Suspension Setup - what to go with?

[NLGT]

Hey guys,

First post here. Great spot with a lot of great info. I've been lurking around the past few nights, doing a lot of reading on all of the different suspension setups. First off, what I have and what I'm dealing with:

2015 GT with Performance Pack. Steeda Diff bushings installed, Steeda IRS Subframe Alignment kit & Subframe Bushing support to be installed shortly.

I find the car has the "Bouncy" feel many people mention, and am not a big fan of the nose pick up and dive when onto the gas and brake hard. I'd ideally like an all around further setup to get rid of that floating feeling and the nose movement. A harsher ride is too be expected, but I don't want it riding like a tank either - the roads here in Newfoundland are FAR from great - lots of potholes, uneven surface, ect. I'd also like to squash a bit of that wheel gap too, it rides really high.

Car is not daily'd, only used from May to September on good days and then stored. I like to push it in the twists, and would like to do a few autocross events this season. Not every weekend or anything, but hit up a few.

The setup to beat appears to be BMR SP080's or Steeda Ultralite Lineras running with FRPP or Steeda Shocks/Struts - any thoughts on this?

My main concerns:

- Can the car take the drop with springs and still be able to be aligned back to reasonable PP specs? Camber plates a must, maybe, or not needed unless dropping way low?
- Are shock/strut changes required to remove the bounce (it seems the answer on this is yes, and I'm leaning toward locally available Steeda Non-Adjustable. The FRPP set is another 500 by the time it gets up here)
- I see a lot of mention of various additional parts (RLCA Bearings, ect) are these needed to avoid other issues (Noises, clunks, ect)

I figured I'd make a new post just to see if anyone out there has a setup that similar to what I'm looking for, and your thoughts on it? I'd hate to order parts, have them installed, and end up with a similar or worse performing setup as what I have now, or have a machine that sounds like it's going to come to parts with squeaks and knocks.

Thanks in advance, and happy to be a member here on the forum!

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[jbailer]

First of all welcome! I think your goal is pretty common, it's what many of us picture when buying a sports car but Ford can't sell it that way for grocery getters. It's a shame the PP doesn't come that way already. You've already got a good start and if Steeda parts are local for you and you can save money, it makes this very easy. I chose to stay with Steeda parts because they are engineered to work together and have finally fined (or near) my journey. I'm absolutely amazed by the ride quality in this car. It's definitely not a Cadillac but that's not what I'm looking for. Still though the ride is not harsh by any means yet as you said, I got rid of that brake dive and nose lift on launch. I don't track the car and may not ever but I love to push her hard through the corners. I live in a rural area in the mountains and driving is what I do for fun.

So first, the subframe bushing support is a good first step. Springs is the obvious second step, your idea for the Steeda Ultralite Linears would fill the bill. I have the progressives and love them. The 1" drop on the S550 IMO is perfect. It's not slammed and I don't worry about going over speed bumps or road problems but it gets rid of that wheel gap. The progressives also take up those little bumps on the road with the lighter spring rate while quickly transitioning to firm when I push her in a corner or hard on the brakes.

The dampers is an easy call too, Steeda Pro Actions all the way. We've had several people that weren't impressed with the FRPP dampers and switched after Steeda dampers became available. Then the choice is fixed or adjustable. I think the fixed are perfect but if you want to be able to adjust it a little firmer for track days, you'd have it available. Next would be DEFINITELY add the Steeda billet shock mounts! They will allow the dampers to articulate properly and get rid of some of the bounce and float. Read some of the threads here on them, everyone has had great success with them.

You didn't mention anything about the crazy wheel hop. Some drive a little more sane than me and roll into the gas in a more controlled manner out of a corner. I'm a little too aggressive and the car would hop around like crazy! The good thing is you've already done a lot to control it. If it's an issue, consider the Steeda vertical links and the Steeda IRS subframe braces. I added that and the Steeda Ultralite 2-Point G-Trac Brace and the feeling is great, making it feel much more connected!

Initially I didn't do anything for camber up front after lowering and ended up about -2.0. That was a little more camber than I wanted so I got camber bolts trying to go cheap. The bolts are much smaller than the stock strut bolts and for some reason my camber needed re-adjusting every time I went in so I replaced them with the Steeda camber plates which are very nice! The performance shop where I get my alignment done really likes them, and was able to easily dial it in to -1.7 right where I wanted them.

