Is American Muscle a good place to buy "Pony Parts"?


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SavageKing2512

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Evening gents (and ladies) literally my first time posting so pardon any formatting issues.

I've got a stock (suspension wise) 2007 GT. I want to lower it the right way. Cheaper is better but I prioritize quality 70% to 30%.

I'd really appreciate links to buy (I prefer American Muscle, [good place to buy, yes?]) What order should I get them in, what needs to go on at the same time, pit falls etc.

EDIT : 18in rims and 235/55/18 are my measurements

Just lay the information into me boys, and girls. Thanks in advance.
 

stkjock

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Welcome

Tech section is not the right place for this. Moved.

Please review the sticky rules.

buy once buy right. Get quality manufactures from at AM is fine, there house brands are meh
 

Norm Peterson

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EDIT : 18in rims and 235/55/18 are my measurements
You sure about that tire size? Early S197 tire sizes were either 235/55-17 or 235/50-18. A 235/55-18 would be about an inch taller than either of those.

Think about whether you might eventually make changes in those wheel and tire sizes, particularly with respect to widths and wheel offsets.


I don't have much basis for opinion regarding AM beyond them being a source for parts from Ford Performance and other "name brands".

I would choose springs first for stiffness and only after that for any preference in the amount lowered (which I personally think should get "less is more" thinking). "Slammed" has too many downsides. My '08 is only lowered a very little, and it does very well for a 4.6L car out on road courses. More than 1g in the corners is easy.


Norm
 
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06 T-RED S/C GT

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I would first start with wheel/tire combo. If your looking for better handling without having to sacrifice road comfort? I would suggest going with 18x9.5" wheels that have between 42-45mm offset or 18x10" wheels with 42mm offset and pair them with 275/40/18" or 285/40/18" tires on all 4 corners, this way you can still rotate your tires. If you prefer a staggered setup? you could run 255/45/18's up front on 18x9.5" wheels and 285/40/18's in the rear on 18x10" wheels which will still provide OEM diameter of 27" in height. For springs, I would recommend going with Steeda Sportline Springs which are a linear rated spring vs progressive rated springs that are much stiffer than OEM stock. On the other hand, Roush springs are also another good choice as well. Dampers would be next of the list. My top preference would be Bilstein B8's which were designed exclusively for lowering spring applications, but for some reason Bilstein discontinued production and only offer the B6 dampers which are designed for OEM stock height applications. Therefore, I would suggest going with either Koni yellow adjustable dampers or Koni special active, non adjustable dampers which are similar to the discontinued Bilstein B8 dampers. You will also need to upgrade from your OEM panhard bar to an adjustable one which is required to re-center your car's rear suspension to the body once it's been lowered. From there, it's also recommended to upgrade your OEM lower control arms to polyurethane based which will provide better overall handling and possibly upgrade your upper control arm as well, depending if your vehicle is lowered more than 1.5"? It's also highly recommended that you replace your OEM strut mounts with either OEM GT500 or adjustable ones, otherwise your front suspension will not be able to be re-aligned back to Ford OEM specs. Meanwhile, hope you find this info as useful and also welcome to S197 forums.
 

Sky Render

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Koni dampers are great for corner carving (I run them), but they ride like shit. I mean, the ride quality IS AWFUL.

That's why I asked what you're planning on doing with the car.
 

06 T-RED S/C GT

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I also run the Koni dampers. Even with the adjustable yellows set to full soft, the ride quality is horrible, but do handle extremely well in the corners. If I had to start over again? I would've went with Bilstein B8 dampers which have since been discontinued or went with Koni special active, non-adjustable dampers which IIRC are similar with the discontinued Bilstein B8 dampers :shrug:
 

JEWC_Motorsports

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AM sucks. DO NOT spend money there. You will either get delayed shipments, wrong parts or just damaged shit. There are so many other vendors that still have great customer service. Lethal Performance, LMR and Beefcake Racing to name a few. Like others have said, what you do with your car will dictate what springs and shocks/struts you go with.
 

SavageKing2512

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You sure about that tire size? Early S197 tire sizes were either 235/55-17 or 235/50-18. A 235/55-18 would be about an inch taller than either of those.

Think about whether you might eventually make changes in those wheel and tire sizes, particularly with respect to widths and wheel offsets. Norm

I would first start with wheel/tire combo. If your looking for better handling without having to sacrifice road comfort? I would suggest going with 18x9.5" wheels that have between 42-45mm offset or 18x10" wheels with 42mm offset and pair them with 275/40/18" or 285/40/18" tires on all 4 corners, this way you can still rotate your tires. If you prefer a staggered setup? you could run 255/45/18's up front on 18x9.5" wheels and 285/40/18's in the rear on 18x10" wheels which will still provide OEM diameter of 27" in height.

