Which one to choose, Coilovers or struts?

[GregoryJ77]

hey all new here. I hope this is posted in the right spot. I have a question regarding my 06 mustang gt roash stage 2. I'm torn between getting struts or coilovers. I've heard coilovers are a harsher ride but great for corning? I was looking st tue roash stage 2 suspension kit but honestly the quality don't look the part. My next option woukd be the steeda coilover kits with sway bars and a few other things. Which would be better probably? Also would i jeed camber plates it seems non of th3 kits come with those? The car has already been lowered and has lots of great mods, i plan on taking this car to the next level. Thanks for any advice, Greg

 

[DieHarder]

Are you trying to create a track car or something livable for the streets? If street I'd recommend Bilstein B-6 or B12 struts/shocks and GT-500 strut mounts. Clock the fronts 180 deg from stock and handling will be significantly improved. Good luck.

 

[Candy10]

Just parroting DieHarder, but what are the goals for the car? Unless youll be doing track days or AutoX, I dont see the need for an expensive coil over setup

 

[GriffX]

Advantage of a coil over is that you can adjust the height according to the weight distribution.
In general, I would start with new sway bars first.

 

[Monkeyporn]

Are you trying to create a track car or something livable for the streets? If street I'd recommend Bilstein B-6 or B12 struts/shocks and GT-500 strut mounts. Clock the fronts 180 deg from stock and handling will be significantly improved. Good luck.

DieHarder How do the Bisteins compare to the Kona Yellows IYO ?

 

[Candy10]

Advantage of a coil over is that you can adjust the hide according to the weight distribution.
In general, I would start with new sway bars first.

What are you loading in your Mustang? Are you adjusting coilovers every time you take passengers? Im joking, but serious

 

[JC SSP]

They are both good choices. If I remember correctly the yellow Koni are adjustable and whereas the Bilstein are not. I still recommend Bilstein and have them on my GT. Koni use to be the best but have declined in the last several years.

I wouldn’t put the newer Koni reds on any car!

 

[GriffX]

What are you loading in your Mustang? Are you adjusting coilovers every time you take passengers? Im joking, but serious

These color codes on the OEM springs address the car weight and the front/rear weight distribution with the different variants, with coil overs you can do it left/right too.

 

[DieHarder]

DieHarder How do the Bilsteins compare to the Kona Yellows IYO ?

Can't say. I only have experience w/the Bilsteins vs stock.

 

[pass1over]

What are you loading in your Mustang? Are you adjusting coilovers every time you take passengers? Im joking, but serious

He's talking about using scales on all 4 corners and adjusting the ride height so each corner has the same load/force applied to the road. It balances the car out.

 

[pass1over]

I've had BC coilovers on my car for 10+ years and zero complaints. It's my DD car with 212k miles on it and it's been from Key West, to Washington DC to Smoky Mountains to hunting trips in Alabama. Everyone that's ever ridden in my car says it rides way better than they would of expected due to how low it is.

With coilovers you dial in exactly where you want the car. Most springs either lower it too much, or not enough. It's all a matter of preference at that point.

 

[Candy10]

These color codes on the OEM springs address the car weight and the front/rear weight distribution with the different variants, with coil overs you can do it left/right too.
View attachment 96251

Fair enough. I took your statement of "loading the car" quite literally. My mistake

 

[GregoryJ77]

No tracks for now. Once i get it a little more built i would like to take it to our local drag strip a few times. This car is a weekend driver/cruising to the lake and some shows here and there in our small town. Right now th3 car is super loose. I have a cart full in American muscle store. I was going to get the roush stage 2 suspension kit with the sway bars and everything but I've heard they're not the best. My second choice was blisten struts and shocks but then i started looking into coil overs. I live in the mountain's and every single road is curvy af. I just wanna build a nice cornering car now that i got most of the performance parts done.

 

[GriffX]

Fair enough. I took your statement of "loading the car" quite literally. My mistake

Sorry I'm German, I try my best in English

No tracks for now. Once i get it a little more built i would like to take it to our local drag strip a few times. This car is a weekend driver/cruising to the lake and some shows here and there in our small town. Right now th3 car is super loose. I have a cart full in American muscle store. I was going to get the roush stage 2 suspension kit with the sway bars and everything but I've heard they're not the best. My second choice was blisten struts and shocks but then i started looking into coil overs. I live in the mountain's and every single road is curvy af. I just wanna build a nice cornering car now that i got most of the performance parts done.

If your budget allows to buy a fully adjustable coil-over, this would be the best way to build a cornering car. I have combined compression/rebound adjustment and wish to have it independent.

 

[MrBhp]

Coilovers with fully adjustable dampers is the way to go. The car will ride better than any s197 with stock configuration. Being able to adjust ride height is something you will love. I have the QA1 coilover setup on my car. I've had multiple cars with QA1 products, with no issues whatsoever.

Be aware that American Muscle does not have a great reputation. LMR is where I get everything I can. Summit racing is good as well. Both of those companies have great customer service.

 

[totaljustice]

I just installed the Pedders Extreme XA coilovers on my 2012. I only went this route because my original stock suspension was starting to show it's age. I have 1000 kilometers on them now and am happy with them. They have 30 position adjustable compression/rebound damping and mine were preset with a 2 inch drop, which I found was too low for me so i raised it to 1 ½ inch all around Pedders ships them 8 clicks down from full hard and I'm totally happy with their factory setup but I don't track the car. I can tell you that the ride is a lot firmer on them but not punishing unless you're on the roughest pavement. It is a lot more precise in the steering. I had originally ordered the Maximum Motorsports Caster Camber Plates because American Muscle specifically stated that they would fit and I can tell you that THEY WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT WORK WITH THE PEDDERS COILOVERS!!!! But I got lucky and didn't require them for my drop. The front end alignment went just fine. Anyway they didn't break the bank and I'm happy with them.

 

[pass1over]

Shouldn't need camber plates with a coil over setup. My BC coils have camber adjustability built into the top mount, I'm assuming the pedders do as well?

You just need to enlarge the hole in the top of the shock tower to be able to adjust it. Hole saw and a 2x4 makes quick work of it.