Hey all. I just ordered a set the eibach sportline lowering spring kit for my 06 GT. I plan to pair them with the Koni sport adjustable shock and spring kit. What supporting mods do I need to be able to align it properly after installation (1.6 inch drop in the front and 2 inch in the rear) and to maintain a safe comfortable ride quality? Thanks !
Lowering springs supporting mods
RocketcarX
95% of my weight is fuel
Get the GT500 strut mounts and install then with the arrows facing the opposite of the recommended direction.
It wouldn't hurt to also install the adjustable camber bolts available from several manufactures as well.
It wouldn't hurt to also install the adjustable camber bolts available from several manufactures as well.
skwerl
tree hugger
Rear lower control arms and relocation brackets. Dozens of threads on this topic back in the day. BMR is your source for some of the best parts on the market.
RocketcarX
95% of my weight is fuel
To be fair those things aren't gonna help the alignment after dropping it, they will help with off the line traction though and add to the overall level of handling.
The front end will not line up in spec without doing the strut mounts (installed in reverse orientation) and camber bolts, this is for sure.
skwerl
tree hugger
No, it isn't something that can be measured on an alignment machine but it is definitely important in regards to handling. The car will be practically useless without them.
ExSRT8Guy
Been There, Done That
How much camber gain is realized by clocking the GT500 strut mounts? I'd like to get rid of my camber bolts, but don't want to go with camber/caster plates.
rocky61201
forum member
For a 2 inch drop in the rear you are probably going to need an adjustable panhard bar to center the rear axle and an adjustable upper control arm to get your pinion angle back into spec. The already mentioned lower control arms don't need to be adjustable but the relocation brackets are a definite must have.
You mention ride quality in your first post. Your ride quality will be ok/tolerable when everything is brand new but keep in mind adjustable spherical rod ends and adjustable strut mounts and bump steer kits don't last as long as stock/oem stuff. Think about this when selecting parts for strut mounts and bump steer kits and adjustable control arms.
if you daily drive a lot on sometimes crappy road conditions like I do, that stuff won't last long and ride quality will get harsh.
You mention ride quality in your first post. Your ride quality will be ok/tolerable when everything is brand new but keep in mind adjustable spherical rod ends and adjustable strut mounts and bump steer kits don't last as long as stock/oem stuff. Think about this when selecting parts for strut mounts and bump steer kits and adjustable control arms.
if you daily drive a lot on sometimes crappy road conditions like I do, that stuff won't last long and ride quality will get harsh.
RocketcarX
95% of my weight is fuel
It will bring it back in enough to reduce the tire wear with most 1.5ish drop springs. Tell you alignment tech to reduce the camber range from 1.5* to .75* and everything will be in the green.
A 2 inch drop will need camber bolts and reversed strut mounts.
A 1.6 front...and 2.0 rear drop is a helluva drop. I used a 1/2" front drop..and 1" rear drop. You might require a bump steer kit with the 1.6 front drop. Be careful with the rear shocks and front struts. If oem style shocks and struts used, you will have lost 2.0 /1.6 of bump travel.
RocketcarX
95% of my weight is fuel
You will have to cut down the bump stocks in the rear for sure, this is a good point.
He will also have lost 2" of travel in the rear shocks..and 1.6" in the front shocks.
Thanks for the input! It is not my daily driver but I still would like a fairly comfortable ride and durability. I believe steeda makes a heavy duty strut mounts that are designed for lowered cars. As of now my plan is the 1.6 and 2.0 In the rear springs. Koni adjustable shocks. And Adjustable panhard bar. I am just confused with the setup in the front. What exactly is a camber / caster plate / camber bolt? Is this the only other thing I would need to align the wheels properly ?
skwerl
tree hugger
To be honest, you're not going to get a very comfortable ride in a Mustang with a 2" drop no matter what mods you do. You can have comfort or you can have a 2" drop, you can't have both.
46addict
13726548
If you are spending the money on adjustable shocks you might as well get coilovers. The SVE kit is $700 and BC coilovers are a little more at $950ish. You will be spending close to that, if not more for springs, shocks, and strut mounts/camber plates. The fronts will be easier to install if you get coilovers because there's no need to compress springs into the strut assembly and there is no messing with camber/caster plates. The plates are designed to let the alignment tech adjust camber from the top of the car on a stock strut setup, instead of doing it underneath with a camber bolt. If you get camber plates with stock style struts or coilovers you will not need camber bolts. The coilver suspension will come with camber adjustment plates attached.
You've mentioned this three times, so I have to ask. What does installing the strut mounts in the opposite of recommended direction do?
RocketcarX
95% of my weight is fuel
The are offset, so when you install them reversed it pulls the camber back into spec on a lowered car.
Thank's for that information. I'll give that a try myself.
RocketcarX
95% of my weight is fuel
Make sure to tell you alignment tech to reduce the spec from 1.5* to .75* if you take it in.
Norm Peterson
corner barstool sitter
Strut mount offset can bring your cambers back toward "factory preferred (that -0.75° number), but there's no guarantee that it's enough to get you even back into the factory-allowed camber range (0° to -1.5°). Let's just say I'm not a fan of cheapie aftermarket crash bolts (what the paint & body dep't calls those things).
The good news is that most people's driving can tolerate cambers of -1.0°. Slightly further negative if they tend to drive through corners a bit harder then most other people do.
For some bad news, Sportline amounts of lowering could be more than what Konis can tolerate.
The only "camber bolts" I trust are Ford's own, which can be torqued all the way to the factory torque spec. Near as I've been able to tell, no aftermarket bolts are that good (the specs I've seen reference setting barely more than half of Ford's torque spec. This is not a good thing, especially on the very early S197's that did not get the later fine-thread bolts, the higher torque spec, and the knuckle thickness increase to further ensure joint integrity.
Norm
The good news is that most people's driving can tolerate cambers of -1.0°. Slightly further negative if they tend to drive through corners a bit harder then most other people do.
For some bad news, Sportline amounts of lowering could be more than what Konis can tolerate.
The only "camber bolts" I trust are Ford's own, which can be torqued all the way to the factory torque spec. Near as I've been able to tell, no aftermarket bolts are that good (the specs I've seen reference setting barely more than half of Ford's torque spec. This is not a good thing, especially on the very early S197's that did not get the later fine-thread bolts, the higher torque spec, and the knuckle thickness increase to further ensure joint integrity.
Norm
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