First time Mustang owner.

RDYPLR1

RDYPLR1

New member
Hi everyone,

Just wanted to take a minute and wave a hello to the local mustang community. I've been a BMW guy all my life, but I picked up an 07 GT as a summer driver this month and I'm loving it.

I purchased the car locally in Lower Sackville, NS. It's in pretty good shape, but the 20 inch wheels were thrashed and I didn't think they would pass an inspection, so I replaced those immediately with some 19 inch SVE drift wheels from LMR and some Pilot sport A/S 3+ rubber. It's in need of some suspension work, and a few other minor things that I'm excited to do.

Anyway, hope to see a few of you around. If you see this car, or me, definitely say hi.

Steve.
 

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Welcome to the community Steve. Nice looking ride.
It looks as if it's still at stock ride height.
Good lowering springs for these cars are Ford Performance "P" springs for 1" inch drop all around or "K" springs for 1.25" inch front and 1.5" inch rear combo drop. Eibach makes the springs for Ford Performance.
In the Eibach name plate, the equivalent to the "K" springs are the pro kit springs. Same 1.25" front and 1.5" rear drop.
Good dampers to complement these springs are Bilstein HD shocks and struts.
Being a BMW guy, you must know about Bilsteins...
Rear lower control arms and relocation brackets, along with an adjustable panhard bar will really tie everything together nicely.
Big advantage with these is polyurethane bushings.
Many manufacturers for these, BMR, Steeda, Whiteline, among others.
For relocation brackets, BRM have an extra bolt (attachment point) to resist deflection better than others.
Coilovers always good option too. Many manufacturers there too.
Sway bars add extra body control.
Again, Eibach very good here. Eibach also make the bars for Ford Performance.
Both these makes are greaseable and work very well with no squeaks.
I had Steeda sway bar before and it squeaked. Was not greaseable...

Enjoy.There is so much that can be done to these S-197's. There is a plethora of aftermarket parts for these cars.

Regards, Marc from northern NB.
 
67 AGAIN;n20539 said:
Welcome to the community Steve. Nice looking ride.
It looks as if it's still at stock ride height.
Good lowering springs for these cars are Ford Performance "P" springs for 1" inch drop all around or "K" springs for 1.25" inch front and 1.5" inch rear combo drop. Eibach makes the springs for Ford Performance.
In the Eibach name plate, the equivalent to the "K" springs are the pro kit springs. Same 1.25" front and 1.5" rear drop.
Good dampers to complement these springs are Bilstein HD shocks and struts.
Being a BMW guy, you must know about Bilsteins...
Rear lower control arms and relocation brackets, along with an adjustable panhard bar will really tie everything together nicely.
Big advantage with these is polyurethane bushings.
Many manufacturers for these, BMR, Steeda, Whiteline, among others.
For relocation brackets, BRM have an extra bolt (attachment point) to resist deflection better than others.
Coilovers always good option too. Many manufacturers there too.
Sway bars add extra body control.
Again, Eibach very good here. Eibach also make the bars for Ford Performance.
Both these makes are greaseable and work very well with no squeaks.
I had Steeda sway bar before and it squeaked. Was not greaseable...

Enjoy.There is so much that can be done to these S-197's. There is a plethora of aftermarket parts for these cars.

Regards, Marc from northern NB.
Click to expand...

Hi Marc,Phil,and crew!

Thanks for all the great info guys. I can't get over how many affordable aftermarket options there is for these cars. I'm like a kid looking in a candy shop window now. I'm still trying to figure out all the american aftermarket products though, but like you said, I'm familiar with the Bilstein struts. I have them on my kid hauling 2010 535xi Wagon. I included them on the following build from the mustang shop. Still looking at different options online.
50

2005-2014 Mustang BMR Adjustible Panhard Bar (Poly Bushings)
PHR006H		$213.20 ea.
$426.40
50

2005-2010 Mustang Bilstein HD Struts and Shocks
24122245		$203.34 ea.
$406.68
50

2005-2010 Mustang Bilstein HD Struts and Shocks
35128717		$341.37 ea.
$682.74
50

2005-2014 Mustang BMR Rear Lower Control Arms (Ecomomy, Poly Bushings, Non Adjustible)
TCA032H		$142.47
50

Mustang GT lowering Springs
M5300K		$291.48

PRODUCTS VEHICLE * QTY PRICE DELETE


I'm trying to keep the suspension in the Sub 2k price range. Also, do you have an experience, or do folks recommend the GT500 strut mounts? Seems most places do.

