Hello all,

I have an '11 GT with Brembo, 22,000 miles since purchase in July '10.

I haven't done any real modding---just cosmetic (wheels and tires, interior tweaks). I have been reading about suspension upgrades. I am not quite ready to take the plunge on lowering, as I have too many steep driveways to clear and I understand ride quality can be adversely affected.

However, I would like to improve ride quality and handling on the stock suspension. I do not track the car, just take the fun roads in the country. I do find the Brembo suspension to be a bit stiff and bouncy at times (particularly after riding in the lady's IS250).

My question is this: with a stock suspension, would I see tangible improvement in 1) ride quality and/or 2) handling, with aftermarket shocks?

And 3) which shocks would best suited to the stock suspension for a daily driver?

 

YES, better handling and confort can be acheived by adding KONI STR.t struts in place of the stock BBP ones!

 

Upgrade the shocks for sure. Koni's would be a great choice.

 

Shocks are just one piece in the process of getting great handling.

You will also see handling improvement in a set of springs, swaybar, control arms, etc.

If you start adding more HP you will need to start looking at other upgrades to tame the beast.

Do you have any goals in mind with adding HP or are you just looking for a better ride at the moment?

Here is just a link if you wish to read it about lowering springs and some reviews.

http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-u...d-mustang.html

http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-s...d-mustang.html

PM me if you have any additional questions?

Thanks

TJ

 

Thank you all for the thorough replies.

I am primarily interested in improving the ride quality. I haven't done any power increases---and none are in my plans for now. I drive pretty much legal speeds on public roads---the 5.0 is fun getting to the legal speeds. Out on the highway, the ride can be a bit bumpy--certainly not terrible, but not many road imperfections escape notice in this Mustang. It didn't seem as noticeable when it was new, but I was quite enamored of the power and handling of the car when it was new, so any degradation in ride quality is probably in my head (I have only 22,000 miles on the car).

I would be concerned it is my wheel and tire combo (ironically, given to me for Christmas by the same lovely fiancee who complains about how my car rides). I have 255/35/20 tires on front with Continental DW's. However, I actually think these tires tooks some edge off bumps in comparison to the stock 19s. And, what got me thinking about shocks is this: my fiancee's Lexus IS250 has 18" front tires with exactly the same sidewall height as my 255/35/20s---and of course, it rides quite smoothly. I realize my Mustang shouldn't ride or drive like her Lexus (totally different animals)--but that did tell me the ride isn't just low-profile tires.

Again, thank you for the replies. Any guidance is appreciated.

Alan

 

You want to stick with soft suspension and probably swap out the stock bushings. Soft suspension will give you a lot better ride quality but will sacrifice handling. You CAN put in a set of adj shocks and struts that allow you to tune the suspension between soft and stiff.

 

That's only part of it. I went from 255/40/19 to 255/35/20 but my ride got a whole lot smoother. I went to forged wheels and better quality tire. So it depends on the tire performace as well. My old Toyo's sucked ***** at comfort. They were stiff as rocks.

 

You're probably overloading the shocks with the heavier wheel tire package. Very similar things happen when you put bigger tires on a truck with the stick shocks and a bracket lift. I would definitely recommend just a shock upgrade!