[BrandonJD25]

02 GT with MAC cai, BBK 75mm t/b, C&L plenum. mainly used for daily driver, but also some occasional street racing :-D would love to get her to the point of track racing though...

i'm surprised there's not a sticky on this, and i've looked for threads that answer this...but to no avail. if you know of any please point me in the right direction. i want to beef up my suspension and have been doing some shopping. i have a list of what i want, but i don't know what each piece does or how it would affect things. let me know if there's anything here that's just a waste or if there's anything i need to add (budget minded):

- KYB shocks/struts
- Eibach springs
- Rear upper/lower control arms
- Subframe connectors (does it matter which ones?)
- Steeda caster/camber plates (4 bolt)
- BBK strut tower brace
- Steeda X2 ball joints
- Sway bars (not really on the list, but do they help?)

any feedback or links to other forum threads would be great! thanks guys!

[neverfastenough1]

Any well known name brand sfc will do. They basically all do the same thing, just some might fit better than others. Full lenght weld in ones, or through floor weld ins are best. I went with EvolutionMotorsports just because they fit well and have a removeable safety loop. Upper and lower control arms have a few advantages. They are lighter, stronger and they don't give as much as the stock ones. Adjustable ones are nice, but can be a pita if you know nothing about pinion angle. They aren't really necessary unless you are real serious about racing. Everything on your list looks good, and are common mods. Back to the serious about racing part, if you are just an occasional racer, shocks, control arms and sfc's will suffice. Along with some good tires. if I am wrong, at least it will get your thread going when I get corrected.

[the real shocker]

thats a great list for suspension... i would take the sway bars off of the list though, as your stockers are more than fine for what you have. Also, the BBK strut tower brace, unless you want it more or less for looks.

I have the BBK subframes (welded) and they are wonderful! just something to check into

when looking at uppers & lowers, i got adjustables for both, but solid lowers would be just fine, i highly recommend adjustable uppers though. the rest looks great, you are on your way to some nice 60's

[RanGer498]

- KYB shocks/struts<--have them love them (see my pics at American muscle.com)
- Eibach springs<-- i went with Ford racing b springs and im very happy

- Sway bars (not really on the list, but do they help?)<--no clue on my stang but on my MKIV it did make a difference, on a side note i did cancel my order with the eibach ones from jeggs as i dont drive this car hard enough to feel a difference i think.

[BrandonJD25]

thanks guys! yah, i'd been looking into it a lot so i had a pretty good idea of it. sway bars were something i just tacked on to see what yall thought...but unless i heard an overwhelming "GET THEM NEWBIE!!!!" i was gonna through them out and put the money into l/t headers. lol

strut tower brace is mostly for looks (deff gettin the chrome one), so it's something i MIGHT tack on in the end. it would look great with my cai, and plenum though!

that list is something i'm gonna buy in pieces here and there over the next few months. my next 3 things are the struts/chocks, coil over springs, and aluminum driveshaft from FRPP!!! can't wait to get started!

[RanGer498]

good luck keep us posted

[BrandonJD25]

oh, and those ball joints will go with the lowing springs (i heard they're a must)?!

[ATLmustang]

i have the eibach springs and i didnt change my ball joints, also check maximum motorsports they make some nice stuff.

[BrandonJD25]

oh yah...i'd love to get a MM kit. but i don't the $$ to drop on one of those. haha

[grady]

If you are getting the Steeda X2 ball joints to compensate for your lowered car then you'll also need their bump steer kit too. They go hand in hand with the X2 ball joints to correct your steering geometry on a severely lowered car.

[PowerShiftz02GT]

Originally Posted by grady If you are getting the Steeda X2 ball joints to compensate for your lowered car then you'll also need their bump steer kit too. They go hand in hand with the X2 ball joints to correct your steering geometry on a severely lowered car.

+1 dont forget the bump steer. Add another 150.00 to the list lol. Looks like you're on the right track though.

