Picked this off of another forum. Kudos to Crazy Al!
Here are my more detailed thoughts on the more commonly discussed
suspension upgrades:
Sway Bars:
The front is quite good stock. There are many, many, things that I would replace before the front sway bar. In fact, I'd put the front sway bar at the very bottom of the "
suspension mod list". The rear, however, is an excellent thing to upgrade. A stiffer rear bar will help keep both tires planted when you hit the gas on the strip or coming out of a corner. It will also balance out the steering bias (understeer) the car has from the factory. I like the Steeda and the BMR ones the best, but there are many choices here: Steeda, BMR, Ford, Roush,
Eibach, etc. I left my front stock and got a Steeda rear--I normally don't like Steeda's billet aluminum parts, but their rear sway bar with the billet mounting bars is a great product. The billet bars are much stronger than the flimsy OEM ones. Another option would be to find a Shelby rear sway bar, as Ford increased the size of the rear bar on the GT500. Several companies sell a kit that has both front and rear sway bars. Personally I do not like these. I would stick with the rear ONLY. Stiffening the front is typically a DOWNGRADE because it will prevent you from eliminating the oversteer problem.
Al's Pick: Leave the front stock. Either Steeda or BMR rear.
Strut tower bars:
The theory of this product is that it ties together the front strut towers, reducing body flex. The S197 chassis is very stiff--espeically at the front strut towers. Consequently this isn't really needed. In my opinion, this is a mainly costmetic mod. There are tons of choices out there as this is a popular "me too" product that was popularized with ricers--becasue of this there's flood of them on the market. The the BMR is the strongest. If you seriously want one that's functional, that's what I'd get. The Steeda one with the billet ends is a joke and has an insane price tag. No thanks! Note that some strut tower bars can interfere with superchargers or plenum covers, so be careful of that.
Al's Pick: none. leave it stock and save your $$$ and weight for mods that really count.
Shocks:
If you want good shocks there are many options: FRPP and Saleen are a good match with lowering springs. But, the hot ticket is the Toicko D-specs. These are fully adjustable, so you can set up your car for street, road race, drag, or whatever you feel like. They also have very good valving, which was designed in part by Steeda. You can adjust them very quickly (less than 5 min for all 4 shocks), which gives you a lot of options. If you have to take a long trip with the family you can soften 'em up and make the car ride like a cadillac. Stiffen up all four when you drive in the twisties. You can leave the rear stiff and soften the front for better transfer on launch when you hit the drag strip....these are just some examples, but suffice it to say the D-specs are very very nice. Check with Brenspeed for the best price that I know of. Last time I checked they were $540 for all four, with free shipping!
Al's Pick: D-specs.
Springs:
Many choices here. Springs are mainly a cosmetic thing, but a mild drop will lower the center of gravity of the car and that can help cornering. All of the major brands are good (Eibach, Ford, Steeda, Roush, BMR). I'd make a choice depending on how much lowering you want. The most popular for mild drops are the Roush and the Steela "ultralite" springs. The Eibach Pro-Kit is really popular too. Roush will sell you sets of just fronts or just rears. Some guys, myself included, lowered just the rear of the car. I think that's nice if you want a very mild drop and you want to be careful about ground clearance. Beware the Eibach "sportline" kit. This is a VERY low drop that is impractical on a street-driven car, and is sure to cause headaches with alignment, bump-steer, etc. I would only consider the sportlines if you want a "Show" car and don't plan on driving it hard.
Al's Pick: any major brand
Coil Overs:
If you want, you can replace the stock shocks and springs with a coil over setup. Coil-overs combine springs and shocks into a single package. They are usually adjustable for both ride height and for damping (like the D-specs). These are very expensive, but have the advantage of letting you adjust the ride height exactly where you want it. I wouldn't buy these unless you are a very serious road-course racer and need to get everything absoloutley perfect. They are a pain to adjust, and then once you have the height set where you want it, then you have to go and reset the camber, pinion angle, and all that. You can't practically adjust your ride height to suit your whims, there is just too much work involved.
Al's Pick: Not worthwhile. Your money is better spent elsewhere. Stick with a good set of traditional shocks and springs.
