ChuckyRick
Junior Member
Being as this is my first post geared towards the handling side of things i figured it would be appropriate to give a run down on my current set-up and quick blob about myself since i've yet to do that since i joined. Even though i'm always on here reading, i don't post a whole lot
Although i've had various Fords ever since i got my license (Mostly old beat up trucks), i pinched pennies and worked alot all through school until eventually i bought my current mustang, a 2005 Black GT 5spd my first summer out of highschool back in 2014. I then went to trade school for two years taking HD/Truck & Transport, I worked in a truck shop after school hours for most of my two years in school, and now i find myself in the heavy equipment side of the industry. More on the car: Bought it from a local dealer who took it in on trade from an RCMP officer (The only other owner) who bought a 2014 GT. It was bought and regularly serviced by said dealership it's whole life, and left bone stock.
Fast forward two years, the direction the car is heading is kind of an "All round street car". I like to hit the twisty roads all summer, Then a few times a year bolt on DR's and the bottle and hit the strip. Plans to maybe AutoX the car this year, However this is simply to see what the limit of the car (and driver) is and i have no plans whatsoever to spend big money on handling specific parts to be faster next time i go. I do drive the car quite a bit in the summer so although NVH isn't a hugeee concern (At 21 i'm still pretty tolerant of anything loud and violent) it's always a consideration.
Suspension Mod List:
BMR Adj Panhard Bar (Poly)
BMR Fixed LCA's (Poly/Poly)
BMR Adj UCA (Poly)
BMR Lowering Springs - At the time i ordered them i believe they only offered 1 set, So i assume they're the same as the "plain" ones you can buy now, ie: Not Handling, Not Drag
BMR Motor Mounts (Not suspension, But more BMR parts lol)
Boss 302 Sway Bars
Spherical Diff Bushing
Factory Ford A-Arm Brace added
Factory 5.0 takeoff STB
Poly FCA Bushings
At this point it's worth noting, When i put the car away this fall the only suspension mods were springs & panhard (And motor mounts lol). Now inspiration for this suspension "build" i guess summed up would be a "slightly improved boss 302". I don't want a racecar, Just something that is respectable around the twisties that can pull Drag strip duty as well. In a few weeks once the salt disappears i'll be pulling the car out for it's first shakedown since beefing up the suspension this winter, Then determining what else would be a reasonable/worthwhile investment.
I know one of the first things i plan to do is get the alignment set at 0 Toe (Camber is fixed at around -1.5 to -2.0 degrees i believe, As i have the GT500 mounts turned 180 degrees). I looked into Bumpsteer & the kits associated with it, But it was non existent before on these springs, and i have no reason to believe it would emerge now as i didn't change any geometry up front. Plus my FCA and tierod seem to be on the same plane. I think i read somewhere that a quick way to eyeball it. Now also i don't think i'm lowered enough (Springs claim 1.5" but i think it ended up a little less) that my roll center needs to be addressed, However if anyone thinks otherwise please chime in.
My biggest concern right now having not driven the car yet is my rear springs. Remember earlier when i mentioned my inspiration/goal was to be on par with the Boss 302? Well if we go by specs, My front springs are about 10% stiffer than the boss at 28.9 N/mm vs the std boss at 26 & boss LS at 24. However my rears are quite a bit softer at 28.0 N/mm vs the std boss at 32.5 and boss LS at 33.5 (Apologies for using N/mm, that's just the numbers i saw ford publish for the boss so i converted BMR's numbers). That's around 14-15% softer. Also spring-rate (linear) wise these are identical to the working rate of their "drag" springs. Now if i bought the "handling" rear springs from BMR that would put me at 35 N/mm, or about 8% stiffer than the std boss. Which for all intents and purposes we can round up and say my springs would be 10% stiffer than the boss all around. Couple that with the low-deflection poly FCA bushings, stiffer UCA & Spherical axle bushing, and stiffer LCA's (It's my understanding boss LCA's were just std GT LCA's with stiffer bushings), and everything else (Swaybars & chassis bracing) being identical to the std boss. I think i would have a car that although by no means would it be a racecar, should be respectable on a twisty road? So to sum up question 1) should i grab the rear handling BMR springs to give me similar spring balance to the Boss that i'm modeling my car around? Or do you guys think the difference wouldn't be noticeable?
I know at this point i mentioned the word Boss more times than i can count, and i'm sure some of you are thinking "why model your car around the boss? theres so much room for improvement". Well to clarify one thing, I'm not trying to make a boss "clone". I just picked the most respectable handling S197 from the factory to try a match it for my own personal enjoyment around the twisties and maybe AutoX if i take a liking to it. The majority of the aftermarket parts i bought will help me at the drag strip as well as handling. Anything that is strictly handling oriented i bought dirt cheap NTO or used.
