My spring troubles....
 

I recently purchased my first car, a 99 V6 stang.

The previous owner of my mustang had new springs put in. The garage saw where the tires were hitting part of the car when they were turned all the way. They said they could not align them properly with the springs that were in and they would have to put on the stock springs. I made a decision that I now regret, putting the stock springs on.

After they changed the springs I discovered the car was up about 2-2.2 inches higher than before. The springs the last owner had put on were H&R Super Sport springs.

I am now unhappy with how tall the car is. I am thinking of changing the springs again, but not as much as before. The springs it had on before caused too many problems including the car hitting on many bumps.

I am trying to decide on the proper springs. The H&R Super Springs took my car down 2 inches which is suprising to me as they are listed as lowering about 1.75 Front / 1.6 in Back. I would think it would go down less as my car is a V6 and not as heavy as a GT.

What spring would you recommend to put on my car? I just want to minimize the size of the open wheel well. I would to not have to buy a Caster/Camber plate in order to have it aligned. I have 17in wheels and might take them up to 18 in the future.


Thank you for your help

Just go with the H&R Sport's.Will go about 1.6-1.5 and will ride alot better.

Eibach would also be fine if you didnt feel comfortable sticking with H&R's company, but usually H&R are the #1 lowering springs Mustang Owner's choose

Thanks for your help.

I am trying to spend as little as possible since I wasted $500 getting the stock springs put on again :censored:

Do you need anything else when you put them in to get your ties aligned properly?

Does anyone have a V6 that has used these so I can hear their experiences?

Mustang tuning listed them as dropping a car ~
* Front: 1.75”
* Rear: 1.6”

You said 1.6-1.5 is that due to my V6?

The 2 inch drop I had before scrapped the exhaust under the car some times, will the .5inches make it alot better?



Thanks again

There are alot of V6 guys with that setup on here.Check out the V6 section and you should be able to find some.I know Grimmz has them.I have them on my GT with NO problems.

i have h&r sports wit 18's no rubbing except occasionally on a steep driveway

I really like the look of them on Grimmz's V6.
Anyone have problem's with alignment? I heard of someone who had his mustang lowered 1.5 inches and every time he hit a bump too hard it would need realigned.

I believe it wouldn't be too bad as far as scrapping on the ground as long as I am careful over speedbumps and stuff. I drove my car lowered 2inches for a while and never scraped it up.

I guess my biggest concern is aligning the tires. Does it make since that the H&R super sport springs lowered my car alttle more than 2 inches and caused my 17inch tires to hit somewhere when turned?

Yes being lowered that much without CC plates and a bumpsteer kit would cause all kind's of problems.

I have had my H&R's for 2 years with no alignment problems at all.

I guess I will get the H&R sport springs. I am still alittle worried about alignment and hitting my car on bumps.

dude i am worried to because it happened to one of my friend's with his eclipse he had it lowered about 2 inches and he didnt put a camber kit on and his tires wore unevenly and were recked after about 2 months of drivin. So i don't know if i should by a camber kit or not. i am goin to call the shop around my area and see what they have to say. i will call them tomorrow then write what they had to say.

Thanks, please keep me updated. I have been trying to read everything I can on this forum and on allfordmustangs.com

On allfordmustangs the general concensus is that it is probally needed. 1.5 inches is around the drop hieght people say it is needed. These go 1.6 in the front and 1.5 in the back. I do not know what to expect on my car since it is a v6 I would think it would drop less, however the Super Sports dropped my car 2inches when it was supposed to be 1.75.

I am also looking at FRPP C springs. These don't drop it as much. On cardomains I have been looking at pictures people have with the C springs in. I found a few I thought looked nice, but then other I could not even tell it was dropped.

If I wouldn't hit my car underneath on things and if I didn't need a CC plate I would get the H&R. My instinct is to get the C springs just to be safe, but the H&R do look better.

Geez you will be fine with the H&R sports.You can get the CC plates just too make you feel safer.Most people don't though.Just of the topof my head I know that MattJ,Grimmz,Boon44 and myself did'nt need them.

Is it ok for daily driving? Also, do you know why the super sports made my car 2in. lower than stock? They did have the isolators on them.

If for some reason the H&R sports took it down too low, do you think I could return them to most places?


Thanks again

Yes it's ok for DD.I drive mine everyday.

I think once you install something like that you can't return them.

