[Greywolf]

So instead of going with some visual mod's Ive decided to work on the suspension. I want to lower it a bit, nothing extreme, and replace the shocks and struts. As for my goal I'm looking for a sportier feel but I don't want to sacrifice too much comfort, I don't want to drive a brick/rattle trap. The setup I was looking for was Eibach springs with Toxico D-Spec adjustable shocks and struts. Does anyone else have this setup and if so how does it feel. Other suggestions would also be appreciated.

A side question as well, do I NEED C&C plates? I will get some eventually but is it something I would have to have installed with the new setup or can it wait a bit?

[Destination S197]

Originally Posted by Greywolf So instead of going with some visual mod's Ive decided to work on the suspension. I want to lower it a bit, nothing extreme, and replace the shocks and struts. As for my goal I'm looking for a sportier feel but I don't want to sacrifice too much comfort, I don't want to drive a brick/rattle trap. The setup I was looking for was Eibach springs with Toxico D-Spec adjustable shocks and struts. Does anyone else have this setup and if so how does it feel. Other suggestions would also be appreciated. A side question as well, do I NEED C&C plates? I will get some eventually but is it something I would have to have installed with the new setup or can it wait a bit?

The CC plates from the factory aren't intended to be reused but I know people do it. If you decide to go that route, be careful when removing them so you don't lose any of the bearings inside, even if you don't you could get a popping sound in the front suspension if they're reused. If you lower your car more than 1", I would say get the CC plates just to add in some camber adjustment.

I wouldn't say you need the adjustable shocks, save some money and just get the regular Tokico shocks/struts or go with Koni STR.Ts. They're non-adjustable and they're valved a little stiffer than factory to help with the lowered stance of the car. As far as which springs, that depends on how low you want to go. I went with the K springs and it was 1.5 front and rear, the P springs from FRPP doing 1" front and rear.

You'll also need an adjustable panhard bar to recenter your axle after lowering. Skip the J&M aluminum one and get a steel bar.

[06v6stang]

Why don't you just go with coilovers? You can fine tune your suspension to just the way you want it and it comes with camber plates, usually all preassembled.

[ReverendDexter]

If you're not competitively driving, I would recommend against adjustable dampers. To get the same quality of damping, you're paying 1.5-2x as much money for that adjustability.

For a non-track day, non-autocross car, you really don't need all that much beyond stock, and there are certainly diminishing returns. To give you an example, my last spring rate change which was very significant (100 #/in stiffer rears, front coilover conversion with effectively double the existing spring rate), was damn near imperceptible on the street. Only when I put the car on course was I able to see how dramatically different the handling dynamic was.

The other thing to keep in mind is just how transformative alignment specs can be. There's a huge difference in the handling feel between a Mustang running -.75 camber, +3 caster, and 1/8" of toe in and one running -2 camber, max available caster, and 1/16" of toe out. One's a street cruiser with some comfortable understeer, the other's one that bombs into corner entries and sticks though apexes. Why spend a ton of money on parts if you're not going to take advantage of what's already available to your chassis?

So, that all being said, I think the springs will be fine, I'd recommend different dampers (I really like Bilsteins, however I have heard the S197 versions aren't as good as the fox-chassis ones), and I would do the supporting mods for the lowering (Camber plates, adjustable panhard) even if you're not at the point where you "need" them. Yes, you'll spend more money that way, but the end result is much more what you want. Remember that the majority of people modifying these cars don't actually care about the results; they're typically going for aesthetics and/or bragging rights, and consequently there's a lot of cheaper parts and simpler advice that's geared for those people who don't care about function and results. I find that it's worth it to sift through those so that you don't end up rebuying parts and having to do multiple installs to get the results you're after.

[06v6stang]

I have a set of megan racing coilovers for $900, less than what he would be paying for tokico d-specs, eibach springs and CC plates. The quality of these coilovers are really good too as I have done the install and tested these on several cars. These would give him the exact ride height that he wants, ability to do track driving should he want to, as well as great appearance.

[Destination S197]

Originally Posted by 06v6stang I have a set of megan racing coilovers for $900, less than what he would be paying for tokico d-specs, eibach springs and CC plates. The quality of these coilovers are really good too as I have done the install and tested these on several cars. These would give him the exact ride height that he wants, ability to do track driving should he want to, as well as great appearance.

For less than $900, I had FRPP K springs, Koni STR.T shocks/struts, an adjustable panhard bar, adjustable camber plates, and control arm relocation brackets for the rear. I don't think he needs the headache of adjustability when hes trying to just get a lowered look with a near stock ride.

[06v6stang]

Originally Posted by Destination S197 For less than $900, I had FRPP K springs, Koni STR.T shocks/struts, an adjustable panhard bar, adjustable camber plates, and control arm relocation brackets for the rear. I don't think he needs the headache of adjustability when hes trying to just get a lowered look with a near stock ride.

It's not like he's going to be out there everyday adjusting his ride height. I'm just saying, for the same price, why wouldn't you want the option of being able to make adjustments?

[ReverendDexter]

Originally Posted by 06v6stang It's not like he's going to be out there everyday adjusting his ride height. I'm just saying, for the same price, why wouldn't you want the option of being able to make adjustments?

