Complete newb :/

iver76erson03

New Member
May 24, 2007
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Hey guys. New to the forum and new to the mustang world. I am 17 and buying my first car in a little less than a week. Saved up enough to put a major down payment down on a 2001 mustang gt. Not your typical stupid ass kid though like most that I know, I like to take care of the things I own as I worked for them. I always wanted one so I figured Id save up and go for it. Here's my dilemma. Dont laugh. I don't know alot about cars but would like to do some tasteful things to the car that I will have professionally installed. I want new tires and rims, exhaust and suspension.

The only thing I need advice on is suspension as I dont know alot about it. Ive read up on the main components in other threads but am really just curious as to what control arms, springs shocks, struts dampers really do. Are dampers the same thing as struts? What really will I need? I dont want to go throwing money on things I don't need or know much about.
 
Welcome........Congrats on saving up for a 01 GT @ your age....Dampers are the same thing as shocks & struts, & if u plan on lowering the car u should definately get some good aftermarket ones. I prefer Bilsteins, but I would assume you are probably on a budget, so some Tokico's or Kyb's should do the trick, as long as you dont go too low. For springs I prefer the h&r supersports because they lower the car just the right amount for a daily driver, & to still look like u actually lowered the car. And the last thing u will probably need are the Caster/ Camber plates to get your alignment right, and you will need an alignment 4 sure. The Maximum Motorsports ones are the best, but BBk should be ok if you are on a budget. This is all you will need to lower your stang the right way....Now if you want to go a little deeper with your suspension, check my mod list..... Good Luck, & be careful when u get your stang....
 
Wow thanks for the quick reply. Ill definetly look into what you've talked about. Any advice on the cheapest place to buy from? Possibly kits that might include alot of these items together and save me some $? You're not kiddin when you said you assumed I was on a budget lol. I might have to save for a kit after I get some new tires on it. Anywho I can guarantee ya I aint gonna be stupid with it. But im guessing thats what they all say....:D

Oh and another newb question what the difference between coilovers and springs what are the +/- I see you have front coilovers and rear springs. Just a little uneducated lol.
 
What are you going for? Do u just want to lower it on a budget? Dont reallly know where to find kits, because I bought everything seperately. Check Ebay for the best price, or check your local craigslist.

Here was a decent price on the budget tokico shocks/struts...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOKI...tegoryZ33590QQihZ006QQitemZ160120320315QQrdZ1

Here is the caster/camber plates I recomend

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Maxi...tegoryZ33581QQihZ001QQitemZ110130439260QQrdZ1

& here are the springs

http://www.maximummotorsports.com/index.html?https&&&www.maximummotorsports.com/store/
 
In this first pic is my front suspension with the standard spring installed. Notice the location of the spring & how it is seperate from the strut. This setup will probably be better for u right now because coilovers are very costly, & they arent absolutely necessary...Standard lowering springs will be fine for your setup.

http://www.cardomain.com/member_pag...ages/5/web/2585000-2585999/2585752_7_full.jpg

Here is a pic of the coilover spring & kit & the kit installed on the car
http://www.cardomain.com/member_pag...ges/5/web/2585000-2585999/2585752_93_full.jpg

http://www.cardomain.com/member_pag...ges/5/web/2585000-2585999/2585752_92_full.jpg
 
Here is Maximum Motorsports explanation of coilovers....I appologize for it being so long, sorry, I didnt know how to link it.......


Dramatically improve the performance of your Mustang's front suspension system by installing a coil-over conversion kit from Maximum Motorsports. With spring rates available in 25 lb/in increments, and enough ride height adjustability for any situation, your vehicle can be tuned for any type of driving imaginable.

Vehicles being tuned for cornering performance will benefit from better handling and better ride quality with our coil-over kit. In the front, when the spring is in the stock location on the front control arm, better handling can be had with higher spring rates, but ride quality begins to suffer severely with rates over 850 lbs/in. A coil-over kit allows the use of wheel rates that are much higher than those of an 850lbs/in spring in the stock location. This will dramatically reduce body roll and brake dive. See here for an explanation of wheel rate.

Those looking for improved drag race performance will find that their car transfers more weight to the rear tires and handles better at high speed with a coil-over conversion kit in place. Because spring location is optimized with a coil-over kit, suspension bind is drastically reduced. This allows the front suspension to travel much more freely than with a spring in the stock location. This is important, because unlike the stock suspension, a coil-over kit does not require extremely soft springs to achieve decent suspension compliance. With a coil-over conversion, stiffer springs that help control the vehicle's handling at high speed can be chosen, without a significant adverse affect on weight transfer.