Lower Control arms (
LCA):
This is a key weak point from the factory. I consider this a MANDATORY mod for all S197 Mustang GTs. If you're tired of wheelhop, wasted HP and loss of traction then this is the first mod you need to do. I like the tubular welded steel ones, such as those from Spohn, BMR, CHE, etc. There are different types available (adjustable vs. non-adjustable). Get the adjustable ones if you have lowered your car (or if you have a 1-pc driveshaft) so that you can correct your pinion angle. Get the solid ones if you aren't lowering the car and are not going to get a 1-pc driveshaft. Steeda makes some billet aluminum ones which look nice but are $$$ expensive and are known to break on high HP cars. I'd avoid those and get the tubular steel type. The tubular steel ones are lighter, stronger, and cheaper. I don't like the CHE ones becasue they don't have grease fittings in them. That's bad for maintenance. My favorites are the BMR "combo street" type with a poly bushing on one end and a spherical bearing on the other. Spohn has a set that is virtually identical, either would be a fantastic choice.
Al's Pick: BMR or Spohn "combo" type. Adjustable if you are lowering or have a 1-pc driveshaft. Solid for stock height & driveshaft.
Upper Control arms (UCA):
Another factory weak spot. The upper control arm is located above the rear differential housing. The stock one is stamped steel and is quite flimsy for the amount of load it has to bear. You can get aftermarket UCAs in either the solid type or the adjustable type, just like LCAs. You only need adjustability on one set (either upper OR lower). Personally I suggest a SOLID UCA and then adjustable LCAs. (this is stronger and easier to adjust). I think the BMR solid UCA is the best on the market, no contest. While many companies have decent LCAs, BMR is the undisputed king of the UCA. It's boxed design and thick steel construction is completely bulletproof. I suggest the one with the spherical bearing. Also, buy a polyurethane bushing that fits in the diff housing to go with it. The bushing is dirt cheap, and it's a pain to install. But it's worth it. This combined with good LCAs will have your rear end hooking up like nobody's business. If you are running serious HP and low drag times, get the matching UCA mount to go with this. The poly bushing for the rear end housing is available from Spohn or BMR.
Al's Pick: BMR solid (non-adjustable) with spherical bearing.
UCA Mount:
This is a metal bracket that bolts to the unibody. It's job is to hold the forward end of the UCA. Basically, this part spreads the load from the UCA onto the thinner sheet metal of the unibody. Like the UCA, the stock one stamped from some pretty flimsy steel. If you are going to be under your car messing with the UCA, you might as well replace this as well. I suggest the BMR or the CHE. Both are very good quality. This part is more of an "insurance" part. You upgrade this to strengthen the frame/body of the car and to reduce unwanted flex. It's not worthwhile on a grocery getter, but if you drag race or if you have a power adder (nitrous, blower, or turbo) then I'd consider this some cheap insurance.
Al's Pick: BMR.
Panhard Bar & Brace:
Another factory weak spot. The
Panhard bar itself is available from many dealers. I have a Spohn, you can also get them from BMR, Steeda, CHE, and Edelbrock. The
panhard bar brace is available from BMR, Steeda, and CHE. These will help firm up the rear end for either drag or road racing--they are much stronger than the flimsy factory parts. The adjustable
panhard bar lets you re-center your rear end if you alter your ride height. These are high on my list of basic
suspension mods. I like the Spohn
panhard bar becasue they make one with a "combo" design--poly on one end, and heim on the other end, but all the brands I mentioned are good. While most of the panhards are comporable, BMR makes the best brace. Theirs is a lot sturdier than the Steeda, and it has a little hump in it which leaves more room for your exhaust. The BMR has a unique position of having the most clearance AND being extremely stiff.
Al's Pick:
Panhard bar: Spohn "combo" type. Brace: BMR
LCA relocation brackets (also called anti-squat brackets):
...used to adjust your lower control arm angle, and therefore the instant center of your car. These are useful for getting more traction off the line, especially if you have lowered your car or switched to larger diameter rear tires. BMR, CHE, and Steeda make these. BMRs have the best fabrication quality in my opinion, and they have three different mounting options. The CHEs only have two, and the Steedas have four. Therefore I suggest either the Steeda or BMR for maximum adjustability. Have them welded in for maximum strength. These are a fantastic mod if you drag race. On a grocery getter, they're not worthwhile unless you've lowered the car.
