Suspension Upgrades
 

Hey, i see a lot of stuff on here about engine upgrades and boltons, plus tonss of random crap from springsstang, but i dont see much about suspension upgrades.

I want to get my car into the 12's, im figuring blowing 100 shot and 4:10's with my pathetic existing list of mods might be enough power, but in order to hook im gonna need to work on my suspension.

So what would be a good place to start? im figuring ill take my time, blow a couple hundo a month or so, nothing too drastic.

What would be the first thing i should consider and why?
What would i expect benefitwise from upgrading that part?

My knowledge of suspension is pretty pathetic. so bear with me.

Oh yah. Lost a race against a Benz v8 Kompressor AMG today. He totally had me as i expected from something that probably cost 3 times what my car did, but he diddnt rip the paint off my doors as i expected.

Start with SFC's ( subframe connectors)

and yes you did lose to an amg, those kick fuggin ass

Beautiful cars...if I had an extra $110000+, I'd be drivin' one...

http://www.imgarchive.org/uploads/f6bec1f515.jpg

Whats the subframe connector do?

And yeah. I really dont feel bad about losing to a car like that.

Hell, all kinds of nice rides out today. I saw a Bently on my way to Jamba Juice (powerboost with an energy shot is the best hangover cure), On my way to work i also saw a Shelby Cobra, and about 5 min later 2 more Shelby Cobras, then about 5 min later ANOTHER Shelby Cobra, Also saw a 70's Mach1, several Mustang Cobra's, an BMW M5, an BMW M3, a Ferarri, a Zo6, and uhh... thats about it. Everyone had thier summer cars out today.

THATS IT! THATS THE BASTARD! SAME COLOR AND EVERYTHING!

No shame in losing to a car that comes from the factory with 490+ horses... :surrender

Subframe connectors stiffen up your subframe and creates less twisting under loads like heavy accelleration or tight turning. Id recommend Maximum motorsports XLs because of their durability. Youll want to plant your power better so lower and upper control arms... specificly lowers. Stay away from anything adjustable because its a hassle unless you know what you are doing. You also might want to look into shocks and struts. Again id stay away from adjustable unless you know what you are doing with them.

I was gonna recommend the UCA's and LCA's also. They are great for hooking up when your drag racing

Psh...thats not a good AMG...

SL65 AMG...THATS a TRUE AMG!!

V12 Twin Turboed...the thing puts out so much power they had to limit it or else it would tear the tranny in half.

i prefer the SL 55 AMG, they look 10 x cooler, they dont look like some stupid sedan grocery getting POS ( evn tho theyre fast)


and JAMBA JUICE KICKS ****IN ASS

When chossinbg a suspension, you need to ultimatelt decide if you want straight line acceleration, or handling in the twisties. So long as you are not looking for a dedicated race car, there are a few things you can do to help you hook-up w/o hurting the handling too much (or even helping it in other areas).

The easiest thing to do is to remove air out of your back tires. Reducing tire pressure does two things: increases contact patch and loosens up the side walls allowing the tire to "hook". While this works, it is not a good idea to drive around at 20 psi. But, I fealt I should mention ship. This is a great "mod" to do at the track or a common street racer adjustment (though, I am not condoning this).

Anything that you can do that will help weight transfer is a plus. You want the weaght to transfer to the rear tires when you launch. Removing front sway bar, installing softer springs/shocks/struts on the car is a must for any drag-duty car. Upper and lower control arms (which have been mentioned) will also help. The control arms are essentially the pivot point at which this weight transfer takes place. They are how the axle attaches to the body and are like a fulcrum. The stock uppers and lowers are flimsy and they flex. Some after-market control arms will correct this.

Going with a softer, drag-like setup will make the car handle like crap for daily driving. However, there are adjustable suspensions that are ideal for a strip/street car. This allows the user to make adjustments to fit his driving needs.

As far as subframes are concerned, I see no wow how they would help at all, unless you are making serious power. Don't get me wrong, I have them on my vert, but for different reasons. On a stock GT, adding subframes will have no impact on hooking up. They will help going over bumps and when pushed to the limits in corners, but I seriously doubt that you would see a drop in 0-60 foot times with them.

BTW, you have no idea how crappy your suspension is, until you make some nice upgrades. You will think you stole someone elses car. Suspension upgrades are commonly over-looked because eveyone like to see the hp claims from other mods.

We have a guy on this forum with a 2002 GT Auto making 245 rwhp that runs a 12.8 1/4 mile. Why? Suspension mods! (and a converter and gears). On an otherwise completely stock GT, you would need perhaps 100 more hp to get those same times.

And that is the exact reason that I'm completely revamping my entire suspension. :clap:

subframes wont help your times but they are a must with any mustang except the 05/06's (i'd still put them on the new ones even though they're not really needed).

i noticed a huge difference when i put mine on which tells me i should have put them on a long time ago.

Probably because you have a vert.

yeah thats probably why i noticed such a difference but i still say every mustang needs them. my buddy bought a 06 gt coupe about a month ago and i drove it before and after the subframes were put in and both me and him could feel a difference. it wasnt as drastic as mine but still felt tighter. either way it's a good investment to keep your car stiffer longer.

like they said sub frames arent gonna help at the track (drag racing), unless you make so much power you are twisting the frame.

I would first and formost do a set of upper and lower control arms these will get rid of any wheel hop you might have and make the car hook and handle better. If you want more after that then you can do springs (either drag springs or handling springs). then shocks again you can go drag or handling or some adjustables for both.

Maximum Motorsports package like Matt said. Includes everything you need and they have different packages whether its Street, Strip, Road Course and so on.

What about if you want your stang to handle like a BAMF and don't care about your 1/4 mile times? What kind of stuff would be good to get then? (I'm talking like BMW handling)

still upper and lower control arms,full length sub frame connectors,lowering springs with more then 1" of drop (tp get the car close to the ground 1.5 would be my personal choice for a street car) then a good adjustable shocks and struts and aftermarket sway bars if you wann spend more. There are really so many options you can do its nuts wiht these cars.

is the bullet suspention kit good?
or a very low buget is it worth the money?

I think it is one of the best kept secrets and the price is great. I fyou want a "lowered" look, this is NOT the setup for you. I fyou want a drag setup, then go elsewhere. But, if you want to sharpen up how your car performs drastically, then this is a great choice.

yeah bullit and mach one springs will lower your car about an inch and are cheap.
Also bullits are geared more toward handling and mach1's are more for strip as there rear spings are softer.

Me i like my stock springs, handles well,hooks ok and drives smooth. I might do mach1 springs if i ever get around to it or steeda drags just nore sure how badly i want it to handle.