After trying to sell my car for the past 4 months with minimal interest, I am going to be keeping it. And in deciding that I might as well turn the car into a corner carver/DD. This week if TS Faye doesn't kill my week, my Stang will be seeing some 3.73's and weld in subframes to replace the stocko bolt ons. (the car is a 'vert). I have small list of things after this that I plan on installing to make the thing ride and handle like it is on rails, and still be able to survive a commute. Current setup includes: 4 Bolt UPR CC plates GR2 Shocks/Struts Vogtland Progressive Convertible Springs (Comparable in Spring Rate to ProKit) Stock Control Arms I really have an interest in UPR coilovers. I dont really want the weight transfer of a lower spring rate, but how stiff is too stiff? I can get them shipped for $209 with a 350lb spring, but I think something stiffer than that is okay for up front...Opinions, Suggestions??? Also, I have been looking at LCA's, preferably MM adjustable HD's. Obviously I would be keeping the coil spring in the back since I don't want to spend the money on Koni's or Lakewood's. How would people who have the MM HD LCA's rate them for the $400 or so I would have to spend on them? I also am probably going to get a Mach 1 Brake Kit off of BuyFordRacing.com before I buy this stuff, I am just trying to put together a suspension that is somewhat adjustable as my taste for ride height/stiffness change. Thoughts people!?
the only thing with the upr coil overs is that you adjust the coil with your hand and use a little set screw to hold it in place. don't get me wrong, i love upr stuff. they are my favorite (personal preference), but as far as a coil over set up is concerned, i would use one that uses a spanner wrench and 2 nuts. qa1 makes a good set up, so does mm and there a few others out there as well. as far as your spring rate. those shouldnt be too bad for a corner carver. i know for my ex's car i used the 12" 200lb springs for every day driving and the 12" 175lb for the drag strip. and my .02 for the brakes, id get the cobra r's. i dont know what the price difference is though. good luck!
The Cobra R's would require me to upgrade to 18 inch wheels I believe, and they are 14 inch rotors, and 4 piston calipers too I think. I am pondering to either save up for MM coilovers, but I already have UPR CC plates and don't want to shell out more money for a part that is usually used in unison on SN95 cars that purchase their Kmember as well. MM coilovers also would require me to change my strut/shock setup to.
What is your budget and what are your final expectations from this upgrade? UPR and corner carving aren't usually spoken in the same sentence, fyi.
I am looking to spend somewhere between 500 and $800 max, I realize that UPR's might not be the best for a car looking to do one or two autocross events a year max and still be a 15k mile DD. I want something that has adjustability and give me a stiff enough ride to make it feel like that, I dont care if it jars my teeth loose....
Because you have a convertible, stiffening the chassis might be the best place to start. Weld-in subframes are a good idea. Maybe also get a strut tower brace and a 4-point K-member brace from Maximum Motorsports?
How stiff of a spring should I get for my car being a DD and I also want it to be stiff enough to make it feel like my teeth are going to fall out, and yes, I like my car like that that hard of a ride....
UPR="Whoops I Bought Some Cheap Suspension and i was Driving in a Canyon and The LCAs Broke and i fell off a cliff and now i ma posting from beyond the grave. Sorry, But MM>All
Where did I say I was interested in UPR LCA's? You must be on crack because I actually stated that I was interested in purchasing HD adj LCA's from MM...
MM makes some of the best coilover setup parts for Mustangs & they are far better quality than UPR. MM parts are designed for corner carving & durability while UPR parts are designed for budget drag racing & weight savings. If you have $800 to spend & u are set on UPR, u might as well buy there whole K member kit which includes CC plates, coilovers, A arms, & bumpsteer kit. The whole kit sells for only $699. I wouldnt recommend this for anything but drag racing though because its not made out of the strongest materials. Why would anyone think that the spanner wrench design is any better than the set screw design of the MM coilovers?? I run the MM coilovers with 325# springs & bilsteins up front & its a very nice setup. IMO its the perfect spring rate for street driving because its stiff enough to handle great but not so stiff that it makes for a crappy ride quality.... The MM adjustable LCA's are one of the best suspension parts I ever installed on my car. I love the adjustabilty factor & they dramatically tighten up the way the sloppy stock rear end feels... Mach 1 brake kit is a no brainer too....
Here's an opinion I can trust because you have the whole MM catalog on your car What is the difference between the HD and XD LCA's? I know I will get an adj LCA, I just don't know which one is better for Street Driving?
And the price difference is $1000 vs $350 for the Mach 1 kit. I'd stick with the Mach 1 kit. All a typical street car really needs
The only difference between the 2 is the XD has the spherical bearing on both ends & the HD has polyurethane on the chassis side. My car currently has the HD adjustables but I have a set of XD's that I am gonna swap in as soon as I can get around to installing my rear coilover kit. I would already have them on the car but they have no spring perches on them. For street driving the HD's are supposed to be better because they transmit less road noise, but If you plan on doing some hard launching (IE drag racing, burnouts, donuts etc) the XD's are the way to go because eventually you will blow out the poly bushing on the HD's. I have blown mine out twice already so I cant wait to install the XD's in my car.... If you plan on doing coilovers & are into corner carving though, MM or Griggs are the only way to go...You will want to steer away from UPR, even though there stuff has great prices because its just not built for better handling & its not good for continous street abuse. I will be doing a K member on my Notch 1 day, & I most likely wont be getting another MM kit mainly because I want the Notch to be setup more for drag/ street so I wll be looking into whichever K member offers the most weight savings, but has great durability at the same time... I might consider a UPR K member for this car, but I will also look into AJE & PA racing.... Hope this helps & good luck with your decision....
Thank you for the advice. Road Noise is not an issue with a ORX and exhaust on my car. Griggs products are awesome, but they simply are waay out of my price range, MM not so much, so it looks like my funds will probably go to the drivetrain as I save up for coilovers/LCA's. I wonder what my SOTP meter will say with 3.73's, wielded SFC's, Mach 1 Brakes are put on soon...
