Both.

Got the same Street or Track System and the same problem.  I think my rides rough also.  Like the others said I think its in the Springs.   I have the street system and thinking maybe Shawn might have a spring that has more give.   We have bad roads in Wisconsin and Id rather have a nicer riding car than all the bounce.  Let me know what you find out.

Steve69

MustangSteve wrote:

Not going to say it...  Not going to say it...

 Come on MS your never one to hold back your feelings....LOL

Steve69 wrote:

Got the same Street or Track System and the same problem.  I think my rides rough also.  Like the others said I think its in the Springs.   I have the street system and thinking maybe Shawn might have a spring that has more give.   We have bad roads in Wisconsin and Id rather have a nicer riding car than all the bounce.  Let me know what you find out.

Steve69

 
Just emailed Shawn asking for the problem and solution. Apparently He closes until 24th, so just gotta wait for the answer.

Which handling package did you get? One of the quirks with sot, is all his parts and set up info is "proprietary". So if you want to change to a 25 or 50 lb lighter spring, do you just guess? If the spring has a number stamped on it you might be in luck. Ron Morris uses 350# front springs, and 180# I think, rears. It would be helpful to know your spring rates. As far as which Bilstein shock sot uses, who knows. Not every coil over system is or has to be bone jarring.

Bob

MustangSteve wrote:

Since you asked...
The stock upper/lower control arm system with Shelby drop and 1" sway bar makes for a very smooth ride, reasonable handling and low cost.

Let's face it folks... Just because somebody builds a bling-bling bunch of parts to fit the classic Mustang does not mean they are necessarily any better than the stock stuff.  As much as we all want to think we are race car drivers, these cars are driven down the street to the burger and shake place and to car cruises more than they are raced down an expressway entrance ramp.  I am talking street cars here.  Yes, there are guys that actually race their cars and that is a whole different ballgame.  The serious ones likley race in vintage classes where...guess what... you HAVE to run original style control arms.  I am not a racer and don't need my car to handle Laguna Seca at 150 MPH.  But it does handle and corner very well with the stock control arms and a 1" bar.  I did install a TCP rack and pinion, which makes the car alot easier to park and turn corners, but it did absolutely nothing as for an improvement in cornering as compared to a stock, non-power 66 GT steering box. Nothing...
I did break down and installed a set of Global West upper control arms.  Sorry, but no difference in everyday driving which is 99.9% of the car's use.

Everyone likes to spend money on these cars and that is why we have such an enjoyable hobby.  But in reality, you can make these cars handle quite well without sinking a fortune into all that "modern technology" that can be made to fit but doesn't necessarily equate to that much better (if at all, as some have discovered) street manners.  I think a good air conditioner is a much better investment...

This made me bump me head but I asked for it!! At first I strongly considered going high end stock setup, since the price difference of high end stock system vs coilover is not that much I thought why not go coilover... Apparently I was wrong......well, lesson learned, but I guess I have to work on tuning the system for more forgiving ride with Shaun who so far had given me impeccable level of customer service....He told me to give him numbers that stamped on the shock and the spring and He will figure out how to make my ride more forgiving... If everything fails then I guess I am in the market for stock style system....by the way, who make the best one??

GPatrick wrote:

There are four or five things that may contribute to a bone-jarring ride.  Unfortunately, curing the ride can be trial and error process.  To minimize trial and error, obtain your shock and spring data to know which way to go of if the they appear to be too much for street driving.  It is hard to make suggestions when the data is not know.  Just some thoughts - 

1. Tires - the lower the profile more than likely the ride will be stiffer.  However, within a group of tires, there are better and worse tires from the noise and harshness perspective.  In fact, there may be some lower profile tires that are better than higher profiles.  Tire Rack, for example, provides ratings and rankings on most tires they sell and offers some insight on which tires are better than others for harshness.  It is interesting that handling capability and harshness are not always related.  There are quiet and smooth tires that handle very well.

2. Tire pressure - with a new setup you may be running much higher pressure than necessary.  Measure where you are and drop it in 3 psi increments and drive over the same street and see if the ride improves.  I have a German car with wide tires and owners commonly run at least 5 psi below factory without adverse tire wear or temperature specifically to improve kidney comfort.  On my Cobra I was running about 20 to 22 psi on the rears which across a 295 tire with a light car is all that it needed.  Dropping a few psi as long as you are at safe pressures can significantly improve harshness.

3.  Front anti-sway bar size -  I am not an expert by any stretch but for street driving it is unlkely that you will ever need more than a 1" bar.  When hitting a bump or pot hole with one wheel a little compliance in the front suspension is necessary.  One could argue that stock rubber end links will give you more than enough action for hard cornering and make the street more liveable - stiff for the big loads and weak for the little bumps.

4.  Shock rates - First, if your shocks are adjustable, take them down to their lowest setting and evaluate.  Some performance shocks are going to be too agressive for street driving.  You may need to investigate an alternative shock.  I put a set of Koni's on my 85 Mustang and the ride deteriorated immediately even on the softest setting.  I suppose it would have handled better on the track but changing only the shocks made the car miserable.

