Not road racing:Is Global West overkill?

As most have mentioned, it really comes down to how you plan to use your car. I built mine for cruise-ins, car shows, weekend pleasure drives and to drive it to work and the store once or twice a week. That being said I found the factory setup a bit too loose for my tastes. I wanted a little better handeling but did not need a road race car or daily drive so I went with 620 lpd one inch lower springs up front, thicker sway bar, eurethane bushing, gas shocks, one inch lower blocks for the rear and a rear sway bar. I already had new ball joints and lower Arms so I didn't need those. Man what a difference that made, the car handles a lot tighter and doesn't feel as loose in the turns. If you will make it your DD, these changes might be enough. You'd be amazed how much better than stock those changes will make, but they will be nowhere near like the GW pieces or an IRS setup. For me that is just too much money for how I am using my car. I'd rather spend that money like I did and use what I saved for disk brakes and other mods.

ravv 67 said:

Thanks for all the opinions. The car will be used 1 or 2x's a week so I'm leaning towards stock parts with othe modifications.
But I still haven't ruled out GW parts.

Is there anyone who has GW parts and only uses their car on the street and does no road racing? If so what is your opinion?

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I have the G/W parts and do not run the car on the track. I am in the process of replacing my original choice in front springs with something a little stiffer, going from variable rate springs to a set of 520# springs. I am also installing a set of Koni shocks that will replace the KYB gas a just units I started with. I am not looking for a track car, just want the Mustang to handle as well as possible. For what its worth, money was not a consideration when I bought the parts. I needed to replace all the suspension parts anyway, why not spend the extra up front rather than regret not making that choice at a later date, and finding myself upgrading them later.

A friend whom I met with a Mustang similar to mine graciously offered to have my new Koni shocks re-valved and adjusted on a dyno by a licensed Koni shop. He had his done and told me the changes made a huge difference in the handling of the car. They were returned to me a week or so ago and included a printout from the dyno showing the settings and preformance. I will take my first drive with them this weekend, I'm looking forward to feeling the difference.

suspension

I rebuilt my suspension last summer. I went stock replacement most places, but did some upgrade parts. I went with 620 one inch drop coils, TCP adjustable strut rods, Global West tie rod adjusting sleeves, TCP eccentric eliminator kit, and Edelbrock IAS shocks. I would suggest the strut rods because stock is a really bad design. The tie rod sleeves weren't expensive and are a lot stronger. The eccentric eliminator kit wasn't expensive either. The combination helps to keep alignment better for less trips to the shop and better tire wear. The alignment shop tech used to race Cougars on Nascar tracks in the sixties and he complimented my setup.

BobV said:

These questions / answers are SO predictable....

Everybody who does NOT have Global West will tell you they're overkill...

Everybody who DOES have them will tell you they're worth it...

My last car had them. My next one will too....

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+1
If you buy GW, you will not regret it. But are you gonna regret not buying? Got the TCP stuff myself, loves it!

Even if you're not going racing, there are those times when a good tune comes on the radio, and you get into a little more "spirited driving".

ravv 67 said:

Thanks for all the opinions. The car will be used 1 or 2x's a week so I'm leaning towards stock parts with othe modifications.
But I still haven't ruled out GW parts.

Is there anyone who has GW parts and only uses their car on the street and does no road racing? If so what is your opinion?

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I run OT's UCA and GW's LCA with S&T strut rods. I drive on the street and haven't seen the track...........yet.

Here's my opinion to add to the list. Everything I have in the car is WAY overkill, but I do plan on hitting the track and an autocross and love to put it into the curves.

If you're just a cruiser, stick to polyurethaned UCA and LCA. A shelby drop, set of roller perches and aftermarket strut rods are a must, no matter what you do with the car. They just make the front end work so much better, weither it's crusing or performance.

If you like spirited driving and still want to save some money, go with the boxed stock style UCA's an LCA's. Best of both worlds.

You really need to talk to John (opentracker). Tell him exactly what you want to do with the car and he will set you up with exactly what you need.

Here's the website even if you only want to look. www.opentrackerracingproducts.com