Installed my FRPP Handling Pack and Steeda Suspension Parts

[JohnnyGMachine]

Love the new suspension! The stance is right on. 1.5" drop all around which retains the slight factory rake only lowering the car down where it needs to be. The slight rake is perfect as my new 315-35 20 rear tires will be about .80" larger in overall diameter compared to the front. This will help fill up the wheel well evenly. If the stance was level then the rear tire would fill the fender well more than the front and look as if the front sat slightly higher. FRPP Handling Pack I purchased included K-springs, struts, shocks, 1.5" K-springs, front and rear sway bars, sway bar links, brackets, bushings, and strut brace. Additionally we installed billet lower control arms, panhard bar, panhard bar brace, and shorter upper control arm from Steeda. Driving impressions are that it definately rides stiffer but not beating you up. It feels like a sports car should. The suspension is much more responsive, body roll drastically reduced, brake diving greatly reduced, just rides nice and tight. We also found that the stock upper control arm bushing was cracked. So it was good that we were replacing that. So now I'm anxious to get the wheels and tires on! I need to get an alignment next and then order my tires for the Steeda Spyder wheels I bought. After that it's the GT500 wing & CDC aggressive chin that need to get painted and installed.

BEFORE & AFTER

 

[Stangmeister9]

nice, one step at time.

 

[VTXFrank]

That car is gonna be awesome once you get new wheels and tires along with the spoiler and chin done!

 

[Ch4r1ie]

Good work fella! You're gonna have some fun with that

 

[mpf]

Good writeup/fotos.
I wonder if it is the harder bushings that make the ride seem stiffer??

 

[JohnnyGMachine]

The bushings are all Energy Suspension included in the FRPP kit. I think it's a combination of bushings, strut/shock tuning as well as the spring rates. I'm sure the FRPP kit with the 1" drop springs aren't quite as stiff? We set the adjustable front sway bar to the middle setting. There's 3 - soft, medium, and hard. Putting it on the hardest setting would also stiffen up the front suspension even more.

Thanks for the compliments guys, stance, wheels, and tires can make or break the look of any car.

 

[Sharad]

Looks great Johnny.

 

[ford20]

How does the kit feel to you? Do you think that it is worth it to buy the kit?

 

[JohnnyGMachine]

I myself would definately buy the kit (and I did) if you're after great handling performance. You don't have to but it makes it easier in som ways to do it all at once.
I think it's all designed to work together. I bought the kit because if you just do springs, then your stock struts and shocks aren't designed to work with the lowering springs. If you get just the springs, struts, and shocks that's better but I'll still have more body roll than I want so really you need the sway bars and better bushings. I purchased the panhard bar, and brace because once I lower the car the rear end will shift to the left so I needed the adjustable panhard bar. The OEM panhard bar brace is a flimsy stamped metal piece that's worthless. The upper shorter control arm from Steeda is designed to work with the lowered setup and help eliminate axle windup and wheel hop. The billet aluminum lower control arms from Steeda are not only lighter but will also aid in eliminating wheel hop.

I had a hard time finding the kit with the K-Springs that have the 1.5" drop versus the other kit which offers the 1" drop. K-springs are readily available but from what I was reading the kit which incudes the K-Springs are discontinued by Ford. I found my kit at Downs Ford. Luckily they were only an hour drive one way so I picked them up instead of shipping.
My goal with this car is to focus mostly on handling. I think Ford offers a nice kit for the money. I've purchased lowering parts/kits from Eibach and others for my fox body cars in the past but decided to go the Ford route this time. I've had some issues with Eibach in the past but that's another story. I was back and forth between FRPP Handling Pack and the Steeda Kit. Both kits seemed pretty much the same in spec and both included the same parts. The Ford kit was about $250 less. Besides the $250 savings with the Ford kit I also knew that the 1.5" drop the Ford kit would get me was exactly what I wanted as far as the stance goes. I wasn't really clear that the Steeda springs would get me low enough or not. I was hearing most guys getting about an inch or maybe slightly less? Some guys were saying they hardly noticed much drop even after they drove it to get things settled. I'm pretty picky about the stance on my cars. I don't want slammed, but I want it low enough to get it that tight look.

