Lower stock 2008

[Gio]

Looking into lowering the rear of my stock 2008 GT. What is the best cost effective safe way of doing this. Can I just replace the springs or do I need to also replace the shocks. Would a two inch drop in the rear be too much?? Do I also need to lower the front?? any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Wes06]

not tech.

But i found a set of rear frpp springs that dropped the rear slightly, alteast until i replaced the suspension with air ride

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

If your lowering by no more than just an inch, you can get by with just springs and adjustable panhard bar.. However if your dropping beyond 1 inch ? It's then recommended to upgrade your struts/shocks along with adjustable panhard bar, front strut mounts in addition to adding camber bolts..

If your looking into a 2" drop.. You'll also need to add caster/camber plates, bumpsteer kit, both front and rear sway bars and possibly replace your front and rear control arms along with the upper control arm as well..

 

[Gio]

If your lowering by no more than just an inch, you can get by with just springs and adjustable panhard bar.. However if your dropping beyond 1 inch ? It's then recommended to upgrade your struts/shocks along with adjustable panhard bar, front strut mounts in addition to adding camber bolts..

If your looking into a 2" drop.. You'll also need to add caster/camber plates, bumpsteer kit, both front and rear sway bars and possibly replace your front and rear control arms along with the upper control arm as well..

Thank You for your response. I would just like to even it out from the rear. To get rid of that 4x4 look the s197 has. Idealy I think 1 inch to 1 1\2 should do it. Im going to be adding a chin spoiler wich would give it a little more agressive look from the front and I think make it look a little lower as well. If I can just lower the rear I would not want to mess with the front. Does this sound right. Thanks again

 

[Wes06]

as above find some rear only spring setups, 1ish inch and shocks should survive, might need a PHB to re-center the axle.

 

[Gio]

Thank you will do

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

Thank You for your response. I would just like to even it out from the rear. To get rid of that 4x4 look the s197 has. Idealy I think 1 inch to 1 1\2 should do it. Im going to be adding a chin spoiler wich would give it a little more agressive look from the front and I think make it look a little lower as well. If I can just lower the rear I would not want to mess with the front. Does this sound right. Thanks again

It's not really a good idea to mix factory springs with aftermarket, as you'll end up with a suspension that has different spring rates.. As most aftermarket springs have what's called progressive rates that are stiffer over factory OEM that are designed to improve handling..

So if your looking to lower your car's suspension, you want your springs to have the same rates..
Therefore I highly recommend going with 1" lowering springs in the front and 1.5 " in the rear..

That should be enough to level things out and also get rid of the 4x4 look..

For springs, I would recommend going with either Steeda autosports or BMR suspension.. IIRC they both offer 1 inch and 1.5 inch kits and Steeda also backs their spring kits with a lifetime warranty as well..

 

[702GT]

If your lowering by no more than just an inch, you can get by with just springs and adjustable panhard bar.. However if your dropping beyond 1 inch ? It's then recommended to upgrade your struts/shocks along with adjustable panhard bar, front strut mounts in addition to adding camber bolts..

If your looking into a 2" drop.. You'll also need to add caster/camber plates, bumpsteer kit, both front and rear sway bars and possibly replace your front and rear control arms along with the upper control arm as well..

You can get away with quite a bit in the lowering department before it get too crazy. I ran stock shocks/struts for a long time while running FRPP "K" springs. The rebound is the bigger issue with stock shocks/struts. You get an extra "bounce" to your ride because the dampers are compressed further. The dampers can't seem to compensate for long travel bumps while compressed. As for camber, just have an alignment shop check you out to make sure you're within tolerance. Mine needed minor adjustment with the "K" springs. I also have my shock mounts spun 180* out, likely why I only needed minor adjustment. I bought camber bolts, but never have used them.

Beyond 1-1/2" all of the above is true.


OP, if you're not getting crazy with suspension and just want to level the car out, just cut a single coil off the rear springs. If you like the way the car looks now, and just want to drop it a touch, cut a coil off all 4 corners. It won't hurt your ride quality, unless you plan on off-roading the car. You won't find many people a fan of this method, but it's the first thing I did when I bought my S197. Cut a coil off all 4 corners. I really couldn't afford springs at the time, and it was at least a year before I found someone selling FRPP "K" springs for $80. Had to have 'um at that price lol. Still the only springs I've ever run. But the stockers with a single coil cut worked/looked great for that first year. Sorry, no pics of the car. I don't even think I was on the S197 forum at the time.

