Cavero

Need help throwing together a custom assortment of parts: I'm seriously considering lowering my car as well as some other suspension mods. I've tried to do the research, but there's so much info out there it makes my head spin. I've put together a list of stuff I think I want, and I'd like people to chime in on what they think of my choices and if they have better suggestions. So here it is:

Steeda Sport Springs ......$239.95 ...<<OR>> .....BMR Progressive Springs... $229.95
Tokico D-Specs ..............$549.95 ......................Tokico D-Specs.................$549.95
Steeda Adj Fr Swaybar... $189.95 ......................Steeda Adj Fr Swaybar...... $189.95
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit .....$159.95... <<OR>> .....BMR Bumpsteer kit ...........$149.95
____________________________ ................... _______________________________
Total ............................$1139.80 ......................Total ...............................$1119.80

Some optional equipment I could opt for:

Steeda Stop the Hop Pak ... $299.95 ..<<OR>> .. BMR Tubular LCA's .........$134.95
.................................................. ....................... BMR Tubular UCA's ........ $135.95
BMR LCA relocation Brkts... $134.95 .................. BMR LCA relo Brkts .........$134.95
______________________________ ................... _____________________________
Total ................................. $434.90 .................. Total .............................. $405.85

I should point out that I already have the Steeda rear swaybar, adj panhard rod, and panhard rod support. I want to keep the swaybars a matching set, so thats why i'm opting for the Steeda front swaybar.

Does anyone know if there's a differece between the Steeda and BMR bumpsteer kits?
Anyone know the difference between the Steeda springs and the BMR? The BMR springs catch my attention because the rears are hour-glass shaped like the stockers (allowing for "variable natural frequency"), but are they as stiff as the Steeda's? The BMR front springs are "progressively wound" so part is soft for ride and then the rest is stiff for handling, but the soft part makes me worry. Will they handle as well as Steeda?

Next set of questions: anyone know of a difference between Steeda's UCA's and LCA's and BMR's offereings? Will both "Stop the Hop" just as well? Most people say you can get away without an adjustable UCA (or LCAs), but does it make any kind of difference with the 1 or 2 degrees it would probably have to be adjusted? I doubt it with the stock 2-piece driveshaft, but I have the Coast aluminum driveshaft, so I don't want to put more stress on the U-joints.

And finally, here were some other parts I looked at that I didn't think would make that much of a difference. I know they all offer improvement, but I'm only looking at mods I'll actually be able to feel. If anyone would like to counterpoint my conclusions, please chime in:

Steeda Strut Tower Brace ..................$174.95
Steeda Front Swaybar Endlinks .........$209.95
Steeda Front Swaybar Mount Brace ...$ 89.95
Steeda 3-point Torque Box Brace .......$174.95 (ties LCA mounts to inner/outer frame)
Steeda Billet trailing arms ..................$299.95 (?difference over Chrome-Moly?)
Steeda Lightweight Radiator Support ..$179.95

I threw in the radiator support because I was wondering how much the stock one weighs and if there are any benefits in addition to the loss in 20 lbs or so.

So there it is. Please, any advice would be immensely helpful. The money from my tax return is in your hands...

colbymh

cut the springs with a torch and lower it yourself. it will be sweet. .okay maybe not.


I would go with your top left list. whats the drop with that kit?

Torrence

Watts link suspension.... Saleen or Fays2

Cavero

Watts link is pretty tempting....expensive...but me wants...

JonCo

Go with the left side of mods. Instead of the steeda stop pak. I'd do BMR LCA's with those relocation. Those mods will bassically what I'll be running soon.

Cavero

JonCo, what about the UCA? Not necessary?

Anyone have a before-and-after opinion on the LCA relocation brackets?

Anyone know the difference in feel, handling, etc between the Steeda and the BMR springs?

Yeah, after doing the reading up on the Watts link, I'm not sure its worth the money. Seems like the side-to-side action on Watts would only be a marginal improvement over the Steeda Panhard I already have when coupled with a lower, stiffer suspension (less vertical movement translating to the panhard moving through less of an arc) Especially since the Saleen Watts is about as much money as all the other mods I want, combined.

SoundGuyDave

What are your final goals? Lowering for looks? Handling? Occasional track day or more competition-oriented?

I've got most of the BMR catalog under my car, and I couldn't be happier with the products. With my choices, maybe there's a little remorse here and there (didn't go "race" enough on some of them)...

Keeping the bars matched is a good idea, and I think the spring choice would be governed by your goals. If you're primarily a street driver, either spring set would work well, pick your kit based on the desired drop, but keep the set matched. If you're shooting for pure performance, go directly to the Steeda Competition springs. They're linear rate, so they're a little more "predictable" when leaning into a corner. If you're planning on going all-out, though, I would skip the springs and D-Specs, and start shopping coil-overs front and rear.

For the bump-steer kit, I would give the BMR set a nod over the Steeda, only because the rod ends appear to be teflon bushed, and believe me, it DOES make a difference. My Steeda rod ends are not bushed, and I have to lube them on a weekly basis. No biggie for a race car, but on a street car, it gets to be a PITA.

Out back, I would get SOMETHING adjustable. For simplicity's sake, go with an adjustable UCA, and fixed LCAs. I have the BMR adjustable tubular lowers, with rod/poly bushings, and I just installed a set of boxed fixed-length BMRs on a buddy's car, and they appear to be very nice, as well. The Steeda billet pieces also look really killer, but you'll want to wax, clearcoat, or anodize them to keep corrosion at bay, and keep them shiny.