It's my goal to have a somewhat comfortable drive, and the suspension cater to an auto cross setup, rather than the track.

There seems to be a ton of budget setups from LMR and American Muscle like these:
Remove

[IMG2=JSON]{"alt":"Mustang BMR Rear Lower Control Arms Black Hammertone (05-14) Mild Steel","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/2f9415af4710375165ed-34c3a6364493e5cb56f83442b7204236.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com\/bmr-tca019b_8792.jpg"}[/IMG2]
Mustang BMR Rear Lower Control Arms Black Hammertone (05-14) Mild Steel
BMR-TCA019B
In Stock Ships today!		$139.951234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697071727374757677787980818283848586878889909192939495969798$139.95
Remove

[IMG2=JSON]{"alt":"Mustang BMR Rear Adjustable Panhard Bar Black Hammertone (05-14)","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/2f9415af4710375165ed-34c3a6364493e5cb56f83442b7204236.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com\/bmr-phr006b_2729.jpg"}[/IMG2]
Mustang BMR Rear Adjustable Panhard Bar Black Hammertone (05-14)
BMR-PHR006B
In Stock Ships today!		$139.951234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697071727374757677787980818283848586878889909192939495969798$139.95
Remove

[IMG2=JSON]{"alt":"Mustang Ford Racing Jounce Bumper Kit (05-14)","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/2f9415af4710375165ed-34c3a6364493e5cb56f83442b7204236.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com\/m5570a_6378.jpg"}[/IMG2]
Mustang Ford Racing Jounce Bumper Kit (05-14)
M5570A
In Stock Ships today!		$29.991234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697071727374757677787980818283848586878889909192939495969798$29.99
Remove

[IMG2=JSON]{"alt":"Mustang Koni Shock\/Strut & SVE Spring Kit (05-14)","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/2f9415af4710375165ed-34c3a6364493e5cb56f83442b7204236.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com\/kon-5300bak_4793.jpg"}[/IMG2]
Mustang Koni Shock/Strut & SVE Spring Kit (05-14)
KON-5300BAK
In Stock Ships today!
This item is considered hazardous. Shipping options may be limited.		$669.991234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697071727374757677787980818283848586878889909192939495969798$669.99

Item Price Quantity Total
Subtotal
$979.88
Estimated Total (shipping and taxes are calculated during checkout)
US $979.88



Any thoughts or rumors on the this Koni/SVE setup?

Anyway, lots to look at, and easy to get carried away, but I'd like to do it right the first time.

Thanks,

Steve.
 
Haha looks like you got the mod bug bad. Awesome!

Just a suggestion and maybe you have already looked there but I got my Bilsteens from TDOT performance out of Ontario. They have many other parts available. Not sure how their prices compare now as that was a couple years ago. Good luck.

Charlie
 
2001BlackGTvert;n20546 said:
Haha looks like you got the mod bug bad. Awesome!

Just a suggestion and maybe you have already looked there but I got my Bilsteens from TDOT performance out of Ontario. They have many other parts available. Not sure how their prices compare now as that was a couple years ago. Good luck.

Charlie
Click to expand...


I quickly checked them out the other day when I was looking at the full Ford performance suspension kit. They were asking like 3k which was really high. It does look like those Bilsteins are cheaper there, plus free shipping! So thanks for the tip Charlie.

Steve.
 
I bought a complete system from Steeda.com for my last car, O8 GTCS
it was about $2800, which included everything. Drop was about 1.5" on my car.
the difference is night and day in handling.
 
Hello Steve. Sorry I've been away.
A good list you have there. I run most of those parts on my car on the track.
First, those BMR parts from two different sites. They are the same. Some sites just have better pricing is only difference. Different pictures give different presentation. Good parts by the way.

