Which rear suspension parts for 11 GT500

[Redneckbmxer24]

I'm getting ready to mod my GT500 and am wondering what rear suspension parts I should upgrade. I'm already planning on BC Racing coilovers and a DSS driveshaft to get rid of the factory 2 piece POS and correct pinion angle.

I'm wondering what I should replace as far as control arms? My car is a SVTPP if that makes any difference. I see some people doing sway bar brackets and UCA brackets, when is this needed? Any other rear end upgrades? I'll be doing full bolt ons and maybe a ported blower/TVS swap.\

Thanks

 

[barspen]

I've done lots of suspension work on my 2011. I'm assuming you are hitting the track if you opted for coilovers? Here my list, based on what I felt had the most impact...

- Good quality Lower Control Arms - if you road race or drag race, you might want to look at rod-end variety...Otherwise, Poly ends are probably fine
- Tires - if your tires suck, you can do all the suspension mods in the world and it wont help much
- Shock/Struts/Springs/Coilovers - Looks like you are set here
- Adjustable sway bars - Helps with body roll and front end responsivness
- Spherical end Upper Control Arm - Makes the rear much more stable and predictable
- Castor\Camber Plates - Geared for road racing if you are carving up corners, but may wear your tires quicker
- Watts Link - I don't have one, so others may weigh in
- Panhard Bar and brace - keeps the rear end centered
- Poly end-links - stiffens up the connection points on the sway bars

Loots of good choices out there. Been very happy with BMR/Eibach/J&M parts on my build. Good luck!

 

[Black Cobra '99]

Since you're lowering your car you'll need an adjustable UCA and an adjustable panhard bar. Replacing all three control arms is highly recommended, it makes the car more stable, more predictable and will rid you of wheel hop.
LCA relocation brackets is needed if your lowering your car, I'm not entirely sure about the UCA bracket but I think its because the OEM one might deflect under high loads.

Ultimately it comes down to what you intend to do with the car, is it a drag racer, autocross or just for the street.

 

[Speedboosted]

Don't get BC coilovers. I don't know why anybody would want to bounce, I mean drive, around on those things.

Good choice on the DSS. Any control arms from the main manufactures will do well for you (BMR, UPR, Steeda, etc). You don't absolutely need an adjustable upper arm since the DSS has a rear CV joint. Stay away from adjustable sway bars and a watts link unless you do track days with your car (I have both because I do those events). A BMR adjustable pan hard will be more than sufficient.

 

[GT Premi]

... Stay away from adjustable sway bars and a watts link unless you do track days with your car (I have both because I do those events). ...

I don't know about that part. I don't track my car [yet], but I have adjustable sway bars (and everything else, except springs and dampers). My car handles great on windy roads.

For OP, if you're just going to have a street-only GT500 that feels and handles great, get some LCAs, UCA, and adjustable panhard bar with a brace. It'll almost feel like you're driving an E90 M3. I LOVED the way my car felt when all I had was springs, dampers and control arms, but I got greedy and wanted more.

 

[BMR Tech 2]

At a minimum I recommend putting a set of lower control arms and lower control arm relocation brackets on the car. The LCAs will help eliminate or reduce wheel hop and the relocation brackets will correct the LCA angles once you lower the car. An adjustable UCA may not be required with the DSS driveshaft, but they do spec that the distance from the rear of the DS to the rear CV should be 3.25"-3.75". This distance can be adjusted with an adjustable UCA. You mentioned that you want to set your pinion angle as well, so you'll need the adj. UCA or adj. LCAs to do that. The UCA bracket isn't needed, but it is strongly recommended. The factory UCA to mount bolt hole is larger than it needs to be, which will allow aftermarket arms to slide around, making some pretty annoying clunking sounds.

You will also want to grab an adjustable panhard bar or a Watts link to keep the rear end centered under the vehicle after lowering. A Watts link is a far superior set up to the panhard, as it pretty much keeps the axle perfectly centered under the car during the whole range of suspension travel. A panhard bar allows the axle to move on an arc, and can make the rear feel unsettled over uneven surfaces. A Watts is probably overkill for most folks, but it's well worth the money in my opinion. I run one on my personal car that is mostly a street car, and I absolutely love it.

