Hey everyone,

I traded my 05 Manual for an 06 Auto. I'm wondering if there are different spring rates in the 06 or maybe Autos have a different rate. The ride quality in th 06 is soooooooo much better (at least for me). In the 05 Manual I would feel every itty bitty crack in the road and the overall ride was very very harsh. On really bad roads it was awful. But on smooth roads it was ok.

But this 06 is just perfect. It is still a little stiff, but softer. Kinda hard to explain. But it sure feels really good going down the road. Bad roads are not a big deal anymore.

So are the spring rates different from 05 to 06? Or are they different for Manual cars -vs- Automatics?

Does the new car and the previous car have the same wheel/tire combination? Is the air pressure in the new car set the same as what you previously ran? It may be obvious, but this would contribute to the difference. Also, did the 05 always have a bumpy ride, or did it get worse over time? It has been my experience that new tires always ride better than older ones. Older tires must get harder with repeated heat cycles and gradually loose their ride quality.

I wouldn't expect any differences between the cars, but I do remember my previous 05 reminding me of riding on horse back, no pun intended. I felt every expansion joint on the highway. I've never had a car before it that had as bouncy of a ride.

yeah... I'm gonna go with tire pressure on that one.

and if they're not the same tire, I'm going to suggest that the newer tires have a softer sidewall.

tires make a HUGE difference in the ride... as does 5 psi

The 05 had the 17" silver polished wheels and the pirelli tires. Tire pressure was always at 32 psi.

The 06 has the 17" Bullit rims and the same tires as the 05. I checked the tire pressure. It is exactly at 32 just like the 05 was.

I haven't ridden in an '06 yet, but I have no complaints at all about the ride in my '05.

Yeah, but if he ever took his '05 anywhere to have the tires rotated and balanced.... they very well could have changed the tire pressure. 36psi is common for places to change it to, or they could have gont to 44psi. it just depends on how much he was paying attention to that sort of thing. Not to mention that the higher tire pressure will make the tire wear a lot faster from the center out. .. who knows???

The Auto vs. Manual cars do have different springs, it is even specific to certain options (weight).

Now wheter they changed springs rates for 2006, I have no idea. There where talks about "fixing" the rear suspension for harness.

My sons is a manual and mine is an auto and I can't see any difference in ride quality when mine was stock however now with the Steeda springs mine will take the corners faster. This may be due to lower center of gravity.

I didn't know this. How many different spring rates are they? And which models came with which?

Hmmm... unless I'm reading this spec sheet wrong (see page 11), they are the same regardless of tranny. There is a difference between the Coupe and Verts, tho.

Mustang Spec Sheet

Well,

If I had to guess, I would say the difference in ride would be cause by:

1) Better Alingment, toe in/out, camber, etc.....

2) Better balanced tires...

3) You are not working as hard in the auto ( not having to shift ) so you are more relaxed and it just feels smoother...

Cough Cough TIRES! Cough

He indicated that the tires were the same on the two cars...

I think it is probably more preception than true ride quality...

I meant pressure. :D