Suspensioin 101 Questions

[swingline]

Other than the front control arm bushings, is there ANYTHING else that I will need to install the MM kit?

 

[baglock1]

Other than the front control arm bushings, is there ANYTHING else that I will need to install the MM kit?

Ummm, handtools? Some high quality bearing grease? You won't need anything else from MM. Go read the install instructions on MM's website and that'll give you a list of all the stuff you'll need other than the kit.

 

[swingline]

Great! Between that kit, what I already have, and a tubular K my suspension should be ready to rock. Do you think my wheels (Prostar XP's) will have any problems clearing in the front?

 

[94GTLaserRC]

Dan..
Log onto AIM, or call my cell
9546653934
RC

 

[baglock1]

Great! Between that kit, what I already have, and a tubular K my suspension should be ready to rock. Do you think my wheels (Prostar XP's) will have any problems clearing in the front?

Shouldn't have any problems. I'm running 17 x 7s with a Griggs K-member (moves wheelbase forward 1-1/8") with no interference issues. I plan to go with 18 x 8 to clear 14" brakes and shouldn't have any clearance problems either.

 

[94GTLaserRC]

Hey, you guys..stop Hijacking.!!!
THis is some good SH33T.!!

Any other SFC's that may not necessarily be the TOP NOTCH like MM's, but will still suffice and save some $$? If not I will go with the MM's, but I would prolly get a red powder coating.

Thanks.
RC

Dan, if youre board in a Hotel Room
Email me your cell number so I can ask you some more ??? ...Im just sitting here right now!

 

[swingline]

MM's subs are actually pretty cheap compared to others.

 

[baglock1]

RC,

I'm in Brazil right now. The phone bill might be a bit pricey. How about MS Messenger? I don't have AIM on my laptop, but I'll download it if need be.

 

[swingline]

Brazil?! What in the world are you doing there?

 

[baglock1]

Brazil?! What in the world are you doing there?

Surfing Stangnet.

 

[94GTLaserRC]

RC,

I'm in Brazil right now. The phone bill might be a bit pricey. How about MS Messenger? I don't have AIM on my laptop, but I'll download it if need be.

I dont have MS messenger.
I just assumed you were more local than that.
Use the above link and send me your Cell number when you get back in town!
RC

 

[swingline]

Where are you? Sao Paulo? I've been there once. It's a great place to go if you aren't married...

 

[baglock1]

RC,

Too late. Aim is about 59% downloaded on a crappy ass connection. I miss my cable connection.

Where are you? Sao Paulo? I've been there once. It's a great place to go if you aren't married...

Yeah Sao Paulo is awesome. But unfortunately I'm in Brasilia. It's pretty boring here, especially since I've been here nearly a month.

 

[swingline]

Brasilia is a bit of a let-down after seeing all the hotties in Sao Paulo. Are you there on business?

 

[baglock1]

Brasilia is a bit of a let-down after seeing all the hotties in Sao Paulo. Are you there on business?

Definately. For the uninitiated, it seems like 95% of all the women on the street are super model hot. I mean F-I-N-E. It get's to the point you're numb and you don't even notice. And the sheer fact that you're from the US makes you ultra hot in their eye. If I wasn't already happily married, I'd have come back from there with a wife or two... or three, or four...

And I'm not here on pleasure, so I guess that makes it business.

 

[Joes95GT]

I wouldn't. Personally, I think there are better routes to go than just replacing all the bushings with poly.

In the rear, I'd use a 3-piece poly/spherical bushing setup on the LCA's and regular rubber in the UCA's. The rubber in the FRPP HD UCA's is the hardest I'd use, which is roughly twice the durometer (hardness) rating of the stock bushings. If you're building a drag performance only car, then poly in the UCA has it's advantages. But the gains aren't worth the trade-offs in handling for a street driven car (IMO).

In the front, I'd get some solid rack bushings (center drilled, not offset) and CC plates. That's about it. Once the front control arm bushings or balljoints start to go bad, I'd replace the entire control arm with the updated units from FRPP.

Of course, these recomendations are for someone who doesn't want to spend a pile of money on the whole enchilada and would like to maintain a ride reasonably free of NVH.

Not to open up another can of worms, but I think it would be very helpful for all people involved in this post (including myself) by explaining the differences in the types of bushings use in both front and rear control arms and which type would be most optimal given certain setups.

I've always thought solid bushings were best in drag-race-type cars, however you mentioned something about polyurethane bushings and them being more advantageous for straight line performance. I'm not calling you wrong. I'm not well versed when it comes to suspension, and this post in particular has sparked my interest.

Joe

 

[baglock1]

I've always thought solid bushings were best in drag-race-type cars, however you mentioned something about polyurethane bushings and them being more advantageous for straight line performance.

You're right Joe. Solid bushings are better suited for drag racing than poly. I was saying that poly is better than rubber when it comes to drag only. Personally, I don't think poly should ever be used in the UCA's, but that's me. I'd never recommend them for a street driven car, and if it's a drag only car, why not go with solid, or at the very least delrin?

For the most part, all bushing material can be used in all locations. It all depends on what you're looking for. Basically it's a scale with performance on one end and streetability on the other. On the streetability end, you have concerns like noise and vibration. On the performance end, you have precision and efficiency.

Along the scale, you start with rubber at the street end and go through polyurethane, delrin, and then solid bushings. Regardless of the material, the underlying theme is the durometer rating or it's hardness. The street materials are soft (absorb vibration but deflect easily) and the performance materials are hard (maintain precise location but transmit NVH to the chassis).

The problem with the UCA's is that you need deflection in there or the entire rear end will bind up like a minister's wife in a sex shop. This is just an ugly characteristic of the 4-link rear end. The UCA's must go through an effective length change during cornering due to the nature of the design. Since the steel isn't going to stretch, the bushing material must. If a hard material like poly is used, the length change won't happen and bind will result.

 

[94GTLaserRC]

Dan,
I just heard back from Blue Oval Industries (Red SFC..ebay) They said theirs are standard 43" and that fulls are a "waste" unless youre pushing 400 HP.

Hmmm...IM not too far from that. I guess Ill end up shelling out the dough for the bare steel MM's..and just paint them with some clear.

Thanks
RC

 

[baglock1]

Dan,
I just heard back from Blue Oval Industries (Red SFC..ebay) They said theirs are standard 43" and that fulls are a "waste" unless youre pushing 400 HP.

Wow. Thanks RC. That info just made BOI a company I will never deal with. For a company named "Blue Oval," they sure don't know jack about the Mustang chassis.

 

[94GTLaserRC]

Dan..I talked to Steeda Today...They are local A guy there is a friend of Joe and mine from TCH Racing forum (a local mustang group) THey have FULL lenght, Zinc plated for $159..With install it's about $210, which he said includes piece by piece custom fitting.. He also said they try to give us guys at TCH about 10% off, So Im looking at Full lengths, welded in, zinc-nickel plated for about $180... I may go that route.

If you get a chance, go to www.steeda.com and look at those SFC's and tell me what you think. .THey are NOT MM's but they ARE full length, plated, slightly discounted, and have NO shipping charges.. Lemme know what you think
Thanks
RC