[BrandonJD25]

thanks man, i'd never even heard of that bump steer thing. i thought i had all my ducks in a row with the x2 plan. haha oh well...guess the list NEVER ends.

just picked up the car in december, got bit by the mod bug immediately, and haven't been able to stop ever since.. ;-)

[PowerShiftz02GT]

yeah the mod bug has got me too. yeah you may not even need the bump steer. how is your bump steer now? When you go over bumps or are on uneven road or when you brake on a bump road does the car pull one way? Bump steer is when the Car steers for you. By buying a bump steer kit you will be in control of the car and the car will never steer itself if that makes sense.

[BrandonJD25]

it makes sense, but i don't think i've ever noticed either way...

if i go ahead with the springs and shocks/struts should i also put the ball joint and bump steer in it at the same time? if it's better to go ahead and totally redo that one it's lowered i'll keep saving and do it later. but if i can just go back and do it later i'll go ahead with the the stuts/shocks and springs and put the others in later.

[grady]

Well, from an installation standpoint ,it makes sense to do the X2 joints and bump steer kit at the same time as struts and springs. It's good that you are doing U&L rear control arms at the same time too. Whether you are doing it yourself or having the stuff installed you'll be happy those things are being done in one phase when you see what is involved.

But make sure you really need the X2 ball joints and bump steer kit at all. I have the FRPP Bullit Handling Kit (springs, struts and swaybars) and it only lowered my car an inch so bump steer is not a problem for me. I believe that many guys have lowered their car 1.5 inches and they don't have problems with bumpsteer either. If your car is not being lowered that much you could cut the X2s from your list and spend that money somewhere else. Just a thought.

[BrandonJD25]

yah, i hear yah...i'm all for NOT spending unnecessary money! the shock/strut and coil overs that i plan to get should lower my car about 1.5". word on the street is that it helps to have those parts (ball joint and i this is the first i've heard of the bump steer). i dunno...hopefully i'll get some more posts so i can form an EDUCATED opinion. haha

[BrandonJD25]

ok so i did some looking on line, and it likes the little nit-picky parts never end. how important are these...


Mustangs Unlimited - The Source for Mustang Parts, Shelby Parts, Cougar Parts and Accessories
Mustangs Unlimited - The Source for Mustang Parts, Shelby Parts, Cougar Parts and Accessories
Mustangs Unlimited - The Source for Mustang Parts, Shelby Parts, Cougar Parts and Accessories

and for the control arms...

Unlimited Performance Racing Products On-Line - Heavy Duty Upper and Lower Control Arm Bolt Kits

these things to add to the list? waste of money?

[grady]

Some other input on the whether the bump steer kit and X2s are needed for your case would be good. I didn't think I needed them for my set-up but I still sometimes think I should have done them. They sound like a good idea.
But there are definately guys here who know lots more than me who can help you.

My rear U&LCAs are the Steeda steel combo. I'm happy with them. The stock bolts were reused. You could get new ones, I suppose you never know the shape of your stock bolts until they come off. I also have urethane steering rack bushings but not the offset ones, again because my car is not lowered that much. Good luck, I hope you get the info you need.

[PowerShiftz02GT]

yeah if you bumpsteer was fine before you lower it then you may not need the kit. in my case i still have stock suspension till ehhh probably summer and i have horrible bumpsteer buts thats only because i have some pretty nasty roads around me. when im on the highway or on a smooth flat road then I have No issues at all with bumpsteer. So it pretty much just depends on where you live. But even if you dont really need them your car will still handle better if you get them.

[BrandonJD25]

ok, well...the hole reason behind rebuilding my suspension in the first place is to make it a better drive/ride, and to be able to put my ridiculous rwhp to the road (ok so...maybe that's not exactly true, but you get it). i'll have to start pain attention to my bumpsteer to see how it acts (honestly never really thought about or noticed it), but now that you mention it when i go over a bump or something relatively fast..it does seem to pull me to left or right a little. i just figured it was my tires grabbing a crack or something.....