M-9602-M 2018-19 MUSTANG FORD PERFORMANCE MAGNERIDE HANDLING PACK

[kz]

I've got this kit and after being quoted $900+ for install by two different shops (one of them being Lebanon Ford) , I am doing this myself.

Done with the front (added camber plates in this process since struts and stock mounts had to come off anyway) , still have rear to do (will add bushing support kit as well).

Both bars _are_ adjustable, they have two sets of holes. Front bar is quite a bit thicker than typical aftermarket one (38 vs. 35 mm on the BMR I took out). In my opinion upgraded bar endlinks are a must - at least for the front and will consider using other set of mounting holes on the struts if I use the stiffer bar setting).

Will report on the driving once I have it all done, if someone wants some hints on the install, I'll be happy to provide - instructions are a bunch of generic excerpts from shop manual.

For example I have done front bar after struts were out - with brake rotors also out of the way to wiggle it out rather than do it first like in the instructions.
I am planning on doing rear CJ Pony style dropping subframe one side of the time, rather than disconnecting all of the suspension...

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[Monopoly]

I am planning on doing rear CJ Pony style dropping subframe one side of the time, rather than disconnecting all of the suspension...

That’s what I did. No issues whatsoever. Just used a second floor jack under the subframe to hold it while loosening the two bolts.

 

[kz]

That’s what I did. No issues whatsoever. Just used a second floor jack under the subframe to hold it while loosening the two bolts.

That's my plan - car is up on the quickjack so I have three floor jacks available

 

[Blown86GT]

I've got this kit and after being quoted $900+ for install by two different shops (one of them being Lebanon Ford) , I am doing this myself.

Done with the front (added camber plates in this process since struts and stock mounts had to come off anyway) , still have rear to do (will add bushing support kit as well).

Both bars _are_ adjustable, they have two sets of holes. Front bar is quite a bit thicker than typical aftermarket one (38 vs. 35 mm on the BMR I took out). In my opinion upgraded bar endlinks are a must - at least for the front and will consider using other set of mounting holes on the struts if I use the stiffer bar setting).

Will report on the driving once I have it all done, if someone wants some hints on the install, I'll be happy to provide - instructions are a bunch of generic excerpts from shop manual.

For example I have done front bar after struts were out - with brake rotors also out of the way to wiggle it out rather than do it first like in the instructions.
I am planning on doing rear CJ Pony style dropping subframe one side of the time, rather than disconnecting all of the suspension...

Kz, I'm very interested on your tips and overall impression for this mod. Where did you purchase the kit from? I noticed the vendors who listed them do not currently have any in stock. Good luck with the install and let us know how it turns out...

 

[kz]

Kz, I'm very interested on your tips and overall impression for this mod. Where did you purchase the kit from? I noticed the vendors who listed them do not currently have any in stock. Good luck with the install and let us know how it turns out...

Got it from LMR. Will finish right after Xmas since I'm out of town now and definitely provide some feedback on it. Curious myself how it turns out.

 

[LetItRide1978]

I’ve had this kit installed for 1500 miles so far and have enjoyed it. Got it from Summit Racing. Had no idea the sway bars are 2 way adjustable and the dealership that did the install didn’t ask what setting I wanted to go with. Hard to tell without removing the wheels but after crawling under the car they appear to be in the stiffer setting. The ride is firm but still comfortable. It’s a little bumpy on the roads downtown where I live but everywhere else it’s been fine.

Also, I am noticing a slight squeaky sound sometimes when making a quick right turn. Anyone know what this could be? Nothing feels “off” about the way the car feels, it’s just the occasional faint squeaky noise. I will have it checked out when the car gets its first oil change.

 

[kz]

Sway bar bushings ?

Those that come with the set are rubber and typically are quiet without greasing , poly ones are loud as hell if you don't grease them. I greased the front ones and will grease rear.

 

[LetItRide1978]

I’m going to drive it a bit today since the weather is still nice in Ohio and see if I can at least tell which corner of the car it’s coming from.

 

[LetItRide1978]

Took a drive just now and can confirm that it only squeaks when making right turns. Squeak is coming from the passenger side rear. And it gets louder the harder I take the turn. It doesn’t make any noise when pushing down on the suspension on that corner. When I got back, I checked the rear seat and noticed a plastic trim piece behind the seat that wasn’t clipped in all the way. I doubt that’s it but I will drive around a later and see.

 

[kz]

Done installing this thing.

If someone wants to do it him/herself, it is totally doable with some experience in doing mechanical work (I have some but nowhere close to people here on the forum swapping engines and such). Took me nearly 3 days total but that included different family functions, getting ready for Xmas at in laws, Frozen 2 in the theatre and so on. Could be done in a day, day and half is more realistic.