If you get the sports, and for some reason arent pleased. You can sell them to me. I might be on the market here soon for a set.

I have some super sports I need to get rid of. It might be about a month until I get new springs so I wouldn't wait.

PM message

answer: steeda sports springs....DUH.

Ill trade you straight up.

Ive got H&R Sport springs in trade for your SuperSports.

Mustangtuning quotes that they give a 1-1.25in drop, the same as FRPP C springs. I would like the looks of the H&R sports, I am just investigating to make sure they won't screw up my alignment like the super sports.

I was talking to whitethunder about selling them to him, but nothing was set in stone. This would be better for me than selling them and buying new sports springs so I am very interested in this trade. I am going to try and call up an alignment place tomarrow and ask if they think a 1.5-1.6" drop would be ok with out CC plates. If it looks like I will have the same results with the springs as many on this forum then I would like to trade.

Tomarrow I will take pictures of my springs and post them. I do not know how many miles my springs have on them since they were installed when I bought the car. My car is a 99 and has 75k miles on it.

Thanks

if u get the H&R sports....u MAY have to get CC plates....there are those that never needed them..and some that did. its a hit or miss. If I were u...and I kinda am cause I plan on getting H&R sports....be PREPARED for CC plates. if the CC plates put you past budget...and you wont be able to afford them anytime soon..then I PERSONALLY wouldnt take the chance....

as they say.....Anything over 1-1/2" drop will probally need CC platez.

Thanks for the tip.

I would obviously prefer not to have to buy them, but if needed I could probally afford to pay ~$150-200 or I thought I saw some $100 ones.

However, I am going to try and install the springs myself, how hard are caster camber plates?


Thank you

If you install Caster/Camber plates, you NEED an alignment. You Might as well have them install them so it doesnt eat your tires away from being off. It could pull your car to the left or right pretty hard if its not set up right.

I would get an alignment even if I didn't need cc plates. But are these plates as difficult to install as springs, or could I put them in when I do the springs easily?
So you were serious and might trade with me? Because that would be awsome.

Here are some pictures I took today. I really went crazy and took a ton. They have alittle dirt on them, I only spent 10 minutes wiping them off with paper towels so they can get cleaner.

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/1...gle43rm.th.jpghttp://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2...tom41qq.th.jpghttp://img116.imageshack.us/img116/1...ose14pz.th.jpghttp://img116.imageshack.us/img116/9...back2yr.th.jpg

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/8579/top44wt.th.jpg

This pic shows the huge gap in my wheel wells. It doesn't look this bad in person, this angle just shows it at its worst.

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/6493/gap3ic.th.jpg

I am starting to think I should not go with the H&R sport springs. First of all, I have a V6 and the previous owner did a dual exhaust mod to it. I am unsure of what exhaust he put on, but under the car it hangs about .5-.75in.

Also, I read in another topic that around 1.5" where the H&R sports go it is better to add new shocks or struts or something if your car has alot of miles since the lower springs wear them down quicker(I forget exactly). My car has 75k miles so unless it already has new "whatever they were" I would need to purchase them. I would not want to spend the extra money on these and/ or caster camber plates.

I am going to put a tape measurer next to my car and photoshop a 1"-1.25" drop and see how I like it. I am looking into FRPP c springs and steeda sports.

Is there a reason I should pay $80 more for the Steeda sports?



Thank you,

Ps: If I do not trade these super sport springs I will be selling them.

i wish you had posted this a week or 2 ago. i have steeda sport springs that i would gladly have traded for h&r supersports the springs are cut now though..

as with most steeda parts, they are exactly the same as ford racing parts. steeda exhaust is the same as the ford racing exhaust and steeda springs are the same as frpp springs. save the money and go with ford racing..

also, do the install yourself. its really not difficult at all. you can do it yourself in 4 hours or grab a buddy and cut the time down. save the money and use it for caster camber plates instead. also, dont take your car to tire kingdom to get it alligned (or any other place like it for that matter) find a local car forum and find a place they recommend to do the job. i just found a guy that alligned my car for $40 and did a hell of a job on it. tire kingdom couldnt allign my car properly a year ago when the car was an inch higher.

That is a shame I didn't post earlier. Thanks for the tips. If I do choose the steeda I will just get FRPP C springs.

How big of a drop did they give you precut?

I haven't had time to photoshop my car yet, but I do not know if I would be happy with just 1inch.

