---->1998 Cobra suspension advice needed<-----

[ILUVmy1998Cobra]

Hey guys,
Ford : Mustang - eBay (item 320634006010 end time Dec-29-10 12:10:16 PST)


So I recently purchased my first Cobra, the Cobra in the link above, and am VERY pleased to be part of the family however, I am having some issues with the current ride height. Due to my lack of knowledge on the history and exact specifications of the aftermarket parts that have been added to the car in the past, I can only rely on the list provided from the previous owner in the ebay link. I would also like to note that I have already read the stickies multiple times and have not come across anything specific enough for my needs.

Long story short, I want to know if there is a cost-effective way to raise my cobra's ride height without sacrificing my current level of performance.

Concerns:
-unable to enter many stores, gas stations, etc. due to scraping CC plates on bottom and other various exhaust parts.
-wheel well trim appears to be making slash marks along the outermost edge of the rear tires, indicating insufficient suspension travel length for the florida roads.

Picasa Web Albums - Alexander Ostrowski - COBRA
more pics I recently took^^^^

There are the pictures I took today on my iphone, not the greatest lighting and whatnot but you get the general idea of the ride height, tire wear and tire-wheel well distance, etc.



Any suggestions?

 

[whtcobra1998]

take the wheel spacers off the rear thats why they rub, change the springs if its to low or learn how to drive a lowered car- its a skill to read roads

 

[ILUVmy1998Cobra]

Remove the wheel spacers? That seems feasible, I'll look into that tomorrow morning when I have some sunlight. As for the the springs, I hoped it would be that easy but I have been told by multiple shops that the current struts/shocks are setup for the lowering springs I have on and if I were to purchase longer springs, I would need new struts and shocks as well. And I am having fun and adjusting to driving a lowered car like this, however the bad roads I describe around my area aren't simply conquered by better driving skill. The entrances to most places are high inclines and low rain gutters.

 

[Mr.Bolt-on]

No, you will not need new shocks and struts (dampers). The only time you would need new ones is if you had fox body dampers. I would personally raise the car, because being too low has negative effects on handling. You can get by with some progressive rate springs which only lower the car 1 inch. Any lower, and you ruin driveability, the chin of your front bumper, longtubes, and various chassis parts. Your cobra isn't a minitruck, or 64 impala... so it doesn't need to be slammed anyways.

 

[whtcobra1998]

No, you will not need new shocks and struts (dampers). The only time you would need new ones is if you had fox body dampers. I would personally raise the car, because being too low has negative effects on handling. You can get by with some progressive rate springs which only lower the car 1 inch. Any lower, and you ruin driveability, the chin of your front bumper, longtubes, and various chassis parts. Your cobra isn't a minitruck, or 64 impala... so it doesn't need to be slammed anyways.

he is right about the fox body dampers, what strut and shocks are on the car?

 

[2DXTRM]

he is right about the fox body dampers, what strut and shocks are on the car?

According to the Ebay ad link, the car has:

Suspension:

H&R SS Lowering Springs
Strange 10 way Adjustable Struts
Strange 10 way Adjustable Shocks
Maximum Motorsports Caster Camber Plates
Maximum Motorsports Bumpsteer Kit

 

[clc44]

If those are the suspension mods, I would try and trade someone for the H&R Race Springs or the standard sport model. The SS model lower the car a lot!!! BTW, how are the Strange's?

 

[deadernie]

Are the spring isolators still on the car? If not re-installing them would bump it up a little.

 

[ILUVmy1998Cobra]

No, you will not need new shocks and struts (dampers). The only time you would need new ones is if you had fox body dampers. I would personally raise the car, because being too low has negative effects on handling. You can get by with some progressive rate springs which only lower the car 1 inch. Any lower, and you ruin driveability, the chin of your front bumper, longtubes, and various chassis parts. Your cobra isn't a minitruck, or 64 impala... so it doesn't need to be slammed anyways.

