First suspension mod? 06 GT

[996Peyton]

Hi all! Have had my car since April now, have done lightweight flywheel and clutch from exedy and thrown a set of rays on it so far, other than that the car is bone stock! but finally ready to pull the trigger on some suspension stuff, currently looking at the white line kit that includes the sways/end links/springs etc and then also doing the rear LCAs and panhard bar from white line too! Wondering if anyone has any suggestions or recommendations on what else to do or choices over these parts. Looking forward to meeting everyone and hearing your opinions, thanks!

 

[Bedouin]

Nice mods & wheels so far..I can only comment on the FRPP springs, shocks, sways Shelby put in my ‘08..I think they’re Eibach & Tokicko but it’s an excellent package..firm & planted, lowered perfectly, & I think some vendors have deals on them.

Good info in this thread;

https://www.s197forum.com/threads/ford-racing-strut-set-up-for-2008-bullitt.155528/#post-2595901

 

[GriffX]

Silver/Black - nice ..... Welcome and swaybars first. With bigger swaybars you can drive softer shocks and springs.

 

[AHaze]

Rear LCAs are a must, decent shocks/struts make a big difference and everything else you listed is nice to have as well. My stance is that the rear sway bar makes a bigger difference than the front. For a primarily street driven car, I like the combination of a 24mm rear bar from a GT500 or later track-pack GT with the stock front bar. Spend the money you save there on the dampers.

 

[JC SSP]

Welcome from Miami, FL.

Good looking GT.

Whiteline makes great products.

 

[Samos3]

Have a look at your front control arms. They are probably the originals. Ford Racing has the newer, heavier replacement with better bushings. Unlikely you will notice a difference, but the bushings are smoother and the balljoint area of the arm won't tear off due to corrosion or age/abuse.
The rest depends on your intended style of driving.

 

[Bedouin]

Ahaze, i’m curious how rear LCA‘s are a must?..not debating just curious how they’d be more important than lowered and firmer shocks and springs.

 

[JC SSP]

 

[AHaze]

Ahaze, i’m curious how rear LCA‘s are a must?..not debating just curious how they’d be more important than lowered and firmer shocks and springs.

The axle hop these cars experience when stock absolutely ruins the fun IMHO. LCAs with stiffer bushings do a pretty good job of mitigating that.

 

[GriffX]

If you live in a area with twisty roads I can recommend the J&M Extreme LCAs with the spherical PU bushing. It makes the live axle alive

 

[996Peyton]

Have a look at your front control arms. They are probably the originals. Ford Racing has the newer, heavier replacement with better bushings. Unlikely you will notice a difference, but the bushings are smoother and the balljoint area of the arm won't tear off due to corrosion or age/abuse.
The rest depends on your intended style of driving.

def looking into front control arms, but those will be a little later down the road as I believe my current list are the must have first suspension mods from what I've gathered. not trying to do too too much as once as I like seeing what each mod does to the car from a feel standpoint

 

[996Peyton]

The axle hop these cars experience when stock absolutely ruins the fun IMHO. LCAs with stiffer bushings do a pretty good job of mitigating that.

yeah this thing wheel hops like crazy! cant wait to get it sorted lol

 

[996Peyton]

If you live in a area with twisty roads I can recommend the J&M Extreme LCAs with the spherical PU bushing. It makes the live axle alive

ive got some decent twisty roads near me...some of the twistiest in Florida actually lol, but i also will be occasionally tracking the car every once in a while, and I visit the Tennessee mountains so she will def see some twisty roads!

 

[GriffX]

ive got some decent twisty roads near me...some of the twistiest in Florida actually lol, but i also will be occasionally tracking the car every once in a while, and I visit the Tennessee mountains so she will def see some twisty roads!

The spherical bushing reduces the binding when only one wheel moves up or down a lot. A LCA like from BMR fights more against this movement of the axle. When I go down a curb now with one wheel, it feels almost like an independend suspension.

 

[Kev555]

Nice clean cut looking S197. Welcome

 

[MasterofDisaster]

Welcome. Gorgeous car!

I installed UMI LCAs in 2015 b/c the bushings were shot, and it made sense to go with a better, non-adjustable LCA. If I had foreseen the road I'm on, I would have replaced the front CAs, sway bar links, and the rear UCA at the same time. Would also have replace the struts, shocks, and various bushings. Finally completed all that this year, and the ride is stock, great, and quiet.

Looking at the cost, I might have gone w/ tubular front CAs, but I'm happy w/ the GT500 arms that are a nice upgrade.

 

[996Peyton]

Welcome. Gorgeous car!

I installed UMI LCAs in 2015 b/c the bushings were shot, and it made sense to go with a better, non-adjustable LCA. If I had foreseen the road I'm on, I would have replaced the front CAs, sway bar links, and the rear UCA at the same time. Would also have replace the struts, shocks, and various bushings. Finally completed all that this year, and the ride is stock, great, and quiet.

Looking at the cost, I might have gone w/ tubular front CAs, but I'm happy w/ the GT500 arms that are a nice upgrade.

are you still running stock location currently? i am looking at doing the relocation brackets but starting to wonder if its worth doing right now and just forking that 2-300$ somewhere else

 

[MasterofDisaster]

Yes, I'm pretty stock. I had thought about lowering my car an inch or two, but there's a ton of crap on the roads in Michigan. Still, GT500 front CAs and more robust rear control arms along w/ poly bushings will definitely tighten things up.

 

[Samos3]

Whiteline LCAs with MaxC bushings allow axle movement without bind.

Rear Lower Control Arm https://share.google/aq59yYIOqShINGUs9

Not all LCAs relocation brackets work with stock type LCAs in the top arm hole for mildly lowered cars (1" or so ). So if you go with the Ford arms and want relocation brackets, look around and confirm.

 

[GlassTop09]

Not all LCAs relocation brackets work with stock type LCAs in the top arm hole for mildly lowered cars (1" or so ). So if you go with the Ford arms and want relocation brackets, look around and confirm.

If doing this using the OEM Ford rear LCA's, Maximum Motorsports is your only choice for rear LCA relocation brackets that will work w\ the OEM Ford LCA design as well as all of the rest. A full bolt-on design MM says & stands by that theirs don't need to be welded........they are a tight fit to the 8.8" axle's LCA mounts, are side specific & are a very beefy\hefty design so you ain't gonna hurt them. All included mounting bolts TQ spec to 129 ft-lbs.

I'm running a set of them on my car & they're still just as tight as from the day I installed\TQ'd them........have checked the bolts 2 times in approx 1 yr of service & have beat on them fairly regularly while doing WOT tuning simulating 1\4 mi runs w\o issues.

Hope this helps.