American Muscle hard to beat on price and if you have access to free shipping to Maine for example, you're golden.
Only thing to watch out for with AM is they carry a lot of off shore parts from Asia, especially wheels and trim items. Those will be described as "Shelby like" or "GT500 style"... Wording meant to fool the reader into thinking they are genuine Shelby or GT500 parts when in fact they are not. But a BMR or Bilstein is what it is. Get the best price you can.
LMR, Brenspeed and CJ Pony Parts are also dependable sites. I've ordered from all of them. These last three are more made in America with less off shore parts.

Second, GT500 strut mount is a good upgrade if you are replacing struts. Two reasons. 1- it has a stiffer rubber bushing than GT mount to better resist deflection. 2- some GT mounts develop a "clunk" after being taken apart and reassembled. There was even a recall on some of the early 05 and 06 that clunked from the factory. Swapping in a GT500 one while you do the struts is prevention against this condition.

Third, If you are looking to do autocross or track and are pulling the struts, I would go one step further than the GT500 strut mount. I would opt for caster/camber plates. Big reason is that they replace the strut mount altogether. So money that would have gone to the GT500 strut mount offsets the price of the caster/camber plates.
Advantage is that the rubber bushing of the strut mount is replaced by a metal spherical bearing in the caster/camber plates. Complete elimination of deflection of the top of the strut in cornering. Steering response becomes razor sharp. Trust me, you'll appreciate it when you feel it.
I run the Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates.
This will also eliminate need for camber bolts. Will allow you to do proper alignment. As is, only toe in/toe out is adjustable on these cars.

Fourth, If you are going to use the Ford "K" springs(good springs by the way, made by Eibach for Ford), they drop the rear 1.5" inches, I would suggest you do relocation brackets for your two rear lower control arms to give them back rearward angle similar to factory geometry. When we lower these cars, the back of the control arm comes up to a near horizontal plane, thus taking weight off the axle under acceleration. This leads to loss of traction and can cause wheel hop, which is pretty violent and scary when it happens.
I've been there and done that. I have a 1" inch drop so I though I could get away without relocation brackets. Until I experienced wheel hop a couple falls ago. Nice sunny day but cool temperature, around +6c. Lost traction leaving a stop signs and experienced wheel hop. Told myself never again. Next mod was relocation brackets. Now LCA's are back to an angle that places weight on axle under acceleration.

Fifth, those jounce bumpers, I don't believe you need those. That's marketing 101 from the companies appealing to your fears. Your car already has some, rubber just like those. I did not change mine and have never hit them. If you're going to be auto crossing, you're going to empty the trunk and run light. You're always going to run that car light... Put money elsewhere.

Fifth, that LMR kit with SVE springs and Koni shocks. It's well priced because it is entry level. You get what you pay for.
I would have more confidence in the Ford springs because they are engineered and made by Eibach. I don't know who makes the springs for LMR. SVE is LMR's generic, in house brand. You won't see SVE sold anywhere else. The Koni's offered with that set are the orange Koni's. The base level Koni's. They are not adjustable like the Koni Yellow's. In the Koni world, the Yellow's is where the good stuff starts. I have much more confidence in the Bilsteins than the Koni orange. I mean German engineered at the Nurburgring on BMW's, Merc's, Audi's and so forth, It's a no brainer to me.
For example, in 2013 and 2014 if you ordered a GT500 with track pack, Ford sourced Bilstein dampers as part of that track pack, an upgrade from the stock Tokico's.
The kit gives you the GT500 strut mounts which is a good upgrade from stock. Here I refer you to Third point for alternative to strut mounts.

