How to make my 95 gt more "nimble"/responsive

resol · Mar 31, 2010

I've got a 95 GT / Auto. Mostly stock except for underdrive pulley's, K&N filter and BBK 70mm throttle body. I have 3.73 gears that i can throw in, wich i know will help a lot with "seat of the pants" feel. And a good shift reprograming kit. However I'm at a crossroad with what i should do. This isnt my favorite body style so i've been kicking around the idea of finding a fox coupe or ideally a MII(no bashing, I love them). So is it possible to get my GT to feel more nimble/responsive without replacing the whole suspension? How about the steering? Or should I move onto a fox or II turbo 4cyl to keep about the same power but more responsiveness?

ProKiller · Apr 1, 2010

lowering springs will tighten it up a bit, some better control arms and struts/shocks should help out with the planting. if you want a quicker response in the steering, get a solid steering shaft and a 03-04 cobra rack.

Adam95GT · Apr 1, 2010

resol said:
I've got a 95 GT / Auto. Mostly stock except for underdrive pulley's, K&N filter and BBK 70mm throttle body. I have 3.73 gears that i can throw in, wich i know will help a lot with "seat of the pants" feel. And a good shift reprograming kit. However I'm at a crossroad with what i should do. This isnt my favorite body style so i've been kicking around the idea of finding a fox coupe or ideally a MII(no bashing, I love them). So is it possible to get my GT to feel more nimble/responsive without replacing the whole suspension? How about the steering? Or should I move onto a fox or II turbo 4cyl to keep about the same power but more responsiveness?

IMO your not going to get the handling out of a fox chassis that you will be able to achieve with a sn95.

Good news is... The springs can be used on 79-04, You can use fox shocks and struts on a 94-95 as long as its lowered you actually get increased strut travel. This would allow you to swap them over to your fox if you do indeed get one. I think the CC plates however are 94-04

thethirdeye88 · Apr 1, 2010

suspension and aluminum steering rack bushings...call mm and talk to jason...also, you could lose alot of weight, takes less power to move a lighter car...

Dino Dino Bambino · Apr 1, 2010

resol said:
I've got a 95 GT / Auto. Mostly stock except for underdrive pulley's, K&N filter and BBK 70mm throttle body. I have 3.73 gears that i can throw in, wich i know will help a lot with "seat of the pants" feel. And a good shift reprograming kit. However I'm at a crossroad with what i should do. This isnt my favorite body style so i've been kicking around the idea of finding a fox coupe or ideally a MII(no bashing, I love them). So is it possible to get my GT to feel more nimble/responsive without replacing the whole suspension?

Yes. I did a few choice modifications to the front/rear suspension on my Stang and the difference in handling from stock is like night and day, all without compromising the ride quality. This is what I did:

Front: 1" lowering springs, all urethane bushings (including steering rack and antisway bar/endlinks).

Rear: 1" lowering springs, MM LCA's, Edelbrock UCA's.

earleys94gt · Apr 1, 2010

Get some lowering springs and some sub-frame connectors to start.

You could also get some better shocks and struts, to "stiffen" the ride.

resol · Apr 1, 2010

Thanx for all the responses. A new rack and bushing are waiting to be installed but they are just the standard bushing and stock replacement rack. I'll return them and get the urethane ones. I'll look into springs and struts/shocks. Not having subframe connectors is the only reason I haven't put the 3.73 gears in it yet. And pardon my ignorance but what is MM? It sounds really familiar but I'm drawing a blank

resol · Apr 1, 2010

As far as the Aluminum bushings go, seems it would cause extra stress on the joints in the tie rods. Has any used these and had any problems? And it will be going on a diet when I get the time. Losing the smog pump and AC system for sure.

DEFWISH · Apr 1, 2010

believe they're referring to Maximum Motorsports

resol · Apr 1, 2010

ahhh. thats it. tyvm

Venom351R · Apr 2, 2010

resol said:
Not having subframe connectors is the only reason I haven't put the 3.73 gears in it yet.

You dont have to have sub frames to run 3.73's or any gear for that matter. When/if you do get sub frames get the full length ones especially with a vert.

StadEMS3 · Apr 2, 2010

I put on Steeda sport springs, Koni shocks/struts, c/c plates, off-set A-arm bushings, off-set aluminum rack bushings, U&L control arms, Energy Suspension bushings everywhere, and Bear 13" brakes on all 4. It handles very well and I can feel every blemish in the road. Can't put on sub frame conectors because of the side exhaust.

thethirdeye88 · Apr 2, 2010

i ordered the aluminum steering rack bushings, havent got them on yet, also got the koni single adjustable (aggresive valved) coilovers in front, extreme duty adjustable lca, frpp uca, full length sub frames, mm panhard bar, and mm front a arms, re using my qa1 caster camber plates and tie rod end/bumpsteer kit...

krtw · Apr 3, 2010

ProKiller said:
get a solid steering shaft and a 03-04 cobra rack.

