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Minimal drop springs: BMR vs Steeda

tj@steeda

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Just throwing this out there for any customer looking to save on Steeda springs :)

www.steeda.com

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Mikepol2

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This will be a little long but may save people some work if they don't want the full 7/8" front drop of the BMR or J&H min drop springs...

So just to recap, I wanted increased spring rates but did not want a big drop due to rubbing of the PP2 wheels and tires, plus I prefer the min drop appearance.

The only three possible springs I could find were Steeda, which publishes 1/2" front drop; BMR, which publishes 7/8"; and J&H, which publishes "average 1/2" drop.

I bought the J&H because at the time, Steeda had a website error listing their rear spring rates at 750 lbs (which has since been corrected to 800). My PP1 stock rear springs were 728 lbs so a 750 lb rate seemed like a waste of time, and the J&M rate was listed at 815 lbs.

After installing the J&M's the front dropped 7/8", same as the BMR. They got me with their "average" 1/2" drop listing. I tried them for a while but had rubbing with the tires when I bottomed out the front suspension.

I lifted my truck with a spacer between the strut mount and the fender and thought the same thing would work on the Mustang. Steeda has a kit that allows adjustments from 1/8" to 1/2" lift. It includes 8 spacers, two stud assemblies, and 6 nuts and washers for around $100 - but you have to compress the front springs and disassemble the strut to install the new longer stud assemblies.

I did some measuring and found that shorter high strength nuts are available for the strut mount studs that would give me about 3/8" of room for a spacer. They are McMaster-Carr 95108A103, M10 x 1.25, grade 10.9, same 21mm flange diameter as the stock nuts, but only 10mm high as opposed to 17mm high. Some of the extra height is because the stock nuts have less thread in the washer end than the McMaster nuts, and some height is because the 10mm nuts just have less threads. They're also not lock nuts so they would need Loctite:

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First I considered just using some fender washers as spacers. There's plenty of room for a 1-1/2" diameter washer in 2 locations and a 1-1/4" washer in the third location:

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But I was concerned about concentrating the weight of the vehicle over a smaller area than the Steeda spacers, which have two legs joining the three stud areas, so I ordered the Steeda kit on June 8 for $95 delivered. But after 10 days and several emails, they still couldn't tell me when the kit would ship because it was still "in manufacturing". After a little discussion it turned out that they had 6 of the spacers in stock. I didn't need the other 2 spacers or the nuts and wasn't going to use the longer studs - but I needed the 6 spacers right away to meet an appointment for inspection and alignment with the last free oil change before my service contract expired. So I ended up paying the same $95 for just the 6 spacers shipped next day air that I would have paid for the whole kit if they could have just told me when it would have been ready to ship...sigh. That ticks me off but it is what it is.

I got the spacers today and installed them. The calculations for the new nut heights using 3/8" of spacers worked out correctly as you can see, there's plenty of stud left:

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Pretty happy with the results - now the 7/8" drop springs are around 1/2" to 5/8" drop. I like that it looks like "maybe" it was dropped a little:

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Now for the "if I knew then what I know now" part of the story that MIGHT help someone who is feeling adventurous:

I have CAD software and inspection tools so I measured and made a drawing of the Steeda spacers so I could calculate the contact area between the spacer and the fender, and came up with around 4.93 square inches. I also calculated the contact area I would have had with the washers as spacers and got around 4.00 square inches. Less than the Steeda spacers, but not a lot less. Keep in mind these are all my own calculations and I certainly could have made an error somewhere along the way, if you should choose to try either the short nuts or the washer method yourself. I might have considered trying the washers for $8 from Lowes instead of six next day air Steeda spacers for $95 if I had known this ahead of time. But all in all I'm happy I chose the Steeda parts as it gives me a little more confidence that the new setup will be strong enough.

If you've read this all the way to the end, you are one hardcore Mustang fan!
 
