Lowering springs decreasing life of shocks/struts?

[Phantom5point0]

Hey guys,

I've had my mustang for about 3 weeks now and already have the mod bug :roll eyes: ...The mustang does sit a little high for my taste so I was considering some lowering springs (maybe eibach pro-kits). I'm very familiar with the 350z platform so the mustang is a little new to me. I know that on the 350z if you lower the car on just springs the factory shocks/struts will give out in <10k miles. Does the Mustang have this same issue?

Also, with the z I would need adjustable camber arms to reduce negative camber associated with lowering the rear. Would the Mustang need these? Or perhaps something similar?

Thanks in advance!

 

[SpartaPerformance]

No you will not decrease life however for maximum handling you would be best to get a strut/shock set up for lowered vehicle so the valving and travel is proper for the new height. Up to 1" lower you will not require anything to affect camber adjustment, I have 1.5" drop and still in the threshold of camber specs.

 

[blown1989saleen]

using lowering springs with stock struts/shocks will shorten their life, theyll begin leaking much much sooner, besides its in your best interest to switch to better struts/shocks as the stock ones are not valved for the stiffer springs. youll most likely need either camber bolts (got mine Napa) or camber plates to get the camber back into spec (I had mine set to -1 degree) and a panhard bar for the rear as the rear will shift to drivers side a bit

 

[Phantom5point0]

Alright thanks for the replies...just want to make sure I do it right the first time

 

[LAVAgt2012]

guess when it's time for me to lower my car, I'm going to be looking for that advice....So when you talk about it I see the springs are roughly 250, to lower a car completely the correct way about how much would i need to ensure I have enough to do it properly the first time e.g. springs, shocks, struts, UCA, LCA, etc...

 

[Phantom5point0]

Doing it right the first time will save a lot of money in the long run, and ALOT of frustration...just make sure you get all the research you need done and properly budget accordingly

 

[blown1989saleen]

guess when it's time for me to lower my car, I'm going to be looking for that advice....So when you talk about it I see the springs are roughly 250, to lower a car completely the correct way about how much would i need to ensure I have enough to do it properly the first time e.g. springs, shocks, struts, UCA, LCA, etc...

you would need the following:

springs
struts/shocks
upper strut mounts (either gt500 mounts with camber bolts or adjustable camber plates)
panhard bar
14mm camber bolts (if you go with the gt500 mounts)
a front alignment (camber set to -1 degree for good handling w/o tire wear)

 

[LAVAgt2012]

you would need the following:

springs
struts/shocks
upper strut mounts (either gt500 mounts with camber bolts or adjustable camber plates)
panhard bar
14mm camber bolts (if you go with the gt500 mounts)
a front alignment (camber set to -1 degree for good handling w/o tire wear)

thanks for the info, and this will be the first one I do myself figuring when I bought my wife her 04 vert it was already dropped. bout how much will that list run me, don't need exact just a rough estimate.

 

[blown1989saleen]

this is what I paid

FRPP K springs -$180 American Muscle
Steeda Pro Action struts/shocks -$415 Summit Racing
gt500 strut mounts -$85 American Muscle
BMR adjustable PHB -$140 Latemodel restoration
Napa 14mm camber bolts -$23 local Napa
front end alignment -$50 local shop

 

[madweazl]

using lowering springs with stock struts/shocks will shorten their life, theyll begin leaking much much sooner, besides its in your best interest to switch to better struts/shocks as the stock ones are not valved for the stiffer springs. youll most likely need either camber bolts (got mine Napa) or camber plates to get the camber back into spec (I had mine set to -1 degree) and a panhard bar for the rear as the rear will shift to drivers side a bit

Why would lowering the car reduce shock/strut life?