Sufficient bump travel, or suspension compression from ride height, is crucial for proper ride quality, especially on lowered vehicles. Front-end bump travel is maximized, with MM kits, by properly positioning the upper spring perch under the strut tower with the provided assortment of spacers. We also machine the undersides of the upper spring perches to minimize the stack height of the kit. This is something that other manufacturers overlook. Not doing so will reduce bump travel by as much as one inch! This attention to detail sets MM coil-over kits apart from our competitors' kits.

Other unique features include O-rings that seal the thrust bearings in the upper spring perches to ensure longevity by keeping dirt and water out, and grease in, easily adjustable ride height, the ability to do corner weighting, ease of measuring bumpsteer, decreased weight, and a wide selection of available spring rates.

Unlike other companies, we include a soft, closed cell polyurethane bumpstop with the Tokico and Koni front coil-over kits. Bilstein struts have their own internal bumpstop, and therefore do not require one in the kit. Bumpstops are crucial because they allow the suspension travel to come to a progressive and smooth end. Without them, the strut will abruptly bottom against the upper spring perch, causing unpredictable and potentially dangerous handling, as well as possible severe damage to suspension components.

Caster/Camber Plate Considerations

When using a coil-over kit, caster/camber plates (c/c plates) are required. To properly support the loads, you should use well-designed steel c/c plates with a high quality spherical bearing. Rubber or urethane c/c plate bushings will not be able to handle the load without excessive deformation and possible failure. Most aluminum c/c plates are not strong enough for coil-over applications. Those that are strong enough are very thick and may unnecessarily reduce bump travel. Additionally, thick c/c plates have a limited alignment range because of hood interference.

1979-93 c/c plates only require three bolts in their design because the strut top is captured within the triangle formed by these bolts (as viewed from the top). This means that each bolt carries a relatively equal portion of the vertical strut load, and the load is evenly distributed into the strut towers.

For 1994-04 Mustangs, Maximum Motorsports makes the only c/c plates suitable for use with a Coil-Over kit--our innovative 4-bolt Caster/Camber Plates (patent 6485223). On 1994-04 cars, the strut top is located outside of the triangle formed by the three factory mounting bolts (as viewed from the top). With a 3-bolt c/c plate, only two bolts carry nearly the entire vertical load, placing a large bending load on the plate. This load is unevenly distributed into the strut tower, causing the mounting bolts to pry on the strut towers, possibly bending them or even resulting in c/c plate failure. MM added a fourth bolt, so the strut top is captured within the square formed by the four bolts (as viewed from the top). This distributes the load evenly into the strut tower and prevents any possible damage.
 
Hey guys. New to the forum and new to the mustang world. I am 17 and buying my first car in a little less than a week. Saved up enough to put a major down payment down on a 2001 mustang gt. Not your typical stupid ass kid though like most that I know, I like to take care of the things I own as I worked for them. I always wanted one so I figured Id save up and go for it. Here's my dilemma. Dont laugh. I don't know alot about cars but would like to do some tasteful things to the car that I will have professionally installed. I want new tires and rims, exhaust and suspension.

The only thing I need advice on is suspension as I dont know alot about it. Ive read up on the main components in other threads but am really just curious as to what control arms, springs shocks, struts dampers really do. Are dampers the same thing as struts? What really will I need? I dont want to go throwing money on things I don't need or know much about.



learn to drive the car with stock suspension, its much more forgiving and more fun... after you've gotten that down then start toying with it...

only mods i would say are really good to do while learning to drive are a catback or midpipe and a short shifter... anything else might screw up the dynamics of the car
 
learn to drive the car with stock suspension, its much more forgiving and more fun


Huh....I always felt like the stock suspension was dangerous and deadly. :shrug:


But anyways.....sounds like you got a pretty good idea on where to start with your Mustang. Exhaust is always a must on a v8. Suspension, keep it simple with the springs/shocks unless you really really get into road racing or something. The control arms are the bars that connect the rear-end assembly to the frame. Usually one on top, one on bottom on each side. They swing up and down with the rear end as it hops. Aftermarket control arms are usually alot stronger and stiffer, and lighter. So you might have less lateral flex with them and would lose some weight. Neither of which is a big deal unless you're looking to out corner a Porsche.