I've done these... up front camber wil most definitely be off. And the rear will also be an issue for pinion angle. Needs adjustable upper arm to correct it, although there are some lower arms that do that as well. You may also have noticed that some folks are just starting to catch on to the weak upper arm body mount...

Most lowered cars end up with worse traction, handling, or worse. These things have to be corrected.

Another point about this car (one responder touched on it indirectly) is that the tires are significantly taller than Mustangs past. There are currently not too many sizes of tires that work... yet the tire height is critical to maintain the overall gearing and handling. Furthermore, larger wheels get significantly heavier - hurt unsprung weight (not great with a solid axle anyway) and braking. When going up into the 19 and 20 inche range it wil lbe crucial to look at forged rims, where you might not have otherwise. Even 18s IMHO. Some of those cheap sand-cast Ford knock-off copies (as popularized on SN95s) would definitely be a detriment here.

 

dallasw77,
Can you tell me where you got that price? [/b][/quote]
FordRacing,
I got it from a dealer out here in southern Calif. The shop is called Pure Motorsports. 951-302-0933. I didn't write down the guy's name but that is what he quoted me.

 

Other issues regarding lowering relate to the lowering of the front roll centre much further than the lowering of the centre of gravity. This is a geometric fact with a MacPherson strut suspension, and it's why Steeda makes the X2 balljoint to correct this. I believe they also make some sort of adjustable tie rod which would address the steering issues mentioned on Pg 1

 

A few of you have just reinforced my opinion that unless you plan to spare no expense to correct all the issues created with lowering the car, you really shouldn't do it unless you want to sacrifice performance.

Its a case of looks vs. performance/ride/handling. Some will be willing to sacrifice it for appearance but I'm not one. I think that this car sits pretty darn low as is and haunches down in the back with any acceleration so driving it looks great.

Plus, I give myself heart failure everytime I approach a slightly larger speed bump even at stock ride height.

Just my $0.02.

 

I am a function over form kind of guy . Lowering the car should be done as a total suspension system , as Steeda has offered in the pasted .
My need is to go a lower profile tire ,were better selection of rubber is offered .
Stock tire height is roughly 27 " , most of the sticky rubber is around 26" .
Now add this into the equation of lowering and shorter tires .
Any ideas on the combination , or wait for Steeda ?

 

Personally I'm going to wait for a complete coilover kit from someone like Tein before I lower the car. That way I can have better control over drop height and ride quality.

 

Dan

I agree with you. I was thinking about lowering my 05 but now I wonder if it will hurt the car or tires in other ways. I am sure in a year though, all of the kinks will have been worked out by some one. Then all bets are off.

 

Steeda has all the parts necessary to lower the car correctly, there is currently a wait on the x-5 ball joints other than that you can get springs, offset control arm relocation kit, and bump steer kit. They Have it all!

 

How tough is it to do the work yourself on a lowering job? I am reasonably mechanical, but not exactly a trained mechanic.

 

I did my GT this weekend, in about 3 hours. If you go get a spring compressor, which you can get through a loan-a-tool service for free, it is pretty simple. The rear end took about 30 minutes, and the first front side we did took about 1 hour, but the second side took about 30 minutes. I did this all in my driveway with a jack and jack stands. I did use the Eibach Pro-Kit, and I love the way it handles and looks. Thanks Eibach! Later.

-Andy

 

Thanks, Andy. That's what I wanted to hear.

I'm not a rookie when it comes to suspensions. Some of the posted coments were wide of the mark.

Some sounded like Steeda Salesmen.

 

If anyone needs any tips or help with it, just post it here and I will see if I can help. One problem, very minor, that I ran into, was a bearing at the top of the front struts, that is parts of the assembly that hold the spring isolater to the strut top mount. I wasn't aware that is was there until it came apart upon removal, and all of the ball bearings went everywhere. Luckily, it was easy to reassemble, but it still made the job take a little longer. Any questions, just let me know. Later.

-Andy

 

Also, yikesaz, are you from Arizona? I just am taking a wild guess from your name. I am in Phoenix. Later!

-Andy

 

A step-by-step guide with photos would be cool, probably too late for the photos part though. That would be a cool addition to this site, a section with step-by-step guides with photos for installing different aftermarket items.

 

Askiles

What about setting the wheel camber, and a front end allignment?

 

I was told by a few professionals here locally, with only a 1.5" drop on a hardtop vehicle, you won't hurt your camber angle very much, and it is not always necessary to do a camber adjustment. As far as an alignment, I would get one done just because it is a good idea after messing with front end components. I didn't notice any difference in steering geometry or alignment or camber after doing it.

-Andy

 

Yes....Mesa, AZ. My Redfire GT Premium 5 speed arrives next week!

Although there may be slotted holes where the spindle bolts to the lower strut, camber doesn't change with wheel travel on a Macphearson Strut. That's why Steeda sells those camber/caster plates for custom adjustment of camber & caster.

Your toe-in will change a little with the new springs, so you should get that checked.

Good Luck
Bob

 

The two bottom holes on the struts are not slotted.

-Andy

 

When you lower the car you have to look at "bump steer" problems, caster and camber is easy to resolve if necessary, in fact you can easily do it yourself with string lines and a smart level. Bump steer is harder though, and most alignment places dont cosider it unless they do race cars, hot rods, etc.

I previosly indicated that steeda has all the stuff to lower the car correctly, I have not got all my parts yet but you can bet I am getting everthing they have to make the front adjustable. I have a 65 that I road race and cant even begin to tell you how important the correct set up is, mearly installing lowering springs does not begin to show the full potential of any vehicle. You dont have to buy the parts from steeda, the bump steer correctors are available from affco, you just have to know what to order. You dont need to replace the stock spings, you can cut them, I belive they are progressize rate though so the more you cut the stiffer the ride. You can adjust caster and camber with normal alignment shims, (the billit stuff just looks nice). You could relocate the lower control arms your self, but someone already has a kit so why bother.

I may be rambaling here but it realy is mostly do it yourself stuff, the point being YOU have to engineer it, some one already has done that it sells all the stuff. Do you think there might be a reason they have some more parts then just lowering springs????