Lowering Kit = changing stock shocks also?

pwhite05 · May 6, 2005

I heard somewhere that the lowering springs really wear out the stock shock absorbers. Does anyone with a Pro-Kit or Sportline have any problems after about a month with the stock shocks? Are there any performance shocks availabe yet?

Jenns01TA · May 28, 2005

pwhite05 said:
I heard somewhere that the lowering springs really wear out the stock shock absorbers. Does anyone with a Pro-Kit or Sportline have any problems after about a month with the stock shocks? Are there any performance shocks availabe yet?

Hope you already got an answer from someone... If not,

Eibach's Pro-kit will be fine with the stock shocks. Sportline will be a little more rough on them and the suspension in general, the drop is a little more aggressive and you really would want to start reengineering the complete suspension from bump-steer kits and anti-roll, caster camber kits, etc.

Both of these kits are progressive rate coils and will make a substantial differance in overall stiffness and spring recoil and compression. I would have to say, from an engineering standpoint, either should, theoretically, be less harsh on the shocks than a constant rate coil.

I would have to take a closer look at the coil-over design and shock length to see if the drop is significant enough to cause continuous compression which would cause premature failure of the shock.

If you are at all concerned, I would suggest the Pro System or Pro Sytem Plus. You'll get a comprehensive kit that is engineered as an integrated package with proven track performance.

Have fun and drive safe...

Jennifer

afixer · May 28, 2005

wow jen i think i love you! LOL

i have the steeda pro kit installed and the ride is fine and i havent noticed any probs with the shocks.

Jenns01TA · May 28, 2005

afixer said:
wow jen i think i love you! LOL

i have the steeda pro kit installed and the ride is fine and i havent noticed any probs with the shocks.

Hahahahaha... Jenn = Engineering Nerd just for the fun of it.

I put the Pro-kit on my 98 V-6 and I loved the ride quality. In my opinion, Eibach is da' bomb as for track proven technology! "The Will to Win", isn't just a product branding for them, they actually believe it in every product they produce....

Jenn

kevins05v-6 · May 29, 2005

afixer said:
wow jen i think i love you! LOL

i have the steeda pro kit installed and the ride is fine and i havent noticed any probs with the shocks.

everyone loves Jen, she is one of the smartest people on the board!!

Jenns01TA · May 29, 2005

kevins05v-6 said:
everyone loves Jen, she is one of the smartest people on the board!!

Ahhhh Shucks Kev..... How am I supposed to live up to that statement? The pressure...... hahahahahaha...

Jenn

liimey · Jun 8, 2005

Lowering kits

Jenns05Stang said:
Ahhhh Shucks Kev..... How am I supposed to live up to that statement? The pressure...... hahahahahaha...

Jenn

Jenn,

As you are the resident expert. Are there any other viatl mods required to the car if I put on the Eibach Pro sprint lowering kit? Steeda recommend the the bump Steer lit as well as the control arm relocation kit

NJstangpilot · Jun 8, 2005

liimey,

If you drop the car more than 1 inch you will have to install the bumpsteer kit and have a professional alignment done (caster, camber, toe, etc). A quality alignment job should be done anytime you lower the car at all (even .5 to 0.75 inches) to assure proper performance. More than an inch drop changes the tie-rod angle significantly and can cause the wheel to "toe-in" when you hit a bump. This toe-in causes the car to turn (when you dont want it to). Bumpsteer kits return the tie rods to the proper angle.

The Eibach and Steeda spring kits can be used with the stock shocks. Even better performance is acheived with their matched shocks/struts, but the stockers will work well.

Progressive springs *may* wear out the shocks faster than straight rate springs depending on the roads you drive. Most progressive springs are initially softer than stock (to provide suppleness), then get stiffer quickly to control travel/bottoming. Thus, if you typically drive over many small "stutter-bumps" (quickly), the shock many oscillate more frequently than with the stock springs. Put another way: if the 1st 10% of travel is softer than stock, and you use this 10% most of the time, the overall effect is similar to having softer springs.

