Steeda Progressive Spring review

[jbailer]

Thank you [MENTION=15518]jbailer[/MENTION] and [MENTION=25806]SteedaTech[/MENTION] for the advice and the pictures.

I made sure that I torqued the upper strut nut three different times all the way to 76 lb.ft but the clunk noise is still there. I'll check the spring isolators position again.

For the alignment, I guess I'll just install camber bolts in front for now.
For the rear I'm surprised that the mechanic, who's supposed to be one of the best alignment mechanic in the area, told me to buy upper control arms while as what I understood from you guys that he could align it back to factory spec. Is there any reason that he couldn't do it?!

That's why I provided those instructions. Print that out and take it in with you. I went to a performance alignment place too. The first time, he didn't touch the rear. The next time (much later and a couple more suspension mods) I brought those instructions and told him I really wanted him to get the rear to my target of -1.5. For the 4 wheel alignment it took 2.5 hours. He said adjusting the rear wasn't easy. That is the reason most places won't adjust it. Especially if they do an alignment for a set price rather than at a labor rate.

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[Faris14]

I would recommend another alignment shop. Upper control arms are not needed!

Steeda Tech

That's why I provided those instructions. Print that out and take it in with you. I went to a performance alignment place too. The first time, he didn't touch the rear. The next time (much later and a couple more suspension mods) I brought those instructions and told him I really wanted him to get the rear to my target of -1.5. For the 4 wheel alignment it took 2.5 hours. He said adjusting the rear wasn't easy. That is the reason most places won't adjust it. Especially if they do an alignment for a set price rather than at a labor rate.

The noise from the front left end has gone when I repositioned the springs isolators.

I'll be installing camber bolts for the front first and take the instruction that you provided for the rear to the mechanic. If you guys say that I can get rid of the negative camber for the rear without installing any other mods, then it means he can do it. Thanks for all the support.

 

[Norm Peterson]

The noise from the front left end has gone when I repositioned the springs isolators.

I'll be installing camber bolts for the front first

Wish I could convince you to correct front camber otherwise.

But good on you for eliminating the noise.


Norm

 

[jbailer]

I'm with Norm, camber bolts are a poor solution but if funds are very limited, they are functional. I will never use them again, was a total waste. I'm really glad you got the noise taken care of, that can be very frustrating. I'm sure they'll get the rear camber straightened out for you. As long as you're willing to pay for their time.

 

[Norm Peterson]

If funds are limited, Ford has had an official procedure for Mustangs up through 2016 that I know of that permits the use of full-size fasteners. Basically, you grind one of the holes in each strut ear to allow camber adjustment. While I don't know if that's still officially the case for the 2017's, the approach is still valid, and you'd still be using fasteners capable of accommodating the full torque spec.


Norm

 

[Faris14]

Wish I could convince you to correct front camber otherwise.

But good on you for eliminating the noise.


Norm

I'm with Norm, camber bolts are a poor solution but if funds are very limited, they are functional. I will never use them again, was a total waste. I'm really glad you got the noise taken care of, that can be very frustrating. I'm sure they'll get the rear camber straightened out for you. As long as you're willing to pay for their time.

If funds are limited, Ford has had an official procedure for Mustangs up through 2016 that I know of that permits the use of full-size fasteners. Basically, you grind one of the holes in each strut ear to allow camber adjustment. While I don't know if that's still officially the case for the 2017's, the approach is still valid, and you'd still be using fasteners capable of accommodating the full torque spec.


Norm

Thanks Norm and jbailer, I chose to go with the camber bolts because they're easier to install and most affordable option for now to correct the negative camber.

Norm, my Mustang is 2016. I wonder if you still have the instructions for the approach that you followed. It's would be helpful to have more options. Thanks,

 

[Norm Peterson]

I don't have the 2016 procedure itself, but it's got to be similar to the procedure that's described in the 2008 FSM that I do have. See the attached picture below for a rough idea . . . the procedure for your 2016 might rework the upper hole, but the end result would be the same. For 2008, Ford's own cam bolts were OK'ed to at least 148 ft*lbs, later ones might be good for slightly more.


There is some specific discussion in the Road-Race & Autocross section where this mod was class-legal for SCCA's F-Street autocross class . . . something about a 2mm maximum elongation of the hole being the only 'catch' that I recall.


Norm

 

[jbailer]

I have a new found love for my Steeda Progressive Springs. The Springs were my first mod and while they improved the ride, got rid of some of the bounce and made the car handle better, over time I learned there's a lot more to it.

So many other things came into play in my search for the perfect ride but I'm finally there. The Steeda shock mounts allowing the dampers to work properly, the Steeda Pro Action shocks and struts which were even a big improvement over my Koni adjustables, trimming my bump stops in the rear quite a bit as I was hitting off them all the time adding to the bounce and finally my tires. I just put summer only Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s on the car. They are 275/40R19 and wow what a difference. Don't get me wrong, I still feel the bumps but in a good way. There's a few roads I go over all the time that are kind of rough and a couple spots in curves that are pretty bad, that's where it's the best! Going through those corners fast now, I feel the bumps obviously but the car is VERY well controlled! I'm love my Steeda goodies!

 

[ghst]

I'm looking for a reasonable drop on my daily driver that won't be scrape city, and I'm really tempted to go with the Steeda progressives.

Do I need anything other than the springs for proper install and alignment? My 2012 had about $2500 worth of suspension work, and I really don't feel the need to go all out again. I'd rather go with the minimal this time around.

Also, did people ever get that "clunking" thing figured out? I remember reading earlier on that it was an issue, which is freaking me out a little bit.