5.  Spring rates - The springs and shocks should be designed to work togther and one would assume that the manufacturer/supplier would have done this in advance.  One suggestion would be to start a new thread asking others specifically what they may have done with your particular suspension.  I would also google the same subject understanding that you throw out the high and low scores and pay attention the quiet posters.  In other words, filter out the legitimate racers and the self-proclaimed street racers looking for improved scrub radii (whatever that is).

I agree with Bob - a coil over system does not have to be bone jarring.

Tires are BFG radial TA at 25 PSI, 245/60/r15 and 225 front. I worry about dropping the pressure further as I can see the tires have a bit of sag even at 25psi.

I also agree on that coilover statement, if all coilover are jarring then how BMW get that awesome handling with awesome bump compliance, even with low profile tires....

jollem wrote:

60 profile on tires should be ok. Springs!! How low do you have car on coil overs?If car wound down low try raising then test drive. If shocks are adjustable soften a little

 
I have flex a form 1.5" drop leaf spring, it sits kinda lower than I expected so yes the front sits pretty low. Making a +2" custom shackle right now to raise rear and then I'll adjust front to 1" higher too.. We'll see...shock can be revalved said Shaun, is it something that a diy'er can do?

Last edited by Uwiik (2/23/2014 9:23 AM)

GPatrick wrote:

There are four or five things that may contribute to a bone-jarring ride.  Unfortunately, curing the ride can be trial and error process.  To minimize trial and error, obtain your shock and spring data to know which way to go of if the they appear to be too much for street driving.  It is hard to make suggestions when the data is not know.  Just some thoughts - 

1. Tires - the lower the profile more than likely the ride will be stiffer.  However, within a group of tires, there are better and worse tires from the noise and harshness perspective.  In fact, there may be some lower profile tires that are better than higher profiles.  Tire Rack, for example, provides ratings and rankings on most tires they sell and offers some insight on which tires are better than others for harshness.  It is interesting that handling capability and harshness are not always related.  There are quiet and smooth tires that handle very well.

2. Tire pressure - with a new setup you may be running much higher pressure than necessary.  Measure where you are and drop it in 3 psi increments and drive over the same street and see if the ride improves.  I have a German car with wide tires and owners commonly run at least 5 psi below factory without adverse tire wear or temperature specifically to improve kidney comfort.  On my Cobra I was running about 20 to 22 psi on the rears which across a 295 tire with a light car is all that it needed.  Dropping a few psi as long as you are at safe pressures can significantly improve harshness.

3.  Front anti-sway bar size -  I am not an expert by any stretch but for street driving it is unlkely that you will ever need more than a 1" bar.  When hitting a bump or pot hole with one wheel a little compliance in the front suspension is necessary.  One could argue that stock rubber end links will give you more than enough action for hard cornering and make the street more liveable - stiff for the big loads and weak for the little bumps.

4.  Shock rates - First, if your shocks are adjustable, take them down to their lowest setting and evaluate.  Some performance shocks are going to be too agressive for street driving.  You may need to investigate an alternative shock.  I put a set of Koni's on my 85 Mustang and the ride deteriorated immediately even on the softest setting.  I suppose it would have handled better on the track but changing only the shocks made the car miserable.

5.  Spring rates - The springs and shocks should be designed to work togther and one would assume that the manufacturer/supplier would have done this in advance.  One suggestion would be to start a new thread asking others specifically what they may have done with your particular suspension.  I would also google the same subject understanding that you throw out the high and low scores and pay attention the quiet posters.  In other words, filter out the legitimate racers and the self-proclaimed street racers looking for improved scrub radii (whatever that is).

I agree with Bob - a coil over system does not have to be bone jarring.

Good list and well written.

I would add a number 6.  Strut rods.  Stock strut rods have those big rubber donuts.  They are there for a reason.  The strut rods take most of the force generated by ruts, rocks,etc.  They move to soften the ride.  Once you change the struts for some without that cushion, your ride harshness will increase significantly.  The more solid that conection, the harsher the ride.  I have TCP struts and while they make for a more solid steering feel, the rut & rocks thing can be very uncomfortable.  Actually, TCP warned me about that problem when I bought them.  They said they are primarily a race item.

Last edited by lowercasesteve (2/23/2014 11:52 AM)

Have just moved to a full front coil-over from Street or Track and before ordering, I spent a lot of time on the phone with Shaun.He tries to build an suspension that goes together, front and rear. For the most part, his car was a street car and if you watch some of the video of him out in Michigan, the thing really handles well. Originally, my car had regular upper and lower control arms, Koni shocks, progressive rate springs and a 1" front sway bar. The roads in CT, at least where I live, bite but I found the setup on smoother roads handled well but the Konis and progressive rate springs made any bump hard to deal with in the front end. Also, didn't help that the leaf springs in the rear were a bit soft relative to the front. Having finally installed the coil-overs and new rear suspension, new larger front brakes and discs in the rear, I just need the snow to melt so I can get to the alignment shop. Ride height on a coil-over will also determine your ride quality. JMO.