Springs

[lexluthr69]

I'll admit that I didn't put as much effort into the search function as I probably should have... With that being said, if I'm looking for the best handling with ride comfort a consideration and lowered height not a care, what springs are best?

I've heard good reviews of the Eibach Pro-Kit springs, while the Steeda ultra-lites also sound good.

What would be the general consensus for those who want the very best handling for our cars AND want as comfortable a ride as possible given that requirement?

Luke

 

[NastyStang113]

Steeda Sport Springs with Tokico D-Specs. If you only do springs, regardless of the spring, it's going to ride like crap. Ride in my car with that set-up and than my girlfriend's car with Steeda Ultralites and you'll understand ..

 

[lexluthr69]

When I hear folks talk about the Tokico D-spec shocks, I can't help but think of my ol' truck (i miss it dearly) that I had heavily modified in the 4x4 aspect. I had personally converted it to 4wd and in the process added Rancho RS9000 shocks with the in-cab adjustable feature. What I came to find out, was that the only reason I would "adjust" the shocks would be due to small leaks in the system. It was controlled by air pressure.

The Tokico D-specs come highly recommended by folks on this site, but I have to ask... just how much better are they than a set of Bilsteins?

Thumper... are you saying that the Steeda sport springs aren't great unless you have the option of the adjustable Tokicos, or are you saying the the Ultralites are better? I'm a bit confused by your response.


In addition... I absolutely plan to rid myself of the stock dampers when I do the springs swap....

 

[lexluthr69]

What about this:

Roush Stage 3 Mustang: Roush Mustang Stage 3 Suspension, Now Sold Separately

??

Looks pretty damn nice to me.

 

[NastyStang113]

The Tokico D-Specs are the best shocks out there for the S197, IMO. The point was that without shocks, ANY spring is going to ride like crap. Get the Eibach Pro-Kit, Steeda Sport Springs, Steeda Ultralites, you'll be happy.

 

[dro]

What he is saying is that the stock shocks and struts arent meant for the lowered spring rate and it will make them wear out even faster. I have known some mustangs shocks to go within a week of a spring install. So its a good idea to put on some shocks and struts that can handle the abuse a lowered car gives...

But yea, if you keep the stockers in there you're going to look like pedro riding down the road with his cut springs in his honda civic... BOUNCY BOUNCY BOUNCY....

 

[walter]

Roush makes good spring/shock setups that handle good and keep the ride civilized. That's what I'm going for. Only thing is there are differences in setup between the stage 2 and 3 setups. 3 being optimized for vehicles that have a supercharger thus are a bit more nose heavy then the stage 2 or N/A vehicles.

 

[Wind-Farmer]

I am going with the Roush stage 3, its stiffer than the Stage 2, and rides a little worse presumably, but all in all, red is nicer than blue

 

[walter]

It really shouldn't be stiffer per se. The Springs and thus the spring rates are the same on both setups. What you're changing is the dampening level which will most likely change your handling bias to most likely have more understeer dialed in because of the higher dampening levels up front. Understeer on these cars is what you're trying to stay away from really.

 

[lexluthr69]

I appreciate the responses. I had assumed that shocks were part of the spring upgrade equation. I'm just not entirely sold on the D-specs.... yet.

Thanks again.

 

[Wind-Farmer]

I am with you on the D-Specs, they sounds cheap just by the name of them , like some kind of cheap wal-mart issued shock.

I did e-mail Roush although and they said the stage three would be stiffer, yet that could be because of the shocks.

 

[NastyStang113]

I am with you on the D-Specs, they sounds cheap just by the name of them , like some kind of cheap wal-mart issued shock.

I did e-mail Roush although and they said the stage three would be stiffer, yet that could be because of the shocks.

Right.