The BMR reloc brackets are very nice pieces, but if you're going for pure performance, I would get the Steeda weld-in pieces for the extra mounting points.

Cavero

My goal is all about handling and being able to lay down power. I've done an autocross event before, and I'm looking at more on occasion. I want the best handling I can get and still make the car comfortable to drive on the street. The stang looks so good stock that I don't really care all that much about aesthetics (that's why I've put about $2200 in performance mods and about $40 into appearance (shift ****)).

I didn't realize they made coil-over systems for the S197 since the front was already coil-over. What kind of prices do they fetch and whats the ride quality like?

With an aftermarket UCA with urethane bushings, do you have to worry about split bushings if you drive it too hard? I know ford opted for soft, flexible rubber to prevent that sort of thing, but their panhard rod was significantly weaker than the Steeda unit I have.

I figured that bolt-in LCA brackets wouldn't be that sturdy. Any ideas how much it would cost to have the relo brkts welded in?

Thanks Dave, this info is a big help

c25sailor

Left side mods.

SoundGuyDave

Now THAT changes everything... If you're looking for more performance, I would take a hard look at the coil-over setups that are available. They make it easy to swap springs to change spring rates, and they make it possible to corner-balance the car, which are both plusses for handling. They are also about twice as expensive as a conventional spring setup and D-Specs. Most of the shocks that they use are adjustable like the D-Specs (Steeda uses actual D-Specs), but they all use conventional "race" springs that are available in a VERY WIDE range of rates, from 100lb rates to well over 600lb, and are considerably cheaper compared to S197-specific springs in terms of buying differing rates to suit different tracks.

My understanding is that Ford used very soft bushings in the rear suspension more for NVH reasons than survivability. Notice that your stock Panhard rod is filled with sand to help damp the tube... Every story that I have heard of people replacing the upper axle bushing with poly or a Heim joint has resulted in "no appreciable difference" in terms of driving feel. I would say that if you have it all apart, then sure, replace it (my choice would be Heim joints), but don't worry overmuch about that particular bushing.

I don't know about that... I've been beating the ever-living snot out of mine for a year (drag strip with the car club, road-courses with NASA), and there are no signs of slippage, bending, etc. Of course, welding is stronger than bolts, so again, if you've got the whole thing apart, by all means get it welded up. I would bet that it wouldn't be more than $100 or so to get it welded properly.

05BlackGT

Check out Ground Control. They have nice, race proven coil-overs w/ CC plates for $1600.
http://www.ground-control-store.com/...p/II=666/CA=96

Glenn

my bolt in lca relo brkts have not moved at all since I put them in. Bolt ins works well also

RKNMACH

Tillman Speed has a great deal on Tokico's - $475 delivered.

Rampant

If you really want to go nuts, I would look into the JDM/Saleen watts link.
$1k, but it sure looks good to me.....

Cavero

read post # 6

--

The coilovers sound really good, would you have to get the car aligned every time you change springs?

SoundGuyDave

Nah... IF you're gonzo enough to get into coilovers, you'll own a set of toe-bars and some camber gauges. The alignment measurement stuff really isn't that expensive, roughly the cost of three good 4-wheel alignments in total. The main thing with the coil-overs is that you can corner-balance the car, meaning you can REALLY get the car set up so that weight-loading is as even as humanly possible, with you in the driver's seat. No preloading of the swaybars, no right-turn or left-turn biasing, just neutral. Once you get that set, mark down your ride-heights for that spring combo, and you're done with it. If you change springs for a particular track, you can actually get the car back together again (in terms of suspension settings) quite quickly, if you get back to the same static ride-height, since all the suspension angles are determined by that position.

Setting your own alignment really isn't that hard. The hardest thing is finding some very level ground in the paddock to make your changes in between sessions. The difference between 1/16" toe-in and 1/16" toe-out is night and day, believe me!

Cavero

Wow, I'd love to do that kind of stuff but cost is a factor, especially after some unexpected payments I've had to make. I'm thinking I might have to make the suspension a one-time deal due to cost, as much as I'd like to do the coilovers. It loos like I'll have to go with the Steeda Sport springs. The other thing is, I'm going to have to hold off on this for a few weeks. I messed up my elbow last week (might be broken, can't tell from x-rays yet) so I can't install it for a while. And there ain't NO WAY i'm paying someone else to install it for me. All I need them to do is an alignment. Thanks again Dave, and everyone else that posted too

Cavero

Arm may not be as bad as I thought, getting ready to pull the trigger on these. Another Q or 2:
I've heard about people replacing the upper strut mounts with these:
http://www.steeda.com/products/heavy...nts_street.php
This usually necessary? do people here on the forum have a problem with the factory pieces failing? Might I s'pose that the camber plates would reinforce the area? (May sound like a stupid question but hey I don't know about that sort of thing).

Glenn

Its not totally necessary to replace the strut mounts and I have not heard of the ford mounts failing. I have heard of the making the popping noise or clanking. If you have the extra 300 bucks laying around it is a nice upgrade. I don't think you will be able to tell the difference between the ford and the after market mounts other than you wont have that clanking/popping noise. I have seen them sell for around 250. I have also heard of some lowered cars with stock mounts not making any popping noise. Mine does.

SoundGuyDave

If you're not going to use stock strut bearings, take a hard look at the Maximum Motorsports piece. To my knowledge, it's the ONLY one on the market that is adjustable for both camber and caster, and is only marginally more expensive than the Steeda piece. FWIW, my stock bearings (replaced with the spring install) have started popping under turns, so when I get the extra dough, I'm pulling the camber bolts and installing the MM piece.