questions about lowering...please help

[dirtyd88]

I don't believe they are much shorter, if any. They use a different durometer material to work in conjunction with the lowering springs. I specifically asked a Ford Racing engineer about this at the Carlisle Ford nationals and confirmed they are a unique part. Although I've also read it's just the GT500 bumpers.

Some people just cut them down but (unlike the old days) these are actually an active part of the suspension. They are essentially a foam spring designed to help dampen the suspension as it reaches the end of it's travel.

Well I plan on upgrading my struts after the new year, and don't really want to disassemble my front struts again (bad experience last time).

Will aftermarket struts already have something like this on the assembly? Or would I still need them with lowering springs?

 

[TheVikingRL]

No, I don't believe any of the replacement struts come with new bumpers. The Koni's certainly didn't. Good news is they are cheap.

 

[dirtyd88]

No, I don't believe any of the replacement struts come with new bumpers. The Koni's certainly didn't. Good news is they are cheap.

Well I might just take advantage of Latemodel's current sale and pick up a set of them. Thanks for the info, Viking!

 

[Lethal302]

If this helps any I'm running this setup:
- Koni Str.t shocks/struts
- BMR lowering springs (1.00 front 1.25 rear)
- J&M Panhard Bar
- BMR LCAs
- BMR LCA Relocation Brackets
- GT500 strut mounts
- BMR Camber bolts

I want to say the total was under $1000 and I did the install myself

Here's a pic for reference
7730417486_3279072168_k.jpg photo by li350z | Photobucket

 

[GT915]

Lethal302, what size tires are you running? The stance is killer but it looks lower than the 1inch front and 1.25 rear drop that BMR advertises. The undercar pic looks like one of your resonators has already taken a beating. I'm glad you posted this as I had just about decided that this was the route I'll take. I have studied every pic on this site I could find and I liked the BMR setup the best. I was gonna get the kit listed on their site and sub in the GT500 strut mounts and add the Koni STR.T dampers. How does it ride? My last mustang turned out too low and would scrub the subframe connectors or xpipe if you weren't careful. I don't want this one to turn out like that.

 

[dirtyd88]

Lethal302, what size tires are you running? The stance is killer but it looks lower than the 1inch front and 1.25 rear drop that BMR advertises. The undercar pic looks like one of your resonators has already taken a beating. I'm glad you posted this as I had just about decided that this was the route I'll take. I have studied every pic on this site I could find and I liked the BMR setup the best. I was gonna get the kit listed on their site and sub in the GT500 strut mounts and add the Koni STR.T dampers. How does it ride? My last mustang turned out too low and would scrub the subframe connectors or xpipe if you weren't careful. I don't want this one to turn out like that.

The BMR springs actually lower the GT around 1.25" front and 1.5" rear after all settling. I've spoken with Kelley at BMR about it just out of curiosity. He said they gave the springs a conservative drop rating to avoid people blasting than for not dropping enough. Below are the measurements I took to 1/8" increments, FWIW.

Also, a picture of my car for comparison...

Also, the resonators are supposed to have the flat spots in them.

 

[pohnjarker]

if i remember correctly when i changed my catback, the dents you're talking about on the stock piping are there from the factory...

 

[GT915]

Funny you should mention that...I spoke with Kelly at BMR today and he said that after their springs were installed the car would be in the high 27 inch mark at each corner. That seems to line up with your measurements after the drop. He said that they didn't like to advertise a drop because Ford used different springs at different times during production and that the height of stock cars could vary. Your car was one of the ones that made me decide on the BMR products. It didn't look like a severe drop and it seems to still have a bit of a rake, or nose down attitude which I like. That combined with the fact that parts I felt I would need wouldn't break the bank. I notice yours settled a bit. Should I wait a bit for it to settle before getting it realigned. T

 

[dirtyd88]

No, you'll need to get it aligned as soon as you can, in case you aren't able to eye your camber and toe yourself after installing. The settling is minimal, and shouldn't change the specs much. If I get the chance, I have a buddy that has access to a alignment machine, and we can throw it up there and see how much out of line things are with the print out I have from the alignment right after the drop.

Yeah, Kelly said that since each package Mustang out there has a different combo strut/spring, they wanted to make something that was "universal" to all of them as best they could. Guy was cool to talk to, and definitely knew some stuff about what he was doing.

You will enjoy the springs though.

But my advice is to find some way to remove the isolators from the stock springs and install them on the BMR. We didn't so this because we were crunched for time and the isos are glued on there.

 

[turd burglar]

Dirty, is it just the pic or do your lca's clear the ground by just a hair?

 

[Lethal302]

Lethal302, what size tires are you running? The stance is killer but it looks lower than the 1inch front and 1.25 rear drop that BMR advertises. The undercar pic looks like one of your resonators has already taken a beating. I'm glad you posted this as I had just about decided that this was the route I'll take. I have studied every pic on this site I could find and I liked the BMR setup the best. I was gonna get the kit listed on their site and sub in the GT500 strut mounts and add the Koni STR.T dampers. How does it ride? My last mustang turned out too low and would scrub the subframe connectors or xpipe if you weren't careful. I don't want this one to turn out like that.

They're 18's so it looks lower than other people's set ups on 19's and 20's, but I do agree, the drop looks like more than 1/1.25. The resonators actually haven't ever bottomed out. I actually just had the car up on a lift last week and didn't notice any damage. The only issue I have is the rubber piece under the front bumper scrapes on my driveway every now and then, but thats all. I was originally worried about the lca relocation brackets bottoming out bc they're about 3 inches off the ground, but no issues there and I DD my car.

I personally think the ride is amazing. No more nose dive on stops, no more body roll on turns, zero wheel hop and it isn't too stiff IMO. I'd go with the same setup again if I could.

 

[dirtyd88]

Dirty, is it just the pic or do your lca's clear the ground by just a hair?

Shadow illusion. :beer:

 

[GT915]

Thanks for the input. Looks like this will be what I'll get and I'll be sure to post pics once I get it and get it all installed. I can't wait.

 

[SteedaBrandon]

I am purchasing 19 x 9 and 19 x 10 wheels with 255 40 19 and 285 35 19 tires. Initially I thought I'd get a set of Ford Racing K springs, front strut mounts and an adjustable panhard bar. I thought I'd just run the stock struts and shocks since it has only 8k miles on them. I have since read that I probably need new dampers as well as new rear control arm brackets. Is this true? This is really nice car and I don't want it to ride like shit or make unnecessary noise. I also don't want it to be so low that it drags the undercarriage when going over a speed bump. Am I on the right track with K springs or should I consider something else? I'm open to other options such as eibach or steeda. I really would like to hear from those with lowered cars so I don't make an expensive mistake.
Thanks

If this is a daily driver and you don't track it, I would definitely go with Steeda Ultralite springs for your purposes.

They provide an approximate 1.25" (F) & 1.5" (R) drop and will improve handling both by lowering the vehicle's center of gravity and using stiffer springs than OE. These are made in the USA and feature a lifetime warranty. You can find many happy customers with these springs.

We do recommend an adjustable panhard bar (to re-center the rear end) and our heavy-duty upper strut mounts (to adjust camber) when lowering with our Ultralites, but they are not required.

Let me know if I can help you with these. :beer:

 

[Lethal302]

The BMR springs actually lower the GT around 1.25" front and 1.5" rear after all settling. I've spoken with Kelley at BMR about it just out of curiosity. He said they gave the springs a conservative drop rating to avoid people blasting than for not dropping enough. Below are the measurements I took to 1/8" increments, FWIW.



Also, the resonators are supposed to have the flat spots in them.

That could definitely help explain it...they did look lower to me