Last, I have attended High Performance Driving Events and read a fair bit on the subject of car setups. In the Mustang world, it is a popular place to be to have adjustable dampers on cars. Especially post 2012, when the Boss came from the factory with adjustable dampers. Dampers such as Tokico "D" specs and Koni Yellow's are popular.
My readings led me to articles that suggested that unless one is a full time professional with engineers and mechanics at his or her disposal for analyzing data, the vast majority of us mere mortals don't spend nearly enough time on track or driving at the limit to really be able to make full use of adjustable dampers. Those that believe they can or spend copious amounts of time thinking they can are so wrapped up in the next adjustment that they don't fully enjoy or concentrate on the driving.
The suggestion from the author was to get good, well engineered, non-adjustable dampers and concentrate on and enjoy the drive. Whether on track or an autocross course, the author suggested concentrating on the line, the braking and the acceleration contributed to the enjoyment and success way more than a set of adjustable dampers. That resonated with me and I bought in to that philosophy. Hence my choice to get the Bilsteins.
Once one reads on the engineering of Bilsteins it becomes clear that they are quality pieces designed to tackle varying and demanding conditions.

For everyone's info: list of my suspension mods. With which I am very pleased and wished I had done sooner, once it was done.
-Ford Performance "P" springs, 1" inch drop
-Bilstein HD dampers (same as above)
-Eibach sway bars front and back
-BMR rear lower control arms (same as above)
-BMR adjustable Panhard bar (same as above)
-BMR relocation brackets for rear lower control arms
-Steeda Panhard brace (replaces a factory brace that is flimsy)
-BMR K-member brace
-Whiteline A-arm support (basically a radiator support to front of K-member brace)
-Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates
-Ford Mustang GT strut tower brace (which I lost when I added the Ford intake manifold, taller than stock)

I regret not getting a Ford rear seat X-brace when they were available. That would now compensate some for the loss of the strut brace.

Happy modifying Steve. Whatever you do, with the list you have above, you are on the right track and it will be a great improvement and you will appreciate it over stock.
 
Ok, I went to bed last night realizing I spoke a bit hastily in regards to the two sets of lower control arms that Steve posted above here.
I erred when I said they are the same. That comes from the fact that when I was shopping for these in 2011, there was only one model offered in the line that looked like these. They were the BMR part # TCA019, the second pair posted by Steve above. These are the ones I have.

Upon closer scrutiny today, I discovered the first pair posted by Steve above are BMR part # TCA032, which are a new addition to the line since I was shopping some years ago.

The difference between the two is that the TCA019 are TIG welded 1.25" X 2" diameter tubing and are the stronger, sturdier of the two.
The TCA032 are MIG welded 1" X 2" diameter tubing. This makes them slightly lighter than the TCA019 but not quite as strong or heavy duty, although they should still be an improvement over stock.

On AM today, the TCA019 are listed at $139.95 us, same price Steve had on LMR, and the TCA032 are priced $89;95 us. This would explain why the TCA032 can be offered for the $142.47 Canadian price Steve found above. But they are not the same product. Buyer beware.

I realized last night I could have also included a few pics as well of the other parts I mentioned.
Theses are the Caster Camber plates I run.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/turn5.scene7.com\/is\/image\/Turn5\/47024_alt1?$mproductlarge$$subcat250x187$"}[/IMG2]


Maximum Motorsports Caster Camber Plates (05-10 All; 07-14 GT500) $279.97


These are the rear lower control arm relocation brackets I was talking about.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/turn5.scene7.com\/is\/image\/Turn5\/49602_alt1?$mproductlarge$$subcat250x187$"}[/IMG2]


BMR Rear Lower Control Arm Relocation Brackets (05-14 All) $129.95

One could save $10.00 us on the combination of the LCA's and brackets by getting this kit offered by AM.
It is the heavier duty TIG welded arms included in this kit.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/turn5.scene7.com\/is\/image\/Turn5\/390525_alt1?$mproductlarge$$subcat250x187$"}[/IMG2]


BMR Steel Anti-Wheel Hop Package - Hammertone (05-14 All) $259.00

These are the sway bars I run.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/maritimemustang.com\/core\/create-content\/text\/"}[/IMG2]


Eibach Anti-Roll Front & Rear Sway Bars (05-10 GT, V6) $454.41

This is the Panhard bar brace I have. There is a factory brace on the car but it is only stamped steel and three sided or "U" shaped. It is not welded closed, neither square nor tubular.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/www.cjponyparts.com\/media\/catalog\/product\/cache\/1\/small_image\/200x\/b39cc562b94c8cca8418d82cbe03b49e\/5\/5\/5552555_1.784.jpg"}[/IMG2]Steeda Panhard Bar Brace Heavy-Duty 2005-2014
★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.7 out of 5 stars. Read reviews.







