m05fastbackGT

Hey Marty, Thanks for having my back my friend.. Rocky

Without the LOL.. I didn't know you were joking around, therefore I misinterpreted your previous response by taking it in the wrong way.. As for 5. MONSTER (Marty's) response, he was just sticking up for a fellow Mustanger like yourself, in which he's gotten to know quite well on this forum and have since become friends with one another as well..

Thanks once again Marty.. As you're the best

m05fastbackGT

Yes, I would say so minus the floatiness of the oranges..

Mustang dog

If I can jump in with my thoughts of the oranges, I like them a lot with my 1.5" drop and the bmr springs Kelly set me up with, the car handles very well with a pretty good overall ride. However the all this yellow talk has me curios about them.

jim010

Mustang dog,

Do you find the car a little floaty still?

Mustang dog

No, not especially, I find the feeling to be very much dampened but not tight. Hard to explain. Keep in mind I runs a pretty heavy BMR sway bar on the middle setting so the front end doesn't dive at all.

EF1

I am running the oranges with Steeda sport springs. I don't notice any floatiness either. For the OP, what springs are you running.

jim010

Stock. I am firm on not lowering the car as I explained in another thread when I bought the Koni Orange. Stock ride height must be maintained.

I have looked on other forums to see what success people have had with just dampers, and they all seem to be happy (VW and Audi forums).

I know that to maximize I need better tires, thicker sway bars and springs. I need new tires by next year, and I will very likely get thicker sway bars.

5.M0NSTER

Oh! I was assuming lowered setup. This changes things 2 fold:

1) The stock spring rates are low. Aftermarket dampers are valved to more aggressive spring rates of lowering springs. For example stock TP front spring rate is 148lb/in. Steeda sports with 1" drop are 200lb/in.

2) Since you're riding higher than aftermarket springs, the shock/strut has less pre-compression on it. In other words it sits more extended at ride height. This may contribute to that floaty feeling.

With that in mind I think something like Bilstein is what you want. They are monotube, with valving which adapts based on fluid pressure. Monotube may help in your case. Adjust ability may help a little, but it's like a bell curve. Majority of the effect of the adjustment is in the middle of the compression spectrum, not on the outside edges.

jim010

That makes sense to me.

so yellows will still be overextended and not solve my problem.

also, do the brembo cars have springs with better spring rates? They are the same ride height, yes?

thanks for all the info, guys!

jim010

Bilstein HD series?

5.M0NSTER

TP cars had slightly stiffer springs, and they were a bit higher because of that.

Yes sir.

jim010

Higher? Than my stock springs? Or I assume you mean higher than aftermarket springs?

So a set of TP springs is recommended?

m05fastbackGT

According to Koni, their shocks/struts are valved for both aftermarket and OEM spring rates.. Therefore they shouldn't overextend your OEM springs.. Usually when you pair up OEM shocks/struts with aftermarket lowering springs is when you run into overextension issues rather than the other way around.. That being said, Koni's are fully compatible and valved for aftermarket lowering springs and factory height OEM springs..

Silverbird01

I'm new to the forum and I am trying to find some answers about the Koni STR.T replacements from people that have used them. I saw this thread and thought I would start here.


I have been seriously looking at replacing my 2014 V6 Mustang stock struts & shocks with the Koni Orange parts. Are they noticeably better than the stock Ford parts? I'm not looking to autocross or anything like that.


I just looking to firming the ride up a little bit but not to the point of being harsh. My car also nose dives during moderate braking, I don't know if the Koni's will help that problem or not.


I want to keep the standard ride height without lowering. My Mustang has just over 30K on the clock, do you think the Koni STR.T would be a good choice?
Any suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks!

typesredline

Yikes! Now I'm even more glad I didn't keep them. The steeda's aren't adjustable. But from what I've heard they are tighter than the oranges. The car isn't floaty at all anymore, even on my stock springs. But the ride quality is still like stock. As far as the yellows go. My only experience with them is on my brothers wrx and at between full soft and half way the ride is very harsh. Ppl swear by koni idk why. When I had an rsx, the yellows were notorious for leaking.

jim010

Soo ... I am now back to the Koni yellow then!
Best bet I guess to to ask someone at Koni .

Is the switch to the Brembo car springs worth it, by the way?

m05fastbackGT

If your more concerned about ride handling over comfort, go with Koni yellows and yes, it also wouldn't hurt to ask a tech support rep over at Koni for their feedback just for your own piece of mind..
If on the other hand your looking for less harshness in ride quality and better handling over stock, then I'd recommend going with Bilstein or Steeda Pro action shocks/struts..
As for making the switch to Brembo/TP springs ? I don't know who the manufacturer is.. Therefore I would recommend Steeda sport springs if you plan on upgrading from factory "OEM" as lots of folks on this forum seem to be quite happy with the ride quality and improved handling of the sport springs..

In the meantime, here's the contact number for Koni NA... (859) 586-4100

jim010

Ok, just about got it all figures out.
I will go with boss springs with koni yellow or bilstein. Just don't know if I want regular boss or Laguna seca springs. Drop is only 11mm. They are inexpensive for me.

which springs are better? Seems the Laguna fronts are a lower rate than the regular boss, but the Laguna backs are higher. Why?

what will a flatter sway bar do for me front or back?

what will polyurethane bushings do for me?

5.M0NSTER

Loaded questions, I like it!

Ok, so springs and sways affect roll stiffness. Springs are also a major contributor to ride quality and ride heights. Roll bars affect only roll stiffness.

With that said, more roll stiffness (thicker bar) in the back will lead to more oversteer (and thus less understeer) because it eliminates roll compliance in the back of the car. Means that when the car starts rolling, one wheel will be fully loaded up, while the other will lose normal force and thus grip. At the same time there will be less roll, because the chassis resists it more.

Conversely stiffer front bar will do the same to the front. Car will roll less, but inside wheel might be nearly dangling in the air. Like in the picture below. That's my car with a Steeda front sway set to middle stiffness setting. Notice the inside front almost dangling... Also notice how that back tires are firmly planted on both sides? That's becasue the back sway is stock (and therefore softer). This helps me put power down better at the exit. Front end only has to worry about lateral grip in the corner, so I can get away with more stiffness. Back end has to turn and put power to the ground, so I want both wheels in solid contact with Terra Firma.

This may not sound so good, but if you add negative camber the whole weight of the car on one front wheel has it's benefits in ultimate grip at high lateral G load. At least in the front. We can't add camber to the back with solid rear axles on our cars.

I would not recommend messing with sway bars unless you track the car. On the steet there is really no reason for increasing roll stiffness as long as you have stiffer springs and are well damped (Koni or Bilsteins). That's really what the S197s are lacking. Good damping. They are a bit heavy on body roll, but damping and stiffer springs help in this area. Sways are another level beyond that. The whole suspension is a system. Each element must work well with every other element. It gets complicated quick.

5.M0NSTER

Oh, and as for poly bushings, they are firmer and further reduce compliance of the sway bars. This is good when you want to increase roll stiffness. Bad news is they require lubrication pretty much once per year or they start making creaking noises. Again, a double edge sward.