Which speaking of pulling double duty, That rolls me into question 2. Being lowered 1.5" would i see much of a benefit from LCA relo brackets? More specifically would i see a benefit in BOTH aspects (Drag and Handling)? This is another topic i looked into and from what i read. I don't believe i'm even lowered enough that my instant center/control arm angles would be THAT bad. I mean for a car that isn't a dedicated drag car that doesn't even see full slicks. Would i see a major benfit? I read on here recently i believe, Someone else asked about relo brackets for their car, I think it was more around setting them up. I remember somebody mentioned they would probably set them down 2-3 holes at the strip, and then on the street bring it up to like the first hole or something. I wish i could find the thread right now.. Anyways to shorten this whole thing up here. Is that was the case and the best setting for the street is (obv it depends of setup, I'm just looking for general rule of thumb lowered 1.5") the 1st or top hole on the relo bracket? From what I understand it mostly aides in getting off the corner? So did most of you guys see a major improvement over stock? I would think having it set at the top hole wouldn't be a whole lot different than the factory axle hole. Thus making me think this is something geared towards the drag crowd who drive their cars on the street, and not the other way around.
3rd question, quick one. Subframe connectors. Talked to a local guy with a terminator, Said they were the best thing he ever did to his car. Never talked to anyone with them on an S197. I don't recall ever seeing it discussed in much detail on here either. Are they a good addition for a street car? Perhaps i should re-word that as i know there are almost no cons to them and they'd aid in both 1/4 mile and handling.. Would i see see a difference given how mildly modded my car is?
4th question and probably the only one other than the springs that i would easily notice, Also probably the most important out of all 4. Shocks/Struts. I'm still running factory units and i know this will be the biggest improvement to my car. I know a adj drag shock like the Strange 10-way won't handle great. However are there ANY out there that could possibly suffice for a dual purpose shock/strut? My whole goal here is to be able to drive my car through a twisty winding road, come home, pull my front sway bar off, adjust my LCA brackets (if you guys think they'd be a worthwhile investment), change my valving around on my shocks/struts, bolt on my DR's, toss the bottle in the trunk and go run at the strip. Are there any adjustables out there that have a broad enough range to pull this off? or are they all either drag oriented and handling oriented and none of them have enough range to accomplish both?
I know this is alot but if anyone can chime in with thoughts or personal experiences that would be great. Like i mentioned numerous times, this isn't a dedicated drag car nor is it a time attack car. Just a street car that will hopefully feel good on twisty roads and can take it to the drag strip if i want. So please keep that in mind, cheers
Although i've had various Fords ever since i got my license (Mostly old beat up trucks), i pinched pennies and worked alot all through school until eventually i bought my current mustang, a 2005 Black GT 5spd my first summer out of highschool back in 2014. I then went to trade school for two years taking HD/Truck & Transport, I worked in a truck shop after school hours for most of my two years in school, and now i find myself in the heavy equipment side of the industry. More on the car: Bought it from a local dealer who took it in on trade from an RCMP officer (The only other owner) who bought a 2014 GT. It was bought and regularly serviced by said dealership it's whole life, and left bone stock.
Fast forward two years, the direction the car is heading is kind of an "All round street car". I like to hit the twisty roads all summer, Then a few times a year bolt on DR's and the bottle and hit the strip. Plans to maybe AutoX the car this year, However this is simply to see what the limit of the car (and driver) is and i have no plans whatsoever to spend big money on handling specific parts to be faster next time i go. I do drive the car quite a bit in the summer so although NVH isn't a hugeee concern (At 21 i'm still pretty tolerant of anything loud and violent) it's always a consideration.
Suspension Mod List:
BMR Adj Panhard Bar (Poly)
BMR Fixed LCA's (Poly/Poly)
BMR Adj UCA (Poly)
BMR Lowering Springs - At the time i ordered them i believe they only offered 1 set, So i assume they're the same as the "plain" ones you can buy now, ie: Not Handling, Not Drag
BMR Motor Mounts (Not suspension, But more BMR parts lol)
Boss 302 Sway Bars
Spherical Diff Bushing
Factory Ford A-Arm Brace added
Factory 5.0 takeoff STB
Poly FCA Bushings
At this point it's worth noting, When i put the car away this fall the only suspension mods were springs & panhard (And motor mounts lol). Now inspiration for this suspension "build" i guess summed up would be a "slightly improved boss 302". I don't want a racecar, Just something that is respectable around the twisties that can pull Drag strip duty as well. In a few weeks once the salt disappears i'll be pulling the car out for it's first shakedown since beefing up the suspension this winter, Then determining what else would be a reasonable/worthwhile investment.
