I managed to start working on the suspension, and put in an order to Rehagen Racing for the following:

-FR500C LCAs
-FRPP "P" springs (1" drop)
-Steeda adj. Panhard bar

Per their suggestions with my intended direction for the car (daily driver with track time throughout the year), Dean, Shaun, and the rest of the Rehagen team laid out a plan for my car that covers all the necessary parts, and skips the nonsense. All of this was on the list, with more to come in the future, including FRPP adj. struts, camber/caster plates, front swaybar, bumpsteer kit, and some other misc. parts.

I decided to only install one part at a time and do an analysis of the impact on the car following each one. This includes installation difficulty, benefits, and drawbacks of the part.

I - Installation:
I followed TacoBill's how-to for the Steeda LCAs (located here). Overall, the instructions he provides cover 90% of the install. You do need to assemble the bushings on each end of the FR500C arms, but this is a cinch. Simply press one bushing, then the sleeve, then the other. I coerced the stubborn ends with a deadblow mallet, which only took a few swings.

Once under the car, everything is very straightforward with the install. Remove the clips for the e-brake, move the cable out of the way, then remove the (2) 18mm bolts, noting the flag nut orientation on the rear side (fronts are indexed by a tab) and remove the stock LCA. Below is a pic showing the comparison:



Night and day difference just from looking at it. Re-assembly is a breeze, just remember to load the suspension to prevent any binding, and torque bolts to 129 lb/ft. The e-brake lines were routed above the LCAs, to protect them and keep a fair amount of slack there, in the event they catch something.

II - Benefits:
After assembly was complete, I took a 15 min. drive over various road surfaces to see if my NVH was compromised significantly. The answer is NO. Going over railroad tracks, uneven pavement (plenty of that here in MI), and turns at varying rates of speed, I never noticed anything that stood out. Radio and HVAC were off, windows were up, and the cabin was as quiet as it was stock. No noticeable gear whine or squeaking from the rear of the car.

Regarding handling, the difference was instantly clear; these are almost a necessity IMO. The ability to keep the rear tires planted, eliminating that axle "walk" that the stock LCAs allow is crucial. After a few spirited starts, I noticed no bouncing or jumping from the rear, and was able to hook up better in 2nd and 3rd gear. I was shocked to be able to chirp the tires in 4th as well.

III - Drawbacks:
Right now, none. Without compromising NVH, which these don't, I can't see any problems, other than maybe causing the driver to wear his rear tires out at a faster than average rate. Some might call that a problem, but I call that a solution.

Here's an installed pic:



Again, a big thanks to the guys at Rehagen. Cost for these is $209.95, part number M-5649-R1.

http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts...KeyField=10918

 

Holy crap you got those on the car quickly you didnt pick those up till near midnight last night!!!!!

People were asking how I could chirp 4th so hard, these are a big part of it.
on my car we have a chrome moly version of these with some crazy delrin bushings (NVH NIGHTMARE!) and its amazing how well the axle is then controlled. There is more compliance in the factory rear LCA's then you would believe.

Really glad you decided to go this route, your gonna love them everyday.

 

Why does everyone have them listed for almost $500? Even Rehagen has this price online.

http://rehagenracingproducts.com/pro...&categoryId=72

 

Retail MSRP is $209.95.......

 

I understand that. But based on your online price, you guys have over a 100% mark up...

Steve, how much did you pay for the parts?

 

website is wrong, Logging in now to fix it

 

I paid $209 for them. I remember hearing a while back they were closer to $500, but when we went and looked at the price listing from the FRPP website, they were down to $209. Worth every penny.

Shaun, I had the day off, so I just decided to crawl under the car and get to work. Springs and panhard bar are going on next week.

 

Perfect. That's exactly what I like to hear.

These are definitly on my list for suspension upgrades. Looking to do almost exactly what Steve is doing.

Can the P springs be used on the stock struts and shocks with just the addition of an adjustable panhard bar?

 

Mike, you'll love these. I don't see why the P springs won't work with the stock shocks/struts, but as always, you're better off going with an aftermarket solution to really see benefits.

I've been told the PHB isn't a huge deal on the 1" drop, but if it shifts the axle at all, I want to be able to counter it back and dial it in.

 

The worst part of the stock set up is the wheel hop and brake nose dive.

From what I hear, and maybe you can jump in on this Steve or Shaun, the LCA's fix the wheel hop, and a slight drop fixes the nose dive.

If I have to do struts and shocks, I will, but would love to drop it first, and then add those parts later like you're doing Steve.

 

hows the ride with P springs on the brembo setup?

So if i get the P springs i need aftermarket shocks? like koni's?

 

Haven't installed them yet. Hoping to do them on Monday (working all weekend). Besides, I want to drive around with the LCAs installed to get a better idea of what they've done to the car before I throw something else on.

 

you dont NEED new shocks, its recomended and a better solution but you dont NEED them

 

I have the P springs on my brembo. I like them a lot and look forward to reading about your future reviews as you install more suspension parts.

 

Phase 2 is coming soon, stay tuned.

 

when you say track events you mean drag strip?

at to way2 whatever. the first thing anyone should do is get a good quality shock on the car..

beers

 

No he means open track road course stuff.

Lewis26- I fixed the price on our website thanks for pointing that out!

 

When you say load the suspension do you mean the car should be sitting on it's own weight when it's torqued?

 

No, I used the jack to put the suspension back to it's normal position, as if it were on the ground. Before I started, I marked the shocks with some masking tape where it was sitting, so I could jack it back to the same spot.

 

UT OH! I'm in trouble. When I put mine on we put the car on a lift, removed the stock, installed the Steeda Billet pieces and let her down. It wasn't torqued but we cranked it down pretty good. The biggest torque wrench I have only goes to 1000 in lbs therefor I will be ordering a torque wrench soon. The next issue is I don't know suspension binding if it bit me on the leg, but the car feels pretty good. Thanks for your help.