I've done a bit more and with no NVH and the ride is great! Current setup is:

Steeda Progressive Springs
Steeda Billet Rear Spring Spacers 1/8"
Steeda Fixed Valve Pro Action Shocks + Struts
Steeda Billet Aluminum Shock Mounts
Steeda Adjustable Bumpstop Kit
Steeda Front + Rear Sway Bars w/Billet Mounts
Steeda S550 Mustang Adjustable Swaybar Endlinks
Steeda S550 Mustang Ultralite 2-Point G-Trac Brace
Steeda IRS Subframe Bushing Support System
Steeda Urethane Differential Mount Bushing System (red)
Steeda IRS Subframe Braces
Steeda IRS Subframe Alignment Kit
Steeda Billet Aluminum Vertical Links
Steeda Adjustable Rear Toe Links
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
Steeda Ultralite Chassis Jacking Rails
Ford Performance Strut Bar
Ford Performance Knuckle to Toe Link Bearing

 

[NLGT]

Excellent, informative post! I think I'd be well enough with the Progressives too, for how much I'll get to track the car. I mean, we don't even have a track in the province, the car will likely see a few 1/8th mile nights and a couple days of autocross that I manage to be home for. The gain from Linear springs might be negated to soak up our garbage roads for the better part of the time. The way your car sits is quite close to how I'd prefer mine.

Steeda IRS Subframe braces are certainly on the list as well, done some reading on those last night and for the time they take to put on, it's a no brainer.

I hadn't read into the billet shock mounts yet, but certainly will have to do some research and likely add them to the list. I'd imagine the same is true for camber plates. I'd be gutted if I got a call from the alignment shop saying they couldn't get her lined up and then I had to wait for the plates to be shipped in. I work a 3 week rotation, so realistically I'm only getting around 9 weeks to use the car, every day counts haha.

As for wheel hop, I too have experienced the beast. The diff bushings certainly helped out from what it was the day I picked it up, but there's no trouble to generate it in a hard 2nd shift. The bouncy floating feeling bothers me more, but to cut down on them both would make the car just that much more enjoyable.

So, as it stands, I seem to be pretty close on what I'm after:

- Steeda Strut/Shock set
- Steeda Springs
- Steeda Camber Plates
- Look into the billet shock mounts
- Throw on some subframe braces

Certainly open to any other opinions out there as well.

Thanks again for the reply!

 

[Lexman]

Hi NLGT

Unfortunately I only have my parts and trying to carve out plans to install them.

Your choices are similar to parts I was considering as well. I have non PP GT and I went with:

BMR minimum drop springs
Ford PP shocks/Struts
Steeds shock mount
BMR cradle lockout

Like your choices, these seem to be a solid place to start. Bang for your buck if you will and can build off of based on impressions after driving for a while.

I almost went with Steeda fixed shock/struts but went with PP and the Steeda mounts instead. Many report a big improvement in ride quality with them and I think I went the right route but won't know until I get them installed.

Your list looks good. I don't think you can go wrong either route. JBailer, BmacIL, and others are very knowledgeable and can help. I'd just start with a core setup, you can go beyond your expectations if you do too much. Again smarter people will more than likely chime in and help!

 

[2015Etrac]

I'm very happy with the GT350r front and rear springs and Koni Adjustable shocks/struts. I've had them on for about 3 weeks now and it's like a whole new car. 99% of my driving is the city and it's not terrible on bad roads, also it's a minimum drop so you won't have to worry as much about driveways, etc. I paid less than a $1000 for the springs and shocks/struts. The stance is also perfect IMO. Obviously this is more of a performance setup, if you're looking more for comfort you may want to go with a softer spring/shocks setup, but I've found this to work pretty well on the not so great roads around here, it's not as harsh as I was expecting, and when it comes to handling it's awesome.

 

[BoostedCanadianPoney]

First of all welcome! I think your goal is pretty common, it's what many of us picture when buying a sports car but Ford can't sell it that way for grocery getters. It's a shame the PP doesn't come that way already. You've already got a good start and if Steeda parts are local for you and you can save money, it makes this very easy. I chose to stay with Steeda parts because they are engineered to work together and have finally fined (or near) my journey. I'm absolutely amazed by the ride quality in this car. It's definitely not a Cadillac but that's not what I'm looking for. Still though the ride is not harsh by any means yet as you said, I got rid of that brake dive and nose lift on launch. I don't track the car and may not ever but I love to push her hard through the corners. I live in a rural area in the mountains and driving is what I do for fun.

So first, the subframe bushing support is a good first step. Springs is the obvious second step, your idea for the Steeda Ultralite Linears would fill the bill. I have the progressives and love them. The 1" drop on the S550 IMO is perfect. It's not slammed and I don't worry about going over speed bumps or road problems but it gets rid of that wheel gap. The progressives also take up those little bumps on the road with the lighter spring rate while quickly transitioning to firm when I push her in a corner or hard on the brakes.

