I have a 07 GT with the stock rear shocks (10k original miles). Is it just me or does the rebound feel over-damped, preventing the rear tires from following the road? Going over a bump, the front absorbs the bump very well (front tires follow the road etc) but the rear shock compresses and it feels like the axle then just drops back onto the ground rather than follow it.

What rear shocks are available that would address this condition? When I went from stock shocks to Edelbrock IAS on my Crown Vic, the rebound was set softer so the rear never hops over stuff, it follows/tracks the uneven surfaces better.

I feel this would help improve cornering on the GT especially with the craptastic roads we have, or on tracks with bumpy surfaces in the corners.

 

I'd check the rear shocks for any leaks. Had my right rear fail(leaking)with about 16,000 miles on my 05 GT.
My opinion best all round shocks/struts are Koni STR-T's Llife time warrenty for one. I put a set on along with Gt500 front strut mounts and made a world of difference in the atittude of how the car hamdles. A little more firmer ride. But the car doesn't bounce and hop around like with the old stock shocks/struts. The price is pretty reasonable check out on line Sam Strano Parts, real good guy, knows the Mustang S-97 suspenion cold.
I stayed with the stock front springs but put Roush 1" lower springs on the rear along with CHE lca's and panhard bar. I love this combo.

 

The factory Ford shocks (Tokico or whomever makes them) have always failed prematurely with my cars. I might go with the Koni's but I prefer some adjustability or at least a set of rear shocks that have softer rebound valving. The QA1 double adjustable shocks are too expensive though.

 

Koni sport are individually purchase-able, so you could get just the rears, see how it goes. Adjustment is from the trunk, just like the Tokico D-Specs or Illuminas they put on the Boss.

 

How does the Koni SRT-T compare with the Sport in terms of bump dampening? How are the Sport's adjusted on the S197s? A **** or something on the top shaft? Is there any risk to water intrusion into the shock?

Any other shock recommendations? I can't seem to find the Tokico D-Spec for just the rear. Roush has a pair of rear shocks, and I recall Roush Mustangs having really good handling. but I'd like to hear more.

 

The sports come with a **** that fits on a shaft on the top of the shock when you want to adjust it. I put my back seats down and adjust the rear's from there , you just pull the molded carpet away from the side and the top of the shock is right there ...

 

What do you think of the Koni Sports? How much do the adjustments impact felt rebound dampening? I have stock springs and stock struts as well.

 

Koni Sports are top of the line for our cars, without going to a coil-over system like KW, Eibach, or AST. Definitely a step up from Tokico, better quality, better warranty support, more repeatable adjustments, and wider range of adjustment. From what Strano says, the STR.T's firmness is essentially at the bottom or softest range of the Sports -- so you can go much firmer if needed. No worry of water leakage or anything else -- they're identical in shape and install to stock shocks, just have adjustment built in at the top of it -- trunk access is a bit of a reach, but from the fold down seats probably easier.

It is a sport oriented shock, so will be firmer than factory, but the performance is such that most people say the ride improves considerably, even if it is a bit firmer.

 

So the STR-T has the softest rebound setting of the Sport? Interesting, I might just go with those because I seem to generally prefer a softer rebound setting.

 

BTW

I checked my stock rear shocks and can see a thin film of fluid on the driver's rear shock body. It looks wet but a lot of dirt/grit has stuck to it. It seems to come from behind the boot/shield. Is this a sign the shock is bad?

 

Oh yeah, it's blown, not surprising if OEM -- they're pretty cheap.

 

I checked out the rear shocks on other Mustangs I saw at work, and one 2011 5.0 has a ton more oil and grime on the rear shock.

 

OEM -- built to a price point, not a performance or longevity point.

 

It's "good" to see the "new" Ford keeping to its old ways.

 

My experience with Ford warranty on shocks are if it has oil running down the tube or soaked in oil they replace, if just very light oil film, it's considered normal.