+1 for the steering shaft and 03-04 cobra rack, my steering is AWESOME... very tight and responsive.

RIO5.0 · Apr 4, 2010

Lowering it and full lenght subframes...It'll handle like your looking for... Subs made the most noticable dif to me.... Are you running 17's??

Husky44 · Apr 5, 2010

First you need to decide if you'll be happy with your SN95 once you get it handling/performing like you want. If you want a Fox or II, no amount of improvement in your SN95 will satisfy what you really want.

That said, here's my suggestions:

3.73s: Do it. No excuses.

Lowering: I swapped my springs last year for my Eibach Pro kit springs. Improved handling, but was still kinda sloppy. I did install my MM CC kit at that time. Just finished installing my Eibach Pro Damper springs and struts. Much better steering feel; the nose is a lot more "planted" where I put it, not wallering around as before. I say go with a kit, because it makes sense to get stuff that was designed by engineers to work together. That's my $.02, which will get flamed mercilessly, but I submit it for your consideration.

Subframes: I also just finished installing my MM full length subframes. VERY worthwhile investment. You won't realize how flexible your car is until you put them on.

Rear LCAs: Just finished installing these also: MM lower LCAs with the urethane bushings for the front. Rear end is much more "planted," both at launch (no more wheel hop) and in the twisties and bumps.

I can't tell you exactly which of my new installs made the biggest difference, but I can say that I'm very happy with the change in performance of my car. Spring in Alaska means frost heaves--very uneven road surfaces that would probably shock most of you if you've never been here. Last night I took the car out for it's inaugural test drive, down a two-lane road with no shoulders that gets torn up bad with the bumps (I forgot how bad). This is my normal testing ground. Last year when I went through some of the really bad sections, I was definitely on the outer edges of control. Car bounced, bottomed, and generally left me with a few white knuckle moments.

Same run last night, but with much worse heaves--no bottoming, no bouncing, even over those "oh *****" bumps, and it went where I wanted it to go, no matter what kind of pavement I was dealing with.

Plan your setup carefully, look for setups that are designed together (ie, Eibach springs and dampers), and you can have a great handling/running car, but no matter how many upgrades you make, you'll never have a II or a Fox.

resol · Apr 6, 2010

RIO5.0 said:
Lowering it and full lenght subframes...It'll handle like your looking for... Subs made the most noticable dif to me.... Are you running 17's??

I"m running the stock 16's on it right now. Thanx for the info.

resol · Apr 6, 2010

Husky44 said:
First you need to decide if you'll be happy with your SN95 once you get it handling/performing like you want. If you want a Fox or II, no amount of improvement in your SN95 will satisfy what you really want.

That said, here's my suggestions:

3.73s: Do it. No excuses.

Lowering: I swapped my springs last year for my Eibach Pro kit springs. Improved handling, but was still kinda sloppy. I did install my MM CC kit at that time. Just finished installing my Eibach Pro Damper springs and struts. Much better steering feel; the nose is a lot more "planted" where I put it, not wallering around as before. I say go with a kit, because it makes sense to get stuff that was designed by engineers to work together. That's my $.02, which will get flamed mercilessly, but I submit it for your consideration.

Subframes: I also just finished installing my MM full length subframes. VERY worthwhile investment. You won't realize how flexible your car is until you put them on.

Rear LCAs: Just finished installing these also: MM lower LCAs with the urethane bushings for the front. Rear end is much more "planted," both at launch (no more wheel hop) and in the twisties and bumps.

I can't tell you exactly which of my new installs made the biggest difference, but I can say that I'm very happy with the change in performance of my car. Spring in Alaska means frost heaves--very uneven road surfaces that would probably shock most of you if you've never been here. Last night I took the car out for it's inaugural test drive, down a two-lane road with no shoulders that gets torn up bad with the bumps (I forgot how bad). This is my normal testing ground. Last year when I went through some of the really bad sections, I was definitely on the outer edges of control. Car bounced, bottomed, and generally left me with a few white knuckle moments.

Same run last night, but with much worse heaves--no bottoming, no bouncing, even over those "oh *****" bumps, and it went where I wanted it to go, no matter what kind of pavement I was dealing with.

Plan your setup carefully, look for setups that are designed together (ie, Eibach springs and dampers), and you can have a great handling/running car, but no matter how many upgrades you make, you'll never have a II or a Fox.

Great advice and very detailed info. I appreciate it. Your first statement is my biggest issue right now. There are things I love about all of the mustangs. But not everything about each one. Love the exterior looks of 87-93 stangs but hate the instrument cluster. Like the dash layout of the 79-86 but don't care for the nose. Love the mustang II hatchbacks as long as its got louvers and the rear spoiler, but its not exactly a handling machine and I prefer EFI since its a DD. 94-98' Love the whole interior, not crazy about the exterior(nose and no fender flares). Thats enough rambling for me. Thanx for all the info from everyone. I'll keep posted about what I decide.

resol · Apr 6, 2010

This would make me happy with the interior of an 85-86 and an EFI 5.0

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