H1shawn1
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
tl: dr For automotive bliss follow the suggested parts list. You're Welcome.
The Parts List:
frpp struts M-18000-F
bmr sp083 springs
GT350 f sway (FR3Z-5482-J)
f sway Bushing (FR3Z-5484-C)
Steeda Caster Camber Plates
BMR Camber Bolts
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
Steeda lateral and tension links w/ bearing
Steeda Ultra light K brace
Ford PP Strut tower brace
Ford PP Cowl Extension
Ford PP Firewall Extension Panel
BMR CB005 Cradle Lockout Kit
BMR CB762 IRS Bracing
FRPP toe knuckle bearing M-5A460-M
BMR RLCA Bearing BK081
BMR Vertical Links TCA048
BMR Rear Shock Mounts
Additional add ons contributing to how good my car now feels:
Steeda 2 piece front rotors
Vs forged 19x11 305 30 fronts
Vs Forged 20x11.5 305 30 rears
BFG Potenza S007a tires
Let me start off by saying that this is my first time doing a full suspension overhaul. Previous cars I've owned I only sought to change suspension parts when I was going after a certain look. With the S550 I knew the first thing that needed to go was the truck like ride height , so I went off and bought CJPP springs, installed them, and got aligned shortly after I loved the look and was perfectly content to go on with visual mods with the ultimate goal of eventually adding boost so that the car would one day be, "as fast as it looked."
I would frequent this forum keeping up with the 5.0 engine mods and forced induction pages while occasionally dipping my toe into the suspension, brakes, and chassis sub forum.
As someone who tries to learn as much as possible regarding this platform I was overwhelmed by the amount of information that was available regarding the suspension. I'd read thread after thread discussing various upgrades, see some borderline obnoxious claims by manufacturers, and see pitfalls from poor combinations of parts. It became obvious that the suspension of these cars takes more then just a willingness to spend $, it requires a very good knowledge base and/or a great plan.
Over the course of a couple of years I started to notice a few peeps who's posts in this sub forum stood out to me.
Here are the peeps who's posts I found most helpful in guiding my build:
@TheLion
@BmacIL
@Norm Peterson
@MustangCollector
@J.P.B.
@Bluemustang (who's build I followed most closely)
I can't thank you guys enough for sharing your experiences. In a reply post to this thread I'll share links to the threads I found most helpful, and you will see these guys commenting numerous times in most of them. They all have done a tremendous job of articulating the what, why, and how.
Before going any further I think it's important to point out that part of what I found so appealing about this setup is that I have almost no interest in having an adjustable suspension and spending lap after lap dialing it in. I'm not trying to set any course records, but rather aiming for a set and forget solution. The brilliance in this combination is it's just that, it's plug and play.
Now for the important stuff, how's it ride. In a word, awesome. The car feels so much more connected to the road. Once you take away the body roll and the OEM suspensions tendency to float you get something truly speciall. The car feels so stable that it's always begging for more speed. I got the opportunity to drive it in a little bit of rain, and it was begging for more. I couldn't believe how stable everything felt, how well the car communicated, and how all that added up to me as a driver feeling more and more confident because of it. I no longer have to worry about upsetting the car in a way that it might sneak up on me, the feedback is immediate, and I LOVE it.
I'm sorry if this sounds too good to be true, if you are skeptical then I suggest you start reading through some of the threads I'll link in the post below. If you read as much of it as I have you'll start to notice a trend of Suspension Nirvana that occurs whenever a person first experiences the SP083 springs with adequate struts. Especially pay close attention to @MustangCollector 's reaction when he first tries BMR linear springs after exhaustively trying just about every other combination he could get his hands on. Those new to his thread might find it a tad too long but I'll list the post # for you to read his reaction after first trying a combination involving a competent strut and a BMR linear spring. (Although I suggest reading as much of it as you can since it will give you a better idea of just how particular he is, it really helps you appreciate how glowingly he speaks of his similar suspension setup.)
