Better handling on the CHEAP?

[06Torch]

Hello all,
My goal is to put together a decent riding Mustang with better handling than a stocker on very little money. I'm not above buying used parts or cutting a few corners to get there. I want to keep my expectations realistic. I don't expect my car to out perform a Vette. But, I want to stay away from ghetto rigging like cutting or heating springs to get a lower stance.

Any recommendations on a few parts that'll get me a noticeable change in handling? Looking for "Damn, glad I did that!" here. For example; the difference rearend gears or a short throw shifter might make for mechanical advantage and drivetrain input.

I've noticed frt/rr swaybars, LCA/UCAs, urethane bushings, rear springs, and strut tower braces are relatively inexpensive. Will installing any combination of these result a better handling car? By the same token, can I destroy the level of handling if I don't piece this together properly?
Thanks all,

Gerardo

 

[SoundGuyDave]

I've noticed frt/rr swaybars, LCA/UCAs, urethane bushings, rear springs, and strut tower braces are relatively inexpensive. Will installing any combination of these result a better handling car? By the same token, can I destroy the level of handling if I don't piece this together properly?

Gerardo,

The answers to your questions are yes, and yes...

If what you're trying to do is create a solid DD corner carver, then the first thing you want to do is swap dampers and springs, then get real tires. That, right there, will get you 90% of the way to where you want to be. After that, there's a whole laundry list of stuff you can throw on the car to help refine, but those are the most important.

Springs: higher rate, linear, and not too much of a drop, since that will open up a very large (and expensive) can of worms. Get dampers that will match, or adjustables. Honestly, my best advice is to bite the bullet and get a set of coilovers. Adjustable ride height, usually adjustable dampers, spring changes for different rates are cheap and simple to do, and if you get hooked on track days, you'll want them anyway... Can be done for under $1600 for the set, and aim for around .75"-1.00" lower than stock, but no more. Don't sweat the bushings for now, either.

Tires: get as wide a piece of "summer extreme performance" rubber (UTQG of 300 or lower, and the lower the better) as you can fit on your rims. ALL grip comes down to tires. Period. Acceleration, braking, lateral force, cornering force, all depend on the grip of the tires on the road. The most uber-expensive suspension package, combined with narrow all-seasons will NOT give you what you want... Budget around $250-280 per tire.

The control arms are nice, but until you get the rest of the suspension and running gear in place, it's like icing a non-existant cake.

A quick word on lowering: As soon as you drop your car by more than an inch or so, you get into problems: up front, the roll center drops (bad: replace ball joints, tie rod ends with aftermarket stuff), suspension travel shrinks (you can bottom out easier with soft springs). In back, you blow your anti-squat % out of the water (bad: LCA relocation brackets needed, cuts ground clearance down, exaggerates brake dive, promotes wheel hop on acceleration), your axle shifts (adjustable PHB needed), and you can alter your pinion angle (adjustable UCA and/or LCA).

Personally, I would hold off on stuff like swaybars until you get your dampers and springs dialled in, you may find you don't need them. The strut tower brace is effectively cosmetic on the S197 chassis, unless you're running competition rubber with a FULLY upgraded suspension and chassis. I would do the Ground-Control coilover setup with a set of good tires, like Dunlop Direzza-Sport Z1 Star Spec, in at least a 255/40 size, with as light a wheel as you can get your hands on.

 

[06Torch]

!

Wow!
Not exactly what I wanted to "hear" but I thank you for your honest advice. It looks like it's going to cost me no matter what. I will start with the shocks/stuts and springs. I see good deals come up every now and then. Then I'll start saving for better rubber.

Thanks for the advice. I'm really glad I didn't start spending money on suspension mods that were not going to do anything for me in the short term and ultimately disappoint me after installation.

Gerardo

 

[SlideWRX]

I'd say dampers are the biggest thing. If you are looking for cheap things, camber bolts & alignment come first. Drilling new endlink holes in the front swaybar further forward is an easy upgrade; it will raise grip a bit, but will understeer a bit more at the limit.

Shop for used GT500 control arms (front & rear, is anyone is selling) for a cheap upgrade there, along with the front strut mount off of the GT500. It all is stiffer rubber. Avoid the GT500 springs; the height for the fronts are assuming 200+lbs more engine are there, so they will sit high. Don't know how the rears sit.

I wouldn't buy any adjustable swaybar endlinks. They are nice product, but the front swaybar mounts are bolted on vertically, with a bit of slotting. have someone sit in the drivers seat while you loosen those mounts and retighten them; the front swaybar should end up pretty balanced. You can do this for the rear too. Honestly you might not feel the difference; which is why adjustable endlinks would be a useless purchase.

 

[SoundGuyDave]

I wouldn't buy any adjustable swaybar endlinks. They are nice product, but the front swaybar mounts are bolted on vertically, with a bit of slotting. have someone sit in the drivers seat while you loosen those mounts and retighten them; the front swaybar should end up pretty balanced. You can do this for the rear too. Honestly you might not feel the difference; which is why adjustable endlinks would be a useless purchase.

I agree with everything else, but disagree here... Adjustables will NOT make any difference unless you have coilovers and are corner balancing the car. At that point it certainly is possible that the "slop" adjustment won't be enough to unload the bar. Yeah, useless with standard struts, but almost necessary with coilovers...