CJ's Low Price:
$94.95

SEE DETAILS


As for the K-member brace and A-arm support I use, they both use existing factory attachment points and require no drilling, cutting or welding.
The K-member brace was actually added from the factory by Ford starting on 2007 GT500's and from there slowly started finding its way onto regular GT's at random. Then in 2011 with the introduction of the 5.0 liter Coyote, all GT's got this brace from the factory along with the GT500's.
So you might want to investigate your car before considering this piece as you may already have one.
The K-member brace is a tubular piece of metal that ties the two sides of the rear of the K-member together to reduce deflection of the K-member under hard braking and cornering.

The A-arm support or front control arm brace does the same at the front end of the K-member by tying both sides of the front of the K-member to the radiator support, again to reduce deflection of the K-member under hard braking and cornering. Here too Ford engineers saw a need to brace this part on 2011 and up S-197's. They did it with two pieces of tubing tying the two sides of the front of the K-member to the center of the radiator support in a "V" shape. The Boss definitely has this bracing and I think all 5.0's with the optional track pack, as well as GT500's.
The Whiteline piece, to me, is a much sturdier piece and although the rear K-member brace is available from Ford as an aftermarket piece, the front braces are not. And, if memory serves me right, even if one could source the front braces from the factory, the older radiator supports such as pre 2011, don't have the required anchor holes to fit them. The Whiteline piece uses the existing tie points of the front sway bar with a cleverly designed bracket.

If you plan on auto crossing, you may want to consider these parts to stiffen up your K-member for those quick turns and hard braking.
These and the caster/camber plates, along with a strut tower brace really stiffen up the front end and make the steering response razor sharp.

This is the K-member brace I have.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/turn5.scene7.com\/is\/image\/Turn5\/102042_alt1?$mproductlarge$$subcat250x187$"}[/IMG2]


BMR A-Arm Support Brace - Hammertone (05-14 All) $49.95

This is the factory piece available from Ford by comparison. It's stamped steel only. They use different pickup points. The MBR is tied directly to the control arm attachment point for linear energy absorption, whereas the Ford piece ties offset from that axis, leaving it more vulnerable to deflection in my opinion.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/turn5.scene7.com\/is\/image\/Turn5\/50268_alt1?$mproductlarge$$subcat250x187$"}[/IMG2]


Ford Performance Front Lower Control Arm Brace (05-14 GT Coupe) $58.99

This is the Whiteline piece for the front of the K-member.


[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/turn5.scene7.com\/is\/image\/Turn5\/54102_alt1?$mproductlarge$$subcat250x187$"}[/IMG2]


Whiteline Front Control Arm Brace (05-10 All) $233.82

Happy modifying and auto crossing...
 
Last edited:
Hi 67' again,

Wow, so much great info. Thanks for taking the time to organize and post it. I got a chance to read it when you first posted it, but haven't been able to sit in front of my home computer in awhile to comment. :sorry Work always has me on the road.

I took some of your suggestions and started ordering some stuff yesterday. I ordered the following from JEGS.

142-PHR006H
BMR PANHARD ROD FORD

355-4-5191R
R SWAYBAR BUSH 20MM FORD

355-4-5193R
F SWAYBAR BUSH 34MM FORD

355-4-3165R
CNTRL ARM BUSH SET F FORD

355-4-3167R
CNTRL ARM BUSH SET R FORD

397-M-5300-PA
FORD SPRING KIT GT

I ordered the P springs as I didn't want too much drop. I also ordered new bushings as mine looked like they were all original and wearing out. I'm hoping to order some Bilsteins and some relocation brackets shortly.

Thanks!

Steve.
 
No worries Steve. Glad to be of any assistance.
You or any others can PM me anytime. I like talking about this stuff.
You will really notice a difference from stock and appreciate the P springs and Eibach combo.
And the bushings should tighten everything else up.
You'll realize how Ford can offer this power in a relatively affordable package.
It's because they leave a lot on the table elsewhere.
 
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