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Steeda's New S550 Mustang Front Control Arms (Lateral and Tension Link)

SteedaTech

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By lowering your S550 Mustang, you have consequently lowered the front roll center. This leads to symptoms you have likely experienced: reduced steering response, increased body roll, and reduced cornering grip.

Solution: Steeda’s industry first S550 Mustang Front Control Arms, a must for all lowered 2015+ Mustangs. These arms are manufactured to OE Performance Pack specifications, with one major benefit: roll center correction. By increasing the ball stud height, Steeda has eliminated the adverse effects of lowering your vehicle by raising the front roll center. This in turn helps to increase steering response, decrease body roll, and increase cornering grip, helping you turn even better lap times!

Use in conjunction with our 555-8133 - Steeda S550 Mustang Bumpsteer Kit for best results.

Note: The tension link can have the rubber bushing replaced with our 555-4128 - Steeda S550 Mustang Front Control Arm Bearing Kit to eliminate bushing deflection as shown in photos (Tension Links ship with rubber bushings).

Product Benefits:
•Corrects the front roll center
•Increases steering wheel responsiveness
•Decreases body roll
•Improves tire contact patch with the road
•Increased cornering grip

MPN: 555-4905 Patent Pending Available 01/10/2018
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GT 550

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Thanks for bringing us another new product. The statement about reduced steering response, increased body roll, and reduced cornering grip worries me since I've bought but not fitted your lowering springs. I thought lowered springs improved handling, at least that's what the product description said. Maybe I'm missing something.

How much degradation are you talking and is that only under track conditions?

How low before the issues arise and I need roll centre correction?

Not tying to be negative just trying to understand.

Thanks
 

CrazedAntelope

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Thanks for bringing us another new product. The statement about reduced steering response, increased body roll, and reduced cornering grip worries me since I've bought but not fitted your lowering springs. I thought lowered springs improved handling, at least that's what the product description said. Maybe I'm missing something.

How much degradation are you talking and is that only under track conditions?

How low before the issues arise and I need roll centre correction?

Not tying to be negative just trying to understand.

Thanks
From my knowledge & research:

Lowering springs by their nature impart increased body roll and reduced steering response because lowering the car does mess with the suspension geometry. For instance, if you lower the car 1", the center of gravity (CG) will lower 1". But because you've changed the angles of the control arms, the roll center will be lowered an amount greater than 1". The greater the distance between the CG and roll center, aka "roll couple", the more roll you will get.

However most lowering springs counteract the feeling of increased roll and reduced steering response by being stiffer than stock and slowing down the weight transfer. If the lowering springs were the same rate as stock, you will notice greater body roll and reduced steering response.

As for reduced cornering grip, that is too the nature of lowering w/o geometry correction because you lose the amount of camber gain under compression due to the lower control arm pulling more inward on its arch. This is unavoidable no matter how stiff the springs are.
 

GT 550

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I see, so anyone who lowers their car will have reduced corner grip unless the roll centre is changed back.

There's a lot of folks out there with lowered springs, I wonder why this isn't more widely reported as a draw back.

I might return my lowering springs!
 

CrazedAntelope

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I see, so anyone who lowers their car will have reduced corner grip unless the roll centre is changed back.

There's a lot of folks out there with lowered springs, I wonder why this isn't more widely reported as a draw back.

I might return my lowering springs!
The consensus among enthusiasts and race experts is that 1" lowering is OK. In most cases the pros out with the cons. A lot of what I mentioned is more theory than anything else.

Other members on the forum state the front is more tolerant to lowering compared to the rear.
 

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BmacIL

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The consensus among enthusiasts and race experts is that 1" lowering is OK. In most cases the pros out with the cons. A lot of what I mentioned is more theory than anything else.

Other members on the forum state the front is more tolerant to lowering compared to the rear.
Accurate. Quite a bit more change at the rear for a given lowering amount.
 

GT 550

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Ok, that's good. So these aren't really required if I'm moderately lowered, say .7 F and 0 - 0.5 R?
 

Roadway 5.0

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I see, so anyone who lowers their car will have reduced corner grip unless the roll centre is changed back.

There's a lot of folks out there with lowered springs, I wonder why this isn't more widely reported as a draw back.

I might return my lowering springs!
I’d argue that the negative camber gained from lowering the car counteracts the suspension gremlins pretty well. I certainly feel that I have much more traction accelerating at the apex following my stiff lowering spring and shock setup.
 

BmacIL

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Ok, that's good. So these aren't really required if I'm moderately lowered, say .7 F and 0 - 0.5 R?
I would say yes. I'm lowered the same amount. As stated above, the increase in usable contact patch while cornering from the increase in negative camber outweighs the loss from the geometry. Both wouldn't hurt at all, though, and they are not difficult parts to swap.
 

Burger2002

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I'm very interested in these as I think I may have messed up the tension link bushing after I lowered my car. I've had a clunking that has been getting worse over the last year and have been thinking about changing out the front control arms as I can't seem to troubleshoot the issue. Though I don't have proof of a root cause yet, I may not have clocked / indexed the bushings correctly. Basically I'm thinking about throwing mony/parts at the car until it's fixed.

Would these be a good idea for a car lowered just over an inch? Running BMR performance Springs.
 

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Competition Orange

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Do you have to buy the control arms and the bushing separately and install, or is there a discount if purchased together? Will you guys offer them installed together?

Thanks.
 

Ryan1112

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So this is basically like the X5 ball joints for the S197 Mustang. I installed them and the bumpsteer kit on my 2005 Mustang.

First thing to point out is the bumpsteer kit is really required if you are going to do this mod. This will change the angle of control arms to the tie rod so there will be a bumpsteer problem if the tie rod angle isn't changed as well.

Second, the longer ball joints will decrease negative camber. This is a good thing if you are installing the arms at the same time as the lowering springs and you want roughly the same camber as stock. If you have a one to two inch drop you probably won't need those camber bolts anymore. If you want more negative camber then camber plates will be required.

I don't know how big a difference these arms will make on handling on the S550 but I can speak for the X5 ball joints on my 2005. It was noticeable but not an enormous difference. Steering response has more to do with alignment so don't expect an Earth shattering change but it will be better. There was also a little bit less nose dive, at least it felt like it but I could have been imagining it. I know there was less body roll but I couldn't really feel it. Front end grip was better because of the better camber curve. If you get the front control arm bearing at the same time then it will make an even bigger difference. Hopefully Steeda will offer them pre installed!

Overall I'm betting this will be a worthwhile mod as long as the pricing isn't out of control which I'm sure will be reasonable since it's Steeda.
 
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Bluemustang

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Any plans to release parts to correct the geometry change in the rear?

Also what front drop are these parts calculated for? obviously with a greater drop there's more geometry change, right?
 

Ryan1112

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Any plans to release parts to correct the geometry change in the rear?

Also what front drop are these parts calculated for? obviously with a greater drop there's more geometry change, right?
Steeda will have to comment on that but from the looks of the ball stud length anything more than a half inch this will be beneficial.
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