Understanding & Upgrading your Mustangs Suspension R E A D

[3Dglasses]

There is some great info in this thread but some of this info has gotten dated. There are other vendors besides MM in the market for coil overs now. I personally got rid of all my MM coil over/CC plates stuff and switched to BC Racing. Spring rate table is still very handy. Did I miss the "get rid of your sloppy factory rag joint" somewhere in this thread?

Thanks for babysitting this thread because it is a good read.
Cheers!

 

[framda]

There is some great info in this thread but some of this info has gotten dated. There are other vendors besides MM in the market for coil overs now. I personally got rid of all my MM coil over/CC plates stuff and switched to BC Racing. Spring rate table is still very handy. Did I miss the "get rid of your sloppy factory rag joint" somewhere in this thread?

Thanks for babysitting this thread because it is a good read.
Cheers!

I checked out their site and couldn't find anything for s-95, just s-197 mustangs

 

[3Dglasses]

You'll have to call them. I believe they released the racing series last year. Looks like the web site has not been updated. ;(

- Ford Mustang 94-04
- Ford Mustang Cobra 03-04

I sent them an email to see what is going on....

 

[Dalamar]

good point 3D. you're welcome to update with tech info.

TOTALLY agree, ditch the rag joint. I finally did mine and love how it feels.

 

[Werecow]

Question, and I hope I'm popping it in the right thread here, I've got a 94gt that I'm planning on a big block swap for and I really don't have the budget to buy then rebuy a lot of stuff for.. before reading this thread I was planning on a team-z rear suspension not solid bushings cause it'll be mainly a street car but because of their drag experience I want it to plant. But I have no idea how I want to do the front end. I do want it to handle well, not like a drag car but to be able to take curves better than stock of course and not ride like a 1 ton 4x4 truck. The roads around where I live aren't the best (potholes and cracks) but I also do drive like I've got 1/2 a brain and not a 16yr old with a 6 pack of beer in him/her lol! Anyhooo... Question is.. what kind of setup do any of you recommend for the front with a big block (aluminum heads to save weight of course) cheers!

 

[white95]

I've got a 94 gt that I'm planning on a big block swap...

Interesting.. I'm presuming you'll go with the 460?

...I do want it to handle well, not like a drag car but to be able to take curves better than stock of course and not ride like a 1 ton 4x4 truck...

Question is.. what kind of setup do any of you recommend for the front with a big block (aluminum heads to save weight of course) cheers!

I'll recommend contacting Maximum Motorsports for their sport struts and have them specify the spring rates for your intended use. You can get some decent handling characteristics from these cars but with big block weight in the front end, it's going to be difficult. Even with aluminum heads.

 

[CobraRGuy]

The stock SN95 rear suspension is garbage, plain and simple. The front is not great, but not nearly as bad as the rear. Right after I bought my '95 R I took it to Laguna Seca for a weekend of fun with the NorCal Shelby Club. On Monday when I put the car up on jack stands to do my creeper tour and got underneath the car I noticed that the inside of the rear tires had been rubbing against the tailpipes on BOTH SIDES! There's 3 inches of clearance on each side, so that means the rear axle was moving back and forth laterally AT LEAST SIX INCHES! Holy cow. This is factory race Mustang suspension? I tried some polyurethane bushings, then aftermarket arms, but they all seemed to make the car oversteer. Nothing seemed to work.
I decided to call Bruce Griggs (Griggs Racing). Bruce told me that the rear suspension of my '95 Cobra R dates back to the 1977 Ford Fairmont. OUCH! He also said "we have a solution for that". I ended up bringing the car to his shop at Sears Point and left it there for 8 months (and $$$$$) where it received their full World Challenge frame and suspension setup (not SLA).
My experience is that it is truly difficult to improve the stock rear setup without causing undesired effects. When these Cobra Rs were raced they left the control arms and bushings stock and only changed sway bars and shocks.
If you look closely at the rear control arms you'll notice that the upper and lower arms operate on different planes. They all connect to the same axle, but pivot in different directions. What this means is that the arms tend to BIND when the suspension moves. This is why the rear control arms are designed so flimsy and use soft rubber bushings. If you put stiffer arms and stiffer bushings you increase the binding. It is my understanding this is what causes the oversteer. This is what the Griggs and MM suspension cures.
I know. I sound like a shill for Griggs. It's not that. I'm just a highly satisfied customer. I can now enjoy a truly world class race quality suspension so I can drive 100 MPH through turns leaving four thick black stripes as I drift in a controlled sideways slide to the edge of the track putting 600HP to the ground (with my Torsen T2-R Racemaster differential fighting for every last bit of traction). This is what I built my car to do, not drag race. What I need now is more tire on the ground, but for that I need new wheels... Off to a new thread!

