I am trying to put together a suspension that's streetable, but also competent on the track. I do 2-3 open track events a year. I've got a pretty good idea on what direction I want to take, but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. I already have CHE upper and lower control arms. There might be some products out there that I might not have seen or know about. Below is what I am leaning towards:

-FRPP Springs
-Tokico D-Specs
-FRPP Sway Bar kit
-Steeda X5 Ball Joints
-K Member Brace (? Brand...they are all the same IMO)
-Lower Trailing Arm relocation brackets (lowers the instant center)

Will also install brakes and tires soon. Tires will be 275/40/18 Kuhmo MX's. This setup should be good for close to 1G on the skidpad, but lap times are what I am concerned about.

Anything else I am missing? Opinions? Suggestions?

Jason

 

Looks good--similar to my setup, but I'm running the Eibach Prokit springs (Eibach makes the FRPP springs, so they may be the same). I can't say enough good about the Tokico D-specs. One of the best mods I've done. Search around on Ebay for some good deals.

I'm running the CHE LCA relocation brackets and they help plant the rear end more during acceleration--easy install, too. Maximum Motorsports should be releasing their LCA's shortly--once they do I will swap my BMR's for their version. Otherwise, I may go with the CHE LCA's with the rod/poly combo.

I'm also considering the new Steeda camber plates, which allow another degree of negative camber. It would be nice to dial in, say -1.5 using some camber bolts, then come track/autocross days, add another degree of negative camber with a simple adjustment.

For tires, the Kumho MX's get great words. Once I toast my stock tires, I have my upgrade narrowed down to either the Kumho MX's or the Falken Azeni 615's, on 18x10" wheels.

What brake upgrades are you thinking of? I'm planning on sticking with the stock calipers/rotors for now, but will add stainless lines and new pads. I already added ducts up front. For the pads, I'm leaning towards the Carbotech XP8's at all corners for track days, and Carbotech Bobcats for daily driving and autocross.

 

Jason

Add adjustable panhard bar to correct rear axle position after lowering. Panhard bar foundation bracing may be of some value.

The steeda spring and swaybar setup might be a little hardier than the FRPP.

UCA relocation bracket (same purpose as the lowers ... correct instant center).

Save the k brace for last IMO, stiffens things up but not sure you will get a lot of cluck for your buck.

Are either rear control arms adjustable?

Oil cooler.

Steeda adjustable camber plate kit (forgot)

Check out the Steeda race car parts ... after all, they have been winning.

Paul

 

I copied this from another wedsite a long time ago. I don't know who wrote it but there is alot of interesting information.

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The FRPP pack is OK I suppose. It's not the best, and it's not what I would call cheap, but it's alright if you don't want to do your homework.

Here are my more detailed thoughts on the more commonly discussed suspension upgrades:

Sway Bars:

The front is quite good stock. There are many, many, things that I would replace before the front sway bar. In fact, I'd put the front sway bar at the very bottom of the "suspension mod list". The rear, however, is an excellent thing to upgrade. A stiffer rear bar will help keep both tires planted when you hit the gas on the strip or coming out of a corner. It will also balance out the steering bias (under steer) the car has from the factory. I like the Steeda and the BMR ones the best, but there are many choices here: Steeda, BMR, Ford, Roush, Eibach, etc. I left my front stock and got a Steeda rear--I normally don't like Steeda's billet aluminum parts, but their rear sway bar with the billet mounting bars is a great product. The billet bars are much stronger than the flimsy OEM ones. Another option would be to find a Shelby rear sway bar, as Ford increased the size of the rear bar on the GT500.

Strut tower bars:

The theory of this product is that it ties together the front strut towers, reducing body flex. The S197 chassis is very stiff--especially at the front strut towers. Consequently this isn't really needed. In my opinion, this is a mainly cosmetic mod. There are tons of choices out there as this is a popular "me too" product that was popularized with ricers--because of this there's flood of them on the market. The BMR is the strongest. If you seriously want one that's functional, that's what I'd get. The Steeda one with the billet ends is a joke and has an insane price tag. No thanks! Note that some strut tower bars can interfere with superchargers or plenum covers, so be careful of that if you are planning on getting both. That can make installing a strut tower bar on an '07 tricky.

