What was Ford thinking when they put together the rear suspension?

Pokageek

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Jun 10, 2005

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Nov 29, 2007

#1

• Nov 29, 2007

• #1

Even with my cars currently mismatched intake putting out barely over 400 HP, the car feels loose, wobbly, twisting and squirmy in the rear end. I can see spinning wheels but I have never had a car where suspension twists so much that the power feels like it is going all over the place EXCEPT to the wheels. Every now and then it somehow plants it and takes flight but for the first time I can see where this needs ALOT of upgrading.

In my o the Z28 I had put a lot more to the ground. I don't know exactly why but it did...alot better than this car.

Its funny, you think you are done spending $$ by upgrading the power and then learn a quick lesson about the rest of the car and things you didn't know or consider b4 that also need to be ugraded.

Did anyone own one of those old muscle era cars? I am willing to bet they put more down to the pavement than these stangs..meaning, the grip on this car is so bad in so many areas, I am wondering if the old muscle cars were better grip in straight line acceleration than ours.

 

69clark

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Sep 25, 2002

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Nov 29, 2007

#2

• Nov 29, 2007

• #2

answer to all you problems.... Maxiumum Motorsports!

 

RWDtech

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Feb 28, 2006

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central Indiana

Nov 30, 2007

#3

• Nov 30, 2007

• #3

lol, first of all, are you still running the little 225/60/15's or whatever is the stock tire size?

 

SN95StangMan

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#4

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They probably thought, "this should be able to withstand 215FWHP"

 

SublimeRT

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#5

• Nov 30, 2007

• #5

I had a '70 Challenger and it didn't really put the power down, but that can be attributed to regular radial street tires and big block torque. With a good tire it would've hooked and went, but the old Mopars had leaf springs, so not much room for the rear end to be all over the place. The leafs actually do pretty good for straight line acceleration until your setup gets really stout, then things can start to be a handful.

Probably the biggest problem with the stock setup is the upper control arms trying to do 2 jobs and not really doing either that good. A panhard bar OR watts link and torque arm OR EvM trilink seperates them allowing things to work as they should have. You can start off by getting some good shocks/springs or coilovers, good LCAs and new UCA bushings for the housing side and UCAs (avoid poly bushings for these, they only make the problem of bind with the stock setup worse). The UCA bushings and uppers that MM sells are the best to use until you can eliminate the UCAs through the use of either a torque arm or trilink setup. If you decide to change the UCA bushings, get the MM bushing tool....it will save you lots of frustration. Also before ANY of that, get some good subframe connectors if you haven't. MM and Griggs are the only ones I'd consider, but that's just me.

 

Pokageek

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#6

• Nov 30, 2007

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Thanks guys. its all a learning process for me. I will put my suspension mods in my sig as I have been asking more ques about suspension lately. I have kenny brown subframes and they dont seem all that great to me. they are cross shaped.

 

Car Nut

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Snellville, Georgia (Atlanta area)

Nov 30, 2007

#7

• Nov 30, 2007

• #7

Subs won't feel like much if everything else is aging and out of whack.

When I upgraded my rear suspension, it was night and day. I couldn't believe how many little noises went away too!

I did the rear in two steps:

1. New MM RLCAs and FFRP UCAs. Also put new bushings in the diff, as perscribed by MM.

2. New swaybars (front and rear). New MM panhard bar.


If you've still got stock stuff, you're in for a real treat with even the basic stuff.

Depending on the $$$ you want to throw at the suspension, you can upgrade all the stock stuff and add a PHB. If you go with a torque arm, the expense is somewhat more, but the benefits are there too.

Good luck.

 

gcomfx.com

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Nov 30, 2007

#8

• Nov 30, 2007

• #8

331 TrickFlow engine - before tuning.

Stock suspension sucks? What ever would you be talking about?

 

Pokageek

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Nov 30, 2007

#9

• Nov 30, 2007

• #9

CN, what did yo uge tfor a rear sway bar? I could not find anything larger than the stock cobra 25mm and have heard others say it made no difference.

 

OrangeMustangGt

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Nov 30, 2007

#10

• Nov 30, 2007

• #10

the suspension idea isnt all that bad...is a semi-4 link coil system, and can work really good when upgraded, but remember the factory shoots for NVH and stock power level drivability

 

AP1995V6

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Jul 13, 2003

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Oxford, MS

Nov 30, 2007

#11

• Nov 30, 2007

• #11

The swaybars have more to do with understeer and oversteer than they do with wheel hop and squishy suspension.

After-market lowers, poly bushings, and shocks/springs are your best bet for tightening up the rear end.

The panhard bar would be good as well since it reduces torsion and sloshing of the rear end.

 

Engel

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Apr 2, 2005

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Currently Fort Walton Beach

Dec 1, 2007

#12

• Dec 1, 2007

• #12

lol do some bilsteins and upgrade all the bushings, frpp upper control arms, mm lower control arms, difference is night and day


Im not playing games anymore with the rear im dropping in IRS with MM bushings in Jan

 

J

Juggalo95

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May 27, 2007

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Dec 3, 2007

#13

• Dec 3, 2007

• #13

Ive owned 2 2nd gen f bodies..not big on power stock but they share the same chassis/rear suspension as the early camaros. I had decent power from sbc's...and the power felt like it was hiting the pavement and when I burned out it didnt feel like the rear end was taking a beatin...my gt feels like its taking a beatin everytime i burnout..my car is a aode and my camaros were th350 cars. The stang feels more stable in turns and on bumpy roads but the leaf sprung cars felt stronger in a straightline sprint


ooh on a sidenote..my stang feels "built tougher" than my b16 crx and that has hasport halfshafts...my stang is a lot slower though but torque feels great and fwd burnouts suck

 

mustang6tee8

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Jul 19, 2005

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College Station, TX

Dec 3, 2007

#14

• Dec 3, 2007

• #14

owning both classic and late model stangs, I say "damn, how can I get SN95 suspension in my 68!!!"

 

Car Nut

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Snellville, Georgia (Atlanta area)

Dec 3, 2007

#15

• Dec 3, 2007

• #15

Pokageek said:

CN, what did yo uge tfor a rear sway bar? I could not find anything larger than the stock cobra 25mm and have heard others say it made no difference.

Click to expand...

I asked MM about the swaybars and which ones they recommended with their Road & Track kit and they stated they really like the Eibach kit.

I couldn't be happier with the setup. The only issue I have of any kind is the tight fitment of the Bassani tailpipes around the PHB parts. Some header wrap fixed the problem so far (to remove any metal to metal contact).

 

go-stang5.0

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Dec 3, 2007

#16

• Dec 3, 2007

• #16

I would rather you start with a MM PHB and TQ arm. You will see a tremendous difference in rear grip. The system can be optimized later with proper springs and new LCA's but getting rid of the rear uppers is the best improvement you can make.

Our stock triangulated 4 link system is badly setup, thats not to say that all triangulated 4 links are bad...just ours.

 

cobramanphil

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Apr 13, 2004

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Bay Area

Dec 5, 2007

#17

• Dec 5, 2007

• #17

They were thinking costs..mostly.