However, I don't think this is the case for 99% of normal driving.

j0nkatz · Jul 27, 2005

So do the lowering spring kits come with an install kit and instructions. I'm OK working on cars but have never swapped springs out.

afixer · Jul 27, 2005

here

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=541251

Jenns01TA · Jul 27, 2005

liimey said:
Jenn,

As you are the resident expert. Are there any other viatl mods required to the car if I put on the Eibach Pro sprint lowering kit? Steeda recommend the the bump Steer lit as well as the control arm relocation kit

Liimey,

I am not sure how I missed this one. Sorry about that. I Need to keep track of my posts better. But if you check out Eibach's website you will see that the Pro System and Pro System Plus incorporate the necessary suspension compenents for an all inclusive kit. I am not familiar with Steeda's products. Sorry. But, a bump steer is a good idea to prevent chassis deflection. NJstangpilot answered you well and timely. Thanks NJ. About the only thing I would add is that a caster/camber kit should really be used with suspension reductions over .75" and a quality alignment is a MUST!

j0nkatz,

afixer's gotcha covered with the Eibach install tech write up.

Good Luck and yell at us if you need any more assistance!

Jennifer

j0nkatz · Jul 28, 2005

Holy cow, I can handle that.
Thanks guys (and gals ) for the helpful hints!

afixer · Jul 28, 2005

as far as the steeda kit goes i have the sport kit and it made the camber go off. so make sure you get the 14mm adjuster bolt kit its under 40 bucks. i also have posted at times the removal info. but the pdf is too large but i can email it to you. i have the steeda pro kit no bump steer or relocate kit the car sits and rides great.

NJstangpilot · Jul 28, 2005

One other note on suspension mods. Most lowering springs will require you to trim (cut) the stock bumpstops on the shocks/struts. The bumpstops are the rubber cushons on the inner rod of the strut which soften the impact during full travel of the wheel. Since the effective travel of the suspension is reduced when a car is lowered, you will be hitting the bumpstops more often if you don't trim them as per the instructions (or install new/shorter ones).

Remember to have a QUALITY alignment job performed every time you modify your suspension (your buddy who's into cars using a T-square liquid level just doesn't cut it). The camber and caster will change when you lower a car. Often the stock adjustability is enough for the alignment shop to return these settings to proper. Lots of drop (more than 1 inch) may require C/C plates or offset bolts to correct this.

BTW, there are now 3 complete suspension kits available for the 2005 Mustang. Eibach, Saleen and Roush all have complete/matched kits (springs, dampers, stabilizers). H&R has springs only (bummer) and Steeda has the individual parts but not a complete, engineered kit yet. I'll post links if anyone is interested.

AvalancheSVT · Jul 28, 2005

do they make any real coilover setups fro you guys yet? heres the setup on my car. there must be something similar out.

NJstangpilot · Jul 28, 2005

Makoto,

This is the only coilover setup I've seen so far.

http://www.progressauto.com/catalog...2_204&osCsid=15c81fb37a062199ec0c6ca0e7fc63a5

This one is kind of close (front-only coilover)

http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=666/CA=96

H&R is supposed to be coming out with a "Cup Kit" and coilovers for the 2005, but I don't know when. Here are some other kits I found.

http://www.roushparts.com/ no direct link to the 2005 kit page.

http://www.saleen.com/SC101_Services/SC101_Shopper/showItem.php?menuId=3&itemNum=013-9591

brodude2002 · Jul 28, 2005

MMR offers some pretty nice suspension parts... http://v6mustangstuff.com/05Suspension3.htm

Rosa · Aug 2, 2005

W/ the Eibach Pro-Kit...

You do not need to replace your stock shocks unless you have had them for a long time ( a lot of miles ). If you get the pro-kit and you experience a bumpy ride then you know it's time to replace them. You can go with new OE shocks/struts. We at Eibach recommend performance shocks with our Sportline springs. But get the performance shocks for a smoother ride.

Jenns01TA · Aug 2, 2005

Hi Rosa,

Welcome to the V-6 Forum. I saw your post in the WC Discussion section. Thanks for coming in here.

What capacity do your hold at Eibach?

Jennifer

Rosa · Aug 2, 2005

Hi Jen-I've been at Eibach almost 2 years. I'm just here to answer questions and give a little feedback. Love the site.

Lowering Kit = changing stock shocks also?

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