Hey guys, just wanted to hear your opinions on some upgrades I can do that would enhance the ride quality of my mustang. I have stock suspension with the only upgrade being a boss 302 strut tower brace. I am considering getting some lowering springs, but I am afraid they will make the ride very harsh.
Any type of aftermarket suspension you do is going to make the ride more harsh. Lowering springs to me aren't bad as far as stiffness, but there are people that think the car is falling apart with just lowering springs.
This is correct. Springs only can be rough. When I did mine I did struts, shocks, springs, Panhard bar and camber plates. I already had a strut tower brace.
Compared with stock it was only very minimally harsher. Still perfectly able to DD with no issues. I could see springs only being more so just because you're rolling on stock struts and shocks designed for stock ride height.
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Its all how you define harsh... My car has a bunch of suspension work and its barely past the point where i would hate to drive it every day. But i know people that if you put the cheapest and some of the softer lowering springs in their car they would complain that it is way too stiff. If you are a tolerable person then you will be completely fine. Just don't be a whimp, modding a car's suspension changes how it rides.
More expensive performance cars like BMWs have very nice ride quality while still being fast(er) than Mustangs. I don't think there's anything wrong with the OP wanting to mod his car for more comfort, doesn't mean he doesn't still like the get-up-and-go and sporty style that you get from a Mustang and not from a Cadillac. Doesn't have to be either a race car or a grandma car.
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You can improve ride quality by getting tires meant for that kind of luxury car or family sedan, instead of performance or "semi-performance" tires that come with our mustangs. Road noise will go down too. It won't do well on the drag strip but is fine for daily driving.
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What size tires are you running? If you have 17's try and find a tire with a tall side wall. That will help absorb some of the bumps.
I have to be honest, if you're on stock suspension m not sure I understand why you think it's harsh. I'm lowered with Eibach and I don't think its harsh at all. When I had stock springs and no strut tower brace there was so much body roll from being "soft" , it felt like the body was going to roll off the chassis.
I actually have the factory 18 inch wheels from the Club of America package.
The stock set up isnt harsh in my opinion. Would I mind if it was 'softer' no. I am more concerned about upgrading my suspension and having a harsh ride that I do not enjoy unless I am driving on a windy road. I have been planning on getting the SR performance lowering springs, and possibly a few other suspension parts, but I have heard they will make the ride more harsh, which is what I am worried about for a DD.
Two things will help your Mustang. A good set of tires, and high quality shocks. Do a little research and you can find out which are best for you. For example, go to Tire Rack and find the highest rated tire in your size and driving style for ride and noise. Same thing with shocks. A live axle is going to limit ride comfort, but you can still make improvements. Also, if you replace your front struts, go with the GT500 strut mount. It should really help with front end clunking.
I found some OEM Boss shocks / struts for sale for like $450. They're adjustable 1-5, so you could turn them down to 1 for your every day drive, and up to 5 for your "weekend cruise." Really some sort of adjustable suspension is going to be your best bet, because short of a Mag-ride system, there's really no way to do what you're asking.
What are you looking to do with the car daily driver comfort or track tuned ride? Either was it will be a compromise if you meet in the middle I myself prefer a harsher track ride because I feel the road surface better.
Other than Camber Plates and a Rear Chassis X-Brace, I have everything else upgraded. It was a trade off. When I first got my car, I took a little 25 mile trip on the back roads to the mall. Didn't hardly feel a thing. After all my upgrades, that 25 mile trip beat me to death. I knew that it would.
Now any driving on curvy roads the car just hugs and goes in and out of turns smoothly.
You can't have both unless you buy a Corvette with that Magnetic Selective Ride Control.
You could consider a watts-link. I just got one and I notice the rear end doesn't roll, jiggle and wiggle when going over bumps anymore. It really helps keep the car planted, without being harsh.
It's expensive, but I don't regret it at all. The only suspension mods in addition to the watts-link are whiteline LCA with relocation, and UCA. Stock everything else. Air-bags would be my next step.
Thanks for all the feedback guys! As much as I would like to purchase adjustable shocks/struts, it would be hard for me to commit since they have a hefty price point. Same goes for air ride suspension lol. I am currently looking at a pair of eibach struts on eBay for a fair price, these paired with a pair of shocks and SR springs shouldn't be too bad, right?
Bought my used Boss suspension for $450 with springs. The deals are out there if you look, 1 rides exactly like my stock GT suspension did with eibach 1" springs, and 5 is, well ... racecar haha. I'd take a look in the for sale section of a few forums, or post up a WTB. There's always someone getting rid of something.
Wow that's a steal for adjustable suspension! I will definitely look into it, I take it you had no fitment issues with the boss struts/shocks? Did you add lowering springs to this set up as well?
My set up came with Ford Racing springs, i did get a hell of a deal, but i got my girlfriend and mom these and if i find the money laying around i'll throw another set on my car. These FRPP springs are great at the track, but just a little more harsh around town than i prefer. Eibach Pro-Kit Mustang Springs 35125.14 (11-14 GT, V6, BOSS) - Free Shipping
No fitment issues at all though, everything just bolted right up, out with the old, in with the new.
Thanks for the info! Sounds like you have a pretty nice setup. I posted in the classifieds, hopefully I will find a set of boss shocks/struts
I have considered getting the eibach springs as well, but they just arent low enough for me. Im sure the ride is excellent though.
They're a very mild drop, but i didnt want to have to worry about a harsh ride, or running over speed bumps, getting into driveways ... Its a little give and a little take. The ride quality with them however is quite nice.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned sways. Springs affect ride and roll together, while sways are pretty much dedicated to roll. Although they would still not help dive/squat. For somebody more concerned with ride quality than lowering, while still imtoving handling, this might be a decent option.
Well tuned dampers are a critical part of blending performance and comfort.
"sway bars" despite their name, do not actually prevent body roll. If you think about it, they're attached at the very bottom of the car, below the suspension components. The springs, and shocks / struts have to compress before load is ever even put on the sways. Theres a section in the sticky on sway bars if you want to check it out :thumb:
I'm dropped on SR Performance springs and Koni shocks. Definitely harsher than stock, but usually not bad. However, if I had to drive through downtown L.A. roads everyday, I'd hate the ride.
Wow! A lot of good info here. Maybe I will just get taller rear tires first before I mess with lowering the rear. The previous owner had put 20" in back and 19" in front with low pro tires. So the car looks like it's jacked up in the back. Lol. Not what I would want but not going to get new rear tires till I need to. Lol.
If you want a softer ride get 17 inch wheels, nothing makes as big as a difference. My stock 17s make my Stang the smoothest, plushest car I've ever owned. When I installed a set of GT 18 inch oem wheels it was much harsher and rougher. I re-installed my 17s because the roads in Chicago are complete crap. You can find take off 17's for cheap. My 350z was unbearable with it's stock 18s but when I downgraded to 17s it was much smoother and actually a little quicker up to 40 mph due to losing almost 30 pounds of weight over the 18s.
get some Steeda springs...[not the really low lowering springs]...I have 'em ..lowered an 1" all around. Rides better than stock almost!!!!
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