 

[joe65]

yes the rear is crap and ford didn't change it until 2005. I'm not an expert for sure, but just reading from most of the good suspension shops changing the rear control arms with poly bushings just makes the bad stay the same. panhard bar and some kind of torque arm or watts link is what the rear really need to be predictable.

 

[thiago aguiar]

I have been contemplating getting another sn95, used own one years ago, I want to see if its worth for a track car. Mainly to reduce my cost tracking my M3. The BMW tax is really, it cost a lot for part replace every time. But I agree with above comment, suspension is garbage, but it can be fully upgraded for less than 6k. I know 6k on a car that is worth less than 6k is a lot, but I have 15k in suspension on my M3 and running cost is still high, plus I have a soft spot for my first mustang.

 

[ttocs]

yea don't go gettin all cray cray and spend WAY more money than its worth or some of us might get jealous take that as a challenge to spend more than you...

 

[95opal]

I have been contemplating getting another sn95, used own one years ago, I want to see if its worth for a track car. Mainly to reduce my cost tracking my M3. The BMW tax is really, it cost a lot for part replace every time. But I agree with above comment, suspension is garbage, but it can be fully upgraded for less than 6k. I know 6k on a car that is worth less than 6k is a lot, but I have 15k in suspension on my M3 and running cost is still high, plus I have a soft spot for my first mustang.

I spent over an hour talking with Bruce Griggs about my rear suspension that i was building needless to say i took his advice and went with a griggs HD torque arm and watts link while ditching the crappy mustang upper control arm set up. Once i get some miles on this new build i will be pulling it back off the road to ditch the front shock towers and go with the griggs sla set up. Once im done im confident that this will be the best handling mustang i have built over the past 35 years.

 

[thiago aguiar]

I spent over an hour talking with Bruce Griggs about my rear suspension that i was building needless to say i took his advice and went with a griggs HD torque arm and watts link while ditching the crappy mustang upper control arm set up. Once i get some miles on this new build i will be pulling it back off the road to ditch the front shock towers and go with the griggs sla set up. Once im done im confident that this will be the best handling mustang i have built over the past 35 years. View attachment 8538

Wow that is amazing setup

 

[Frank.JD.Perez]

i eat m3s on track so... yes

 

[thiago aguiar]

i eat m3s on track so... yes

You are from the Bay Area wonder if we been at track together at one point. What are some of your track you attend.
I go to mainly laguna and buttomwillow and occasionally thundethill and infineon.

 

[Frank.JD.Perez]

You are from the Bay Area wonder if we been at track together at one point. What are some of your track you attend.
I go to mainly laguna and buttomwillow and occasionally thundethill and infineon.

primarily sonoma. i would love to run laguna more, but my car is too loud and i cant justify the cost of 98% of the 105db days. thill is too far of a drive for me to really enjoy going out there. i run with nasa nor cal 99% of the time as well

closed in on an f80 m3 too, but session ended right as i caught up to the guy

 

[thiago aguiar]

primarily sonoma. i would love to run laguna more, but my car is too loud and i cant justify the cost of 98% of the 105db days. thill is too far of a drive for me to really enjoy going out there. i run with nasa nor cal 99% of the time as well

closed in on an f80 m3 too, but session ended right as i caught up to the guy

Nice Run, very fast. I don't have much videos of sonoma but my last run at sonoma I managed a 1:52 on street tires about a year ago. My most recent video is buttonwillowI I managed a 1:56:

 

[Frank.JD.Perez]

also put down that 154 back in 2019 on 200tw street tires