Because the quality of cheap coilovers is not at the level of similarly priced regular springs and shocks. Also, anything that can be adjusted can be adjusted such that it performs worse than stock. If you're not certain that you have the knowledge or resources to adjust it properly, you have a strong argument to get parts engineered to a certain known-good spec from the factory.

On a side note, It's interesting that you say Megans are good. My understanding from the import/DSM side of things is that Megans are cheap, Chinese knock-offs of better setups like Tein.

If you absolutely insist on coilovers, I would at least spring for a reputable setup from a known-good company like Ground Control.

[Greywolf]

Ok then, after reading let me make this clear. My car will never see a race track EXCEPT for the occasional midnight madness at the drag strip. I want the lowered look, a comfortable ride, at the desireable mid point of being as affordable as possible but without getting some horrible, crap product. I saw a suspension set up for a company called Touring Tech that has shocks/struts/springs for just over $300. I have no faith in a company that sells the whole shebang for less then just one set of the components that a company I hear good things about.

I have a customer at the hotel that I've been more then helpful towards that has opened up an Auto performance shop that said he'll get me an Eibach spring set of my choice for $60. I can't seem to find them for less then $190 so I'll probably take him up on that. As for coilover's the cheapest I've seen has been around $1000. I'm glad I asked because I didn't have a clue that I had to get an adjustable panhard bar.

Let's make this simple. Other then coilover's and assuming I get those Eibach's for a good price, what's the parts list you'd recommend for a comfortable ride that required little to no adjusting that won't break the wallet? Rep's for whoever puts together a sweet and simple list. Keep in mind I am not doing the work. My friends shop will get a trip to the paintball range on me followed by beer and brat's.

[ReverendDexter]

Short list:
Eibachs
Bilsteins
Adjustable panhard bar
LCA relocaton brackets
Alignment

For alignment specs, if you're a spirited driver in the corners, add half a degree of negative camber to the factory spec, max your caster, and go for zero toe. If you're not, just go with the factory settings.

[v606er]

I did:
Steeda Ultra Lite springs
Koni STR.T (I had thought about the adj shocks but decided I wouldn't realistically be using them, so no point)

LCA's
adj uca
adj panhard


I ran out of money and didn't know about lca relo brackets at that time. I may get them some day.

I had the alignment checked, and it was close enough to factory spec without CC plates.

[steedamatt]

As v606er said, try our Ultra-Lite springs. We sell a ton of these for the V6 crowd.

I would be happy to put a deal together for you on this.

Thanks

[v606er]

Yeah I went with the ultra lites because they seemed like the perfect drop amount for me, and they had good reviews. They are the middle ground between the Sport and Competition springs, not slammed, but it's a definite noticeable difference from stock. And it's amazing how much better the whole car looks.

[T-Money]

i went with the eibach sportlines, pro dampers and j&m cc plates but i wanted a more aggressive stance. the pro dampers are awesome though. ive also got lower control arms and surprising enough i dont have an adj panhard bar yet because the rear was only thrown off center by about 1/2 of an inch

[Greywolf]

Thank you all for the advice. After several day's of weighing out the options I went over to a performance shop out here that dies a lot of Mustang work. Talked to a few of the guys and it turns out 4 of them had a few different setup's and let me drive them to try them out. In the end I am going to go with the Eibach Pro kit plus which comes with everything except the C&C plates which I'll order seperately. It gave what I felt to be a more comfortable ride and looked nice. Since I'm rolling on 20's I didn't want to drop it too much. Think I'll place my order with AM sometime in the next week or so.

[Greywolf]

Ok, placed my order with AM for the Eibach Pro-kit plus and some J&M cast and camber plates. As soon as they come in and I get them installed I'll post pic's.

[Destination S197]

Originally Posted by Greywolf Ok, placed my order with AM for the Eibach Pro-kit plus and some J&M cast and camber plates. As soon as they come in and I get them installed I'll post pic's.

It's a waste of time if you don't do shocks/struts since you'll just have to take them apart again to replace the old wore out factory ones.

[Greywolf]

The pro-kit comes with shocks and struts. I was told this kit would have everything I need except the C&C plates so I ordered them as well. Here's a link.

Eibach Mustang Pro-System-Plus (05-10 V6) 35100.680 - Free Shipping!

And the plates

http://www.americanmuscle.com/2005-c...er-plates.html

Thanks again Brad from AM for the discount code.

[Destination S197]

Originally Posted by Greywolf The pro-kit comes with shocks and struts. I was told this kit would have everything I need except the C&C plates so I ordered them as well. Here's a link. Eibach Mustang Pro-System-Plus (05-10 V6) 35100.680 - Free Shipping! And the plates J&M Mustang 4-Bolt Camber Plates (05-10) 24220 - Free Shipping! Thanks again Brad from AM for the discount code.

Didn't know the prokit came with the shocks/struts, but you could have gotten out of there without the sway bars if you wanted. Don't really need those.

[Greywolf]

So I got the C&C plates today. Turns out AM doesn't actually keep the Eibachs on hand and has to drop ship them from Eibach to me and I may not get them till March. I'm a little upset but what can I do. Lord I can't wait to get the parts in and installed. Got my boy's shop to get them installed and alighned for $100 and a couple 12 packs of beer. I'll be sure to let them drink AFTER they install them. I on the other hand have already started drinking so forgive any misspelling.