[Nice Pony]

Been a long time coming but I finally decided to upgrade my suspension so it is not only great at the track but can be adjusted for a smooth ride on the street. I have been running Bilstein HD Struts & Shocks with Suspension Techniques Lowering/Sport Springs since 2006. They worked great at the track but were to stiff for the street especially on my new commute down a long bumpy stretch of I-5. They were beating me to death. Also they had a 1.5" drop in the front which is about .5" more than what I wanted and made my car drag in a lot of places where I drive unless being very careful. Not to mention the front tires looked out of place in the fender wells.

So I just finished up installing a set of adjustable Tokico D-Spec Shocks & Struts along with a set of Vogtland GT500 953094 springs. When used on a GT or V6 these springs give a 1.2" drop in the rear and a .8" drop in the front for a level ride which is just a bit stiffer than the Vogtland springs designed specifically for a GT or V6. The ride is much better now and the front end is no longer to low. The tires look symmetrical in the fender wells now. I can crank the Tokico D-Specs down to be just as stiff as my Bilsteins were for track use.

My other suspension components consist of:
BMR K-Memeber
BMR A-Arms
BMR A-Arm Support Brace
J&M Rear Upper Control Arm with Poly-Ball Bushings
J&M Rear Street Aluminum Billet Lower Control Arms with Poly-Ball Bushings
Carriage House Engineering Anti-Squat Brackets
Ford Racing V6 Strut Tower Brace
Progress Technology Camber Adjusting Kit
Ford Mustang GT front and rear swaybars

Got some miles on the new setup today. I like it a lot! I knew I would because we installed the exact same parts on my sons GT a few years ago and I have always liked the way they ride and handle on his Mustang as compared to my old setup. The ride is not nearly as harsh with settings at 5 turns out going down bumpy I-5. It is still stiffer than stock at those settings but not by much. They can be set to 7.5 turns out for maximum soft but I think 5 turns out is a pretty good compromise at this point for daily driving. I will play with them some more. The extra 1/2" ground clearance in the front is also very welcome!

 

[Zhim]

Is there a big difference between your gt sway bars and the ones on a v6 pony package? Or are they the same?

 

[Nice Pony]

The swaybars on a Pony Package and a GT are not necessarily the same. On the 2006 Pony Package, which my Mustang is, they are identical to the GT.

Here is what I have found by physically measuring different cars.

2006 Pony Package:
Front = 34mm
Rear = 20mm

2007 Pony Package:
Front = 33.5mm
Rear = 18mm

2008 Pony Package:
Front = 34mm
Rear = 18mm

All Stock GTs:
Front = 34mm
Rear = 20

 

[Zhim]

Mines 2006 too. So you find the stock sway bars are enough for your increased demand for handling?

 

[Nice Pony]

They work fine for my application which is mostly autocross. You don't necessarily need larger swaybars if you are running stiffer springs, struts and shocks. With my setup I get very little body roll at all. I think some people get carried away with way overkill swaybars. IMO If all your other suspension is basically soft stock components larger swaybary would probably help.

 

[Zhim]

Cool, thanks for the insight!