^^^agreed. As much fun as it may be to slither around bumps and whatnot in the Cobra, I would much rather like to be able to drive and not worry about hitting a catastrophic pothole while i took 3 seconds to ash my cig or something.

csc44- yeah I have been researching those models as well and apparently the H&R SS springs are absurdly low....I can attest. The car sits so low and looks great but going 80+ on florida highways, your always looking for that little bump that might thrust the chassy up above my head...

other wise the handling is superb! :lol:
on a serious note though, I really appreciate your guys' help. I am about to go out and actually try the wheel spacer suggestion, so if there needs to be any pictures taken to help you guys understand my problem, just lmk here!

 

[ILUVmy1998Cobra]

Are the spring isolators still on the car? If not re-installing them would bump it up a little.

I cant say, I haven't messed with the suspension since my purchase about a month or so ago. how would I identify them? I don't believe I've ever encountered one ha

 

[SVTContique]

I cant say, I haven't messed with the suspension since my purchase about a month or so ago. how would I identify them? I don't believe I've ever encountered one ha

They are little polyurethane or rubber pieces that go in between the the spring and the spring hat on the car, you can see them pretty easily if you take the spring off. there is an Upper one and a lower one for each spring, You can buy the poly ones from just about anywhere.

I have uppers and lowers in my rear and just the lower ones in the front of my car, i love the way it rides.

 

[ILUVmy1998Cobra]

BTW, anyone know how to host images from my library on my mac? I have some pics that may help.

 

[Wraith_2006]

you can set up a mobile me account... I dont remember if it cost money, but I do know that works, also you can try creating a google picasa account those work well too.

 

[ILUVmy1998Cobra]

Picasa Web Albums - Alexander Ostrowski - COBRA

There are the pictures I took today on my iphone, not the greatest lighting and whatnot but you get the general idea of the ride height, tire wear and tire-wheel well distance, etc.

also I noticed today that the wheel spacers on the back, are very large, and I believe are so because of the current setup of the bassani exhaust. Thus, the removal of those to alleviate the rubbing problem will not work. I would rather raise the car though in the hopes that it would kill 2 birds with 1 stone by raising my car and saving the tires.

So are springs Really[/U all I need to raise this car?

 

[cobraman1024]

I've got wheel spacers on my '95 Cobra and would scrape the rear tires on the fenders all the time if I didn't part the car in front of the house. The driveways in florida are retarded steep; I don't care if it was designed for better water drainage from rain/hurricanes or wtf ever. It sucks that cars with the factory suspension scrape their front ends going up the driveways all the time on my street.

 

[ILUVmy1998Cobra]

I've got wheel spacers on my '95 Cobra and would scrape the rear tires on the fenders all the time if I didn't part the car in front of the house. The driveways in florida are retarded steep; I don't care if it was designed for better water drainage from rain/hurricanes or wtf ever. It sucks that cars with the factory suspension scrape their front ends going up the driveways all the time on my street.

Absolutely, this is exactly what I'm talking about. For whatever reason the state feels compelled to only accommodate lifted trucks and bikes. I can barely conquer a simple speed bump without scraping bad let alone a speed table or, heaven forbid, a cvs entrance...

 

[digdugdaddy]

Just get new springs, keep the spacers, nothing wrong with them. By that one pic, you don't have isolators on so order a new set with the new springs.

Look into some FMS C-springs too if you are a little more budget oriented.

 

[mysteed]

I'd get a set of Ford C springs to raise the whole car up a little bit. Don't forget to order a set of polyurethane spring isolators as well.

 

[pacific4v]

Hey man I have a set of eibach prokit springs I'd be willing to trade for the h&r ss springs u have. Pm me if ur interested.

 

[SVTContique]

Picasa Web Albums - Alexander Ostrowski - COBRA

There are the pictures I took today on my iphone, not the greatest lighting and whatnot but you get the general idea of the ride height, tire wear and tire-wheel well distance, etc.

also I noticed today that the wheel spacers on the back, are very large, and I believe are so because of the current setup of the bassani exhaust. Thus, the removal of those to alleviate the rubbing problem will not work. I would rather raise the car though in the hopes that it would kill 2 birds with 1 stone by raising my car and saving the tires.

So are springs Really[/U all I need to raise this car?

You dont have isolaters in.

Before spending 250 bucks on springs, buy the ISo's and install them, they should raise the car about 1" all the way around, maybe even more.