Shocks:

If you want good shocks there are many options: FRPP, Bilstein, and Saleens are a good match with lowering springs. But, the hot ticket is the Toicko D-specs. These are fully adjustable, so you can set up your car for street, road race, drag, or whatever you feel like. You can adjust them very quickly (less than 5 min for all 4 shocks), which gives you a lot of options. If you have to take a long trip with the family you can soften 'em up and make the car ride like a Cadillac. Stiffen up all four when you drive in the twisties. You can leave the rear stiff and soften the front for better transfer on launch when you hit the drag strip....these are just some examples, but suffice it to say the D-specs are very very nice. Check with Brenspeed for the best price that I know of. Last time I checked they were $540 for all four, with free shipping!

Springs:

Many choices here. Springs are mainly a cosmetic thing, but a mild drop will lower the center of gravity of the car and that can help cornering. All of the major brands are good (Eibach, Ford, Steeda, Roush, BMR). I'd make a choice depending on how much lowering you want. The most popular for mild drops are the Roush and the Steeda "ultralite" springs. The Eibach Pro-Kit is really popular too. Roush will sell you sets of just fronts or just rears. Some guys, myself included, lowered just the rear of the car. I think that's nice if you want a very mild drop and you want to be careful about ground clearance. Beware the Eibach "sportline" kit. This is a VERY low drop that is impractical on a street-driven car, and is sure to cause headaches with alignment.

Lower Control arms (LCA):

This is a key weak point from the factory. I consider this a MANDATORY mod for all S197 Mustang Gets. If you're tired of wheel hop, wasted HP and loss of traction then this is the first mod you need to do. I like the tubular welded steel ones, such as those from Spohn, BMR, CHE, etc. There are different types available (adjustable vs. non-adjustable). Get the adjustable ones if you have lowered your car (or if you have a 1-pc drive shaft) so that you can correct your pinion angle. Steeda makes some billet aluminum ones which look nice but are $$$ expensive and are known to break on high HP cars. I'd avoid those and get the tubular steel type. I don't like the CHE ones because they don't have grease fittings in them. That's bad for maintenance. My favorites are the BMR "combo street" type with a poly bushing on one end and a spherical bearing on the other. Spohn has a set that is virtually identical, either would be a fantastic choice.

Upper Control arms (UCA):

Another factory weak spot. The upper control arm is located above the rear differential housing. The stock one is stamped steel and is quite flimsy for the amount of load it has to bear. You can get aftermarket UCAs in either the solid type or the adjustable type, just like LCAs. You only need adjustability on one set (either upper OR lower). Personally I suggest a SOLID UCA and then adjustable LCAs. (this is stronger and easier to adjust). I think the BMR solid UCA is the best on the market, no contest. While many companies have decent LCAs, BMR is the undisputed king of the UCA. It's boxed design and thick steel construction is completely bulletproof. I suggest the one with the spherical bearing. Also, buy a polyurethane bushing that fits in the diff housing to go with it. The bushing is dirt cheap, and it's a pain to install. But it's worth it. This combined with good LCAs will have your rear end hooking up like nobody's business. If you are running serious HP and low drag times, get the matching UCA mount to go with this. The poly bushing for the rear end housing is available from Spohn or BMR.



UCA Mount:

This is a metal bracket that bolts to the unibody. It's job is to hold the forward end of the UCA. Basically, this part spreads the load from the UCA onto the thinner sheet metal of the unibody. Like the UCA, the stock one stamped from some pretty flimsy steel. If you are going to be under your car messing with the UCA, you might as well replace this as well. I suggest the BMR or the CHE. Both are very good quality. This part is more of an "insurance" part. You upgrade this to strengthen the frame/body of the car and to reduce unwanted flex. It's not worthwhile on a grocery getter, but if you drag race or if you have a power adder (nitrous, blower, or turbo) then I'd consider this some cheap insurance.

Panhard Bar & Brace:

Another factory weak spot. The Panhard bar itself is available from many dealers. I have a Spohn, you can also get them from BMR, Steeda, CHE, and Edelbrock. The panhard bar brace is available from BMR, Steeda, and CHE. These will help firm up the rear end for either drag or road racing--they are much stronger than the flimsy factory parts. The adjustable panhard bar lets you re-center your rear end if you alter your ride height. These are high on my list of basic suspension mods. I like the Spohn panhard bar because they make one with a "combo" design--poly on one end, and heim on the other end, but all the brands I mentioned are good. While most of the panhards are comparable, BMR makes the best brace. Theirs is a lot sturdier than the Steeda, and it has a little hump in it which leaves more room for your exhaust. The BMR has a unique position of having the most clearance AND being extremely stiff.

