The basics for lowering a Mustang...

[MadonnaRioRedGT]

I'm very new to the suspension aspect of cars. I am possibly considering lowering my car to rid the huge gap between my tires and fender. However, I feel swamped with all the parts and configurations that are possible. I could really use a concise explanation of coil springs, coilovers, struts, shocks, isolators, ball joints, etc...Furthermore, what brands are available in these products? For each brand, what is the distinct look that is provided. Thanks.

- Brian

P.S.
I want the look that will leave the nose end of my car considerably lower than the rear. However, I do NOT want the front of my car slammed and scraping and rubbing the ground. What configuration would you suggest to achieve this?

 

[xomp]

hey, i have h&r supersports springs, tokico non-adjustable shocks/struts, and steeda c/c plates. you're probably going to need shorter endlinks too, cuz the stock ones are too long.

eibach sportlines 1.8/2.0", h&r supersport 1.75/1.6". front/back

the h&r are very sensitive compared to the sportlines, at least in my case. when i swapped the sportlines with the supersports, i thought there was something wrong with the tires or something, you can feel every bump in the road, but i got used to them quickly. but for either, theres a lot of jumping around at high speed when i hit small bumps and stuff on those crappy LA freeways.

if u want the rear that much higher, i guess u could get those adjustable lca's from mm or steeda, but the rears sit slightly higher with both springs.

for both it wouldnt make it up a normal driveway straight without scraping that plastic "scrape bar" thing on the bottom of the bumper (dunno y they even put it there). but it's not too much of an issue, i only need to barely turn sideways.

also, when i ordered the h&rs the guy said something like, "h&r are higher quality, made in germany". on the eibach springs it said: "MADE IN GERMANY". eh, salesmen.

i'll try to get some pics up.

 

[Beau]

i've got an eibach pro kit on mine. the drop is close to 1.5 inches. to further fill the gap i'm planning on going to 18 inch wheels.

 

[speed545]

i've got an eibach pro kit on mine. the drop is close to 1.5 inches. to further fill the gap i'm planning on going to 18 inch wheels.

Pro kit also , but i was planning on reducing the gap with 17" tires a bit taller like 255 instead of 245.

 

[01GT eibach]

Your car comes stock setup with struts in front and shocks in the rear. The basic mechanical difference between a shock and a strut is that is that a strut has an internal spring in addition to the piston mechanism that is needed to actual hold some of the car's weight (experts feel free to chime in and/or correct me...).

Isolators are basically small gaskets that fit between the spring and where they mount in the control arm.

Coilovers are exactly what they sound like, the spring physically surrounds the shock or strut. This is a preferred setup that allows very precise control of ride height and offers improved handling, but is definitely more costly. Most of us here do not have coilovers.

The rule of thumb is that lowering more than 1.5" will additionally require installation cc (caster/ camber) plates to get the car aligned within spec. When lowering, you will need a new pinion snubber (often included with springs but costs about $10 if not), and offset steering rack bushings to better align your steering rack to the new ride height (costs about $20).

My car has Eibach Pro Kit springs with Bilstein shocks/ struts (which I really like), but I will likely be changing them out for Tokico Illuminas for the 5-way adjustability.

 

[xomp]

eh, its the best i could get in the parking space. nice and dirty. h&r supersports.

 

[JoeySperz]

Pro kit also , but i was planning on reducing the gap with 17" tires a bit taller like 255 instead of 245.

255 or 245 is the width of the tire. height of the tire would be 40 or 45 (something similar to those #'s) the higher that number goes the higher the profile is of the tire.

Back on topic: I think that Eibach makes the best kit for our cars, but H&R are good also. IMO, Billstein or Tokico are the best choices for a shock/strut set up. Check out www.kmodifiedracing.com and call them. guarenteed best price for both kits and shocks. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!