Having dealt mostly with foreign independantly suspended cars in the past (mostly M3 and Audi A4 suspension modifications) I have to say I'm a bit mystified by the Mustangs suspension. On those cars you just bought a good set of coilovers from H&R or K&W or a few other manufacturers, then bought some sway bars and strut bars and you were, for all intents and purposes, done. Now for the Mustang you've got adjustable lower trailing arms, chassis link kits, and bumpsteer kits. Not to mention panhard rods, and all other kinds of stuff that is basically French to me. At first I thought this was mostly stuff designed for dragstrip use but the Saleen S281 went over 2 MPH faster in Road and Tracks slalom test than the stock GT, so they must be doing something. My question is: What is the best way to improve my Mustangs handling, the dragstrip not being a concern? I was thinking of going with a set of sway bars and a strut tower bar then a set of coilovers, but I can't even really find any coilovers for sale. Any help here would be VERY much appreciated!

 

I am not the smartest on this subject. But I can tell you by lowering my car, I have felt a big increase in handleing. The springs really reduced body lean when taking corners at good speeds.

 

I'd just like to reduce some of the "dive" I get on braking. It's not horrible but it is appearant and bugs me. I'm not sure about lowering the car without getting an adjustable panhard, which then just snow ***** into a full suspension upgrade. I am very pleased with the handling of the car, much better than I had anticipated and actually handles better the faster you go.

I'm still nervous about cornering hard because of almost an entire life time of driving front wheel drive, I'm not sure how much I can push it before the rear starts to step out. Front drives are easy, they just stop turning when your taking a corner too fast.

 

This is the first rear wheel drive car for me also. As for getting used to the back end braking loose, it just takes some practice. I'll tell you, there is nothing more fun than having the rear break free. I love it

nick

 

Mine is really squirrely under 100% brake pressure, it has that dive as well as it wanders side to side quite a bit, not very confidence inspiring.

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I am very pleased with the handling of the car, much better than I had anticipated and actually handles better the faster you go.

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Well, I am less pleased myself, this is no insult to the new 'Stang, I love it, but there is much room for improvment. High speed handling is very mushy, part of the problem is the high profile of the tires which tend to roll. As it is, in stock configuration I probably wouldn't take it to a track day because of the overall mushiness at high speed and at 10/10ths.

 

Also, does anyone have any opinion of the Ground Control and H&R coilovers?

 

I think Nick would agree. Just throw in a set of springs such as the Eibach pro-kit and some good rubber. That alone will make a world of difference. I can't believe what a difference it's made for mine. As far as the fear of the tail coming out on you.... just leave the Traction Control Turned on. It's there for a reason and will save you every time. Unless you just want to wag your tail every now and then. But I will have to warn you. When I was running my stockers I put it into the curb with the TC off. One of the main reasons I got my suspension and wheels so soon.

 

It's funny you say that. With all the press about the "improved handling", I've been surprised by the twitchiness at high speed. IMHO, it does NOT inspire confidence. I've never had a car wander about so much at 70-80mph. Even the brakes aren't what I expected. I was invited to accompany some buds for a day at the track at Summit Point, but I've declined until I do some work on the car. My first mods will be from the ground up--suspension, tires and brakes. I'll worry about air intake and exhaust later. The acceleration and sound on car is more than enough for now.

John

 

I've got no problems with wandering, then again I ditched the tires A.S.A.P for 255/50's. With the stock suspension and the better tires it handles well for me.

 

What 66 said!!

I was the "official TMS tire switcheroo guinie pig" too. The sidwall on the stockers is too large and the tread width is too small and the tread compound is too hard. :notnice:

My first mod was tires at 1400 miles.

 

I noticed a ton of brake dive and wandering when braking hard at high speeds. The reason is obviously weight transfer and to combat this the car needs lower, stiffer springs. A good set of Performance tire is a must as well. If you want a good handling car, don't buy all seasons.

 

I've done the first three of these, mainly for autocross and track days. Certain must-haves aren't out yet.

Go for new rubber, the wider and softer the better. Good tires -- and they're not necessarily more expensive -- have twice the impact of any other mod you can make. Buy a cheap air compressor and a good tire gauge, then play with pressures. The differences will amaze you!

(If you're going to *really* race rather than just attend lapping days, etc., you'll need R compounds, which are so sticky they sound like Velcro when they roll by. Not cheap.)

Camber plates will allow more camber and more rubber on the road when turning.

Springs, shocks. Something mild like Eibach. A live axle, a bumpy course and 1100# springs doesn't sound like a good idea. I'd skip coilovers and wait for Koni adjustable shocks -- you can alter front/rear bias in seconds.

Ideally:
Lightweight wheels, the lighter the better.
Urethane control arm bushings.
Fatter bar w/ competition end links (adjustable) so you can disconnect or adjust as conditions warrant.

 

Dtoups I wouldn't recommend R compounds to anyone but experienced drivers. Street tires are easier to drive on because they are predictable. I have some Hoosiers that I am going to try out after my first track day in my stang. I want to get a feel of what the car can do on street tires.

 

I absolutely agree that the best place to start is to lower the car. Once you have stiffer, shorter springs, a shock/strut package matched to the springs should be next. I'm waiting for Eibach to come out with their shocks to match their Pro-Kit Springs. Konis are good, pricey and will ruin your ride quality.

Be carefull about adding stiffer bars to stiffer springs...the springs alone will reduce boy roll, and more rebound in the shocks will improve handeling without hurting the ride.

Sorry, but some of the stuff that Steeda is pushing makes no sense. Ford did a great job with the '05 front suspension. Camber, caster & bump-steer DOES NOT CHANGE on a car lowered 1.5" to 2". Camber plates are OK if you are serious about knocking down traffic cones, but negative camber on the street eats tires (been there, done that). Poly bushings help keep parts in their proper place, but hurt ride quality ( I suspect that Ford spent a few bucks to get them right the first time).

I can feel the heat rising already!

 

The main things you get from coilovers is height adjustability, and probably adjustable shocks. On the rear, they would need special mounts, as the stock shock mounts couldn't handle the load. Also, you would need access to scales to properly set up weight distribution.

On the front, the struts on your car are technically "coilovers"...they're just not adjustable. If someone comes out with height-adjustable front struts for the '05s', they will likely be expensive.

 

You also get the abilitiy to corner weight the car. GC already has coilovers available at a reasonable price.

 

Funny - the more I read here and in the thread concerning 'vibration' in the steering wheel at cerntain speeds, leads to to believe that these Pirellis are okay if you are doing driving to the gorcery store. But if you really want to push the 05, you get some good new rubber on there, and the difference is apparent...

Can't wait for the 18 inch Bullitts so I can get these Pirellis off my ride....

 

You also get the abilitiy to corner weight the car. GC already has coilovers available at a reasonable price.
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That's kinda what I was saying about the scales. Do they have '05 front struts? What about the rear shock mounts?

 

Yes they have a complete coilover system using Koni adjustable shocks.

www.ground-control.com

 

direct link: http://www.ground-control-store.com/produc...php/II=666/CA=2