I thought I was done with car mods for a bit and just wanted to work on the driver mod for a while - invest in track days instead of parts. With the Steeda rear sway bar and roll bar, my 06 GT vert turns in relatively well and is fairly balanced, but I still have some pronounced body roll with the stock suspension.

Then I see Roush is selling their stage 3 suspension as a separate package and I'm tempted.

Anyone have experience with this?

 

Until you're able to manage the full track consistently on the bloody edge of disaster, keep working on the driver mod... THAT will pay off huge, and will translate upwards (when you get suspension under the car) very well. Start monkeying with the car now, though, and your track time will be spent playing catch-up with the car.

 

thanks for the reply. I definitely plan on doing track days...that and the suspension aren't mutually exclusive. I'm simply managing the timing right now.

Just wondering about the roush stage 3 suspension vs. the kw v3 for instance.

 

You may want to look into the Roush coilover system used on their TracPak mustang. I have the Roush S3 suspension and the Saleen Watts link on my car and it rides solid, canyon driving is confident and body handling very predictable. I have zero track experience but I would like to get into that soon. You can buy all of the components from Roush short of the springs and struts. Looking back that's what I should have done that but the TracPak coilovers weren't available then.



Jed

 

Have you done any track days yet (is that Road Atlanta in your sig?) with your current setup? If not, do a few before you decide on suspension upgrades. Additionally, if you haven't upgrades your brakes, put your money in that direction first (pads, ducts, lines and fluid).

If you've done some track days, ignore the above (assuming you've upgraded brakes). A nice setup that won't cost a fortune (and what many of us are running some version of) is the following:

-a good set of springs (Steeda, FRPP/Eibach, Vogtland, Roush, Saleen)
-struts/shocks (Koni adjustables or Tokico adjustables)
-swaybars (FRPP/Eibach, Steeda, Roush)
-camber adjustment

This'll keep you happy for a while and you can do it in stages (springs/struts first, etc...).

Another option that takes more upfront cash, but is a great deal is the Ground Control coilover setup. This gets you adjustable height springs, Konis, and their caster-camber plates (something you'll need eventually if you track it). If I were starting from scratch right now, with the full benefit of hindsight, this is what I'd do. Total cost is about the same as piecing it together, and you get 4-corner height adjustment out of it.

I'm not convinced the Roush (or the Saleen) setup is the best value out there (the Roush coilover setup excluded--I know absolutely nothing about that). You tend to pay a premium for their name. Additionally, although the KW setup looks great, I'm not sure if they have strut top caster-camber plates available for it. Something to look into if you go this route.

Plenty more options ($$$$$) on the horizon in the way of coil-overs, Griggs setup, Agent47, etc..., but all will cost substantially more.

Oh, and don't forget your wheels/tires. This is an upgrade that will make a huge difference in how your car handles on the track. In fact, if lap times are the main concern, wheels/tires should come first... (for the driving "fun factor" during lapping days, though, I think suspension upgrades are the way to go first).

 

Yes, good eye. I've done a number of southeast tracks and events.
Brakes upgraded, check.
Rear swaybar, check.
Rollbar, check.

I'm waiting to go to sticky tires til I max out my skill on the street tires.

So, that's why I'm thinking suspension. And I'm thinking Roush because it seems to be a regular feature of every review of the Roush stage 3 car about how it's the best handling track S197. So I'm thinking that if I can get a suspension already dialed in for the S197, I'll be set to go (plus, as you mention, I was thinking of doing the maximum motorsports camber plates at the same time).

Anyway, thanks for the feedback.

 

We converted a GT to TrakPak spec last month, the TP suspension system is excellent, but not cheap. Also FYI it's only front coilovers, the rears are NOT, despite what most of the pictures of the components show.

 

What do you track junkies think in terms of CC plates? I know MM makes some nice ones, but pricey. Know anything about the cheaper J&M??


Thanks!

 

I'm running the Maximum Motorsports plates and couldn't be happier... J&M has a good rep about their parts, but you see a LOT of MM parts on the competition mustangs, not so often with J&M, at least in the Midwest and Great Lakes NASA regions. After my LCA bushing issues, I went with MM LCAs and Panhard, and there is a huge difference between the poly/rod and rod/rod arms.

AFAIK, the MM plate is the only one on the market that has both camber AND caster adjustment capability. The Steeda and J&M plates are camber only, if that makes any difference to you.

 

Good to know. It's only about a $80 difference, so probably worth it. And the MM plates definitely look better

 

I have the MM plates, too. The J&M version was very tempting, but like you said, for $80 you get the best and know it will be a lifetime part. The caster adjustment was a bonus and it's a great design--lets you lock in your caster adjustment, even when you loosen for camber adjustments.

 

Both you guys are invaluable when it comes to making decisions like this, and I, for one, appreciate your consistent, experienced, and thoughtful input. Y'all rock!

 

That's what these forums are for--we're always glad to pass on experience with parts, etc...


Just don't blame us for nurturing the track addiction!

 

Yup, we claim NO responsibility for any addictive behavior with respect to the go-fast crack pipe!

 

Adjusting this that and the other thing is great IF you understand what your doing. You can tune a car for different tracks ect. once again IF you know what your doing.

If your looking for a big improvement without a big investment get a FRPP kit.(struts/shocks/bars/springs/strut tower brace) When I got mine it was $1100 shipped to my door.

It was engineered buy the folks who set up the fr500 race car. And in my opinion works extremly well. Also because its not adjustable( other than the front sway bar ) you can't loose your mind and get the car so messed up that you have to end up paying someone to unmess it.

 

And there is a LOT to be said for that! All the adjustability that I built into mine was due primarily to the geometry changes that came with lowering the car, but as I get more seat time, and get a better feel for the car, I am thanking my stars that I did get adjustable components. The key is to approach it scientifically. If the car pushes at turn-in, do NOT throw a bar adjustment, tire pressure change, camber change, toe change and damper valving at it all at once! Pick one thing, make a small change, and see what you get. Before I did the camber plates, the car was pretty well balanced, if a bit tight. I saw a couple of pix of my car in action, and it became obvious that I needed more negative camber than I had, so in went the plates... Now, I get so much more front bite, that I can really lean on the car without having the front-end plowing towards the outside of the turn. That, of course, caused a large increase in temp induced pressure-gain, so I'm back to playing with pressures again, but that's the nature of the beast.

In the end, though, I agree completely with the intent of the post. Building a suspension package for a car should NOT be approached in any random fashion. Identify what the weak link is, fix that, then move on to the next weakest link. The biggest thing you can do, though, is get more seat time. THAT will improve the overall experience far more than any set of springs, dampers, bars or tires ever will. Once you know, for a fact, that YOU are no longer the weakest link, then it's time to start swapping out parts.