I know one of the first things i plan to do is get the alignment set at 0 Toe (Camber is fixed at around -1.5 to -2.0 degrees i believe, As i have the GT500 mounts turned 180 degrees). I looked into Bumpsteer & the kits associated with it, But it was non existent before on these springs, and i have no reason to believe it would emerge now as i didn't change any geometry up front. Plus my FCA and tierod seem to be on the same plane. I think i read somewhere that a quick way to eyeball it. Now also i don't think i'm lowered enough (Springs claim 1.5" but i think it ended up a little less) that my roll center needs to be addressed, However if anyone thinks otherwise please chime in.
My biggest concern right now having not driven the car yet is my rear springs. Remember earlier when i mentioned my inspiration/goal was to be on par with the Boss 302? Well if we go by specs, My front springs are about 10% stiffer than the boss at 28.9 N/mm vs the std boss at 26 & boss LS at 24. However my rears are quite a bit softer at 28.0 N/mm vs the std boss at 32.5 and boss LS at 33.5 (Apologies for using N/mm, that's just the numbers i saw ford publish for the boss so i converted BMR's numbers). That's around 14-15% softer. Also spring-rate (linear) wise these are identical to the working rate of their "drag" springs. Now if i bought the "handling" rear springs from BMR that would put me at 35 N/mm, or about 8% stiffer than the std boss. Which for all intents and purposes we can round up and say my springs would be 10% stiffer than the boss all around. Couple that with the low-deflection poly FCA bushings, stiffer UCA & Spherical axle bushing, and stiffer LCA's (It's my understanding boss LCA's were just std GT LCA's with stiffer bushings), and everything else (Swaybars & chassis bracing) being identical to the std boss. I think i would have a car that although by no means would it be a racecar, should be respectable on a twisty road? So to sum up question 1) should i grab the rear handling BMR springs to give me similar spring balance to the Boss that i'm modeling my car around? Or do you guys think the difference wouldn't be noticeable?
I know at this point i mentioned the word Boss more times than i can count, and i'm sure some of you are thinking "why model your car around the boss? theres so much room for improvement". Well to clarify one thing, I'm not trying to make a boss "clone". I just picked the most respectable handling S197 from the factory to try a match it for my own personal enjoyment around the twisties and maybe AutoX if i take a liking to it. The majority of the aftermarket parts i bought will help me at the drag strip as well as handling. Anything that is strictly handling oriented i bought dirt cheap NTO or used.
Which speaking of pulling double duty, That rolls me into question 2. Being lowered 1.5" would i see much of a benefit from LCA relo brackets? More specifically would i see a benefit in BOTH aspects (Drag and Handling)? This is another topic i looked into and from what i read. I don't believe i'm even lowered enough that my instant center/control arm angles would be THAT bad. I mean for a car that isn't a dedicated drag car that doesn't even see full slicks. Would i see a major benfit? I read on here recently i believe, Someone else asked about relo brackets for their car, I think it was more around setting them up. I remember somebody mentioned they would probably set them down 2-3 holes at the strip, and then on the street bring it up to like the first hole or something. I wish i could find the thread right now.. Anyways to shorten this whole thing up here. Is that was the case and the best setting for the street is (obv it depends of setup, I'm just looking for general rule of thumb lowered 1.5") the 1st or top hole on the relo bracket? From what I understand it mostly aides in getting off the corner? So did most of you guys see a major improvement over stock? I would think having it set at the top hole wouldn't be a whole lot different than the factory axle hole. Thus making me think this is something geared towards the drag crowd who drive their cars on the street, and not the other way around.
3rd question, quick one. Subframe connectors. Talked to a local guy with a terminator, Said they were the best thing he ever did to his car. Never talked to anyone with them on an S197. I don't recall ever seeing it discussed in much detail on here either. Are they a good addition for a street car? Perhaps i should re-word that as i know there are almost no cons to them and they'd aid in both 1/4 mile and handling.. Would i see see a difference given how mildly modded my car is?
4th question and probably the only one other than the springs that i would easily notice, Also probably the most important out of all 4. Shocks/Struts. I'm still running factory units and i know this will be the biggest improvement to my car. I know a adj drag shock like the Strange 10-way won't handle great. However are there ANY out there that could possibly suffice for a dual purpose shock/strut? My whole goal here is to be able to drive my car through a twisty winding road, come home, pull my front sway bar off, adjust my LCA brackets (if you guys think they'd be a worthwhile investment), change my valving around on my shocks/struts, bolt on my DR's, toss the bottle in the trunk and go run at the strip. Are there any adjustables out there that have a broad enough range to pull this off? or are they all either drag oriented and handling oriented and none of them have enough range to accomplish both?
I know this is alot but if anyone can chime in with thoughts or personal experiences that would be great. Like i mentioned numerous times, this isn't a dedicated drag car nor is it a time attack car. Just a street car that will hopefully feel good on twisty roads and can take it to the drag strip if i want. So please keep that in mind, cheers