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Originally posted by CLEEN 50:
Bilstein/H&R hands down as most will tell you on this site

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Originally posted by Luke87GT:
I recommend coilovers

But if you want to stay conventional the Bilstein/H&R SS combo is very good.

Add CC plates, subframes, control arms, and a panhard and you won't believe you are driving a Mustang when you take turns.

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Well said

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R.I.P. Willie G. You are missed on this forum

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Originally posted by CLEEN 50:
Bilstein/H&R hands down as most will tell you on this site

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Originally posted by solbrothers:
so where do i go to find the best price on the bilstein/h&r combo.. or should i go with full coilovers? how much more would this cost over the bilstein/h&r's??

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Originally posted by PWR HNGRY 302:
Y not do it now, the first time and save money in the long run?

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Originally posted by solbrothers:
ok. so what is the benefit of coilovers? the adjustability??

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Coil-over conversion kits eliminate the conventional stock springs that are located on the control arms, and replace them with compact, lightweight springs that fit over the struts and shocks. This is the optimum spring location for reducing suspension bind and unsprung weight. It provides completely free suspension movement with a drastic reduction in impact harshness. With a coil-over kit, your Mustang's performance and ride firmness can be precisely adjusted to suit your performance demands. A wide variety of readily available spring rates allow precise fine-tuning of your car's handling balance. An added bonus of coil-overs is that the ride quality will be better than it was when the car was still stock!

Vehicles being tuned for better handling performance can utilize spring rates that provide much higher wheel rates (see FAQ here for an explanation of this term) than stock, yet without the impact harshness associated with using stiffer than original equipment springs in the stock location. This improvement in ride quality is especially noticeable in the front suspension. The vehicle can also be lowered, with infinitely small increments of adjustment, and can be precisely corner-weighted. Excessive brake dive and body roll will be a thing of the past, allowing the vehicle to handle like never before.

Drag racers also benefit from installing coil-over kits. Besides the overall reduction in vehicle weight, coil-overs can increase weight transfer by providing bind-free suspension movement and the ability to use relatively soft springs. The ability of coil-overs to allow precise ride height adjustments also aids in tuning the vehicle for optimum performance. Whatever the ride height desired, whether it's stock or lowered, our coil-over kit can provide it.

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Originally posted by solbrothers:
thanks a lot!! well now i know i will get coilovers.. bilstein shocks/struts and h&r springs.. now what spring rate should i go with??

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Originally posted by EPIKMACH:

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Originally posted by solbrothers:
thanks a lot!! well now i know i will get coilovers.. bilstein shocks/struts and h&r springs.. now what spring rate should i go with??

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Well H&R's arent coilovers & they only come in one spring rate. Do u mean u are going to coilovers later. As far as spring rates, it varies depending on what you want to do with the car. My front coilover spring rate is 325, and my rear I think is around 275 or something. H&R spring rates are like 650 front & 250 rear give or take. These rates are so much higher than coilovers because coilover springs are pushed further out towards the wheel allowing softer spring rates. I think the highest coilover rate MM makes is like 500 lbs which would be as stiff as at least an 850 lb conventional spring.

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Originally posted by solbrothers:

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Originally posted by EPIKMACH:

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Originally posted by solbrothers:
thanks a lot!! well now i know i will get coilovers.. bilstein shocks/struts and h&r springs.. now what spring rate should i go with??

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Well H&R's arent coilovers & they only come in one spring rate. Do u mean u are going to coilovers later. As far as spring rates, it varies depending on what you want to do with the car. My front coilover spring rate is 325, and my rear I think is around 275 or something. H&R spring rates are like 650 front & 250 rear give or take. These rates are so much higher than coilovers because coilover springs are pushed further out towards the wheel allowing softer spring rates. I think the highest coilover rate MM makes is like 500 lbs which would be as stiff as at least an 850 lb conventional spring.

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hu.. ok. well i don't want to drag my 1990 5.0, and i know i want the coilovers.. so what would be a good combo for the coilovers, mainly for the street, maybe an autoX every once in a while

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Q. How do I compare a front coil-over spring rate to a conventional spring in the stock location?

A. The spring rates must be converted into wheel rates. The wheel rate is the spring rate measured at the wheel. The conversion is done through the use of what's called the motion ratio. For a stock Fox Mustang front suspension, the wheel rate is 25% of the stock location spring's rate. For example, an 800 lb/in stock location spring has a wheel rate of 200 lb/in. For a coil-over suspension, the wheel rate is approximately 90% of the coil-over spring's rate. For example, a front coil-over spring rated at 350 lb/in would result in a wheel rate of about 315 lbs/in. Note: The exact motion ratio conversion of the wheel rate for a front coil-over suspension is determined by the angle of the strut. That angle is the result of the camber and caster settings, and by the SAI (Steering Axis Inclination).

Q. How do I compare a rear coil-over spring rate to a conventional spring in the stock location on my solid axle equipped Mustang?

A. As with front spring rates, rear spring rates must be converted into wheel rates. The wheel rate for the rear of a Mustang with a solid axle is approximately 50% of the stock location spring's rate. For example, a 200 lb/in stock location spring has a wheel rate of 100 lb/in. For a rear coil-over suspension, the wheel rate is approximately 110% of the coil-over spring rate (because the spring is actually behind the centerline of the axle). Also, because the shocks are mounted more outboard than the stock spring location, the rolling rate of the suspension is mildly increased. This helps to reduce understeer.

Q. Why does a coil-over spring with a higher wheel rate ride better than a conventional spring with a lower wheel rate?

A. Although the front coil-over spring in the above example increases the wheel rate by over 60%, the ride quality will actually improve. A conventional spring located on the front control arm contributes to ride harshness because of friction in the control arm bushings and ball joints. A front coil-over kit eliminates this friction by applying the spring force directly to the spindle and upper strut mount. Coil-over springs are also much lighter than a conventional spring. The resulting reduction in unsprung weight allows the suspension to more easily follow bumps in the road. Rear coil-over conversions provide a similar improvement in ride quality, although it's not as dramatic of a difference as the front kits.


Q.What are the benefits of switching to a coil-over front suspension?

A. Better handling and better ride quality! When the spring is in the stock location on the control arm, the minimum spring rate for performance handling is 700 lbs/in. Better handling can be had with higher spring rates, but ride quality begins to suffer with rates over 850 lbs/in. A coil-over kit allows the use of wheel rates that are much higher than those obtained with an 850lbs/in spring in the stock location. This will dramatically reduce body roll and brake dive. Other benefits include easily adjustable ride height, the ability to do corner weighting, ease of measuring bumpsteer, less weight, and a wide selection of available spring rates.

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