This is a combination performance/appearance question, but I wanted to post it in here because it seems like there is usually a good response from this section with questions.

I have made it a point to try to read as many of the lowering threads as I could, but after a while it gets confusing. I would like to lower my car slightly (approx. 1"). I don't want it slammed to the ground because I don't think the Mustang looks very good that way. I'm not planning on doing any kind of autocross racing or anything like that, but if I'm spending the money I would like some performance benefits from it.

What is the best way to modestly lower the car and gain some performance without having to spend another $700+ correcting all of the suspension stuff I just messed up by lowering it?

From what I can tell the Ultralites or the Steeda Comp springs seem to be the way to go as far as lowering it. Would Ultralites and some new sway bars do the trick?

Any advice you all have is greatly appreciated, as I'm still very new to the performance things.

 

there was a set of ultra lights in the for sale section for a great price. Grab them up if they are still there

 

That would work ..........Take it from a guy thats tried it a lot of different ways! like you said your not auto crossing. Save your money on sway bars!.......Springs and struts/shocks...The dampers make world of difference even with just a 1'' drop!

 

Steeda ultra lights for a nice mild drop without the suspension going crazy. I had the same thing in mind when I lowered my car. I didn't mind the stance but liked it to sit just a little farther down. www.brenspeed.com is where I got mine. Free shipping great customer service!

 

Steeda ultralites, and since you won't needa lca relocation brackets and bumpsteer kits and ball joint kits to realign the suspension geometry, I would suggest swapping the front and rear swaybars with a beefier setup. Those would be the most affordable pieces to make it carve those corners better.

 

Jon...

Did you do anything else besides the ultra lights? Do you still have the stock shocks? If that's all you needed,,,that sounds like a great upgrade for the money.

I want to lower mine but I don't want to screw up the "geometry" and I don't want to feel every bump in the road.

Are you happy with the results?

 

Thanks for the input so far guys. Brenspeed says the Ultralites lower the car about 1" in the front and 1 1/4" in the back, is that what you have found on yours? I've considered putting a CDC chin spoiler on in the future, if the front is lowered 1" is that going to cause problems with the chin spoiler? Any suggestions on which sway bars to get? Also, are these the shocks I should look into?

 

those are the shocks they are talking about. That is what I am running. I think with only the ultra lights you will like the ride better if you keep the stock shocks and springs. It will ride a lot smother.
I think if your going for a bigger drop then you should be more inclined to shange out the shocks and struts.

 

The Saleen springs I have on now are a 1'' drop in front and I have the CDC chin spoiler and there have been a couple time its kissed the pavement, nothing serous !

 

So I don't necessarily have to have the new shocks and struts with the Ultralites? I thought I read something in one of these threads where people were saying that the Ultralites with the stock shocks caused the car to bounce a lot which made the ride a rougher. Have you found that?

Also, what is the difference between the Tokico shocks I posted and the Tokico D-Spec shocks that Brenspeed offeres for $200 more other than the adjustability? Is there a quality difference? How do you like your set Glenn?

 

I run the ultra lites and stock dampers and I love it. I even have the swaybar delete from UPR for racing and it still carves the corners quite well. I have had no issues with bouncing. Lowered the car just right not too much where you have to worry about all the speed bumps and things. +1 on Brenspeed nothing but good things from those guys. Just ordered some more from them today.

 

I have heard people talk about leveling kits, or just buying rear springs. Is that something worth considering? Are the rear springs or leveling kits only for appearance purposes or would you still get some performance benefits as well?

blkstang06, how did you end up kissing the pavement a couple of times? The roads near me kind of suck sometimes and I worry about the curb coming into my driveway. What kind of ground clearence do you have with the 1" drop and the chin spoiler?

 

I'm wondering the same thing, I'm thinking of combining a mild drop front spring with a more aggessive drop rear to level it out. But I don't want a very aggressive drop pverall if that makes sense.

 

I am running Eibach Pros with a stock suspension with no problems or complaints.

I will say that my Shinadoa spoiler has had its share of abuse, but if you take it easy you should be ok.

 

I started out just cutting my rear springs one inch and stayed with the stock s/s. l liked the ride alot. I wanted a little more drop in the front hence the pro springs. Again I liked the ride with the stock s/s but it didn't seem to handle the bumps all that well.
With the new tokico s/s it does feel like a more solid ride but you feel every undulation and bump in the road.

 

If you buy the rear springs only just for looks your ok. But I must warn you that we had a guy do that and what it did was effectively "unload" his front suspension. The car had no weight transfer. So if you plan to race at all you wont be able to really plant the rear tires.

 

Don't forget the possibility that you might need an adjustable panhard rod/bar (I recommend the BMR unit for price and ease of adjustment) after lowering the rear. When you lower the rear, the body (not the axle ) shifts (I forget which way though, to the right or to the left). The adjustable panhard rod/bar will realign the body over the axle. Some people are lucky and don't need to re-adjust. When I put on the Eibach Pro springs on my car, the body moved 3/4". Also, if you keep the stock tires you might not notice if the rear shifts. Go with something wider and you'll notice it big time. Ever see a lowered S197 running 275's on the back and one of the rear tires is sticking out past the body while the other side sits inside? There you go...

 

What causes some cars to need the panhard bar and others not to? I am running stock 18" wheels and tires, what sort of thing do I need to look for to make sure I don't need a panhard bar? Should I buy a panhard bar along with the springs just in case and then return it if I don't need it?

 

Once you have the springs installed look at the distance of the wheels from the wheel wells on each side on the back end. (make a plumb bob with a peice of sting and whatever for a weight then tape it to the top center of the wheel well and measure the distance from that to teh wheel. repeat on other side) If it's way over to one side then you will want an adjustable panhard bar. If not then you won't.

 

Sounds simple enough. Thanks.