 

[GT Premi]

... A Watts link is a far superior set up to the panhard, as it pretty much keeps the axle perfectly centered under the car during the whole range of suspension travel. A panhard bar allows the axle to move on an arc, and can make the rear feel unsettled over uneven surfaces. A Watts is probably overkill for most folks, but it's well worth the money in my opinion. I run one on my personal car that is mostly a street car, and I absolutely love it.

I think that's the first time I've seen someone explain why a Watts link is better than a panhard bar. At least, it's the best explanation I've read to date. Now I will consider switching over to one.

 

[BMR Tech 2]

I think that's the first time I've seen someone explain why a Watts link is better than a panhard bar. At least, it's the best explanation I've read to date. Now I will consider switching over to one.

Here is an animation that shows a Watts link in action:


You can see the path the axle would follow, and how it would stay pretty much perfectly centered.

The panhard animation I found isn't nearly as nice, but I'm sure you can picture in your head the motion that the axle takes when it has a bar with a "fixed" length. As the body of the car goes up and down, the panhard will push or pull the axle from one side to the other, causing the axle to swing like a pendulum.

This video is pretty neat, and I feel it does a pretty good job of showing the panhards arc vs the Watts links straight line.

[video=youtube;a8cJCqWkfgk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8cJCqWkfgk[/video]

A Watts link is a great option as well since it allows you to easily adjust your rear roll center without having to guess, measure, and check. The roll center is far more complicated to set with a panhard vs the Watts link.

 

[Redneckbmxer24]

Thanks for all the replys.

Don't get BC coilovers. I don't know why anybody would want to bounce, I mean drive, around on those things.

I just put BC's on my Lexus and they ride great, no bounce. As with any coilovers it all depends on how the shocks are set and what the preload is. Set them right and they won't bounce down the road.

At a minimum I recommend putting a set of lower control arms and lower control arm relocation brackets on the car. The LCAs will help eliminate or reduce wheel hop and the relocation brackets will correct the LCA angles once you lower the car. An adjustable UCA may not be required with the DSS driveshaft, but they do spec that the distance from the rear of the DS to the rear CV should be 3.25"-3.75". This distance can be adjusted with an adjustable UCA. You mentioned that you want to set your pinion angle as well, so you'll need the adj. UCA or adj. LCAs to do that. The UCA bracket isn't needed, but it is strongly recommended. The factory UCA to mount bolt hole is larger than it needs to be, which will allow aftermarket arms to slide around, making some pretty annoying clunking sounds.

You will also want to grab an adjustable panhard bar or a Watts link to keep the rear end centered under the vehicle after lowering. A Watts link is a far superior set up to the panhard, as it pretty much keeps the axle perfectly centered under the car during the whole range of suspension travel. A panhard bar allows the axle to move on an arc, and can make the rear feel unsettled over uneven surfaces. A Watts is probably overkill for most folks, but it's well worth the money in my opinion. I run one on my personal car that is mostly a street car, and I absolutely love it.

Thanks for the reply. Is it necessary or recommended to go with adjustable upper lowers or just one or the other adjustable?

This is what I have in my cart so far:

DSS DS
BMR UCA mount
BMR LCA relocation brackets
BMR LCA's rod ends double adjustable
BMR UCA adjustable poly end
BMR Double adjustable pan hard bar

Am I missing anything? I believe the coilovers over everything else as they have built in C/C plates. I will look into the watts link as well.

 

[BMR Tech 2]

Thanks for all the replys.



I just put BC's on my Lexus and they ride great, no bounce. As with any coilovers it all depends on how the shocks are set and what the preload is. Set them right and they won't bounce down the road.



Thanks for the reply. Is it necessary or recommended to go with adjustable upper lowers or just one or the other adjustable?