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Mikepol2

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Jonyxz

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I have the Steeda Minimum Drop Springs with FP track shock/strut kit. I really like it and have no issues. I run square 255/40/19 AS tires though with ET 35 19x9 (Stock Engine)

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The 18+ seem to have less wheel well space in the front than the 15-17 making a .5 equal drop look better.
 

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Jonyxz

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Like mentioned above the minimal drop steeda rear is not 750. It is the same spring from their drag kit and rated 800 with same .5"drop. They are the same part number. I ordered drag spring rears in addition to minimal drop springs and opened the boxes to see the same part numbers. I emailed steeda and they confirmed. They need to update the specs and I let them know I wasn't happy about it.
Whats the rear part#?
I received today the minimum drop kit and rears are 396-s550-drg-rr.

Want to be sure its the 800lbs version before installing them...
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S550AC11

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That's the same part number I got. It's rated 800
 

Jonyxz

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trewon1

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Based strictly on ride quality, how do the Steeda minimal drop springs compare to the base model gt springs? My car is a daily driver. I don’t track the car at all. I just want a slight drop which these springs will give me. I’m only interested in springs only. I wouldn’t mind a progressive spring but most drop the car too low for my taste. Will I get a harsh ride with steeda springs alone?
 

Mikepol2

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The steedas are similar drop but less spring rate than my J&M’s and my ride quality is just a little firmer than the stock PP1 springs. Not harsh at all, stock PP1 shocks & struts.
 

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Matti777

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I'm interested to hear how those springs work out. I was humming and hawing about going with a linear spring. I just installed the Steeda progressives with the Steeda fixed shocks/struts. The jury is still out. I'm not a suspension connoisseur but I would say it feels a little more sophisticated, controlled but not what I would call firm. The drop looks great. However, I think when they do firm up like when you hit a big enough dip in the freeway its a little surprising.
 

Thestick

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Based strictly on ride quality, how do the Steeda minimal drop springs compare to the base model gt springs? My car is a daily driver. I don’t track the car at all. I just want a slight drop which these springs will give me. I’m only interested in springs only. I wouldn’t mind a progressive spring but most drop the car too low for my taste. Will I get a harsh ride with steeda springs alone?
It might be a little hard for me to judge because I did springs and dampers at the same time, but I went from PP1 suspension to full Steeda with Minimum Drop springs. I would say the ride is most definitely firmer, but not what I would call harsh at all. Plus there's no bottoming out or scraping on speed bumps or driveways and as an added bonus it still clears most parking blocks/curbs. I do wish it was just a little lower, but overall I am super happy. Pic for reference...
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trewon1

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It might be a little hard for me to judge because I did springs and dampers at the same time, but I went from PP1 suspension to full Steeda with Minimum Drop springs. I would say the ride is most definitely firmer, but not what I would call harsh at all. Plus there's no bottoming out or scraping on speed bumps or driveways and as an added bonus it still clears most parking blocks/curbs. I do wish it was just a little lower, but overall I am super happy. Pic for reference...
IMG_1514.jpg
Thanks for your input!
 

LandTheGuy

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It might be a little hard for me to judge because I did springs and dampers at the same time, but I went from PP1 suspension to full Steeda with Minimum Drop springs. I would say the ride is most definitely firmer, but not what I would call harsh at all. Plus there's no bottoming out or scraping on speed bumps or driveways and as an added bonus it still clears most parking blocks/curbs. I do wish it was just a little lower, but overall I am super happy. Pic for reference...
IMG_1514.jpg
Definitely late on this thread but do you mind sharing what in all you've got (shocks, struts, bushings, etc.)? I also have a 2018 PP1 and am wondering how to upgrade the suspension without sacrificing ride quality. I can live with a firmer car, just not something super harsh since it is only on the street. Steeda all the way!
 

shogun32

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calculate the contact area between the spacer and the fender, and came up with around 4.93 square inches. I also calculated the contact area I would have had with the washers as spacers and got around 4.00 square inches.
the long 'fingers' between the circular pads carry some weight, sure, but they are there to tie the 3 pads together. Your washer solution would be fine if you could find washers of appropriate thickness.
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