My car is crooked...

[Mike Pfeifer]

Also, do the mustangs have a saddle type fuel tank? If so, it should be full when measuring as one side may weigh more than the other if partially full.

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[Dave2013M3]

My driver side is lower than my passenger side by 1/8 of an inch.

 

[MD18EcoStang]

Also, do the mustangs have a saddle type fuel tank? If so, it should be full when measuring as one side may weigh more than the other if partially full.

That's an interesting thought. However, that rear suspension is pretty tight, even stock. It would be interesting to get side-to-side measurements with and without a driver to see the difference.

 

[GregO]

1/16 of an inch is definitely OK. 1/2 inch? I doubt it. I have seen up to about 8mm difference on the BMWs I have measured over the years.

Yeah who know what Ford considers an acceptable panel tolerance.
You mentioned BMW’s @ 8mm (.3149”) and the S550 @ .4375.
I can see a domestic automaker shrugging that off in the interest of rolling vehicles off the assembly line. Now for Porsche, Audi, Mercedes….. not a chance in hell.

 

[MD18EcoStang]

My driver side is lower than my passenger side by 1/8 of an inch.

I think if that's where mine was, I wouldn't be concerned. Initially, my concern was raised because of the fact that the front was lower than the back on one side and the other way around on the other. Eliminating the tire height explained most of that away. I still think nearly half an inch difference seems out of tolerance. I'll continue to explore this.

 

[MD18EcoStang]

Yeah who know what Ford considers an acceptable panel tolerance.
You mentioned BMW’s @ 8mm (.3149”) and your S550 @ .4375.
I can see a domestic automaker shrugging that off in the interest of rolling vehicles off the assembly line. Now for Porsche, Audi, Mercedes….. not a chance in hell.

I generally agree with this, and can accept it in the end, if I can't fully explain it, but I'm still planning to keep exploring the issue.

 

[Mike Pfeifer]

That's an interesting thought. However, that rear suspension is pretty tight, even stock. It would be interesting to get side-to-side measurements with and without a driver to see the difference.

My info comes from doing suspension and alignment work on BMWs for the last 22+ years, factory procedures etc.. it may not all translate over to the mustang, but surely some has to be valid, in theory anyway. Actually, it used to be SOP to load the car with sand bags in specific locations before measuring ride height but that’s no longer the case.
Having a full tank and a driver may be enough to get it in spec if it’s out. First things first though, gotta find out the spec and Ford procedure to measure, if there is one.

 

[MD18EcoStang]

After thinking on this a little more, I'm going to proceed with my current planned mods - Eibach Pro-kit lowering springs and Steeda bushing supports and alignment kit. I'll take some measurements again once that settles in.

Initially, my concern was that if there was a problem, I could still get it fixed under warranty, but I'm less concerned about that now, and I plan to mod a lot of it anyhow, so it probably doesn't even matter.

I certainly understand how tolerances can stack up, too. 1/8" here and there could lead to greater discrepancies elsewhere. Heck, maybe one of my stock springs is slightly off.

 

[Cobra Jet]

The rear IRS cradle on the S550's is known to be off or skewed. That could relate to your issue.

Can you tell if all (4) springs are properly seated in the spring perches?

 

[TeeLew]

2

28-5/8" (FL) (FR) 28-1/2"


28-1/8" (RL) (RR) 28-3/4"

Yes, the front of my car is 1/2" higher on the driver's side and 1/4" lower on the passenger side!

#1: Did you have driver weight in the car?

#2: Did you set tire pressures equal?

#3: Are you on a flat surface?

#4 Did you measure to a 'hard' point, like a subframe bolt?

Take 3 measurements (2 front / 1 rear), not 4. If you insist on taking 4, just average the rears. You'll drive yourself nuts trying to get something straight that will never be perfect.

When I set up a car, I look for even front ride height numbers and take any chassis twist (which WILL exist) across the rear. There is no reason to expect the same ride height front & rear. It's likely not even what you want. Your car looks reasonably straight to me.

 

[shogun32]

I’ve always been taught that to properly measure ride height, measure from the bottom lip of the wheel, through the centerline of the wheel to the edge of wheel opening.

which fatally assumes the bodywork is any semblance of straight which is not at all likely. (It's a Ford after all)

 

[Norm Peterson]

#1: Did you have driver weight in the car?

#2: Did you set tire pressures equal?

#3: Are you on a flat surface?

#4 Did you measure to a 'hard' point, like a subframe bolt?

Don't you really have to reference the inner bolt for the lateral link against either the ball joint or axle center height? In as close to the vertical-lateral plane containing the axle line as possible?

Two measurements per corner to find out where the suspension positions really are.


Norm

 

[hlh1]

My 95 Cobra sat 1/2 inch higher on one side. It didn't affect anything. I just figured it was Ford quality control issues and enjoyed the car.

 

[MD18EcoStang]

#1: Did you have driver weight in the car?

#2: Did you set tire pressures equal?

#3: Are you on a flat surface?

#4 Did you measure to a 'hard' point, like a subframe bolt?

Take 3 measurements (2 front / 1 rear), not 4. If you insist on taking 4, just average the rears. You'll drive yourself nuts trying to get something straight that will never be perfect.

When I set up a car, I look for even front ride height numbers and take any chassis twist (which WILL exist) across the rear. There is no reason to expect the same ride height front & rear. It's likely not even what you want. Your car looks reasonably straight to me.

No, yes, yes, and kind of. Yeah, I get it. It's probably not going to be perfect. At first I thought it might be an appearance issue, but realized that by the time I walked to the other side, I forgot exactly how big the gap was on the first side. Fortunately, you can't see both sides at the same time... And it's not really noticable from the rear.

Also, I got my rear springs installed, and the measurements are actually closer than they were before I started. I still have more work to do, though. In the end, I'm more concerned about ride and performance, than appearance anyhow.

 

[MD18EcoStang]

I appreciate all the great comments in this thread. You all are very helpful!!! Thanks!

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