This is what I have in my cart so far:

DSS DS
BMR UCA mount
BMR LCA relocation brackets
BMR LCA's rod ends double adjustable
BMR UCA adjustable poly end
BMR Double adjustable pan hard bar

Am I missing anything? I believe the coilovers over everything else as they have built in C/C plates. I will look into the watts link as well.

I really like to use the upper for pinion angle adjustments. The LCAs in my opinion are best left for wheel base adjustments, then the UCA should be used to fine tune the pinion angle. It can be done either way, you just have to be sure your wheel base isn't thrown off when adjusting PA with the lowers.

Your parts list looks spot on, I would just be sure to get our poly/poly panhard bar or our poly/rod end bar vs doing the rod/rod bar.

UCM002
UTCA032
TCA020
CAB005
PHR006

 

[GT Premi]

Here is an animation that shows a Watts link in action:
View attachment 68084

You can see the path the axle would follow, and how it would stay pretty much perfectly centered.

The panhard animation I found isn't nearly as nice, but I'm sure you can picture in your head the motion that the axle takes when it has a bar with a "fixed" length. As the body of the car goes up and down, the panhard will push or pull the axle from one side to the other, causing the axle to swing like a pendulum.

This video is pretty neat, and I feel it does a pretty good job of showing the panhards arc vs the Watts links straight line.

[video=youtube;a8cJCqWkfgk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8cJCqWkfgk[/video]

A Watts link is a great option as well since it allows you to easily adjust your rear roll center without having to guess, measure, and check. The roll center is far more complicated to set with a panhard vs the Watts link.

Excellent info! So a Watts link sort of does its best to mimic an IRS as far as the pumpkin being rigidly mounted to the chassis? I watched the Watts link video you guys have on your Youtube channel. It confirmed that I wasn't crazy or being paranoid. When I'm attacking mountain roads, there's a very brief moment that feels like the rear end is not working with the front and feels like it might snap around. I'm considering switching to a Watts link even more seriously now. But what do I do with all these other parts? They only have a few hundred miles on them.:shrug: Does the Watts link work with your adjustable rear sway bar?

I'm not a fan of adding weight back onto the car, but 15lbs will no doubt be imperceptible. At least it's at the rear of the car. Question; since it's bolted to the chassis and to the axle, would it be considered sprung or unsprung weight?

 

[Redneckbmxer24]

I really like to use the upper for pinion angle adjustments. The LCAs in my opinion are best left for wheel base adjustments, then the UCA should be used to fine tune the pinion angle. It can be done either way, you just have to be sure your wheel base isn't thrown off when adjusting PA with the lowers.

Your parts list looks spot on, I would just be sure to get our poly/poly panhard bar or our poly/rod end bar vs doing the rod/rod bar.

UCM002
UTCA032
TCA020
CAB005
PHR006

Thanks again, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. I changed the pan hard to double poly. I'm going to send an email to American Muscle to see if I can get all red stuff since a lot of it is hammertone black that they stock. Otherwise I will probably just order direct.

I do have another question however that you may be able to answer. This is my first vehicle with solid axle other than my F250 that put a lot of power to the ground and the F250 while it does spin the wheelbase keeps the rear from trying to come around. My 03/04 cobras were all IRS with upgrades (bushings, brace, level 5 axles) but nothing that changed the suspension geometry and when they spun the car would stay straight unless it was an uneven surface or had bad grooves in the road. This car really kicks the ass out if it's spinning and is nowhere near as controllable as my IRS cars were. Will these mods at least help with this? If not is there anything I can do to at least help it? I understand traction is the best thing but isn't always possible especially with 20" wheels no matter the tire setup.

 

[BMR Tech 2]

Excellent info! So a Watts link sort of does its best to mimic an IRS as far as the pumpkin being rigidly mounted to the chassis? I watched the Watts link video you guys have on your Youtube channel. It confirmed that I wasn't crazy or being paranoid. When I'm attacking mountain roads, there's a very brief moment that feels like the rear end is not working with the front and feels like it might snap around. I'm considering switching to a Watts link even more seriously now. But what do I do with all these other parts? They only have a few hundred miles on them.:shrug: Does the Watts link work with your adjustable rear sway bar?