A lot of you are concerned about NVH, and so am I. As far as new noise, there isn't any that I can tell. My exhaust is loud, so it's very likely that I wouldn't notice slight changes to noise, but I would notice anything significant. As far as vibration, none. Now on to harshness, this is something I've been struggling with. How do you explain that it's different than before without overstating it. I daily my car, so this is something I was very worried about. I'm a lot like a lot of you in that I want race car exhaust, race car acceleration, and race car handling without race car sacrifices. I'm happy to report that this setup is completely doable on a daily driver, but I've been driving myself crazy trying to compare every single road bump that I experience now with how I remember it feeling from before. Bumps are slightly stiffer, but not irritatingly so. I'm trying to take @J.P.B. 's advice and experimenting with tire pressure, but from a car enjoyment perspective I don't think it's absolutely necessary. I just want to see if I notice a positive difference from lowering the pressure. (I'll be sure to update the thread if I do.)
Other things worthy of note. I now have had two square width tire setups and two staggered setups. Squared is infinitely better. The steering just feels so much lighter and responsive when it's not fighting a wider rear tire. Before buying this Potenza setup I had a lead on some 345 rear tires at a reduced price, I mentioned it in a PM to @BmacIL and he strongly suggested I avoid it. He was correct on this. If you can run squared do it, you won't regret it. Above I mention my wheels, and front rotors. I only do this because of the tremendous benefits I've experienced by removing unsprung mass from up front. So much communication from the car comes through the steering wheel, and if you haven't had personal experience with it yet you'll be surprised at how much of a difference a few pounds here and there in unsprung mass will make. Tramlining, before all the suspension upgrades and new tires I was running 295 35 19s up front and had a lot of it, so much so that when I gave my brother in law a ride he could see me working the steering wheel and asked about it. I'm a fairly easy going guy, and decided it was just something that was going to be there as long as I was obsessed with stuffing the largest tire I could up front. I am not sure why, but it is massively improved now. I'm no longer fighting the steering wheel, and it's almost at the point now where I can't even tell I'm running a 305 tire up front. Last, but not least, this thing accelerates better (as to be expected with all the IRS upgrades) and it's a good thing because I can't wait to get it up to speed and throw it into the next corner now.
It's getting late, so I'll end the post here. I didn't get much of a chance to proofread, but I'll go through it a couple times over the next day or so. Thanks for reading.
The Parts List:
frpp struts M-18000-F
bmr sp083 springs
GT350 f sway (FR3Z-5482-J)
f sway Bushing (FR3Z-5484-C)
Steeda Caster Camber Plates
BMR Camber Bolts
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
Steeda lateral and tension links w/ bearing
Steeda Ultra light K brace
Ford PP Strut tower brace
Ford PP Cowl Extension
Ford PP Firewall Extension Panel
BMR CB005 Cradle Lockout Kit
BMR CB762 IRS Bracing
FRPP toe knuckle bearing M-5A460-M
BMR RLCA Bearing BK081
BMR Vertical Links TCA048
BMR Rear Shock Mounts
Additional add ons contributing to how good my car now feels:
Steeda 2 piece front rotors
Vs forged 19x11 305 30 fronts
Vs Forged 20x11.5 305 30 rears
BFG Potenza S007a tires
Let me start off by saying that this is my first time doing a full suspension overhaul. Previous cars I've owned I only sought to change suspension parts when I was going after a certain look. With the S550 I knew the first thing that needed to go was the truck like ride height , so I went off and bought CJPP springs, installed them, and got aligned shortly after I loved the look and was perfectly content to go on with visual mods with the ultimate goal of eventually adding boost so that the car would one day be, "as fast as it looked."
I would frequent this forum keeping up with the 5.0 engine mods and forced induction pages while occasionally dipping my toe into the suspension, brakes, and chassis sub forum.
As someone who tries to learn as much as possible regarding this platform I was overwhelmed by the amount of information that was available regarding the suspension. I'd read thread after thread discussing various upgrades, see some borderline obnoxious claims by manufacturers, and see pitfalls from poor combinations of parts. It became obvious that the suspension of these cars takes more then just a willingness to spend $, it requires a very good knowledge base and/or a great plan.
Over the course of a couple of years I started to notice a few peeps who's posts in this sub forum stood out to me.
Here are the peeps who's posts I found most helpful in guiding my build:
@TheLion
@BmacIL
@Norm Peterson
@MustangCollector
@J.P.B.
