S550guy
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http://www.motortrend.com/features/...pendent_rear_suspension/mustang_platform.html
Enjoy!
Great read! Here is a thorough write-up on the history of the Ford Mustang, and gives you an idea of just how many times an IRS was considered, but failed to make it into the Mustang. Until now, that is!Despite the resurgence in Mustang sales following the introduction of the low-cost 5.0 LX, a new version based on the MN-12 was deemed, you guessed it - too expensive and too heavy. Instead, Ford went back to the drawing board and opted for a major refresh of the already decade old Fox body, resulting in the 1994 SN-95. While the SN-95 restored a lot of classic Mustang design cues that had been missing since the demise of Mustang II, it stuck with a live axle at first. Fortunately by this time, the Special Vehicle Team (SVT) had replaced the defunct SVO and was having some sales success with the SVT Cobra. As a result, the primary Mustang team went to work on a mid-cycle styling refresh that would arrive in 1999, but SVT went further.
Realizing that an all-new platform was still well off into the future, SVT engineers decided to see what they could do within the confines of the SN-95 (aka Fox-4) platform. They devised a short-long-arm rear suspension system that could bolt directly in place of the four-link live axle setup that had been used on Mustangs since 1979. A tubular steel subframe was designed that would bolt up to the same points as the pairs of leading and trailing links that located the live axle. Space constraints meant that the geometry was less than optimal and suspension travel was somewhat restricted, but it was still an improvement over the solid setup. The result was the best-handling Mustang to that point.
Mustang finally gets a new platform
While all of this work was going on with SN-95, Ford had also created another new rear-drive platform for Lincoln and Jaguar known as DEW98. As planning for the fifth-generation Mustang was getting underway around 2000, the decision was made to use DEW98 as the starting point. As usual, that platform was also too heavy and expensive so the Mustang engineers worked on changes to bring it within their budget limits. By the time they were done, the short-long-arm suspension at each end had been replaced with front MacPherson struts and a three-link live rear axle and the only piece of the original platform that was retained was a central portion of the floorpan. However, while the S197 Mustang was being developed, there were two offshoots in progress. In addition to the obvious SVT model, code-named Condor, there were plans for a more premium version to be badged as a new Mercury Cougar. In addition to more upscale interiors, the Cougar and Condor were also expected to retain an IRS system based on the DEW98 layout. In fact the first Condor prototypes were actually built with IRS. Unfortunately, the Cougar was killed before it was ever announced. As we wrote years ago, product development executive Phil Martens reportedly managed to convince Bill Ford Jr. the automaker could save $100 per car if the Mustang switched to a live rear axle. The S197 platform was then reworked to accommodate the old-tech suspension. Read more about the S197 Mustang's development in a 2009 blog from Angus MacKenzie here.
Enjoy!
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