I'm not a fan of adding weight back onto the car, but 15lbs will no doubt be imperceptible. At least it's at the rear of the car. Question; since it's bolted to the chassis and to the axle, would it be considered sprung or unsprung weight?

Our Watts kit is going to be about 50/50 sprung and unsprung weight and it will work with our SB042. As far as the other parts you have on your car, BMR parts usually have great resale value. I'm sure that there is some other S197 owner that would be happy to snap up your low mileage take-offs!

Thanks again, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. I changed the pan hard to double poly. I'm going to send an email to American Muscle to see if I can get all red stuff since a lot of it is hammertone black that they stock. Otherwise I will probably just order direct.

I do have another question however that you may be able to answer. This is my first vehicle with solid axle other than my F250 that put a lot of power to the ground and the F250 while it does spin the wheelbase keeps the rear from trying to come around. My 03/04 cobras were all IRS with upgrades (bushings, brace, level 5 axles) but nothing that changed the suspension geometry and when they spun the car would stay straight unless it was an uneven surface or had bad grooves in the road. This car really kicks the ass out if it's spinning and is nowhere near as controllable as my IRS cars were. Will these mods at least help with this? If not is there anything I can do to at least help it? I understand traction is the best thing but isn't always possible especially with 20" wheels no matter the tire setup.

I'm glad to help! If you end up ordering direct, give me a call. I can do a little better for you than the website can .

Adding these parts will HELP keep the car straight when spinning, but it may still tend to walk towards the passenger side a little bit. It's a characteristic of the live rear axle to tend to walk to one side or the other. Ditching the squishy stock parts and improving the geometry will help to combat that though. My car makes significantly less power than yours, but with our full rear suspension it stays pretty much straight when I'm laying rubber down the road.

 

[Redneckbmxer24]

I'm glad to help! If you end up ordering direct, give me a call. I can do a little better for you than the website can .

Adding these parts will HELP keep the car straight when spinning, but it may still tend to walk towards the passenger side a little bit. It's a characteristic of the live rear axle to tend to walk to one side or the other. Ditching the squishy stock parts and improving the geometry will help to combat that though. My car makes significantly less power than yours, but with our full rear suspension it stays pretty much straight when I'm laying rubber down the road.

Will the watts link make a significant difference helping the car stay straight?

Since I've opened the can of worms now when I was only going to do what was required for lowering and driveshaft, I'm asking myself where do I stop or do I just do a full kit and do front too. So what about front suspension? On one of my terminators I did a UPR tubular k member, A arms, and coilovers. IMO not the quality of BMR but pretty solid IMO and it made a huge difference stiffening up the car, like 4x over the difference that subframe connectors make. This car seems a lot more rigid from the factory than the terminators but now I'm wondering what difference your K member and A arms will make and how would they compliment the rear suspension I plan to add as well? I'm doing Kooks too so I will already be in there and it will make the header install easier as well.

I know I'm now talking about significantly more money. Your CA's, mounts, pan hard bar, DS, and BC coilovers were going to run me about $2500 before selling my stock stuff and switching to the watts link, and doing K member, A arms, and sway bars will bump me up to about $4500-$5000 depending on which sway bars I go with but that will be full suspension. I don't mind spending the cash if it's worth it but I'm wondering at what point do you stop seeing as much of a gain for the $$ spent or if you even do. If these cars respond to a K member the way the termis do then I would say the added $1100 for K member and control arms are well worth it but if the difference isn't as noticeable then maybe not.

The most important question however is sticker placement. I'm assuming the parts all come with stickers to get their full performance. Where on the car should the stickers be placed for optimal handling performance for hard street driving and occasional track use? Also how many stickers should be used?

