Driver72

Hello all, I've now had the FRPP drop springs on my 5.0 for nearly two months.

While I absolutely love the look with that modest drop, and I love the sharpness it gives the handling on smooth roads, I'm somewhat bothered by the stiffness and jittery nature on rougher roads and on our So Cal freeways with the expansion joints.

It makes the car feel jittery and bouncy on those road conditions.

In that regard I really miss the more fluid nature of the stock Brembo brake springs on the car.

And lets be honest here, 80-85% of my driving consists of "normal" fun driving (it is not my daily driver). 15-20% is more spirited with the occasional freeway on ramp blast or corner carving (and of course the occasional fun weekend canyon carving drives).

So I'm wondering does the jittery, bouncing nature of the FRPP lowering springs bother any of you all during what is surely the vast amount of normal driving you do with your 5.0?

My problem is I don't like the "raised" AWD look of the GT when on the stock Brembo brake springs. But I also like the lowered buttoned down feel of the FRPP springs when I do drive, say enthusiastically 15-20% of the time.

How do other spring manufacturers drop springs compare to the FRPP?
Is there a 1" lowering spring out there that isn't as "stiff" as the FRPP one, a spring set that drops the car the 1" I desire, but has closer to the stock Brembo brake spring feel (or maybe just a fraction stiffer).

I know, getting coilovers is probably the best solution to lowering the car and getting the smoother, yet better handling than the stock set up.
Problem there is, since I will not be tracking this car spend a few grand on a full suspension set up seem like a pricey option. It may be the only option, but just thought I'd ask to see how the FRPP 1" drop springs compares to say the Steeda or others for stiffness and ride quality.

Thanks

R3troGT

I have the Ford Racing springs on my Shelby. While it can get harsh over certain bumbs, overall I am happy with the ride. I had the full Eiback suspension on my 06 GT and found it a lot rougher.

RandyW

I've read posts from people that went with the full suspension kit -- not just the springs -- from FRPP and found the ride even better than stock. You're right though, Driver72, the full suspension kit is kind of expensive.

MARZ

Upgraded shocks and struts would go a long way towards eliminating the jittery nature of your Mustang. Time to invest in some Koni STR.T's or, even better, the adjustable Koni Yellows!

908ssp

I assume you bought springs and no appropriate shock/struts? If so that is your problem. Bought as set you would be much better off as the stiffer shock is setup to handle the stiffer spring. Basically springs support the car and shocks control the springs.

sam strano

MARZ and 908ssp are right on.

You don't need coil-overs to solve this issue and frankly while I tend to prefer different springs, that's not even the issue here. You just need better dampers. Note that not all aftermarket dampers work as well as some, and I do recommend and sell more Koni than anything else. I run them on my cars (and you can bet I would not if there was something I felt worked better. MARZ has Koni's for his car, so he knows of what he speaks.

If you ask anyone who's got upgraded dampers from OEM, especially with lowering springs, you'll find they'll all agree that the car is less sudden and harsh.... in short they damp the suspension better, which is a dampers job.

Unless you want or need adjustable damping, the Koni STR.T's are what's I'd think would make you happy. They are $399 for the set of 4.

Now, there is a small detail with any aftermarket front strut on a 2011 car... they require use of a 2010 or older strut mount, but that's easy to get and not exactly expensive. Alternatively you could run a Steeda HD mount or Camber plate and gain camber adjustment as well. I'd be happy to explain the details further if you'd like.

Double-EDad

I don't know who has experience with them on here on a Mustang, but I've been happy with the ride provided by the H&R Sport springs in another car. They are progressive rate, which is needed when shortening the travel with minimal ride penalty.

I hate my floaty stock ride but I cannot afford to upgrade my suspension due to blowing my wad on the car purchase. I'd rather have floaty stock shocks on a 2011 GT than no 2011 GT at all.

Norberd

Has anyone tried out the Eibach Pro-Kit Springs (just the springs) on the 2011 yet? I've heard they have one of the lightest spring rates of all manufactures so they are very similar to the stock ride quality, but you get a nice drop out of them.

Overboost

What was changed about the 2011 strut mount that everyone has talked about? I haven't had the suspension apart, so I'd like to know.

I see that Maximum doesn't have camber plates for the 2011 yet, and it seems like others are rushing to get the updated parts out there.

Modshack

Different shock shaft configuration. Stock 2011 on the bottom, 2005-2010 style on the top. You need to either make up a spacer or go with the older GT500 Strut tops..

Overboost

Thanks Steve. I was always curious, but no one ever broke it down really.

Modshack

No problem! You can also see the difference in the strut mounts here...2011 stock on the left are re-designed to accommodate the shorter shaft top..(GT500 on right)

sam strano

Beware that 2011 specific mounts or camber plates will only fit 2011 specific struts... and there are NO 2011 specific struts out there in the performance market at this time.

