advice on lowering

[ta2d1]

well, i've got some tax money coming to me so i can finally do some stuff to my car that i've wanted to for a while. i've read so many threads on springs that i believe it's made me more confused than when i started. what i want to know is what exactly do i need, i plan on going with the H&R springs race or the SS's i haven't made the choice yet. with either of those will i need CC plates and can i use the stock ISO's with them or do i need aftermarket ones? if so what is reccomended and where is the best place to get them from. thanks for the help and opinons are welcome.

 

[G03SVT]

I can tell you what I'm having done; H&R race springs, MM c/c plates, 00 Cobra R shocks, Steeda bumpsteer and x2 balljoints, and MM poly steering rack bushings. I believe Marlon has a similar setup. Is all that neccessary??? I really doubt it.

I'm sure you could get by with just springs and c/c plates for now.

 

[predator]

Really depends on what you plan to do with the car. :shrug: Aside from our opinions, you might want to take some time and talk to the folks at MM. They are very helpful, knowledgeable people who do this for a living and will give you some great advice on how to get your car setup properly.

 

[TRBO VNM]

springs, MM iso's and front bumpsteer kit and you should be good to go. you shouldn't need cc plates. I think MM offers H&R springs.

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

H&R's for sure! The SS's sat kinda low but I still liked them. If you get those it's crucial that you get the MM iso's front and rear. I don't see how guys ride around with them and have the stockers to NO isolators in place....crazy! I would not use the MM poly's with the race springs though because it'll sit too high. The H&R race springs present a better feel and killer cornering ability. Not to mention when you hit the brakes hard there's very minimal to no nose dive at all. I would just get the springs for now. You can never go wrong with CC plates either. I didn't add a bumpsteer kit and balljoints until a year after the fact of lowering. :dw:

 

[G03SVT]

Really depends on what you plan to do with the car. :shrug: Aside from our opinions, you might want to take some time and talk to the folks at MM. They are very helpful, knowledgeable people who do this for a living and will give you some great advice on how to get your car setup properly.

MM does give really good advice and you'll want to buy way more then you orginally planned after talking to them, but they are not pushy by any means.

Billy (wiseguy) is another good source and he is part of the MACA.

 

[IronTerp]

I like the way my Cobra handles with the Steeda springs, but to be honest, don't have a lot of experience driving other lowered Cobras to compare with.

Can one of you guys give me the lowdown on the bumpsteer kits? What's it gonna do for me?

 

[G03SVT]

I just found this...

What Exactly is Bumpsteer? The technical definition of bumpsteer is a change in toe angle caused by the suspension moving up or down. Bumpsteer is built into the geometry of the suspension and steering system, and has nothing to do with turning the steering wheel. The effect of bumpsteer is for the wheel to toe-in or toe-out when the suspension moves up or down. This toe change or “steering” occurs any time the suspension moves, whether it is from body roll, brake-dive, or hitting a bump in the road. Bumpsteer is undesirable because the suspension is steering the car instead of the driver.


What is the Cause of Bumpsteer? The front wheels do not move directly straight up or down when the car hits a bump. Instead, the wheel follows an arc, or curving path, that pushes the wheel slightly inward (towards the centerline of the car) or outward (away from the car) in response to vertical wheel movement. The outer tie-rod (which connects the steering rack to the wheel) also moves in-and-out in an arc as it moves up and down. If the rate which the outer tie-rod arcs in or out does not match the rate the wheel moves in or out, the wheel will be turned by the tie-rod. This is bumpsteer. The center point of the arc traveled by the wheel (known as the instant-center) is controlled by the location and angle of the moving suspension links. This point moves as the ride height changes. In contrast, the arc of the outer tie-rod is controlled by the position of the steering rack, which is fixed.


In order to eliminate bumpsteer, both the length and the center point of the two arcs must be the same. However, since the instant center moves with ride height, bumpsteer cannot be eliminated throughout the entire range of suspension travel. Therefore suspension designers concentrate on minimizing bumpsteer within the range of movement closest to factory ride height. Changing the ride height or other suspension components may move the suspension outside this narrow “optimized” window. To fix a bumpsteer problem, you need to alter the height of outer tie-rod relative to the steering rack. Small changes in this relationship can be made with offset rack bushings. Making big changes requires adjustable tie-rod ends, also known as a bumpsteer kit. Many aftermarket companies offer bumpsteer kits such as Baer Brakes, Steeda Autosports, Competition Engineering. When installing a bumpsteer kit, it is highly-recommended that you have a certified technician install the kit. It is required that an alignment rack be used in the installation of the bumpsteer kit. Using an alignment rack allows the technician to monitor the changes in toe with suspension travel and make changes in the bumpsteer kit’s settings.

