GT Performance Mods 2005+ Mustang GT Performance and Technical Information

You need camber adjusters if you lower your car

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Old 7/7/05 | 09:54 PM
  #101  
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I still don't understand the need for an adjustable panhard bar. Even if you lowered it two inches, the MOST the panhard bar could shift the axle is less than 1/10 of an inch. You are NOT going to notice that...

I have very carefully looked at the rear of my car since I installed my Eibach Pro springs. The rear tires are still pretty well centered. Even using my hand as a ROUGH measurement from tire to inner fender, it is very well centered.

Oh. And I just double checked my calculations on the worse case shift with a 2" drop: 0.04" shift. Max.
Old 7/8/05 | 08:03 AM
  #102  
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FYI - The camber kits from FORD are slowly coming in, I had FORD install mine and the alignment is now back to FORD spec's. The kit worked perfectly. (FORD part # 4R3Z 3B236 AB) Now that thats done I can concentrate on the next mod.
Old 7/8/05 | 08:04 AM
  #103  
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Originally posted by Bill Z@July 8, 2005, 6:06 AM
FYI - The camber kits from FORD are slowly coming in, I had FORD install mine and the alignment is now back to FORD spec's. The kit worked perfectly. (FORD part # 4R3Z 3B236 AB) Now that thats done I can concentrate on the next mod.
I have a couple in stock but when I tried to order more they went back on Back order!

kc
Old 7/8/05 | 10:17 AM
  #104  
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Originally posted by 05stangkc@July 8, 2005, 8:07 AM
I have a couple in stock but when I tried to order more they went back on Back order!

kc
Kevin,
You got my E-mail right?
Old 7/8/05 | 11:25 AM
  #105  
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Nice to see I wasn't the only one that needed to do this after soooo many people said I was full of bologna.
Old 7/9/05 | 02:53 PM
  #106  
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John,
I dont really see how anybody could lower their car and not need these adjusters. Mine are really close to still being "in spec" but I would not want to leave it there.
Old 7/9/05 | 03:55 PM
  #107  
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Ya, that is what I found. Several places are telling people that they don't need them, but if you get it aligned you will see that you do need them. I had a shop say "Ya, you are fine" after they checked the alignment. I went to another place and sure enough it was out of whack. I went to FORD and they confirmed that I needed to get an alignment done.
Old 7/12/05 | 07:24 PM
  #108  
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So let me get something straight. All of the allignment problems have been with the Eibach Pro-Kit, but there have been no such problems with the Steeda kit because it doesn't lower the car as much?
Old 7/13/05 | 09:12 AM
  #109  
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Good question Scott.
Adrenalin, what cast/camber set did you use? That is if you used one.
I bought the Steeda set and it still wasn't enough to get it right. Sooo I called them up and they sent me two bolts w/ weird plates on them, I hope it works.
Old 7/13/05 | 09:18 AM
  #110  
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I can't remember exactly. I recall something about -1 camber. Honestly I don't know. All I know is the eibach lowered it enought that it could not be properly aligned without the holes being sloted and using camber bolts.
Old 7/14/05 | 08:15 PM
  #111  
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Alright, I have made numerous phone calls in the last 3 days and I found out this.

1) Eibach doesn't really care about the problem and they say that if installed correctly all their springs should fit the 2005 Mustang with a normal alignment. (The Truth? Eibach springs fit about 15-20% of Mustangs that come staright off the line)

2) As noted in number 1, not all of the mustangs have the same rear end when coming out of the factory, therefore some of them fit with no problem, and some are way off.

3) Steeda springs have a 95% rate of fitting without a problem in the front or rear with alignment.

4) Steeda spings did not only take into consideration how much the car is lowerd and handling (like Eibach) they actually did R&D. The Steeda sprins are much stiffer and would be anyones best bet.

5 Stick with Steeda, their customer service is amazing as well.

This is the email which helped me most. If you have questions, call Steeda and ask for Gus.

The Eibach Pro-Kit is stated by Eibach to drop your car about 1.3 to 1.4 inches. The actual drops we have seen are actually closer to 1 3/4. With this much drop on some vehicles the negative camber becomes excessive and needs to be corrected to avoid tire wear issues. This is not required by every vehicle though. Cars are not built to exacting tolerances and there is always variance from car to car. This also reduces suspension travel which can accelerate wear on the shocks and struts. There is also a dramatic change in the front roll center geometry. This produces more body roll which must be compensated with more spring rate to overcome and preserve handling. They do up the spring rate, but not as much as ours. The other issue you run into is the shifting of the rear end. What you have heard about this is true. The rear end is actually offset slightly from the factory. The geometry of the panhard rod set up in the back results in the rear end shifting further from its already offset position when you lower the vehicle. This is why we manufacture our adjustable panhard rod. It allows length adjustment of the panhard rod allowing you to re-center the rear end.



Our springs only drop the vehicle about 7/8 to 1 inch in the front and just over 1 inch in the rear. This does several things. First it almost eliminates any alignment issues. There is still variance from car to car, but 95% of the cars we have done do not need camber adjusters. We are not cutting suspension travel as much as others so there is little difference in shock and strut wear. We are not dramatically changing the front roll center geometry. This combined with our higher spring rate than theirs results in a car with less body roll for better handling. We also do not cause a dramatic shift in the rear end which eliminates the requirement for an adjustable panhard rod. Using one would be of benefit, but its not a requirement at all.



We gave a lot of thought into what we wanted out of our springs. Many people associate a car that’s slammed with good handling but there is more to it than that. A car that’s really low may look good. But our parts are not for just looks. Hope this information helped.
Old 7/14/05 | 08:19 PM
  #112  
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FACTORY FORD ALIGNMENT KITS IN STOCK!


kc
Old 7/15/05 | 11:43 AM
  #113  
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Wow thanks so much Scott, this has definately made up my mind Steeda
Old 7/18/05 | 04:04 PM
  #114  
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So are Ford dealers installing Aftermarket springs for people? I asked my local dealer if they will lower cars because they have new 05's on the lot that are lowered, and they said No.
Old 7/26/05 | 11:59 PM
  #115  
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I find two statements in the following email contradictory.
Steeda states that Eibach springs have less suspension travel than theirs. Then they state that they up the spring rate on their own springs to compensate for body roll, more than Eibach does. Doesn't an increased spring rate serve to reduce suspension travel or am I misunderstanding???
So if Steeda springs are stiffer, they should have less actual suspension travel. Or are they referring to available suspension travel? And does reduced suspension travel accelerate wear on shocks and struts?

Originally posted by scotts05custom@July 14, 2005, 7:18 PM
Alright, I have made numerous phone calls in the last 3 days and I found out this.

1) Eibach doesn't really care about the problem and they say that if installed correctly all their springs should fit the 2005 Mustang with a normal alignment. (The Truth? Eibach springs fit about 15-20% of Mustangs that come staright off the line)

2) As noted in number 1, not all of the mustangs have the same rear end when coming out of the factory, therefore some of them fit with no problem, and some are way off.

3) Steeda springs have a 95% rate of fitting without a problem in the front or rear with alignment.

4) Steeda spings did not only take into consideration how much the car is lowerd and handling (like Eibach) they actually did R&D. The Steeda sprins are much stiffer and would be anyones best bet.

5 Stick with Steeda, their customer service is amazing as well.

This is the email which helped me most. If you have questions, call Steeda and ask for Gus.

The Eibach Pro-Kit is stated by Eibach to drop your car about 1.3 to 1.4 inches. The actual drops we have seen are actually closer to 1 3/4. With this much drop on some vehicles the negative camber becomes excessive and needs to be corrected to avoid tire wear issues. This is not required by every vehicle though. Cars are not built to exacting tolerances and there is always variance from car to car. This also reduces suspension travel which can accelerate wear on the shocks and struts. There is also a dramatic change in the front roll center geometry. This produces more body roll which must be compensated with more spring rate to overcome and preserve handling. They do up the spring rate, but not as much as ours. The other issue you run into is the shifting of the rear end. What you have heard about this is true. The rear end is actually offset slightly from the factory. The geometry of the panhard rod set up in the back results in the rear end shifting further from its already offset position when you lower the vehicle. This is why we manufacture our adjustable panhard rod. It allows length adjustment of the panhard rod allowing you to re-center the rear end.



Our springs only drop the vehicle about 7/8 to 1 inch in the front and just over 1 inch in the rear. This does several things. First it almost eliminates any alignment issues. There is still variance from car to car, but 95% of the cars we have done do not need camber adjusters. We are not cutting suspension travel as much as others so there is little difference in shock and strut wear. We are not dramatically changing the front roll center geometry. This combined with our higher spring rate than theirs results in a car with less body roll for better handling. We also do not cause a dramatic shift in the rear end which eliminates the requirement for an adjustable panhard rod. Using one would be of benefit, but its not a requirement at all.



We gave a lot of thought into what we wanted out of our springs. Many people associate a car that’s slammed with good handling but there is more to it than that. A car that’s really low may look good. But our parts are not for just looks. Hope this information helped.
Old 7/27/05 | 01:40 AM
  #116  
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Originally posted by scotts05custom@July 15, 2005, 12:18 PM

Our springs only drop the vehicle about 7/8 inch in the front

7/8" drop!!!! OOOOH count me in!!!
Old 8/7/05 | 08:19 PM
  #117  
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So do you have to put up with all these extra camber plates/adjustments, etc if you only lower the rear end of the car? Or just the adjustable panhard rod? Or neither?
Old 8/8/05 | 06:46 AM
  #118  
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Originally posted by ex-Galaxie500@August 7, 2005, 8:22 PM
So do you have to put up with all these extra camber plates/adjustments, etc if you only lower the rear end of the car? Or just the adjustable panhard rod? Or neither?
Camber plates is only for the front and you shouldn't need them if you are only lowering the back. However, for the back you might need the adjustable panhard rod. It depends on how far the rear shifts and whether or not you want to live with the looks of it or not. I still have not installed and adjustable panhard rod in my car. It is out by about .25" so nothing major.
Old 8/9/05 | 11:33 AM
  #119  
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Originally posted by Redfire 05Gt@July 27, 2005, 1:02 AM
I find two statements in the following email contradictory.
Steeda states that Eibach springs have less suspension travel than theirs. Then they state that they up the spring rate on their own springs to compensate for body roll, more than Eibach does. Doesn't an increased spring rate serve to reduce suspension travel or am I misunderstanding???
So if Steeda springs are stiffer, they should have less actual suspension travel. Or are they referring to available suspension travel? And does reduced suspension travel accelerate wear on shocks and struts?
The Steeda springs are longer than the Eibach springs, and thus allow the suspension to travel more under compression. The fact that they are stiffer only makes it harder for the suspension to travel its full length.

Most stock struts are not designed to be run at a lower ride height for extended periods of time and result in premature wear. The more a car is lowered, the faster the struts will wear out. Most lowering aftermarket struts are designed to be run lower and will last much longer than the stock ones.
Old 8/10/05 | 03:42 PM
  #120  
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Originally posted by PottyScotty@August 9, 2005, 10:36 AM
The Steeda springs are longer than the Eibach springs, and thus allow the suspension to travel more under compression. The fact that they are stiffer only makes it harder for the suspension to travel its full length.
And tends to increase the ride height...
Most stock struts are not designed to be run at a lower ride height for extended periods of time and result in premature wear. The more a car is lowered, the faster the struts will wear out. Most lowering aftermarket struts are designed to be run lower and will last much longer than the stock ones.
So struts should be replaced at the same time to complement the springs. Will that help to alleviate that "bounce" effect that is generally seen on lowered vehicles?


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