@Bluemustang (who's build I followed most closely)
I can't thank you guys enough for sharing your experiences. In a reply post to this thread I'll share links to the threads I found most helpful, and you will see these guys commenting numerous times in most of them. They all have done a tremendous job of articulating the what, why, and how.
Before going any further I think it's important to point out that part of what I found so appealing about this setup is that I have almost no interest in having an adjustable suspension and spending lap after lap dialing it in. I'm not trying to set any course records, but rather aiming for a set and forget solution. The brilliance in this combination is it's just that, it's plug and play.
Now for the important stuff, how's it ride. In a word, awesome. The car feels so much more connected to the road. Once you take away the body roll and the OEM suspensions tendency to float you get something truly speciall. The car feels so stable that it's always begging for more speed. I got the opportunity to drive it in a little bit of rain, and it was begging for more. I couldn't believe how stable everything felt, how well the car communicated, and how all that added up to me as a driver feeling more and more confident because of it. I no longer have to worry about upsetting the car in a way that it might sneak up on me, the feedback is immediate, and I LOVE it.
I'm sorry if this sounds too good to be true, if you are skeptical then I suggest you start reading through some of the threads I'll link in the post below. If you read as much of it as I have you'll start to notice a trend of Suspension Nirvana that occurs whenever a person first experiences the SP083 springs with adequate struts. Especially pay close attention to @MustangCollector 's reaction when he first tries BMR linear springs after exhaustively trying just about every other combination he could get his hands on. Those new to his thread might find it a tad too long but I'll list the post # for you to read his reaction after first trying a combination involving a competent strut and a BMR linear spring. (Although I suggest reading as much of it as you can since it will give you a better idea of just how particular he is, it really helps you appreciate how glowingly he speaks of his similar suspension setup.)
A lot of you are concerned about NVH, and so am I. As far as new noise, there isn't any that I can tell. My exhaust is loud, so it's very likely that I wouldn't notice slight changes to noise, but I would notice anything significant. As far as vibration, none. Now on to harshness, this is something I've been struggling with. How do you explain that it's different than before without overstating it. I daily my car, so this is something I was very worried about. I'm a lot like a lot of you in that I want race car exhaust, race car acceleration, and race car handling without race car sacrifices. I'm happy to report that this setup is completely doable on a daily driver, but I've been driving myself crazy trying to compare every single road bump that I experience now with how I remember it feeling from before. Bumps are slightly stiffer, but not irritatingly so. I'm trying to take @J.P.B. 's advice and experimenting with tire pressure, but from a car enjoyment perspective I don't think it's absolutely necessary. I just want to see if I notice a positive difference from lowering the pressure. (I'll be sure to update the thread if I do.)
Other things worthy of note. I now have had two square width tire setups and two staggered setups. Squared is infinitely better. The steering just feels so much lighter and responsive when it's not fighting a wider rear tire. Before buying this Potenza setup I had a lead on some 345 rear tires at a reduced price, I mentioned it in a PM to @BmacIL and he strongly suggested I avoid it. He was correct on this. If you can run squared do it, you won't regret it. Above I mention my wheels, and front rotors. I only do this because of the tremendous benefits I've experienced by removing unsprung mass from up front. So much communication from the car comes through the steering wheel, and if you haven't had personal experience with it yet you'll be surprised at how much of a difference a few pounds here and there in unsprung mass will make. Tramlining, before all the suspension upgrades and new tires I was running 295 35 19s up front and had a lot of it, so much so that when I gave my brother in law a ride he could see me working the steering wheel and asked about it. I'm a fairly easy going guy, and decided it was just something that was going to be there as long as I was obsessed with stuffing the largest tire I could up front. I am not sure why, but it is massively improved now. I'm no longer fighting the steering wheel, and it's almost at the point now where I can't even tell I'm running a 305 tire up front. Last, but not least, this thing accelerates better (as to be expected with all the IRS upgrades) and it's a good thing because I can't wait to get it up to speed and throw it into the next corner now.
It's getting late, so I'll end the post here. I didn't get much of a chance to proofread, but I'll go through it a couple times over the next day or so. Thanks for reading.
Sponsored
Last edited: