What MM coilover kit?

[efnfast]

I'm think of doing a front/rear MM coilover kit versus just doing springs.

04 cobra vert, 15k miles.

Can anybody offer some suggestions on what kit to buy. I talked with a local shop and they said best would be to buy a front one without the shocks (as my bilsteins are basically brand new still), buy a rear one with the shocks (as the shocks will be more aggressively valved and perform better), and cc plates. Does thsi sound accurate?

Also, what spring rates would I want for daily driving purposes? Thanks.

 

[jrgoffin]

Call MM. Their tech guys will give you good advice. You have to convert all the spring rates to wheel rates and decide what you want to do with the car. Since the struts & shocks on the vert are different, I bet you will probably want to replace all of them with the HD stuff to support the coil-overs. Get ready to shell out some $$$$$.

 

[mach1033]

I have the complete MM coilover kit on my 03 vert. I kept my front struts but replaced my rear shocks. Spring rate is 350/500. I also went with there K member, A arms with delrin bushings and I also had to do an oil filter relocation kit. For the rears I also had the complete IRS bushing kit installed from Full Tilt Boogie Racing. Also I have Kenny Brown's full sub frames installed. Words cannot describe how my car handles now. The car is super responsive. It was like I was in a totally different car and I was not use to it at first. But I got a handle on it real quick. The only thing I'm doing next is adding a strut tower brace and then I'm done suspension wise. What are your goals for the car?

 

[Teej281]

^you went about your setup all wrong. You're running too much spring up front for even stock coupe struts, let alone vert struts which they already don't suggest use of those with coilovers. Op, just buy the complete coilover kit with bilstein hd's and 300lb springs and 525 springs out back. That will put you in the right range for those dampers, give you great handling and will feel very even.

 

[DSG2NV03]

Give Jason a call at Maximum Motorsports and he will help you out with all your questions. I just finished up the installed with 375 fronts and 575 rear with Bilstein sports all 4 corners. Went went thier K member also with ALL the fixins for the front. I did go urethane though because I will be on the street 99.9% of the time. It is AMAZING!!!

alex

 

[mach1033]

^you went about your setup all wrong. You're running too much spring up front for even stock coupe struts, let alone vert struts which they already don't suggest use of those with coilovers. Op, just buy the complete coilover kit with bilstein hd's and 300lb springs and 525 springs out back. That will put you in the right range for those dampers, give you great handling and will feel very even.

Have you been in a 03 Cobra vert with the exact same set up as my car? This was the set up that MM sold me and it rides just fine over bumpy Jersey roads let alone smooth roads. If it were a harsh ride trust me when I tell you I would have changed the set up. You can see how much money I put into my set up and there would be no way I would settle for shit ride quality. All my friends including myself are brutally honest with one and other and we tell it as it is. After THEY drove my car none of them had one bad thing to say about the way it handled, no annoying noises and it didnt break your ass/back going over bumpy roads. Now if the OP go's with a different strut I'm sure the spring rate will be different. But if he doesn't as that will add another 700 to the price then the 350 will be fine. Also MM had told me that if I plan on tracking the car on an open road course then they said I should upgrade to better struts. But for street duty they are just fine.

 

[Teej281]

Really? I have their full coilover kit with new hd's on all 4 corners. I've spent $3500 on suspension for my gt this year. I swapped in an IRS, added ftbr bushings, and mm coilovers on all four corners. I know my ride is not rough, buy it is solid. I know my suspension as I've discussed suspension with those at MM and on the forums and if you're into street driving, get the whole MM coilover conversion with new struts and shocks and use 325/525 spring rates and you'll be perfect. Now if you're into twisty racing, you should add the bilstein sports to you kit and use 400/600 spring rates and you'll be awesome.

 

[mach1033]

Really? I have their full coilover kit with new hd's on all 4 corners. I've spent $3500 on suspension for my gt this year. I swapped in an IRS, added ftbr bushings, and mm coilovers on all four corners. I know my ride is not rough, buy it is solid. I know my suspension as I've discussed suspension with those at MM and on the forums and if you're into street driving, get the whole MM coilover conversion with new struts and shocks and use 325/525 spring rates and you'll be perfect. Now if you're into twisty racing, you should add the bilstein sports to you kit and use 400/600 spring rates and you'll be awesome.

I do plan on going to Pocono and start racing. Two guys here posted a video on a local Mustang site when they went and it looked like alot of fun. If my front struts and or springs start showing there weakness then I will upgrade. But as of right now it is all I need for street driving. I also have the Toyo RA-1's sitting in my garage and I do plan on putting them on my car next weekend. Most of my buddies are into drag racing so its hard to get a good crew to go to an open track event.

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

Really? I have their full coilover kit with new hd's on all 4 corners. I've spent $3500 on suspension for my gt this year. I swapped in an IRS, added ftbr bushings, and mm coilovers on all four corners. I know my ride is not rough, buy it is solid. I know my suspension as I've discussed suspension with those at MM and on the forums and if you're into street driving, get the whole MM coilover conversion with new struts and shocks and use 325/525 spring rates and you'll be perfect. Now if you're into twisty racing, you should add the bilstein sports to you kit and use 400/600 spring rates and you'll be awesome.

:lol:sorry but that is to funny I literally lol. You know suspension based off of the fact that you talked to MM and what you read on the forums lol?? Jesus. lol. every setup is going to be different. if you think because you talked to MM and read some stuff on the forums your a suspension god you are terribly mistaken. :beer:

 

[black 10th vert]

:lol:sorry but that is to funny I literally lol. You know suspension based off of the fact that you talked to MM and what you read on the forums lol?? Jesus. lol. every setup is going to be different. if you think because you talked to MM and read some stuff on the forums your a suspension god you are terribly mistaken. :beer:

Why bust the guy's balls? He never said he was a suspension god, he was just conveying what he was told by MM.:shrug: Honestly, I don't really understand how these car can run such low spring rates, given their weight.:??: When I setup my '65 Cobra replica with IRS, I was running 550lb. fronts, and 750# rears with custom valved Konis. That car was as smooth as glass, and cornered like nothing I have ever driven, or even ridden in before (or since). Oh, and that car weighed in around 2,200lbs. too. I guess this does expand on what you said about every setup being different, though...:burnout:

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

I know that was bad, but he left the door wide open for it. Saying that 350lb springs are wrong and that the guys was doing it wrong isn't right. it all depends on what you want to do with the car, the weight of the car, sprung and unsprung weight, the valving in your shocks, rebound. So much factors in to customizing a setup. Half of the guys on this board with C/O setup on all four corners do it for looks and the ability to raise and lower there car and don't take advange of adjustable suspension in general and the ability to get the car to completely handle however you want it to. I took his quote of I know my suspension since he talked with MM about suspension meaning that he knows how to setup suspension to properly work. The truth is this, when you adjust one thing you affect everything. Let me ask you this. Does anyone in this thread with C/O ever get there car corner weighted, get the bumpsteer, caster, camber, toe in/out, ankerman (sp), roll center ect adjusted to optimize the use of coilovers?? Probably not most people slap them on so then they can lower there car to the perfect stance and just drive it. For everday use that's fine but go around a corner fast and they won't be able to figure out why they have these badass coilover but the car is still pushing through the corners..
Anyways I didn't mean to give the guy shit. That's my bad. Sometimes I just frustrated with people.. Sorry to anyone that I offended :beer:

btw my dad owns a 427 cobra are you running a Jag IRS?? twin coilovers on each side in the rear?? His car handles so amazing well it's crazy. when I drive it, it makes me wish my car was 2000lbs lol.. They really are amazing cars out on the track. but they are dangerous being that light weight lol. I personally won't drive his car on the track it's an animal. I've driven through the twisties though and it's very very nice. when I ride shotgun with my dad though on the track it's just stupid fast..

 

[Teej281]

I've read up on suspension throughout the Internet and read a lot of informative articles and I am by no means a suspension god, but I know more than most. Now, I just got my coilovers on about a month ago and right now it is just setup for just street driving and ms getting used to the IRS. Now come spring, I'm going to be doing some in depth reading on setting the car up perfect. I have the deluxe adjustable tie rods and adjustable swaybar end links out back and come spring will have tubular k and a arms with MM bumpsteer kit and I'm gonna set out an entire weekend to set it up right. Between me and my friends I bet I can get my car pretty close to ideal. Btw, do you have any links to helpful articles and info for properly setting up the suspension for coilovers.

And what I meant when I said I know suspensions is I know how to properly pair everything together. I may not know how to set it up justvyet but that will be learned.

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

I have a book at home that explains everything, but I'm not at home as i'm deployed right now for the oil spill. the problem is that you are going to need a lot of stuff to properly set up your suspension. You will need scales, meauring devices ect. Your best bet is to find someone in your area that that has all the tools to do it for you, these tools are all laser guided ect to get things absolulely perfect. Trying to do it all on your own will be absolutley insane trust me I know. Look up SCCA and see if there is a club in your area, hop on that forum and ask if there is anywhere in your area that does custom alignments and track prep setup, cornerweighting ect. Most likely there is, but it's expensive. In CA i took my car to Custom Alignment in Mountain View and I paid over 600 bucks for cornerweighting, alignment panhard bar adjustments and everything else adjusted.

As for spring rates. What really matters is that the spring rate is pair to shock rebound and stiffness or softness. Also shock placement has so much to with what lb spring to go with you couldn't even imagine. Also how you want the car to handle. A stiff setup is going to be great on the track but not great on the street. A good compromise is around a 350lb spring on most mustangs atleast. In the rear it really depends on what suspension you have. For a SRA it's alot different that a IRS. Also you can have a stiff as spring rate setup but if you don't have the tire to grip you will again push through the corners. you suspension will be setup and handle but at somepoint your tires won't be sticky enough.

 

[black 10th vert]

I know that was bad, but he left the door wide open for it. Saying that 350lb springs are wrong and that the guys was doing it wrong isn't right. it all depends on what you want to do with the car, the weight of the car, sprung and unsprung weight, the valving in your shocks, rebound. So much factors in to customizing a setup. Half of the guys on this board with C/O setup on all four corners do it for looks and the ability to raise and lower there car and don't take advange of adjustable suspension in general and the ability to get the car to completely handle however you want it to. I took his quote of I know my suspension since he talked with MM about suspension meaning that he knows how to setup suspension to properly work. The truth is this, when you adjust one thing you affect everything. Let me ask you this. Does anyone in this thread with C/O ever get there car corner weighted, get the bumpsteer, caster, camber, toe in/out, ankerman (sp), roll center ect adjusted to optimize the use of coilovers?? Probably not most people slap them on so then they can lower there car to the perfect stance and just drive it. For everday use that's fine but go around a corner fast and they won't be able to figure out why they have these badass coilover but the car is still pushing through the corners..
Anyways I didn't mean to give the guy shit. That's my bad. Sometimes I just frustrated with people.. Sorry to anyone that I offended :beer:

btw my dad owns a 427 cobra are you running a Jag IRS?? twin coilovers on each side in the rear?? His car handles so amazing well it's crazy. when I drive it, it makes me wish my car was 2000lbs lol.. They really are amazing cars out on the track. but they are dangerous being that light weight lol. I personally won't drive his car on the track it's an animal. I've driven through the twisties though and it's very very nice. when I ride shotgun with my dad though on the track it's just stupid fast..

I don't have the car anymore, unfortunately. I sold it a couple of years back to a guy in Germany, so it's tearing up the roads over there now. No, I was not running the Jag rear. I had a custom IRS with a Ford 8.8 center section. I was an aluminum '99 Cobra unit that I was running. I originally built the car with a solid axle, and through every conceivable combination of parts at it over the years to make it handle. It was fine for a street cruiser, but I am not one to ever leave it at "just fine", so I retrofitted the IRS in, and replaced all of the rubber bushings in the T-bird knuckles with custom machined (by me) teflon lined spherical bearings. The inner bushings on the control arms were poly, so they were ok, but if I had kept the car longer, those would have been spherical bearings too. The shocks in my setup were single adjustable, custom valved, Konis, and were not inboard as much as they are on the Cobras with the Jag rears. I was also running front, and rear adjustable anti sway bars as well. You are right, they are pretty scary to drive! I always compared it to a driving a go cart with a high hp V8 engine.

this was my car

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

holy crap man! that's a lot of custom work to the rear of that car! that's awesome though. great looking car :beer: :thumbsup:

 

[jrgoffin]

If there is still confusion on what spring rates to use, do the math for the conversion to wheel rates based on what you want in terms of standard coil springs. Again, call MM.

MM Mustang Coil-Over Conversion FAQs : Maximum Motorsports, the Latemodel Mustang Performance Suspension Leader!