Few things (some I already wrote about) :

- I have a quickjack which is nice but it can be done on jackstands, they have to be quite stable as there is some pulling/shoving involved when removing rear springs
- If you want to do this work in a reasonable time, you need some power tools - good impact wrench and knowledge how to use it, cordless ratchet is godsend, decent set of shallow / deep sockets with ratchets, flex head ratcheting wrenches (17/18 mm at least). Torque wrench that goes at least up to 150 lb-ft. Trim tool (looks like a fork) to disconnect all the cables from the strut is also really helpful.

Both bars are adjustable, two sets of holes on each.

Front bar is 38mm diameter - which is really stiff - most aftermarket ones are 35mm, don't remember what the stock one is
Rear bar is 25.88 (26 ?) mm vs 22 mm stock.

- Instructions that come with the kit are just individual pages out of the shop manual. Sequence I recommend :

Front : Disconnect sway bar links from the strut, remove brake / brake rotor, remove strut and then remove / install front sway bar -> way more space to wiggle it out and back in.
Rear - remove sway bar, change the springs by unbolting rear subframe one side at the time (watch CJ pony spring install videos on how to do that - I used a jack to hold the subframe while bolting / unbolting) then re-install rear bar at the very end. It stays out of the way to pull the springs (doable with bar in but makes it little easier).

- To change front springs you obviously need spring compressor. While one CJ Pony uses on their videos is nice (it's ~$180 on Amazon) and shop ones would make it easy, I've used $20 one and get it one and did not die / got injured. Probably won't reuse them again as threads may not be the highest quality but it worked.
- I was able to pull left side rear spring by unbolting one side of the subframe but on the other side for some reason there was zero chance to do it - I had to unbolt a little (not completely) subframe bolts on the other side to make some more room
- Both rear subframe bolts (rear means the rear bolt of rear subframe) are located behind the exhaust pipe which prevents using 1/2" drive impact to undo it - I used shallow socket and 24" long ratchet.
- Raise the subframe with a jack and start bolts by hand - kind of obvious but there is plenty of posts here on the forum about messed up threads. Threads in the car's frame, not easily replaceable.
- Bolt back the rear shock mount before the subframe is up and bolted back in - otherwise you won't be able to do it.
- I did grease the inside of bushing for both sway bars - they're rubber and not really noisy but still.
- Ford recommends replacing all the suspension fasteners (they're single use) - I obviously re-use them with blue loctite.

I have uploaded calibration after I was fully done - right after I did that, car showed "Suspension fault, speed limited to 80 mph". That was caused by reprogramming, did not stay after I powered the car back up.

As I mentioned earlier I also installed Steeda camber plates (replaced OEM strut mounts) and Steeda Subframe Bushing Support Kit (for rear subframe - to take some compliance out of the bushings which are _really_ soft. The 2-piece collar on the rear bushings is a real bitch to install and took a lot of time. It got lots of fucks from me.


Haven't driven much - just around the block to make sure nothing falls off and car generally works - feels noticeably stiffer in each mode (I almost entirely drive in Track mode but have some highway miles in Normal), stays very flat in the corner. Both bars are set on a softer setting - I will experiment with it but the real test will be early April - my autocross club will have first event and test & tune. Will add more on the driving experience later on.

Hope this end up at least little helpful for someone.

Excuse the mess on my basement's workbench and Ohio salt on the strut (this was just after I washed my car including spraying underneath it as much as I could).

 

[Blown86GT]

Done installing this thing.

If someone wants to do it him/herself, it is totally doable with some experience in doing mechanical work (I have some but nowhere close to people here on the forum swapping engines and such). Took me nearly 3 days total but that included different family functions, getting ready for Xmas at in laws, Frozen 2 in the theatre and so on. Could be done in a day, day and half is more realistic.

Few things (some I already wrote about) :

- I have a quickjack which is nice but it can be done on jackstands, they have to be quite stable as there is some pulling/shoving involved when removing rear springs
- If you want to do this work in a reasonable time, you need some power tools - good impact wrench and knowledge how to use it, cordless ratchet is godsend, decent set of shallow / deep sockets with ratchets, flex head ratcheting wrenches (17/18 mm at least). Torque wrench that goes at least up to 150 lb-ft. Trim tool (looks like a fork) to disconnect all the cables from the strut is also really helpful.

Both bars are adjustable, two sets of holes on each.

Front bar is 38mm diameter - which is really stiff - most aftermarket ones are 35mm, don't remember what the stock one is
Rear bar is 25.88 (26 ?) mm vs 22 mm stock.