LCA relocation brackets (also called anti-squat brackets):

...used to adjust your lower control arm angle, and therefore the instant center of your car. These are useful for getting more traction off the line, especially if you have lowered your car or switched to larger diameter rear tires. BMR and CHE both make these, but the BMRs are nicer because they have three possible mounting positions, whereas the CHEs only have two. Have them welded in for maximum strength. These are a fantastic mod if you drag race. On a grocery getter, they're not worthwhile unless you've lowered the car.

Subframe Brace (AKA subframe connector):

These are metal pieces that are welded to the underside of the car. They join together the front and rear subframes of the body, tying them into the floor of the car. This makes the chassis stiffer as a whole. There are three that I know of. The best is the BMR heavy duty, followed by the Steeda "triangulated" followed by the BMR "normal version". These are only truly needed on very high-HP cars, but they do stiffen the chassis as a whole, and I think they make a good foundation for a future buildup or if you simply want to maximize the handling of your car. These are a good choice if you're serious about frame stiffness or if you are pushing big HP.

K-member Brace (AKA "G-trac Brace" by Steeda, AKA "A-arm brace" by others)

Different companies call this different things, but they all do the same job: This is a small bar that joins together the ends of the K-member (the rearmost pivot of the front A-arms). It's job is to prevent flexing of the K-member. This is an inexpensive part and it does noticeably firm up the handling of the car. I like it simply because of it's low price, ease of installation, and benefits. All the big guys make this: BMR, Steeda, CHE, etc. This is one of the FEW parts that I think BMR has the inferior version of. Steeda's "T-style" ends are stiffer than BMR's bent brackets. I bought the Steeda. CHE makes one with built-in torque limiters. These are little rods that go up to the transmission and help to prevent it from twisting. If you have a problem with difficult shifts under power, then the CHE one is an ideal choice.

K-member

This is a large metal piece that bolts under the front end of the unibody. It holds the motor mounts as well as mounting points for much of the front suspension. Aftermarket ones are available from various companies, but BMR is the most common. The purpose of changing this out is weight savings. The aftermarket models typically incorporate poly motor mounts and are made of welded tubing. This part has little effect on handling but it does save weight off the front end which is good for weight transfer during drag racing.

Front A-Arms

This is a relatively new product. I know of only one brand, which is BMR. These A-arms are lighter than stock. Again, this is good for weight distribution optimization for drag racing. Furthermore, they have stiffer polyurethane bushings than the OEM rubber bushings and "hydra mounts". This is good for better handling in the turns. I have not personally run these yet, but they appear to be an excellent mod (on paper anyway). Anytime you can remove rubber and add polyurethane instead will tighten up handling and improve road feel. These are a good all-around handling upgrade and weight savings mod. BMR also makes a "race" type that has heim joints instead of poly bushings. This will transmit a lot of road noise so it is not appropriate for a street car. However, these A-arms allow you to make several suspension adjustments that normally cannot be made, thanks to the adjustability of the joints. This would be an excellent mod for serious road-course competitors.

In a nutshell:

The first suspension mods you should consider are LCAs, Rear sway bar, Panhard Bar, and the Panhard Bar brace. These are great mods for any style of driving (street, drag, or road race/autocross).

If you get more aggressive with your handling desires and HP levels, then start with the UCA & mount, LCA relocation brackets, etc...

 

That is a real nice write up posted by Graypny, but IMO I would be cautious about just changing the rear bar. This car is very well balanced out of the wraper and does not suffer from excessive push (understeer). A bigger bar only for drag racing is a desirable modification, but not for track setup. You always want some push (stable) and never oversteer (unstable) characteristics. A little more front camber will correct some of the understeer out.

 

Watts Link for the rear... good, but = $$$ Hey, the PJ Saleen has one.

 

My brake plan is Baer 14" Eradispeed rotors up front(plain), SS lines, and I was thinking about Carbotechs for pads all around.

 

I forgot the adjustable panhard bar. I might as well get the panhard brace while I am at it. My CHE UCA is adjustable, but the lowers aren't.

 

Alright guys, I am going to buy my suspension this week. Below is what I am planning on purchasing. Let me know if I am missing anything.

- FRPP Springs
- Tokico D-Specs
- FRPP Sway Bar Kit
- Steeda Adjustable Panhard Bar and Brace
- Steeda Control Arm relocation kit
- Steeda LCA bracket
- Camber Bolts

Do I need to buy new strut mounts when I install the front suspension??