 

[BMR Tech 2]

The Watts will help with straight line performance to an extent. Will it help significantly more than a panhard? Probably not. The biggest thing you'll notice during straight line acceleration is that on shifts, the rear end doesn't seem to want to swing as much. If you watch manual cars drag racing, you can see the car wiggle when they shift. It REALLY shines in corners and over rough roads. I think if you're just concerned with straight line performance and having a fun street car, then the panhard is more than suitable for you. I love my Watts link, but not everyone needs to spend 4x the cost of a panhard bar to enjoy their cars. Does the way the rear axle reacts over bumps (like railroad tracks) bother you?

The K-member isn't going to dramatically stiffen the front end of your car, in my opinion it's more of a weight saving item over the OEM K-member. You'll shave about 22 lbs off the front of the car, but you'll add a little NVH from the polyurethane engine mounts. This is an item that I don't think is necessary unless you're trying to drop as much weight from the car as possible. It will give you more room to work, but if you're not frequently swapping out your exhaust or wrenching under the car, it's probably not for you.

The a-arms make an insane difference over factory arms. The massive hydro-bushing on the rear deflects a ton during braking and steering. When you ditch those bushings for a solid delrin bushing, deflection is practically eliminated. That means the car feels more stable during braking, and it responds much quicker to steering input. You point the wheel, and the car goes. I can't say enough good things about them and if you have a chance to drive a car with them back to back with a car that doesn't, you'll be blown away. Bonus: you get to drop about 10 lbs over the OEM arms. The only downside is that you may get a steering shudder after installing them. Early '11 and some '12 MY cars had issues with the calibration on the electric power steering freaking out with the addition of stiffer bushings. That being said, we have never seen this issue on GT500s. Only GTs.

For maximum performance and power gains, I find that putting the stickers on the parts themselves works best. You need to be careful though, if you end up with a full suspension, the added sticker power might blow your engine if it's not forged.

 

[GT Premi]

Will the watts link make a significant difference helping the car stay straight?

Since I've opened the can of worms now when I was only going to do what was required for lowering and driveshaft, I'm asking myself where do I stop or do I just do a full kit and do front too. So what about front suspension? On one of my terminators I did a UPR tubular k member, A arms, and coilovers. IMO not the quality of BMR but pretty solid IMO and it made a huge difference stiffening up the car, like 4x over the difference that subframe connectors make. This car seems a lot more rigid from the factory than the terminators but now I'm wondering what difference your K member and A arms will make and how would they compliment the rear suspension I plan to add as well? I'm doing Kooks too so I will already be in there and it will make the header install easier as well.

I know I'm now talking about significantly more money. Your CA's, mounts, pan hard bar, DS, and BC coilovers were going to run me about $2500 before selling my stock stuff and switching to the watts link, and doing K member, A arms, and sway bars will bump me up to about $4500-$5000 depending on which sway bars I go with but that will be full suspension. I don't mind spending the cash if it's worth it but I'm wondering at what point do you stop seeing as much of a gain for the $$ spent or if you even do. If these cars respond to a K member the way the termis do then I would say the added $1100 for K member and control arms are well worth it but if the difference isn't as noticeable then maybe not.

The most important question however is sticker placement. I'm assuming the parts all come with stickers to get their full performance. Where on the car should the stickers be placed for optimal handling performance for hard street driving and occasional track use? Also how many stickers should be used?

Uh oh!! You're headed lockstep down the same road as me. If you're even considering, just go ahead and start saving up for the front suspension stuff and subframe connectors. You're going to end up wanting it. Yes, there is a big difference between tubular k-member and a-arms versus stock. The car will handle and respond to steering input much more quickly. Adding [adjustable] sway bars kicks it up even further. The trade-off once you get down this road is that the car becomes, I don't want to say less comfortable, but I guess "less leisurely" would be the phrase. It's no longer going to be something you want to hop in to dawdle along for a Sunday morning coffee run.

It's going to feel more at home traveling at speed down the highway or tearing it up in the twisties. It's going to feel constrained and unpleasant crashing around on city streets. The whole time, the car will feel like it's aching to get out on the open road and stretch its legs. So be wary of going whole hog on the suspension. If you're wanting something that you can "comfortably" pop out in on a burger and fries night because you're feeling lazy, stick with just doing the rear suspension components and leave the front alone. Like I said, it'll feel and handle as good as anything BMW has to offer; for the general masses. I loved the way my car felt when all it had was springs, dampers, billet LCAs, adjustable panhard and brace, and adjustable UCA. It reminded me exactly of an E90 M3 that I drove one time.

If you insist on doing it all, make sure you have an alternate DD because the daily commute is going to become tedious real fast. Will it still be DD-able? Yes, most definitely. It won't be uncomfortable. It'll just be a LOT less comfortable.

 

[GT Premi]

... Early '11 and some '12 MY cars had issues with the calibration on the electric power steering freaking out with the addition of stiffer bushings. That being said, we have never seen this issue on GT500s. Only GTs.

...

Oh, it happens on GT500s, too! Ask me how I know. Thankfully, Ford put out an EPAS calibration TSB that helped TREMENDOUSLY, but I still get a steering feedback loop (read: shudder) from time to time, but nothing remotely as severe as before the EPAS TSB.

 

[Redneckbmxer24]

The Watts will help with straight line performance to an extent. Will it help significantly more than a panhard? Probably not. The biggest thing you'll notice during straight line acceleration is that on shifts, the rear end doesn't seem to want to swing as much. If you watch manual cars drag racing, you can see the car wiggle when they shift. It REALLY shines in corners and over rough roads. I think if you're just concerned with straight line performance and having a fun street car, then the panhard is more than suitable for you. I love my Watts link, but not everyone needs to spend 4x the cost of a panhard bar to enjoy their cars. Does the way the rear axle reacts over bumps (like railroad tracks) bother you?

The K-member isn't going to dramatically stiffen the front end of your car, in my opinion it's more of a weight saving item over the OEM K-member. You'll shave about 22 lbs off the front of the car, but you'll add a little NVH from the polyurethane engine mounts. This is an item that I don't think is necessary unless you're trying to drop as much weight from the car as possible. It will give you more room to work, but if you're not frequently swapping out your exhaust or wrenching under the car, it's probably not for you.

The a-arms make an insane difference over factory arms. The massive hydro-bushing on the rear deflects a ton during braking and steering. When you ditch those bushings for a solid delrin bushing, deflection is practically eliminated. That means the car feels more stable during braking, and it responds much quicker to steering input. You point the wheel, and the car goes. I can't say enough good things about them and if you have a chance to drive a car with them back to back with a car that doesn't, you'll be blown away. Bonus: you get to drop about 10 lbs over the OEM arms. The only downside is that you may get a steering shudder after installing them. Early '11 and some '12 MY cars had issues with the calibration on the electric power steering freaking out with the addition of stiffer bushings. That being said, we have never seen this issue on GT500s. Only GTs.

For maximum performance and power gains, I find that putting the stickers on the parts themselves works best. You need to be careful though, if you end up with a full suspension, the added sticker power might blow your engine if it's not forged.

Ok, I think I'll hold off on the watts link and K member for now then. The watts link is easy enough to add later if I feel inclined and the K member won't be bad either. Between them I'll save $1K in the process for now as well. For the control arms though do I want adjustable or non adjustable? What's the benefits.

I think I'll hold off on the sway bars for now as well because that's also a simple swap later and no different than doing it with everything else really. So I'll stick with my original plan for the rear to do all the control arms and brackets and pan hard, and A arms in the front. When/if I add more down the road I'll also be able to feel the benefits to the additions vs doing it all at the same time. Either way it's probably going to feel like an entirely different can so I'll appreciate it more in stages.

As to the sticker performance being too much for the motor, if I do the full suspension and accompany it with the sticker package do you think diamond coating the internals would suffice? My 03/04's I was able to fill the H beams with JB weld and drill holes through the top of the pistons to let some of the power escape if it had to. It was enough for it to hold the power but these cars have I beams so it's not an option.