 

[Kuplex]

Before I replaced my entire setup, I had just Roush rear springs. They pretty much level the car by dropping the rear an inch or so. I also happen to have mine for sale in the For Sale section at a good chunk less than new

 

[07 Boss]

It's not really a good idea to mix factory springs with aftermarket, as you'll end up with a suspension that has different spring rates.. As most aftermarket springs have what's called progressive rates that are stiffer over factory OEM that are designed to improve handling..

So if your looking to lower your car's suspension, you want your springs to have the same rates..
Therefore I highly recommend going with 1" lowering springs in the front and 1.5 " in the rear..

That should be enough to level things out and also get rid of the 4x4 look..

For springs, I would recommend going with either Steeda autosports or BMR suspension.. IIRC they both offer 1 inch and 1.5 inch kits and Steeda also backs their spring kits with a lifetime warranty as well..

Every set of springs I have ever seen except for Tein have different spring rates front and rear so I'm not sure where this info came from. Even companies with progressive springs run different rates between the front and rear. Changing up spring rates will effect how your car handles and may effect over steer and under steer. Changing spring rates between the front and rear is a useful tool in getting your car to handle.

Normally a lower ride height will need a stiffer spring to keep from bottoming out the suspension.

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

Every set of springs I have ever seen except for Tein have different spring rates front and rear so I'm not sure where this info came from. Even companies with progressive springs run different rates between the front and rear. Changing up spring rates will effect how your car handles and may effect over steer and under steer. Changing spring rates between the front and rear is a useful tool in getting your car to handle.

Normally a lower ride height will need a stiffer spring to keep from bottoming out the suspension.

I agree with your statement about spring companies running different rates between the front and rear.. However they're still considered as progressive springs, never the less..

As I previously stated.. There's a difference between factory OEM springs and companies that manufacture progressive springs that are designed to improve handling for lowered vehicle applications and are therefore stiffer when compared to OEM stock..

For that reason, I don't recommend mixing and matching 2 different types of springs that are designed and intended for 2 different purposes..

As factory OEM springs are designed for the OEM suspension/stock height and ride comfort..

Aftermarket lowering springs on the other hand, are clearly not designed for that purpose and are therefore not recommended for being used with the stock suspension !

 

[bujeezus]

i originally used a rear set of SR springs from American Muscle to drop my rear 1.5ish and it leveled the stance out perfectly, imo, without doin anything to the front. i've since gone with Eibach Sportsline springs in the rear an the SR up front to bring it down another inch or so an still level. didn't want the raked look. rides perfectly fine to me.

 

[duststang]

I have a set of SR springs that lowers the entire car and looks close to level. I am moving to a different setup and will probably be selling soon but they are reasonable and ride good.

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

i originally used a rear set of SR springs from American Muscle to drop my rear 1.5ish and it leveled the stance out perfectly, imo, without doin anything to the front. i've since gone with Eibach Sportsline springs in the rear an the SR up front to bring it down another inch or so an still level. didn't want the raked look. rides perfectly fine to me.

After dropping your rear by 1.5 inches, did you ever notice any bottoming out issues, as I assume that you didn't replace your stock shocks ?

I'd also like to know if your rear is still properly centered with the factory panhard bar still in place as well..

 

[07 Boss]

I agree with your statement about spring companies running different rates between the front and rear.. However they're still considered as progressive springs, never the less..

As I previously stated.. There's a difference between factory OEM springs and companies that manufacture progressive springs that are designed to improve handling for lowered vehicle applications and are therefore stiffer when compared to OEM stock..

For that reason, I don't recommend mixing and matching 2 different types of springs that are designed and intended for 2 different purposes..

As factory OEM springs are designed for the OEM suspension/stock height and ride comfort..

Aftermarket lowering springs on the other hand, are clearly not designed for that purpose and are therefore not recommended for being used with the stock suspension !

The companies that make linear rate springs run different rates front and rear also. I'm not sure why you are against mixing and matching springs to suit the needs of the car. I've run OEM springs with aftermarket lowering springs front and rear. I know many that run different brands and spring rates to get the ride or handling they want. I've been doing this for decades. Granted a bad choice in spring rates will adversely effect the way your car handles, but the right combination can have phenomenal results.

I've run prokit springs up front and sportlines in the rear. That helped in reducing the factory understeer. I've used stock springs in the rear and prokits up front for a mickey mouse drag set up. I'm on Cobra jet RA springs right now, front and rear, but am thinking about going back to the prokits up front to raise it up just a touch 'cause the RA springs are a little too low for my liking. Mixing and matching spring rates can be a great tool for dialing in your suspension.