Al's Pick: BMR or Steeda
Subframe Brace (AKA subframe connector):
These are metal pieces that are welded to the underside of the car. They join together the front and rear subframes of the body, tying them into the floor of the car. This makes the chassis stiffer as a whole. There are three that I know of. The best is the BMR heavy duty, followed by the Steeda "triangulated" followed by the BMR "normal version". These are only truly needed on very high-HP cars, but they do stiffen the chassis as a whole, and I think they make a good foundation for a future buildup or if you simply want to maximize the handling of your car. These are a good choice if you're serious about frame stiffness or if you are pushing big HP. Note that Granatelli (GMS) has knocked off the BMR designs, and they make a nearly identical version to BMR. I would avoid the GMS as the ones I have seen have poor fabrication quality.
Al's Pick: BMR Heavy Duty (boxed). Have it welded in.
K-member Brace (AKA "G-trac Brace" by Steeda, AKA "A-arm brace" by others)
Different companies call this different things, but they all do the same job: This is a small bar that joins together the ends of the K-member (the rearmost pivot of the front A-arms). It's job is to prevent flexing of the K-member. This is an inexpensive part and it does noticeably firm up the handling of the car. I like it simply becasue of it's low price, ease of installation, and benefits. All the big guys make this: BMR, Steeda, CHE, etc. This is one of the FEW parts that I think BMR has the inferior version of. Steeda's "T-style" ends are stiffer than BMR's bent brackets. I bought the Steeda. CHE makes one with built-in torque limiters. These are little rods that go up to the transmission and help to prevent it from twisting. If you have a problem with difficult shifts under power, then the CHE one is an ideal choice.
Al's Pick: Steeda "G-trac brace"
K-member
This is a large metal piece that bolts under the front end of the unibody. It holds the motor mounts as well as mounting points for much of the front
suspension. Aftermarket ones are available from various companies, but BMR is the most common. The purpose of changing this out is weight savings. The aftermarket models typically incorporate poly motor mounts and are made of welded tubing. This part has little effect on handling but it does save weight off the front end which is good for weight transfer during drag racing.
Al's Pick: BMR
Front Radiator support / Swaybar delete.
This part is used in conjuntion with removing the front sway bar from the car. With the sway bar removed, the heavy OEM brace is no longer needed. This lightweight part only holds the radiator, and has no provision (or strength) for supporting the sway bar. This is actually a handling DOWNGRADE but is used to save front-end weight for drag racing applications. I recommend this only if you are a serious drag race competitor and you don't road race at all.
Al's Pick: BMR
Front A-Arms
This is a relatively new product. I know of only one brand, which is BMR. These A-arms are lighter than stock. Again, this is good for weight distribution optimization for drag racing. Furthermore, they have stiffer polyurethane bushings than the OEM rubber bushings and "hydra mounts". This is good for better handling in the turns. I have not personally run these yet, but they appear to be an excellent mod (on paper anyway). Anytime you can remove rubber and add polyurethane instead will tighten up handling and improve road feel. These are a good all-around handling upgrade and weight savings mod. BMR also makes a "race" type that has heim joints instead of poly bushings. This will transmit a lot of road noise so it is not appropriate for a street car. However, these A-arms allow you to make several
suspension adjustments that normally cannot be made, thanks to the adjustability of the joints. This would be an excellent mod for serious road-course competitors.
In a nutshell:
The first
suspension mods you should consider are LCAs, Rear sway bar,
Panhard Bar, and the
Panhard Bar brace. These are great mods for any style of driving (street, drag, or road race/autocross).
If you want to lower your car and/or improve cornering, look at lowering springs and shocks. Note that when you lower your car you'll need the aforementioned stuff anyway. I recommend the Toicko D-spec shocks.
If you get more agressive with your handling desires and HP levels, then start with the UCA & mount,
LCA relocation brackets, etc...
Live & learn. But it does work lol