Uh oh!! You're headed lockstep down the same road as me. If you're even considering, just go ahead and start saving up for the front suspension stuff and subframe connectors. You're going to end up wanting it. Yes, there is a big difference between tubular k-member and a-arms versus stock. The car will handle and respond to steering input much more quickly. Adding [adjustable] sway bars kicks it up even further. The trade-off once you get down this road is that the car becomes, I don't want to say less comfortable, but I guess "less leisurely" would be the phrase. It's no longer going to be something you want to hop in to dawdle along for a Sunday morning coffee run.

It's going to feel more at home traveling at speed down the highway or tearing it up in the twisties. It's going to feel constrained and unpleasant crashing around on city streets. The whole time, the car will feel like it's aching to get out on the open road and stretch its legs. So be wary of going whole hog on the suspension. If you're wanting something that you can "comfortably" pop out in on a burger and fries night because you're feeling lazy, stick with just doing the rear suspension components and leave the front alone. Like I said, it'll feel and handle as good as anything BMW has to offer; for the general masses. I loved the way my car felt when all it had was springs, dampers, billet LCAs, adjustable panhard and brace, and adjustable UCA. It reminded me exactly of an E90 M3 that I drove one time.

If you insist on doing it all, make sure you have an alternate DD because the daily commute is going to become tedious real fast. Will it still be DD-able? Yes, most definitely. It won't be uncomfortable. It'll just be a LOT less comfortable.

I'll probably do subframes and other braces in another stage down the road. I'm not too worried about losing some city drivability though, I don't find myself in the city too often and actually live pretty rural now 15 miles out of a small town. My area is nothing but twisty two lane mountain roads so there is plenty of fun to be had.

I have a Lexus GS as well as an F250 to DD and I'm also going to pick up a C6 Z06 to beat on a little as well. If doing the suspension upgrades will mean it will only be manerable when I'm driving it hard... Well I won't complain, I'll just have to have fun more often.

 

[Redneckbmxer24]

I've spent the majority of the day researching suspension (not working like I should have been) and the last few hours researching watts link and the front lower control arms with the power steering.

With what I have read seeing as my car is mainly driven in mountain twisties I think that the watts link is the way to go. I'm already happy with its handling so I'm sure I'd be happy with just coilovers, rear control arms, brackets, and pan hard but I know I'll be even happier with the watts link even though I won't experience the difference.

Regarding the front lower control arms I am a bit leery because I saw that a lot of people had the issue with vibrations because of the EPS. It's not something that I'm sure I want to chance and it's disappointing because it seems like best front suspension upgrade you can make. Aside from the coilovers is there anything else I can do to make a major gain with the front suspension without changing the K member or A arms? I assume sway bars would make a good difference, would any of the stiffening braces help the front?

 

[BMR Tech 2]

I'd go with the non-adjustable front a-arms if you decide to take the plunge. The adjustables are nice if you're trying to dial the camber in, but since you'll already have camber plates on the car, I don't think you'll need more adjustment. I understand your apprehension with the steering shudder, which is why I wanted to bring it up. It's a relatively simple, but slightly expensive fix if it does happen. You can either install a Ford Racing steering rack, or just search for a take-out 12+ rack. It's not something that happens to everyone, but theres always the possibility. Generally it happens with stickier tires, but can also happen with street tires as well.

I'd do the front sway bar, SB041 with your coil over kit. I think you'll really enjoy the upgrade over stock.

For the braces, I think your money would be better spent elsewhere. The only braces I ever recommend are the CB004 and AAS001, but only when installing our K-member. These cars are incredibly rigid and well made from the factory, and subframe connectors are just going to add weight. I'm sure you've noticed that the car feels much more solid than your old Cobra and doesn't really suffer from the same flex that the older chassis did.

Diamond coating the internals will help, but I'd feel better if you upgraded your piston return springs if you plan to use more than 3-4 stickers at once.