Shocks/struts Opinion

gride1999

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Jun 11, 2011
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I'm thinking of buying the Ford K springs but have seen in my research it is highly recommended to also buy and install better shocks/struts. Does anyone have any suggestions on what the best ones to buy are... on a budget?
 
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Check out the Koni STR.T's. Not real expensive and great for stock replacement and for when lowering. I am very happy with them. AM just started selling them too.
 
Every Brand will have their faults, and great products. most of the time you're paying for a brand name. like SmithOptics VS Oakley glasses. Oakley will be more expensive but Smith is equal in quality.

So go with what feels right even since youre on a budget. Ford parts are always great, but steeda and other brands are just as comparable. Check Americanmuscle.com, they normally sell the better products of brands.
 
Thanks for you suggestions. So many choices to chose from. That's why I love the mustang!! there is endless aftermarket parts for us. Do you think that a camber kit will be nessasary as well?
 
I'm thinking of buying the Ford K springs but have seen in my research it is highly recommended to also buy and install better shocks/struts. Does anyone have any suggestions on what the best ones to buy are... on a budget?


I have the UPR springs on my '06 GT which are actually made by Eibach to the same spec as the K springs (from what I'm told) so my experience should be the same as what you would experience with the FRPP Ks. I installed the springs almost a year ago and drove it on the stock shocks and struts during that time. Then I installed a set of Koni Yellows last month. In my opinion, the springs improved the cornering ability without hurting the ride quality very much. Then when I installed the Konis, the handling was UNREAL, but I could feel the bumps in the road more with the Konis (even on soft).

It should be mentioned that the FRPP K springs shift the rear axle over toward the driver's side by about half an inch. I used an adjustable panhard bar to re-center it. However, I did not use camber bolts or cc-plates. My camber ended up around -1.7° which is actually good for cornering, but doesn't really accelerate tire wear if you zero out the toe.
 
Interesting. I've never heard of UPR. I just checked out the site and from what I saw prices look good. I almost dont know if it wouldn't be worth my time to just save a few more bucks and get a handling pack. You look at springs and think hmmm... 209.00 + install.. not bad, but then you relize you will need shocks, struts, camber plates and whatch that 209 go to more like 800-900! I'll be real honest here.. I have about 600 to stuff into my car, and this is my first performance upgrade. Think I might be better off starting with a cold air intake to get some noticable HP gains? I was looking at the FRPP one on AM and it the reveiws were good.
 
I'm in the same boat as you...I just picked up an '06GT with only 6k (yes, 6k) miles on it. I'm torn between some appearance items - specifically, springs, and a CAI/tune. It has 18" wheels already, but I'd love to to get rid of some of the gap in the fenders. It seems that the CAI/tune really wake these girls up.
 
Interesting. I've never heard of UPR. I just checked out the site and from what I saw prices look good. I almost dont know if it wouldn't be worth my time to just save a few more bucks and get a handling pack. You look at springs and think hmmm... 209.00 + install.. not bad, but then you relize you will need shocks, struts, camber plates and whatch that 209 go to more like 800-900! I'll be real honest here.. I have about 600 to stuff into my car, and this is my first performance upgrade. Think I might be better off starting with a cold air intake to get some noticable HP gains? I was looking at the FRPP one on AM and it the reveiws were good.


Like I said, my car is sort of a budget project, so I did the springs themselves just to get a little handling improvement and some aesthetic improvement without dropping big money on a complete handling package. Then over the course of the past year, I added more upgrades one part or two at a time until I had completely upgraded everything. My advice is to perform as many upgrades as you can afford. Don't go overboard with the mods and put yourself in a bad place financially... be wise with your money. I'm just saying that once you DO have the upgraded springs AND shocks/struts, you'll be blown away by the handling.

I have to say though, if you don't have a CAI & tuner yet, that is a GREAT mod for these cars. The CAI & Tuner I installed on my car was good for over 30hp and the install took minutes. You can't beat that!
 
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I called my local Ford dealer to see if they can tune it for me if I get the FRPP CAI and they said they can not? Do I actually have to buy the tuner? that thing is kind of pricey.
 
Steeda Sport springs and Koni Yellows work magic.

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I called my local Ford dealer to see if they can tune it for me if I get the FRPP CAI and they said they can not? Do I actually have to buy the tuner? that thing is kind of pricey.

I don't know man... I was pretty sure that Ford has some sort of "power pack" that has the CAI & Tuner. I don't know how much they charge for it though... The CAI & Tuner I used was only $499 for the package with free tunes for life. To me, it's worth every penny.
 
You can save money by doing the shocks/struts with the springs. The labor will be more expensive if you do them seperately. Typically if you are not doing a "drastic" drop, you can just change out the springs.

To tune the car you will need a tuning device. That is the way you load the tune.

Let me know if I can be of any service with Steeda springs or a CAI/Tuner combo. We are a very reputable company that sells American Made parts. Give us a look and let me know your thoughts?

www.steeda.com

Best Regards,

TJ
 
I'm thinking of buying the Ford K springs but have seen in my research it is highly recommended to also buy and install better shocks/struts. Does anyone have any suggestions on what the best ones to buy are... on a budget?
I have a set of tokico d-spec struts and shocks with the ford racing/lowering springs that have less than 300 miles on them, I upgraded to full blown race coilovers, if you are interested I will ship them to you for 650.00. They came off of my 2010 GT500. They work much better than stock, but I autox my GT500 and went to the KW Variant III coilovers.
 
I'm so torn.. Do I have to replace my shocks and struts to use the Ford K springs? or can I simply install the lowering springs with factory shocks/struts??

You don't HAVE to replace the stock shocks & struts to install the lowering springs, but it will handle better if you do.

1.5" is not a drastic drop. My '06 is lowered 1.5" and I feel it has a nice mixture of good looks, good handling, and good ride quality. You should seriously consider installing an adjustable panhard bar with the lowering springs though.