Calling All Rear Suspension Gods!

[Madd_Hatter_1979]

Doing a major overhaul to my 88 GT, and going to start with the suspension first. First mod will be MM full length subframe connectors. Been doing alot of research into rear suspension setups, looked into the cobra IRS, the MM torque arm and panhard bar setup as well as Steeda's Watts link conversion. The IRS setups are getting increasingly difficult to find and very pricey, so i have begun considering other alternatives. I live in East TN, home to some of the best twisty mountain roads in creation, including The Dragon. I want the best option for the rear suspension as the front will be a MM K member and LCA, with coilover strut setup. I will also be upgrading to 31 spline axles and SN95 style 4 wheel disc brakes. Should I hold out and scrounge for the IRS, OR would one of the other systems provide similar results and be more readily available?

 

[A5literMan]

I'd continue with the mm stuff front and back. Do their entire track pack and you'll have a very solid handling package. MM makes some of,if not the best products for these cars.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Yeah, as a reference, all of the Mustangs that are on road courses that the owners routinely post up video of the car on the track are doing it w/ a live rear axle. The car is a decent platform, it can be made great for what you want to do using what you got w/ the help of MM or Griggs.

 

[mikestang63]

MM grip in a box

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

And one day I'll come up to TN, and we'll both drive the Dragon.

 

[Madd_Hatter_1979]

Thanks for the input, and as soon as the old girl is back together we can definitely run it!

 

[90lxwhite]

Thanks for the input, and as soon as the old girl is back together we can definitely run it!

Give us some pictures of the dragon

 

[Madd_Hatter_1979]

I dont have any pics and its been a few years since ive been but here are a couple of map pics from a google search... and there are TONS of vids on youtube...

 

[2000xp8]

While i'm not saying you should do the irs, i'm not for or against it, i'd like to say that with what you are going to dump into a solid axle you could just as easily do the irs. So pricey shouldn't be your issue.
What will be your issue with it is wheels and tire you find that fit how you want.

 

[Madd_Hatter_1979]

The pros of doing the solid axle are i can but a piece at a time as budget and my financier(aka the misses) allows... where as the IRS most ive seen are selling for 1500 or so and up... all at once... wheels are going to be the SVE Drift's in 18x9, the rear qtr panels are getting cut out in favor of the wider ones sold by chicane 23... the fronts will also most likely need extensive massaging to fit that large a wheel as well with tires being 275x35 18's... If i do end up dropping a pile of money it will most likely just end out being Steeda's watts link kit... as there wont be any ground clearance issues like there are with the torque arm, even those arent that much... but just looking for opinions as to what folks have used and what they like... keep in mind im a road course/ canyon carver kind of guy NOT a straight line guy...

 

[MFE92]

Only thing is the IRS's seem to be getting harder to come by.

 

[A5literMan]

Only thing is the IRS's seem to be getting harder to come by.

Bleh. What do you know about handling

 

[tonydalrymple]

Bwahahahahaahaaaaa..... That was a good one A5LiterMan! "Cause you just know MFE is all about drag racing & stuff.....

MFE is right; the IRS stuff is getting harder to come by nowadays.... Way back when, you could get a complete IRS setup from an '03-'04 Cobra guy going drag racing & installing a solid axle for next too nothing; $300 to $400 being the typical price for the low mileage setup.... More than a decade later; not so easy anymore...

 

[jetmech807]

Hard, but not impossible. I traded my stock SRA for a stock IRS out of an 03 last summer. Cost me my half of the labor $500. I threw in a new set of FRPP 3.73's with install kit. Had rethought my gearing and decided 3.55's would be better. And this was the second guy that wanted to trade. First guy could never come up with his half of the money.

And I know this is Fox thread, so trading won't really work, correct? I honestly don't know. Point is, cheap ones are still around. Find a mid 10 sec termi owner at the drag track who still has IRS. Those are your best bets.

 

[Madd_Hatter_1979]

lol... good advice but i thing im mist likely gonna squirrel away the cash and just buy Steedas watts link setup. looks really bad ass, has gotten alot of good reviews, doestn have the under axle clearance issues nor the added weght of MM's torque arm setup...

 

[2000xp8]

Way back I looked into the steeda watts link, while I bet it's awesome it has one major flaw that some aren't willing to live with (including me).
"It requires use of side-exit or turn-down exhaust system "
I really hate no tailpipes on a street car and it looks especially horrible on an lx (I know you have a gt). And It's awful to drive around in a car with dumps, daily driver or not, it's terrible.
It's also $1300, so the idea of piece mealing it, doesn't really work.

IRS's are like everything else, you see them over priced, under priced and priced right, problem is that all people see are the over priced ones, because those are the ones that don't sell quick.
Value is probably around $800 or so complete, much more if they have level 5 half shafts or extras.
Case in point, when I read your post I gave craigs a look, the one listed for $1000 is now gone, the one for $2500 is still there (although fully built up).

I have no horse in this race, my post was really meant to make sure you knew that tailpipes are going to be a thing of your past. I actually like all the setups, but each one has it's advantages and disadvantages.

 

[Madd_Hatter_1979]

Turn downs arent a deal breaker to me, Ive had a custom X and turn turn downs on it before... so thats not a killer to me... i am leaning towards the Steeda system because it doesnt add any weight like the MM stuff does. While it looks great and im sure performs like a champ, my GT hatch is already a porker, and am looking to lighten her up as much as possible...

 

[jetmech807]

I think the newer Steeda 5 link set up will clear some tail pipes. @tjsteeda

 

[bird_dog0347]

I was in a similar spot, but I had a 5 lug disk rear from a SN95 so my wheels were pushed too far out, the axle had 2.73 gears I think and needed a rebuild as it was. I had crappy shocks, needed control arms, etc. I found an IRS from an 04 for $500 complete and snagged it. I had to sell my cat back and buy another, I had to do all the normal work to fit it in there, and tomorrow I'll be ordering a full coil over kit which is even more money. BUT... I wanted 3.55 gears anyways, it's got 31 spline axles, and handles better hands down than my old setup did and there's NO WAY I could have rebuilt the rear end and gotten even close to the current handling with the same amount of money on the stick axle. Tailpipes were a deal breaker for me as well, since I have a coupe. I'm very happy with my choice, but it was certainly a lot of work and wheel options are limited, for a 9" wide wheel you will need a 6.75 back space and a 275 tire to fit, you'll be maxed out unless you do the hardtail modification to the subframe.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

IF I was doing it I'd put two "tunnels" on top of the rearend through the floor to allow my exhaust to come over the axle and exit where they belong.

No way in hell would I live in big boy land w/ exhaust turndowns. These cars stink bad enough w/ a full length exhaust, and dumping the exhaust right under the floor dramatically increases the likelihood that your wife will bitch you out for making handling a priority over breathing, while at the same time, NOT being able to hear her Barry Manilow CD's over the all too loud exhaust that will now be droning away 18" behind your ass..