What I'm saying is simply this. If you buy aftermarket 2011 mounts/camber plates they will only work on the OEM Ford struts at this time. You can't put them on a Koni, Tokico, FRPP, whoever's 2010 and older design. Until Koni and Tokico, Bilstein, etc have a 2011 specific strut, I'll be sticking with using the older mount design on the '11 cars so we can also upgrade the dampers.

Automagically

This is random but anyone have any insight on the FRPP adjustable shocks? It seems like adjustable shocks (of any brand) would be the way to go if you were to use the car on the street and the track. I would think.

Driver72

So in short, you recommend the Koni STR.T damper set?
$399 for the set seems fair.
What would be a fair install price from a shop?

Thanks for your help, and hook me up with a link from your shop and I'll order them from you.

Overboost

I spoke with Shaun earlier and asked him for ya. They are a D-spec in design, but use a proprietary valving setup that was selected by Ford Racing.

sam strano

The link: http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...199&ModelID=35

Regarding the FRPP adjustables...............

Still built by Tokico and the d-specs aren't the most durable thing ever. Still link compression and rebound together. Cost even more. I don't know what the valving differences supposedly are though its not uncommon for Ford Racing to use other parts with no changes but color etc. Maybe not here but I'm skeptical....and I can sell Ford Racing parts.

I'll add that I did win championships on d-specs too back in 2007. And did not run either front or rear at either extreme setting (soft or stiff). Issue I had was durabilty and because of the linked damping changes I could not get the car as settled as with Koni Sports as they give me more *useable* adjustment.

Automagically

I didn't mean to double post the previous, it just seemed as though the thread had gone cold and my question didn't really fit this thread anyway.

Ok, that makes sense. Seems like a gateway to adjustable dampers, backed by FRPP.

I could certainly see your use being a bit heavy as opposed to a daily driven car that's tracked or raced only a few times. The durability is a bit concerning but it still seems like if they were being used for a daily driven car, it wouldn't be the worst.

When you say "useable" were they just not stable enough in one setting or another to seem consistent or predictable? Kind of like the adjustment for the D-Specs was more of finding a sweet spot whereas the Koni's were robust (the only way I can describe it right now is being able to adjust from soft cruising setting to stiff drift setting, I know, technical right)?

sam strano

You are making things way more complicated than necessary....

First, just because something says Ford Racing does not mean it's perfect. Who cares what the name is on them? I care about the things like you know, how they work, and how they are built. If you want to pay more for a set of D-specs that are badged Ford Racing, that's up to you. Maybe they are revalved, but it'd be nice to know how. And again, I've used D-specs and didn't need them to be revalved stiffer or softer, the range they offered was workable--just the fact that both sides of the damping are effected meaning I can't get just what I want which is good compression, and more rebound.

My car is driven extensively on the street. 5500 miles from June 19 to November 1. Yes, I autocross it, and yes autocrossers tend to demand good shocks. It's not just because I'm competing, I find the shocks to be useful and helpful on the road. Many customers have chosen them after being in my car, folks that have never raced a day in their lives. Control is control, the car has NO IDEA where it is being driven. None. Shocks control how quickly things happen, motion and mass. I haven't figured out how to make the car weigh less on the street, that mass is there all the time. And fwiw, road imperfections are more common on the street than anywhere else, and I compete on pavement that is more indicative of real-world roads (parking lots, old concrete airfields, etc.) than some glass smooth race-track. Though even the track I go to most often has some really nice ripples in the brake-zones.

Use a little common sense. Does the car know where it's being driven? Do the shocks? Does the car magically weigh less when you are driving from A to B than around a track (or vice-versa)? Does your spring rate change? What I'm getting at is simply what I've been saying, shocks matter and it's cop out to say they don't if you don't race. I'm also not saying you need to be on RACING SHOCKS, we aren't talking $5k dampers here. We are talking about street shocks, just really good ones.

Daily driven cars are the worst cases of breaking shocks. Ask if anyone here has had issues with a D-spec... then see how much racing they were doing.

I'll try one more time on the damping. D-specs have a huge range, it's not targeted very finely. About half the range on a D-spec (the bottom half) is useless, it's way, way too soft for anyone looking for a car that works well. When I ran them, I found the best setting for my needs, but was always playing around because while it was the best available it wasn't as settled as I wanted. The reason being I wanted more rebound, but when I went for it, the compression came up too, meaning I wasn't getting what I wanted, I was getting sort of what I wanted. Koni's give me a lot more useable wiggle room. I've got a range of useable adjustment that is more broad without the side effect of too much compression damping.

Automagically

Ok, I see what you are getting at. I wasn't trying to disprove your thesis or anything. Just wanted a better understanding of what you've experienced and why things are the way they are. The re-hashing is a moot point but I get what you are saying. I think there is a slight communication barrier here but that's alright. I see what you are pointing out.