 

[BMR Tech 2]

Looking into lowering the rear of my stock 2008 GT. What is the best cost effective safe way of doing this. Can I just replace the springs or do I need to also replace the shocks. Would a two inch drop in the rear be too much?? Do I also need to lower the front?? any info is greatly appreciated.

You don't have to lower the front, but I don't really recommend doing a 2" rear drop. You can run into all kinds of geometry issues. Anything over ~1.5" just gets silly IMO. We have a rear spring that you can use to lower your car ~1.5" in the rear to give it a nice, level look. It's a very popular choice among a lot of my customers. I get tons of people a week buying just our rear springs. You will likely need an adjustable panhard bar as well, so I recommend picking one up when you order springs.

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

The companies that make linear rate springs run different rates front and rear also. I'm not sure why you are against mixing and matching springs to suit the needs of the car. I've run OEM springs with aftermarket lowering springs front and rear. I know many that run different brands and spring rates to get the ride or handling they want. I've been doing this for decades. Granted a bad choice in spring rates will adversely effect the way your car handles, but the right combination can have phenomenal results.

I've run prokit springs up front and sportlines in the rear. That helped in reducing the factory understeer. I've used stock springs in the rear and prokits up front for a mickey mouse drag set up. I'm on Cobra jet RA springs right now, front and rear, but am thinking about going back to the prokits up front to raise it up just a touch 'cause the RA springs are a little too low for my liking. Mixing and matching spring rates can be a great tool for dialing in your suspension.

So you mean to say that if the OP intends on lowering his rear section by 1.5 inches, that he'll be fine running his OEM shocks without the possibility of bottoming out ? And are you also trying to say that he won't need an adjustable panhard bar to make certain his rear axle is still properly centered ? Because if you are, then I strongly must disagree..

You don't have to lower the front, but I don't really recommend doing a 2" rear drop. You can run into all kinds of geometry issues. Anything over ~1.5" just gets silly IMO. We have a rear spring that you can use to lower your car ~1.5" in the rear to give it a nice, level look. It's a very popular choice among a lot of my customers. I get tons of people a week buying just our rear springs. You will likely need an adjustable panhard bar as well, so I recommend picking one up when you order springs.

Dylan ! Even if the OP is looking to lower his rear by 1.5 inches, won't he also need to upgrade his shocks ? Otherwise won't there be bottoming out issues with the factory OEM shocks !

 

[BMR Tech 2]

Dylan ! Even if the OP is looking to lower his rear by 1.5 inches, won't he also need to upgrade his shocks ? Otherwise won't there be bottoming out issues with the factory OEM shocks !

No. People install lowering springs on OEM shocks and struts all the time. Lowering springs may not ride as nicely with OEM shocks and struts because the damping sucks, but aside from that there are no issues using lowering springs with OEM dampers.

 

[bigmike06GT]

Dylan ! Even if the OP is looking to lower his rear by 1.5 inches, won't he also need to upgrade his shocks ? Otherwise won't there be bottoming out issues with the factory OEM shocks !

I have FRPP lowering springs in my car 1.5" rear and 1" front with everything else completely stock and as per Ford who installed the springs I didn't need the adjustable panhard as everything was still within spec and also I have never had an issue with bottoming out.

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

No. People install lowering springs on OEM shocks and struts all the time. Lowering springs may not ride as nicely with OEM shocks and struts because the damping sucks, but aside from that there are no issues using lowering springs with OEM dampers.

Then I'm really stumped here, as I have the Eibach pro kit springs on both front and rear.. The pro springs lowered my front by 1.3 inches and my rear by 1.5 inches.. I had the factory struts replaced this past summer after it felt like my OEM struts would bottom out whenever I'd go over a pavement imperfection.. After bringing this up with both Eibach and my Ford technician, they both claimed it was due to the OEM dampers not being compatible with the lowered suspension height and therefore followed their recommendation and upgraded to Koni yellow adjustable's..

Unless I misinterpreted and they recommended upgrading because of the damping factor ?

I have FRPP lowering springs in my car 1.5" rear and 1" front with everything else completely stock and as per Ford who installed the springs I didn't need the adjustable panhard as everything was still within spec and also I have never had an issue with bottoming out.

I have Eibach pro kit springs, 1.5" rear just as you have with the FRPP and 1.3" front with the Eibach's..

My Ford dealership is claiming just the opposite and recommends upgrading to an adjustable panhard bar, as they claim my rear axle is not properly centered and also recommended upgrading from my OEM dampers as well and have since upgraded to Koni yellow adjustable's just this past summer..