I Love The Stance, But I Can't Get No Satis - Traction.

twogts4us

15 Year Member
Apr 1, 2004
4,188
11
79
Dunedin, FL
Hey everyone, I own a 2004 Mach 1, and while spinning my Nitto NT-05 315/35 tires at will is certainly fun, I have been recently remembering a friends 280ZX Turbo back in the day...the thing that sticks out in my memory is the way it would squat so deeply under hard acceleration I often thought the rear bumper would be hitting the pavement.
I want similar weight shift from my Mach 1, without resorting to a full on drag car type of suspension. I still like to take the corners with speed and enthusiasm, so I do understand it's not realistic to expect to have the best of ALL worlds from a Mustang suspension.
I currently have KYB shocks in the rear, stock Tokico struts up front, Eibach Sport springs, MM full length subs, and a MM K-Member brace - that's it as far as suspension stuff is concerned. As mentioned above, I'm running Nitto NT-05 tires all around - 275/40 x 17 upfront and 315/35 x 17 in the rear. While these tires are much better than the Sumi tires I had before, with 4.10 gears, rather stiff suspension, and 303 RWHP (an honest #), it's quite easy to spin em whenever I want to.
Would changing the shocks/struts alone be beneficial, or would I need to swap out springs as well? What about just going all out and doing coil overs on all 4 corners? Would I still be able to have some fun on the twisty roads?
I'm looking for people who have actual experience with such a setup. I, myself, can speculate all day - but what I'm really needing is the voice(s) of experience. Any advice offered would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Chris
 
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Sub frame connectors help. Not the Ford bolt ons but something like maximum motorsports welded in. Lower control arms help as well. Softer rubber tires. Torque arm and panhard rod help locate the rear axle under load. Keep it from shifting side to side. All that and you gota handling Machine that should also launch pretty well.

Could take the front sway bar off and pick the front end upa little more.
 
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Springs and shocks that help traction generally hurt handling. At some point you have to make a decision on what you want more - handling or traction. A torque arm suspension will help both traction and handling. Other tricks include: I welded on brackets on my rear axle that lowered the mounting points of the rear lower control arms. I ended up lowering the mounting points 2", and it made a very noticeable improvement; it changes the anti-squat ratio. I had to install spring spacers to get the car sitting level again. I also moved the same rear lower control arm mounting points rearward on the axle housing by 1.5", which moved the rear tires forward 1.5". This effectively moves 45 pounds from the front to the rear tires. Relocate the battery to the right rear corner of the trunk effectively moves more than that from the front to the rear tires. I installed offset front lower control arms that move the front tires forward 0.75", which effectively moves 20 pounds from the front to the rear tires.
 
Sub frame connectors help. Not the Ford bolt ons but something like maximum motorsports welded in. Lower control arms help as well. Softer rubber tires. Torque arm and panhard rod help locate the rear axle under load. Keep it from shifting side to side. All that and you gota handling Machine that should also launch pretty well.

Could take the front sway bar off and pick the front end upa little more.
Matt, as I indicated in my post, I already have MM full length subs (the OEM subs were removed). However I did forget to mention I also have UPR upper and lower rear control arms. Softer rubber? You did see that I'm running Nitto NT-05 tires, right? Sure, there are softer tires out there, but I'm pretty sure this isn't the primary reason for my lack of traction. I'm looking for weight transfer, without completely throwing day to day handling out the window. I understand and appreciate the info on torque arms and panhard bars, but I'm not convinced that would help reduce power induced lack of traction issues. Removing the front sway bar would help, as you stated, allowing the front end to lift easier, but I think that's a pretty big sacrifice (IMO). Nonetheless, thanks for your input.
 
Springs and shocks that help traction generally hurt handling. At some point you have to make a decision on what you want more - handling or traction. A torque arm suspension will help both traction and handling. Other tricks include: I welded on brackets on my rear axle that lowered the mounting points of the rear lower control arms. I ended up lowering the mounting points 2", and it made a very noticeable improvement; it changes the anti-squat ratio. I had to install spring spacers to get the car sitting level again. I also moved the same rear lower control arm mounting points rearward on the axle housing by 1.5", which moved the rear tires forward 1.5". This effectively moves 45 pounds from the front to the rear tires. Relocate the battery to the right rear corner of the trunk effectively moves more than that from the front to the rear tires. I installed offset front lower control arms that move the front tires forward 0.75", which effectively moves 20 pounds from the front to the rear tires.
Hey thanks for this post; this is some of the type of info and suggestions that I am looking for. I really don't take my car to any type of track, but on the streets, admittedly I do enjoy 'spirited' driving. I have to be very careful when accelerating quickly because it'll easily spin the tires all the way through 2nd gear...and, of course, 1st gear as well. 3rd gear is not really much of a traction issue, except at the very top of the gear (circa 6000 RPMs+), so I just short shift it a lil bit. I think for starters I'll look into a torque arm, as well as relocating the battery.
Regarding this subject as a whole, I think you nailed it on the head with your first 2 sentences. Thanks for your insight and sharing your experience - much appreciated!
As a side note, I just noticed the oil change sticker on the inside of my windshield tells me my last oil change was a year ago! I knew it had been a while, but I was surprised to find out it had been this long! Then I also saw that I've driven just over 2K miles in the past 12 months. I still haven't even hit 60K miles on my 10 year old car. I never drove it a lot; these days I hardly drive it at all. Fortunately I run Royal Purple, so I'm not really too concerned that the oil has been in service for 12 months. I had bought a set of NGK Iridium plugs a couple of months ago that I've been trying to find the time to put them in. Maybe this weekend I'll take care of the oil change and put the new plugs in...I might even wash the air filter..! :)

Thanks again!
Chris
 
Here is something weird. When I had my old 96 I replaced the front springs and shocks. I had Steeda springs and dropped it about 1.5 inches. I didn't do the rear right away and when I when to the track the car would sit at launch and I got my best 60 foot with it in that set-up. After I replace the rears with shocks and springs I never got it to hook like that again. I'd either bog or blow the tires (MT Drag Radials).

I'd try some sort of adjustable set up in the back.
 
Twogts4us, I want to purchase the torq thrust ii's for my 97 cobra. Any clue what size wheels would fit best? I was hoping 10.5 in the rear and 9's in the back both by 18 diameter. My goal is to have the tires flush with the fender and avoid any scraping. Saw you had them on your gt and was looking for some input. Thanks!
 
Twogts4us, I want to purchase the torq thrust ii's for my 97 cobra. Any clue what size wheels would fit best? I was hoping 10.5 in the rear and 9's in the back both by 18 diameter. My goal is to have the tires flush with the fender and avoid any scraping. Saw you had them on your gt and was looking for some input. Thanks!

This will fit with the proper offsets.