Sorry to be so long-winded, just trying to show you what my thinking was for purchasing the parts that I did and where I'm headed with my car.

 

[HOSS06]

Thinkin bout this kit versus the eibach pro kit. Any input would help

 

[TGR96]

My man HOSS knows how to use the search button! First post and bumps a 3 and a half year old thread! Well done sir!

I have never run the full FR set up that the OP has, so I can't comment on that set up, but I have run the Eibach Pro springs/struts/shocks on my old 07 GT/CS vert. I loved the stance, but the ride was pretty rough for a DD. I honestly would not recommend it.

What are you plans for the car? DD, drag racing, road course, auto X?

 

[HOSS06]

First off thanks TGR96. I appreciate the props brother.

My car is a 06 GT premium. I have around 119000 miles on it with factory suspension still. I wanna keep this car and work on it with my boy. Who is now bout to be two. I wanna turn wrenches with the youngin. I don't want a track car. Just better handling it will be a daily driver. Future mods will be full length headers h pipe, C and L intake change my gears and maybe a cam and tune. I currently have Bassani SS cat backs 20" staggered Foose wheels. I have done mods to the interior but just audio entertainment things.

The things I like about the eibach kit are the price and the stance. It looks really aggressive with the leveled out look. And the price is better. If I did buy that kit I would also do the GT 500 upper mounts. A strut tower adjustable camber bolts and the rear panhard bar that would be equivalent to the ford pack plus the strut tower and I'd save 100 dollars.

If I went with the ford pack the stance is definitely not as aggressive looking and is still higher in the rear. Other than that that's the major difference. I really don't mind putting out the little extra money for a quality ride but if they ride the same y not save money and improve the looks.

 

[TGR96]

You basically are looking at the Eibach kit for the same reasons I did...stance and price. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad kit per se, but I would suggest going with a little better shock and strut. It will be money well spent, especially since your car is a DD and you have no plans on tracking it.

FWIW, I am running Tokico D-specs on my current car with H&R Supersport springs, and IMHO, even though it's pretty low compared to stock, the ride is OK for a DD. And since the dampers are adjustable, I can stiffen them up for the track. I have also had success with Koni yellows, which are also adjustable, but it was on non-S197s, my Miata and on an older SN95 body Mustang. I do know a lot of guys here run Koni yellows on their S197s, so maybe one will chime in.

And yes, with that amount of lowering, you will need an adjustable PHB to center the rear axle, and probably either cam bolts or caster/camber plates to get your front end back to spec. And you will also want to put on some rear LCA relocation brackets on the rear end to fix the angle of the lower control arm after it's lowered. But those are only around $100-120.

The good thing is, if you have 119K miles on your stock suspension, ANYTHING is going to feel better! LOL

Also, if cost is an issue (it usually is for most of us), keep an eye out on the classified sections of S197 as well as other Mustang forums. You can find great deals on suspension parts. I got my parts used from a fellow forum member, and they've worked out great.

 

[HOSS06]

So is there any body that has a opionion on going with tokico's or Koni's and do they have a kit for or car's like eibach or ford racing.

 

[sidvicious]

Nice work. You got the best color Mustang there; but you should paint that axle with some POR15 . Oops just noticed this is and old thread. Nevermind!

 

[TGR96]

^^^LOL

 

[Sharad]

So is there any body that has a opionion on going with tokico's or Koni's and do they have a kit for or car's like eibach or ford racing.

I had the Koni Yellows on my car, my dad had the Tokiko adjustables on his. We both agreed that mine seemed to handle better. I'm actually on Air Lift now, which I love, but I feel that the Koni/Eibach combo is a great choice for street cars.

I would resist the urge to go with a "kit". There's not a thing wrong with picking and choosing your dampers, springs, control arms, swaybars, etc.

 

[The01Cav]

That made a huge difference in the look of the mustang. Looks great!!!

 

[Pauly]

looks way better lowered!!

 

[LAStang1234]

He sold it back in August.

http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116096