General Suspension Questions

[Herculesx99]

I just purchased a 2021 GT Stock. I want to improve the handling. I also want to learn more about general and specific suspension topics. Where is a good place to start in regards to learning and first mods?

Thanks in advance

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[Ewheels]

Youtube is always your friend

 

[Norm Peterson]

I just purchased a 2021 GT Stock. I want to improve the handling. I also want to learn more about general and specific suspension topics. Where is a good place to start in regards to learning and first mods?

How serious do you think you're going to get about cornering and handling?

Is this just for street driving or is there any chance you might want to drive this car at road course HPDE events with some seriousness?


Norm

 

[Herculesx99]

How serious do you think you're going to get about cornering and handling?

Is this just for street driving or is there any chance you might want to drive this car at road course HPDE events with some seriousness?


Norm

Primarily streets, day to day but would like to leave the road course option open. I'm assuming that it's one or the other?

 

[Herculesx99]

Youtube is always your friend

Will be watching this, thanks!

 

[Herculesx99]

What is the general consensus concerning the Ford Performance Suspension kits?

 

[Ewheels]

What is the general consensus concerning the Ford Performance Suspension kits?

The street model is essentially the Performance Package from factory.
The track model is comparable to GT350R stiffness.
Both high quality. I have the track shocks on my car

 

[Herculesx99]

The street model is essentially the Performance Package from factory.
The track model is comparable to GT350R stiffness.
Both high quality. I have the track shocks on my car

What roads do you drive? I will hit an occasional pot hole. Drive into NYC sometimes. Don't know if I can use the Track package

 

[Ewheels]

What roads do you drive? I will hit an occasional pot hole. Drive into NYC sometimes. Don't know if I can use the Track package

Race tracks and the highways going to those race tracks

 

[Roadway 5.0]

What roads do you drive? I will hit an occasional pot hole. Drive into NYC sometimes. Don't know if I can use the Track package

Better stick with the FRPP Street “X” Springs or something similar in rates. I had to ditch my firm(er) springs after moving to NY.

Here’s “a” way to get more out of your car while keeping it well mannered on the street:

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...-epic-street-suspension-review-w-pics.160152/

 

[S550_GTCS]

I run the track shocks and sway bars on mine, with Steeda springs. It's a bit rough for the roads around here but it handles like a dream. I'm up in Morris County and the roads are shit. Feels great on the highway, just a bit harsh on side streets.

 

[Rick#7]

I always started with sway bars since that's usually one of the easier mods to complete. After that, I look for areas of deflection/weakness in the stock set up which can be improved with bushing upgrades. I've found in many of the cars I've owned the factory suspension geometry (regardless of make/model) is actually more than capable for spirited cornering on the street if the flex and binding is addressed. Super stiff springs aren't needed for good handling as long the suspension can move through it's range without deflection or binding that can radically (and sometimes unexpectedly) alter working spring rates and suspension angles. Sometimes going to poly bushings is enough, sometimes a spherical or roller bearing is called for. Just keep in mind that firming up the pivot points can also mean increased NVH in street driving. The factory had a reason for using soft bushings at those points, usually it's cost but it also affects NVH and rubber bushing material is a safe option for the engineers since it's not only cheaper but also effectively isolates vibration from transmitting through the joint.

If your primary goal is good street handling, you may want to look at the GT350 as a model to copy when choosing springs, etc, since that is considered by many to be the top limit for streetable handling. Firmer springs/sway bars/shocks are crossing over to a more track oriented set up, but that varies based on individual preference/tolerance.

 

[shogun32]

The street model is essentially the Performance Package from factory.

and total trash (the dampers, rest is fine) and should never be bought.

OP, spend several hours reading the first say 3 or 4 pages worth of threads here.

 

[Herculesx99]

I would like to explore your suggestion of using the GT350 as a model to copy. How can I go about finding the specs and where to purchase?

 

[Rick#7]

Most of the GT350 specs (i.e. spring rates, sway bar diameters, suspension pieces and part numbers, etc) can be found in various threads in this forum. Even a simple google search will get you a wealth of info and links to forum posts that have relevant topics.

Some parts are GT350 specific and not swappable to a standard Mustang, at least not easily or cheaply (like the aluminum spindles or rear control arms for example) but springs and sway bars do, and compared to aftermarket pieces are very reasonably priced. I purchased the GT350 bars for my own car, I just haven't gotten around to installing them yet. They aren't as thick as aftermarket bars, but still bigger than stock GT bars and for the price they're hard to beat unless you really need the increased roll stiffness of aftermarket bars for the track. For a DD like my car, those bars are all I need at 1/2 the price compared to aftermarket.

The springs don't offer much drop though, and one of the rear springs is wound backwards on the GT350, so if you're looking for 1" or more drop for your GT the aftermarket is the only way to go, but there are options that are pretty close to the GT350 spring rates so the handling and ride quality should be similar while still giving you more drop. Also, don't overlook the shocks when replacing springs. That's one area that IMHO should not be skimped on but quite often is. Get the best shock you can afford, but almost anything will be better than any factory shock, including the GT350 or Ford Performance parts.

Just do some research on what works and what can and can't swap to a GT, and what's practical for the performance goals you're after.

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