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Originally posted by 1Sicgt:
Ok, this is what I got so far:

Car: 97 GT
Suspension mods: Front- Toykico Illumina 5way struts, Steeda coilovers, QA1 250 12" or 400 14" springs(looking for 350 12"'s), Steeda Offset rack bushings, Steeda Tubular Sway Bar, Steeda Strut Brace, Hotchkis CC Plates, Energey short endlinks.
Rear- MM LCA's with adj. spring perches and spherical bushings, Steeda Al. UCA's, Cobra Sway bar, Monroe rear shocks, Eibach Pro springs(about to switch to Sportlines on Friday.) CGS Tubular Subframe connectors, Lakewood Driveshaft Loop.
Brakes- Install 27th, Bullitt Front and Rear calipers, Powerslot rotors, Hawk pads, Russell SS lines.
Drivetrain- the Usual bolt-ons, intake, pullies, intake spacer, offroad H, spintechs, al shaft, spec clutch, still 3:27's.

I would like to be as competitve as possible. I have fun either way.

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For the front, the Tokicos are fine, but I'd go with a shorter spring, such as the 10" 350s I have in stock. The longer the spring (i.e. 12"+), the less tire clearance you'll have if you go with wider wheels/tires. 10" is the max I'd recommend. In the higher rates, we even use 8" springs, which gives clearance for 275mm+ front tires. The Hotchkis c/c plates use a urethane bushing up top, which is far from ideal. As you enter a corner, the top of the strut will move, changing your alignment, which is not good. (We use MaxMotorsports plates, which have a spherical bearing as the strut mount.) And every car that has come in here with Hotchkis plates and a coil-over kit has bent c/c plates. I wouldn't trust them at all for even street driving. They're just not strong enough. The 4-bolt MM plates are overly-strong. Also, depending on the rate of the front sway bar, it may be too stiff, which will create more understeer at the track.
In the rear, you'll exhibit more roll oversteer with the stiffer (non-stock) upper control arms. This can be outright dangerous as speeds increase, and it's VERY difficult to catch a Mustang with stiffer upper arms once it starts to oversteer. The Monroe shocks won't help you at all. At a minimum, you should have Tokico Illuminas to match the front, if not upgrade to Koni Sports. As for rear springs, Sportlines are too low and the rate is all wrong. All Sportlines are for is dropping a Mustang in the weeds and making the rear of the car sit on the pinion snubber. Remember, low is not necessarily better for a Mustang. Our 10" 350lb. rear springs work great and are low enough to lower the center of gravity, tall enough to allow good suspension travel.
Brakes look OK, but I'd rather have Baer or Brembo rotors than the Powerslots. Last time I saw Powerslots, they were based off the older Kelsey-Hayes/Raybestos rotors and not the '99+ Cobra Brembo rotors. I'd definitely recommend a plain Brembo rotor over a slotted older-style rotor. I have the Brembos in stock for only $99 each. And I'd recommend a good brake fluid, like the Cartel 570 Racing Brake Fluid that we use. Good stuff!
If you need pricing on anything, just PM me. Otherwise, if you have any other questions, fire away!


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Bill Kaiser
APEX Motorsports
Santa Clara
www.apexmotorsports.com
408-562-1000
bill@apexmotorsports.com

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Originally posted by 1Sicgt:
Ok, now the spring you recomend for the back, are those for coil-overs, becuase the arms I have are the MM with adj. spring perches. The rotors I went with are actually made by AMICO. They are a slotted 99+ cobra rotors, and they are nickel plated.

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Ok, first question, how adjustable are the MM c/c plates to get around a KB strut brace on an 03 cobra? Also will they kit around a Steeda Sturt brace on my 97? Also can you PM me a price on the 10" 350's for my front suspension. [/QB]

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