Lastly, should I have my dealership align the car directly after installation?

Thanks!

 

[jbailer]

I'm looking for a reasonable drop on my daily driver that won't be scrape city, and I'm really tempted to go with the Steeda progressives.

Do I need anything other than the springs for proper install and alignment? My 2012 had about $2500 worth of suspension work, and I really don't feel the need to go all out again. I'd rather go with the minimal this time around.

Also, did people ever get that "clunking" thing figured out? I remember reading earlier on that it was an issue, which is freaking me out a little bit.

Lastly, should I have my dealership align the car directly after installation?

Thanks!

All you need is the springs. Depending on what you want your front camber at, you may need either camber bolts or camber plates. I went with the camber bolts first because they were cheap and learned some of the reason why people say it is a poor solution. Recently, I replaced them with Steeda camber plates. After lowering the car about an inch, it will push the camber out to about -2.1. If you're ok with that in the front, you're done. The rear can be adjusted but you'll want to show them the adjustment. They have it but it shows you know it can be adjusted, most are too lazy to do it. There are other solutions to adjusting the camber like slotting the strut that Norm mentioned above.

 

[tj@steeda]

I'm looking for a reasonable drop on my daily driver that won't be scrape city, and I'm really tempted to go with the Steeda progressives.

Do I need anything other than the springs for proper install and alignment? My 2012 had about $2500 worth of suspension work, and I really don't feel the need to go all out again. I'd rather go with the minimal this time around.

Also, did people ever get that "clunking" thing figured out? I remember reading earlier on that it was an issue, which is freaking me out a little bit.

Lastly, should I have my dealership align the car directly after installation?

Thanks!

JBailer nailed it ... let me or Steeda Tech know if we can assist with your order ... happy to help!

TJ

 

[solodogg]

I just put summer only Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s on the car. They are 275/40R19 and wow what a difference.

Just went with the same tires in a 285/35-19 on my car, and i'm amazed at how much better the car rides than it did on the OEM 235/50-18 Goodyears. I expected a huge difference in handling, but this is the first summer tire I've ever driven on with better road manners than an all-season taller sidewall tire.

 

[ghst]

All you need is the springs. Depending on what you want your front camber at, you may need either camber bolts or camber plates. I went with the camber bolts first because they were cheap and learned some of the reason why people say it is a poor solution. Recently, I replaced them with Steeda camber plates. After lowering the car about an inch, it will push the camber out to about -2.1. If you're ok with that in the front, you're done. The rear can be adjusted but you'll want to show them the adjustment. They have it but it shows you know it can be adjusted, most are too lazy to do it. There are other solutions to adjusting the camber like slotting the strut that Norm mentioned above.

Thanks for the response. I'm not very well versed in wheel geometry and suspension unfortunately. If I were to lower the car without camber plates, and was around -2 camber, would there be any negative aside from some light tire wear on the inside of the tires?

Also, I was planning on having ford do the install for me, since they could align it directly after. Would I be better off going to a suspension shop? My biggest concern is that I want things done right. On my last mustang, things weren't torqued all the way, and the rear axle was out of alignment after I got my suspension fully installed (sway bars, end links, springs, struts etc) by some generic suspension place. There really aren't any performance shops where I live, unless I want to drive 2+ hours away :\

 

[jbailer]

Just went with the same tires in a 285/35-19 on my car, and i'm amazed at how much better the car rides than it did on the OEM 235/50-18 Goodyears. I expected a huge difference in handling, but this is the first summer tire I've ever driven on with better road manners than an all-season taller sidewall tire.

Great to hear! I was wondering if it was possibly because I went with the 40 AR and the extra sidewall made the difference or maybe because the 275/40 came with a 101W load index. I really had no idea but from what you said, I'd have been ok even going with the 285/35. I love these Firestone tires, it just worked out the final piece of my suspension.

 

[jbailer]

Thanks for the response. I'm not very well versed in wheel geometry and suspension unfortunately. If I were to lower the car without camber plates, and was around -2 camber, would there be any negative aside from some light tire wear on the inside of the tires?

Also, I was planning on having ford do the install for me, since they could align it directly after. Would I be better off going to a suspension shop? My biggest concern is that I want things done right. On my last mustang, things weren't torqued all the way, and the rear axle was out of alignment after I got my suspension fully installed (sway bars, end links, springs, struts etc) by some generic suspension place. There really aren't any performance shops where I live, unless I want to drive 2+ hours away :\

I'm not an expert either. I just spend more time on this forum and the internet in general doing research than I care to admit. I also have a mechanical and logical mind so I find the concepts easy to comprehend. Just thinking about it and one of our smart people can feel free to correct me if I miss, I would say for the most part you are correct. The biggest impact of too much negative camber would be a little extra tire wear on the inner part of the tire. If you're really pushing your car though, there would be other considerations. Depending on how you use your car, there might be occasions where you want even more negative camber than -2*. For grocery getting the stock spec is -1.03. Ford Performance uses -1.55. I find FPs spec to be a decent compromise between real performance and people that buy the part to have it on paper and then drive normal. The recommendation i got was -1.7 so that's what I'm going with. More negative camber would logically reduce traction in a straight line. It would also reduce the grip on the inside tire on a curve. So the balance is important depending on how you use the car. The difference between the .2.0 to -2.1 where the Steeda Progressive springs push it to and my goal of -1.7 isn't much and can be accomplished easily by slotting the strut like Norm mentioned. I just wanted a little better quality solution and the Steeda Camber plates are quite sophisticated. They're a big step up from the factory strut mount but if Ford put that level of engineering into every part on the car, it would cost quite a bit more.

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