The dampers is an easy call too, Steeda Pro Actions all the way. We've had several people that weren't impressed with the FRPP dampers and switched after Steeda dampers became available. Then the choice is fixed or adjustable. I think the fixed are perfect but if you want to be able to adjust it a little firmer for track days, you'd have it available. Next would be DEFINITELY add the Steeda billet shock mounts! They will allow the dampers to articulate properly and get rid of some of the bounce and float. Read some of the threads here on them, everyone has had great success with them.

You didn't mention anything about the crazy wheel hop. Some drive a little more sane than me and roll into the gas in a more controlled manner out of a corner. I'm a little too aggressive and the car would hop around like crazy! The good thing is you've already done a lot to control it. If it's an issue, consider the Steeda vertical links and the Steeda IRS subframe braces. I added that and the Steeda Ultralite 2-Point G-Trac Brace and the feeling is great, making it feel much more connected!

Initially I didn't do anything for camber up front after lowering and ended up about -2.0. That was a little more camber than I wanted so I got camber bolts trying to go cheap. The bolts are much smaller than the stock strut bolts and for some reason my camber needed re-adjusting every time I went in so I replaced them with the Steeda camber plates which are very nice! The performance shop where I get my alignment done really likes them, and was able to easily dial it in to -1.7 right where I wanted them.

I've done a bit more and with no NVH and the ride is great! Current setup is:

Steeda Progressive Springs
Steeda Billet Rear Spring Spacers 1/8"
Steeda Fixed Valve Pro Action Shocks + Struts
Steeda Billet Aluminum Shock Mounts
Steeda Adjustable Bumpstop Kit
Steeda Front + Rear Sway Bars w/Billet Mounts
Steeda S550 Mustang Adjustable Swaybar Endlinks
Steeda S550 Mustang Ultralite 2-Point G-Trac Brace
Steeda IRS Subframe Bushing Support System
Steeda Urethane Differential Mount Bushing System (red)
Steeda IRS Subframe Braces
Steeda IRS Subframe Alignment Kit
Steeda Billet Aluminum Vertical Links
Steeda Adjustable Rear Toe Links
Steeda Bumpsteer Kit
Steeda Ultralite Chassis Jacking Rails
Ford Performance Strut Bar
Ford Performance Knuckle to Toe Link Bearing

Car looks very clean. I can also cast my vote for Steeda's IRS kit

 

[NLGT]

...I'm very happy with the GT350r front and rear springs and Koni Adjustable shocks/struts. I've had them on for about 3 weeks now and it's like a whole new car...

Thanks for the info! Worst thing is the Koni's here in Canada are a 500 buck premium over the Steeda standards, and the GT350R springs I'd be looking at double over the Steeda options. It all starts to add up haha

To be honest I can't imagine I'll do much picking with the adjustment anyways, so I might be as well off with the non-adjustable Steeda's anyways. Just want to reduce the rolly, bouncy, floaty feeling as best I can.

I feel like the shocks/struts, shock mounts, springs and the camber plates along with the IRS Braces (Looking at 1800CAD, plus whatever the billet mounts cost, haven't come across those yet) should be a great starting point without really blowing away a budget.

I don't even know if the camber plates are necessary - think I'm right in saying I should get them anyways, as the potential could be there that the drop could throw nit out enough that the alignment shop wouldn't be able to bring it back in?

Also, opinions on RLCA bearing replacement?

Thanks again guys, some great conversation and info here. Really helping me zero in on what'd work best for me!

 

[ansibe]

If I were you I wouldn't go too low or too stiff. I lived in Halifax for a while (visited Newfoundland), and the roads are among the worst I've experienced in the country.

I would seriously consider keeping the OE springs and getting better dampers. Steeda and Koni are the easy choices. If you can't stand the fender gap maybe look at the Steeda linears, I think they drop an inch and are only about 20% stiffer than OE. Another option is the Eibach Pro Kit. I've driven a '15 with the Pro Kit and OE dampers and the ride was great, at least here in Toronto. Plus if you didn't like it you could probably sell them easy.

If you want a more performance oriented setup, try to contact someone who does the Targa Newfoundland. They should know a little about what it takes to hustle around the Rock.

edit: Just read your last post. 350r springs are pretty cheap here. I paid around $300 Cdn for all 4 (rears are really cheap, fronts around $135 each). But they're really stiff. I put up with the ride for the performance gain.