 

[FISHTAIL]

I like the way my Cobra handles with the Steeda springs, but to be honest, don't have a lot of experience driving other lowered Cobras to compare with.

Can one of you guys give me the lowdown on the bumpsteer kits? What's it gonna do for me?

It corrects your steering geometry, and should help prevent the car from tramlining as much, as well as improve the lifespan of your Rack and Pinion...Depending on the materials used, it may also help improve steering response a little bit if it takes some slack out of the system.

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

Dwight, the bumpsteer kit will help eliminate just that, BUMPSTEER. When you ride over rough spots/bumps in the road the car tends to steer itself at times. The bumpsteer kit helps the driver keep the car more in "human" control so to say. They work in conjunction with X2 balljoints to correct the front suspension geometry and get the tie-rod ends back parallel with the control arms after lowering the car with springs etc.

That's my explanation! :-D

 

[G03SVT]

Just got this off the Steeda website, also good info...

Because the balljoint changes the relationship between the lower control
arm and the tie-rod, bump-steer should be checked whenever the X2
balljoint is installed. With stock caster settings, offset rack bushings are
often enough to keep bump-steer within acceptable range. However, when
caster is increased, the rear inclination of the spindle further raises the
steering arm where the tie-rod attaches. Therefore, an adjustable tie rod
end, commonly called a "bump-steer kit", is highly recommended to prevent
bump-steer whenever caster camber plates are used in combination with
the X2 balljoint.

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

Needless to say I noticed a difference with the bumpsteer kit. You really won't notice anything with the X2 balljoints. It's just there to correct roll center when the car is lowered.

 

[FISHTAIL]

I just found this...

What Exactly is Bumpsteer? The technical definition of bumpsteer is a change in toe angle caused by the suspension moving up or down. Bumpsteer is built into the geometry of the suspension and steering system, and has nothing to do with turning the steering wheel. The effect of bumpsteer is for the wheel to toe-in or toe-out when the suspension moves up or down. This toe change or “steering” occurs any time the suspension moves, whether it is from body roll, brake-dive, or hitting a bump in the road. Bumpsteer is undesirable because the suspension is steering the car instead of the driver.


What is the Cause of Bumpsteer? The front wheels do not move directly straight up or down when the car hits a bump. Instead, the wheel follows an arc, or curving path, that pushes the wheel slightly inward (towards the centerline of the car) or outward (away from the car) in response to vertical wheel movement. The outer tie-rod (which connects the steering rack to the wheel) also moves in-and-out in an arc as it moves up and down. If the rate which the outer tie-rod arcs in or out does not match the rate the wheel moves in or out, the wheel will be turned by the tie-rod. This is bumpsteer. The center point of the arc traveled by the wheel (known as the instant-center) is controlled by the location and angle of the moving suspension links. This point moves as the ride height changes. In contrast, the arc of the outer tie-rod is controlled by the position of the steering rack, which is fixed.


In order to eliminate bumpsteer, both the length and the center point of the two arcs must be the same. However, since the instant center moves with ride height, bumpsteer cannot be eliminated throughout the entire range of suspension travel. Therefore suspension designers concentrate on minimizing bumpsteer within the range of movement closest to factory ride height. Changing the ride height or other suspension components may move the suspension outside this narrow “optimized” window. To fix a bumpsteer problem, you need to alter the height of outer tie-rod relative to the steering rack. Small changes in this relationship can be made with offset rack bushings. Making big changes requires adjustable tie-rod ends, also known as a bumpsteer kit. Many aftermarket companies offer bumpsteer kits such as Baer Brakes, Steeda Autosports, Competition Engineering. When installing a bumpsteer kit, it is highly-recommended that you have a certified technician install the kit. It is required that an alignment rack be used in the installation of the bumpsteer kit. Using an alignment rack allows the technician to monitor the changes in toe with suspension travel and make changes in the bumpsteer kit’s settings.

We posted at the same time, but you gave just a tad more info....lol.

 

[G03SVT]

Do you remember your alignment settings Marlon?

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

Gerry, sorry man but I don't remember them. Billy did my alignment and it was dead on. :rockon:

 

[G03SVT]

He will be doing mine also.

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

He will be doing mine also.

Nice!

 

[mixxer]

http://svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254023 - that will help with spring choice.

 

[booricua]

I have the H&R SS springs and the car aligned fine nothing else needed.

If you get the X2 balljoint it will actually lower even more the front
then I also got the bumpsteer and the MM CC plates proly dont need but wanted to have the car runs as if it was on rails

 

[predator]

FYI.....if anyone has a need for a bumpsteer kit....I have a spare Baer kit still in plastic.