You said to save the money from installing it yourself to castercamber plates. A big reason I was looking at the smaller drop was so I wouldn't need the CC plates.

If they are needed on all or most springs I might be in a delima again between c springs and h&r sports.

Although I do not know if c springs need new shocks.

Just out of curiosity why is steeda more expensive if they are the exact same? Also, I was wondering what springs stock saleens come with.


Thanks for your time

This hour I am currently leaning towards the Eibach Pro Kit as it lowers 1.5 all arounds vs. 1.6 in the fron and 1.5 in the back for H&R sports.

I don't think the C springs would get a big enough drop for me.

I guess I'll save for shocks/strutts/cc plates too. :o

Stay tuned and in ~2 hours I will tell you which springs I have changed my mind towards.

if it were me i would put the h&r supersports back in and get some caster camber plates and go somewhere that really knows how to allign a car. do the work yourself and save the money plus you'll feel good about doing the work yourself. if you dont want it that low then i would trade someone for the h&r sports. dont purchase new springs, its not worth the money. as for shocks and struts look into the bullit setup. ~$60 each for the rears and ~$110-$120 each for the fronts (randy can help you out with this). this will give you a much much better ride plus these shocks and struts are designed for lowered cars. order some caster camber plates, they're not always needed but its a good idea to get them anyway for extra adjustment.

if you need any help or have questions about swapping the springs just pm me.

I am going to try and find someone to trade my super sports for their sports. I will trade springs asap, but I will wait to install them when I have bought the shocks/struts since I think you put them in at the same time.

Is it inconvenient to have to install caster camber plates later? I am unsure of how they are installed. For example if I have to take the springs out to put the plates in then I might put CC plates in at the same time as the other stuff.

Also, I do not know anything about shocks/struts. Since my car has 75k miles do I really need to get them? I am not very concerned with performance racing or anything, mainly reliability.


Thank you

it's really up to you if you wanna do shocks and struts, i would recommend it at 75k miles but i havent ridden in your car so i dont really know if you need them. they will tighten up your suspension it wont bounce as much. if you think your struts and shocks are ok then just leave the ones you have. i'd still recommend getting them. and yes its easier to do them at the same time as your springs so you dont have to do the same work twice.

the caster camber plates sit inside your engine bay at the top of your strut towers. you dont neccessarily have to do them at the same time but if you replace them later you're going to have to get your car alligned again. they're not very hard at all to replace.

I'm gonna kinda jump in here too. I just found out yesterday I have Eibach Pro Kit springs on my car, I like the way it sits, but the ride quality blowwwwssss. Car has 46K miles on it. This summer I was gonna do some upgrading, Billstein HD shocks/struts, maximum motorsports tie rod ends, caster/camber plates, and XL subframe connectors.

On a scale of 1-10, my ride is about a 3 I think, with mods listed above what do you think it would jump up too?

when i put on full length subframes it really tightened up the car but wont make much difference on the ride. the shocks and struts will make a pretty good difference. caster camber plates just make it more adjustable and dont affect the ride. is you're car alligned properly right now? if so you probably dont need the caster camber plates. i needed them because my car was off by -3 degrees on both front wheels.
do you do a lot of road courses? if not i'd suggest just going with the bullit shocks/struts. it's an excellent setup for the money. unless you need adjustable shocks/struts.

I was told the bullitt was not a great deal, and I can get the Billstein for under 500 bux with shipping. I'm huge in the reasoning of you get what you pay for. I know the Bullitt would be an ok suspension, but I'd rather go with something that's truley the best. What else could I do to improve ride quality? Upper and lower rear control arms?

i think the bullit suspension is a great suspension for the money but if you want the billsteins then go for it. let me know how they feel. you dont always get what you pay for imo. most of the time you're paying for the name. $500 seems like a pretty good price to me though. upper and lower control arms didnt make a difference on the ride at all to me. they do help your launch a lot though. my car used to almost go sideways on the 1-2 shift but seems much better now. i still cant drop the clutch from a stop and expect traction but it seems at least a little better off the line. could also be my wallet talking.

i wouldnt rate the bullit suspension as ok, i think its great and definitely the best bang for the buck as far as suspension goes.

Yea I agree with Floppy.The Bullit kit is a good deal.It improves alot of things and does'nt lower it alot for people worried about scrapping.

i actually only have the bullit shocks/struts but i love em.