 

[NLGT]

...If I were you I wouldn't go too low or too stiff. I lived in Halifax for a while (visited Newfoundland), and the roads are among the worst I've experienced in the country.

I would seriously consider keeping the OE springs and getting better dampers. Steeda and Koni are the easy choices...

Great point. Our roads really are garbage. I didn't realize there was that little of a difference between the OE PP Springs and the linear Steeda. I was afraid that just throwing in shocks and struts wouldn't even come close to eliminating the bounce and pitch, and they would need springs to really work in tandem.

Obviously stiffer springs would help, but help enough to warrant throwing the cash at them plus the camber plates to keep the alignment in check, which wouldn't be req'd on a strut/shock change? I guess that's something I need to answer myself.

Just looking at it now, I'm close on 2K CAD (750 Shocks/Struts, 320 for mounts, 410 for camber plates, 400 for springs) plus installation and alignment, and then another 400 or so once I get the IRS braces ordered and throw them on myself. It's a bit looking at what I'm trying to gain. But, you've got to pay to play I suppose.

Anyone here just throw the dampers in with OE PP shocks and have seat time with it? Wondering now if that'd be a better "bang for the buck" option:

-OE PP Springs
-Steeda Fixed Shocks Struts
-Billet Shock Mount
-IRS Braces

 

[BmacIL]

Great point. Our roads really are garbage. I didn't realize there was that little of a difference between the OE PP Springs and the linear Steeda. I was afraid that just throwing in shocks and struts wouldn't even come close to eliminating the bounce and pitch, and they would need springs to really work in tandem.

Obviously stiffer springs would help, but help enough to warrant throwing the cash at them plus the camber plates to keep the alignment in check, which wouldn't be req'd on a strut/shock change? I guess that's something I need to answer myself.

Just looking at it now, I'm close on 2K CAD (750 Shocks/Struts, 320 for mounts, 410 for camber plates, 400 for springs) plus installation and alignment, and then another 400 or so once I get the IRS braces ordered and throw them on myself. It's a bit looking at what I'm trying to gain. But, you've got to pay to play I suppose.

Anyone here just throw the dampers in with OE PP shocks and have seat time with it? Wondering now if that'd be a better "bang for the buck" option:

-OE PP Springs
-Steeda Fixed Shocks Struts
-Billet Shock Mount
-IRS Braces

It'll be pretty awesome and capable with that setup.

 

[2015Etrac]

Didn't realize Koni's cost so much up there. I was able to grab a set of Koni shocks/struts for like $640 new last year, my friend found a deal on them for me. If you can get the springs for $300 like Ansibe did, they are well worth it in my opinion. I prefer running OEM parts as much as possible and they work great. That being said my friend is getting BMR Performance springs and says a few people he knows run them and really like the way they ride and handle. I was looking at the Steeda Adjustable shocks last year but I couldn't pass up the deal I found on the Konis. The Steeda and Koni's seem pretty comparable in terms of performance so I'd grab whichever you can find for cheaper at the time. Steeda has a really good sale on them around Christmas. I do like the adjustability, however I'm happy with them set at 50% and doubt I will ever change them, unless I hit the track. In all honesty I would have been perfectly fine with non-adjustables and saved some money in the process.

 

[tj@steeda]

We have some great vendors in Canada - https://www.steeda.com/dealers

If you are looking for Steeda U.S. to run the numbers for shipping, please send me an email to [email protected].

Well get you starting with a quote - happy to help!

TJ

 

[NLGT]

Thanks TJ. I've dealt with Western Motor Sports out of Alberta previously with great results, I would imagine I'll use them again as getting things across the boarder usually comes with hidden charges from UPS and what not. I'll send you an e-mail though to see what the brass tax is.

Seeing I'm in this far, I'm on the edge about the springs as well, but at almost 400 for springs and then another 400 for camber plates, I'm approaching 1K in additional cost for how much gain - I'm not sure.

It seems to me from what I'm reading, the shocks/struts along with the PP OE springs may be enough to mitigate the bouncing and pitch I'm experiencing. As before I know it'll likely be better again with springs, but 1K better? I dunno.

 

[NLGT]

Anyone else? Fairly certain I'm gonna pull the trigger on the following:

-Steeda Fixed Shocks Struts
-Billet Shock Mount
-IRS Braces

And use them with the OE PP Springs.

 

[BmacIL]

Anyone else? Fairly certain I'm gonna pull the trigger on the following:

-Steeda Fixed Shocks Struts
-Billet Shock Mount
-IRS Braces

And use them with the OE PP Springs.

Great riding and handling machine, it will be. I would personally pair all that with a little heavier springs but they'll certainly work well with the PP springs.

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