- Instructions that come with the kit are just individual pages out of the shop manual. Sequence I recommend :

Front : Disconnect sway bar links from the strut, remove brake / brake rotor, remove strut and then remove / install front sway bar -> way more space to wiggle it out and back in.
Rear - remove sway bar, change the springs by unbolting rear subframe one side at the time (watch CJ pony spring install videos on how to do that - I used a jack to hold the subframe while bolting / unbolting) then re-install rear bar at the very end. It stays out of the way to pull the springs (doable with bar in but makes it little easier).

- To change front springs you obviously need spring compressor. While one CJ Pony uses on their videos is nice (it's ~$180 on Amazon) and shop ones would make it easy, I've used $20 one and get it one and did not die / got injured. Probably won't reuse them again as threads may not be the highest quality but it worked.
- I was able to pull left side rear spring by unbolting one side of the subframe but on the other side for some reason there was zero chance to do it - I had to unbolt a little (not completely) subframe bolts on the other side to make some more room
- Both rear subframe bolts (rear means the rear bolt of rear subframe) are located behind the exhaust pipe which prevents using 1/2" drive impact to undo it - I used shallow socket and 24" long ratchet.
- Raise the subframe with a jack and start bolts by hand - kind of obvious but there is plenty of posts here on the forum about messed up threads. Threads in the car's frame, not easily replaceable.
- Bolt back the rear shock mount before the subframe is up and bolted back in - otherwise you won't be able to do it.
- I did grease the inside of bushing for both sway bars - they're rubber and not really noisy but still.
- Ford recommends replacing all the suspension fasteners (they're single use) - I obviously re-use them with blue loctite.

I have uploaded calibration after I was fully done - right after I did that, car showed "Suspension fault, speed limited to 80 mph". That was caused by reprogramming, did not stay after I powered the car back up.

As I mentioned earlier I also installed Steeda camber plates (replaced OEM strut mounts) and Steeda Subframe Bushing Support Kit (for rear subframe - to take some compliance out of the bushings which are _really_ soft. The 2-piece collar on the rear bushings is a real bitch to install and took a lot of time. It got lots of fucks from me.


Haven't driven much - just around the block to make sure nothing falls off and car generally works - feels noticeably stiffer in each mode (I almost entirely drive in Track mode but have some highway miles in Normal), stays very flat in the corner. Both bars are set on a softer setting - I will experiment with it but the real test will be early April - my autocross club will have first event and test & tune. Will add more on the driving experience later on.

Hope this end up at least little helpful for someone.

Excuse the mess on my basement's workbench and Ohio salt on the strut (this was just after I washed my car including spraying underneath it as much as I could).

Thanks for the excellent post Kz. I'm pretty comfortable doing this type of work (was a part time mechanic for 10+years) but tips are much appreciated as it shortens the learning curve.

I'm curious about your driving experience...I see you said the car is flatter in the corners. I'm no autocrossing expert but I always felt the car seemed to float in corners compared to a buddies 1LE Camaro. I love the feel of how the Camaro hunkers down and inspires a more spirited driving experience. I'm hoping this kit (especially with the updated magneride calibration), the Mustang will react similarly in the corners.

 

[Ontheedge]

I've got this kit and after being quoted $900+ for install by two different shops (one of them being Lebanon Ford) , I am doing this myself.

Done with the front (added camber plates in this process since struts and stock mounts had to come off anyway) , still have rear to do (will add bushing support kit as well).

Both bars _are_ adjustable, they have two sets of holes. Front bar is quite a bit thicker than typical aftermarket one (38 vs. 35 mm on the BMR I took out). In my opinion upgraded bar endlinks are a must - at least for the front and will consider using other set of mounting holes on the struts if I use the stiffer bar setting).

Will report on the driving once I have it all done, if someone wants some hints on the install, I'll be happy to provide - instructions are a bunch of generic excerpts from shop manual.

For example I have done front bar after struts were out - with brake rotors also out of the way to wiggle it out rather than do it first like in the instructions.
I am planning on doing rear CJ Pony style dropping subframe one side of the time, rather than disconnecting all of the suspension...

Hello
I wonder if the tool have the funktion to change the gear ratios parameters? Just like the powerpacks for 2015-2017 could do.
Thanks

 

[kz]

Hello
I wonder if the tool have the funktion to change the gear ratios parameters? Just like the powerpacks for 2015-2017 could do.
Thanks

I haven't tried to change them since I have no need to but it certainly seems so - the software (which I'm guessing is the same as is the hardware, just the calibration file is different) has that option available.

 

[Ontheedge]

Thanks kz for the respons.
Ihave a eu bullitt and my plans for uppgrades include springs and change gears, eu bullitt have 3.55 rear end ratio. Whaayy tooo long with the mt82-4, so it would be a bonus if i could change the settings in the pcm with the included pro cal tool.

 

[Blown86GT]

Any updates for those who just installed this kit on their cars? Impressions on handling, firmness etc?

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