Yep. I put on bigger tires. Not interested in shelling out a few hundred for rims. Suspension only please. Might go fatter if my rims allow it 18x8.5

Also

I don't think recommending I buy discontinued parts is helping, unless there's an abundance in existence
 

Norm Peterson

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Lowering "the right way" means different things to different people, but dropping the car as low as you can find springs for and calling it done isn't it. For any car that has to function as a daily driver or at least as a reasonable weekend street-driven car, something that lowers a lot more moderately than Sportlines are in order . . . look for spring choices more like an inch especially with 28" tall tires.

Too much lowering gets into things like bumpsteer correction and excessive rear axle steering unless you install rear LCA relocation brackets. The issue with relo brackets is that relo settings that are too aggressive for the amount of lowering can push the rear axle's handling contribution toward rather sudden oversteer during a lane change maneuver.

The impression I get about Konis is that they may be more sensitive to lowering or damage due to excessive lowering. I've had Koni yellows on my car for about 10 years (stock height to very mild lowering, only around half an inch), and only noticed harshness right after I installed stiffer than stock springs and set the damping up too high initially. Even that was only over expansion-jointed concrete or seriously rough/broken pavement. Some of any initial damper harshness is seal friction, which does go away after a while.


Norm
 

06 T-RED S/C GT

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Yep. I put on bigger tires. Not interested in shelling out a few hundred for rims. Suspension only please. Might go fatter if my rims allow it 18x8.5

Also

I don't think recommending I buy discontinued parts is helping, unless there's an abundance in existence
First off newbie! I didn't recommend buying any discontinued parts. If you had read my post in it's entirety accurately? I clearly stated if I had to start over again, I would've went with Bilstein B8 struts/shocks which have SINCE been discontinued, over the Koni yellow adjustable struts/shocks that are currently on my car. Therefore, I recommended buying either Koni yellow adjustable struts/shocks which are currently still in production or Koni special active, non adjustable struts/shocks which are also still in production and similar compared to the previous Bilstein B8 struts/shocks. If your looking to replace your stock 235/50/18" tires with larger 18" sizes that will fit properly on your stock 18x8.5" wheels/rims? then go to www.tirerack.com That being said, you requested info on how to lower your vehicle the right way and you've been provided with exactly just that.
 
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07 Boss

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Call BMR. They are a little pricier but quality and customer service are top notch. They really go above and beyond in helping get your car set up the way you want. I like them so much I just used them exclusively on my 2nd gen F-body build. Cost me a bit more than hotchkis or any of the other GM aftermarket companies but well worth it in my book. If my memory serves me right Kelly is the Ford guy there. He helped me dial in my suspension settings for the street and track.
 

Charly

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From what I have read lowering a Mustang is not as simple as replacing springs, on the rear it requires an adjustable panhard bar, while there panhard brace and new end links plus shocks of your choice. in the front it is struts and strut mounts, shocks and possible bump stop. I have a 2007 GT that I have replaced shocks and struts with KBY, the struts came with the mounts attached, BMR tower brace, Ford GT 350 lower A arm brace, BMR panhard and brace and end links on the rear sway bar. The handling is much tighter
without being jarring. I did not lower the car and it is great for spirited driving and still has an acceptable ride for everyday driving. It all comes down to what you are going to be using the car for.
Good luck
 

Forty61

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If price is a factor just find a good deal on any brand name springs and an adjustable panhard bar. I’ve got the Eibach Pro-Kit springs I bought used and some generic adjustable panhard bar, my total investment to lower the car was under $200.
 

LikeabossTM

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I put a set of vogtland springs on my GT, 1.25"-1.5" drop. Bought rear arm relo brackets and was going to buy a PH bar.

Didn't need the relos, and if my axle is off center it's not enough to notice. So i never did buy the PH. I did cut the top nub off the bump stops. Original shock/struts otherwise on all 4 corners.

I'm happy with the stance and enhanced handling, as well as the slightly harsher ride, for only the cost of the mild-drop springs and nothing else. Running like that for the last 40,000 miles.
 

Norm Peterson

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Yep. I put on bigger tires. Not interested in shelling out a few hundred for rims. Suspension only please. Might go fatter if my rims allow it 18x8.5
This is what's confusing me . . . you say you want to lower your car, but you've gone ahead and put tires on it that raised it up by half an inch :shrug:


Norm
 

07 Boss

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This is what's confusing me . . . you say you want to lower your car, but you've gone ahead and put tires on it that raised it up by half an inch :shrug:


Norm

I was kinda wondering the same thing. Went with a bigger tire which is actually just a taller tire. When he said bigger it took me a minute to figure out they were taller not lower and wider.
 

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