 

[Calipony]

I debated for months and months and waited and waited. My friend has a 911 with the suspension of a cup car. At first it seemed a little harsh, but soon I started to recognize what I disliked about my car. The Cadillac swoosh! The body roll, the nose diving when braking. It had to go, so I did my research and took a few test rides. Eibach & Steeda. IMO, all these springs are probably pretty close in stiffness. It's all about ride height. It comes down to the dampers for ride quality. 1st - I decided on ride height and went with Eibach Pro-Kit. 2nd - I wanted affordable dampers with adjustabilty and chose Tokico D-Specs. 3rd - I added Steeda Heavy Duty Upper Strut Mounts up front , along with Steeda adjustable Panhard bar and brace out back. The car blew my mind! I had no idea it could handle like this. I already had the Strut Tower Brace, G-Trac Brace, and Lower Control Arms. I'm not quite finished, but I think it's pretty darn close. I had expectations, but they were blown away. Once again, this is just my opinion, I'm still kind of new to road course, but I think I'm heading in the right direction. I hope this helps...
Next up, Tires & Brakes! (After the credit card cools off a little)

 

[gashog]

I am with you on the D-Specs, they sounds cheap just by the name of them , like some kind of cheap wal-mart issued shock.

I did e-mail Roush although and they said the stage three would be stiffer, yet that could be because of the shocks.

I have Tokico HPs. I haven't installed them yet, but they are lying around at my house. So I can't give you a ride assessment. I will be pairing them with the ford k-springs. After talking to a Tokico Tech at length, I decided that the HPs were going to be my overall best choice. I don't track the car that much (maybe 2-3 times a year), and he told me that the HPs would be better suited for a DD. He said that it would depend on how aggressive the spring was as far as ride quality. And i've heard that the ultralights are very similar to the stockers as far as ride quality.

Just some more food for thought.

 

[LV51FER]

I have Tokico D-Specs set one turn off hardest. They do a great job of body control and although I haven't adjusted them since I fitted them 3 years ago, they are just rigght for my use and I always have the option of changing it to softer.

I chose the Roush blue springs which are excellent and give a very pliant ride but even with a Legend splitter don't hit speed humps. Thumbs up for this combo.

 

[Calipony]

LV51FER,
Sounds pretty stiff. Your roads must be pretty decent over there. I'm set at a 3 up front and a 2 in the rear. That's stiff enough for now, on south Florida roadways anyway. Any road course driving over there?

 

[NastyStang113]

I've got mine set in the middle with the Steeda Sport springs and the car handles and rides great !! I just installed the Steeda sway bars and that made a big difference, too.

 

[LV51FER]

LV51FER,
Sounds pretty stiff. Your roads must be pretty decent over there. I'm set at a 3 up front and a 2 in the rear. That's stiff enough for now, on south Florida roadways anyway. Any road course driving over there?

Not exactly but they're not too bad. I originally had it set on 3 all round but after some fast road use, I was getting a little too much body lean so stiffened it up. I use the stock sway bars and it just happens to be a good mix. They do trackdays over here but they're not cheap and certainly, for me, too far away.

 

[NastyStang113]

Sounds like you need some sway bars ...

 

[NotQuik]

Steeda Sport Springs with Tokico D-Specs. If you only do springs, regardless of the spring, it's going to ride like crap. Ride in my car with that set-up and than my girlfriend's car with Steeda Ultralites and you'll understand ..

Speak for youself. I'm not picky on ride quality, my wife on the other hand is. She hardly noticed a difference after I installed the eibach prokit. It was alittle stiffer but I think your exagerating. If the struts/shocks are worn then yes I will agree but if they are new they will be fine for a short bit, they'll just wear quicker if anything. My 95 has eibach sportlines with stock struts/shocks as well and now that rides rough...reason being because once you compress the strut it doesn't retract anymore so it's expected. It's not required to get new shocks at the same time you do a spring install but it recommended. I read these threads and everybody makes such a big deal about it. It'll be fine to ride on the stock stuff, it just won't be optimized.