering springs - does anyone want to break up a set?

Dave17

You can get rear springs from Roush, they sell theirs in pairs. Price not too bad either.

JCC07

Just to play devil's advocate...and I'm sure ignite a veritable s*** storm, I've had both Tokico D-specs and Koni Adjustables, and I absolutely could not improve ride quality one bit. On both sets, I experimented with settings for months. I'd find one that sort of worked, and usually within 2-3 weeks, it would start feeling harsh again. I seriously considered selling my car, because to be honest, it just wasn't fun to drive anymore.

In my opinion, I think the stock suspension setup on the 05-09 Mustangs needs a great deal of improvement. It does not do "ride quality" well, and the overall handling is nothing to write home about. Right now, I'm running the Track Pack setup off the 2010 Mustang, and for me, this setup works. It's a little firmer than stock, but it's certainly not jarring and I feel connected to the road, but in a good way. I don't have the Track Pack swaybars installed yet, but they're on order and hopefully I'll get them by next weekend.

I think the problem is that we tend to buy individual parts to do things we think we want those parts to do, and we don't consider how those parts interact with each other. This is why I trust any OEM suspension package, a Ford Racing package, the Roush package, or even if Steeda says "we've tested this setup and this would be our preferred package". In my opinion, you can't go wrong if you buy a setup that is all tested and designed to work together. Otherwise, you may be asking for trouble.

cdynaco

Thanx for relaying that. Pretty much the Bullitt setup.


The few times we've had Ford engineers post, they have confirmed what you stated. They design components to work within a 'system' that takes many factors into consideration.

So to upgrade, one really needs to invest in a package that has been tested as a system like you said - rather than piece meal experimentation.

JCC07

Cdynaco,

I had the Bullitt setup on my car (after I dumped the Konis)...and I thought it was great! At the same time, Ford engineers were on record saying that the Bullitt suspension was more or less the prototype for the next generation, so I decided to upgrade to the Track Pack stuff. Since I also had to replace the strut mounts (they started popping), I figured that doing both at the same time would save me some money. The Track Pack shocks/struts are definitely a little stiffer than the Bullitts, but I very much like the way the car feels.