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Minimal suspension upgrades

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13Boss#3328 said:
So bottom line, with primarily performance in mind, what springs do you think will be a good performance match with Koni sports?
I drive to and from the track only with rare occasions on the weekends.

1. FRPP "P" springs - endorsed by several members of BMO
2. MM Road & Track springs (435HO) - endorsed by Maximum Motorsports
3. Steeda Sport springs - endorsed by Stranoparts
4. Steeda Ultralight springs - endorsed by Stranoparts

Hmm, lots of matched sets. Maybe Steeda Ultralights? Let's cross this with the manufacturer. Steeda definitively says get that magical sweet-spot by matching their Ultalight springs with...drum roll please...

1. OEM stock dampers here: http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-boss-302-mustang-handling-package-555-2377/ (which is basically my choice of components for a "minimal" upgrade)
2. FRPP 161-M-18000-A "A good match for our Ultra-lite...springs." But I won't bother with a link, because we know from my experience that our Boss dampers are better than these.
3. 555-8405-11 - Steeda Pro-Action Mustang Shocks and Struts here: http://www.steeda.com/store/steeda-pro-action-ultra-lite-spring-mustang-suspension-package-555-8412/ - Now here we have what must be a bona fide "matched set" of components (even says so right in the description). Yes!
4. Koni Sports - Well, Steeda sells these dampers, but they don't match them with their Ultralights or any other spring in a tested and endorsed kit. Sure, they probably want you to buy their dampers, but they don't have any problem recommending the FRPP dampers with their Ultralights, so why not the far superior Koni?

Quiz: Find the matched set with the magical sweet-spot.

I made this post to illustrate how some people disagree about what is helpful. Some will look at this list and say it is helpful, because it gives a clear set of choices in which they can have confidence (at least wrt function, if not performance), because the source of the information is from trusted tuners. But I look at this list and see a bloody mess. In simple terms:

Strano: You want Koni Sports? Use Steeda Ultralights.
Steeda: You want to use Ultralights? Use Steeda dampers.

Oh boy. :eek:
 

TymeSlayer

Tramps like us, Baby we were born to run...
3,786
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Brighton, Colorado
dabossinne said:
DEye... It sounds like you're only going to be tracking your car a few times per year, and maybe do a few auto-x's here and there.

Honestly, my advice would be to spend time (and money) on the single biggest variable and weakest link, the driver mod. Unless you're already pretty experienced, your Boss's limits, stock, are way higher than you'll be capable of exploiting. Get as much track time as you can and gain confidence with the car in its stock configuration. This will help you establish a baseline of how the car feels and handles on the track unmodified, without which you'll not have much of an idea why you're making a mod in the first place, or how what you're doing may affect the car's overall handling balance and dynamics under different track conditions.

If you absolutely can't resist and have to spend some money on "minimum" mods initially, limit them to 1) a set of track wheels and tires; 2) brake upgrades: track brake pads and fluid, front brake cooling kit; and maybe 3) some camber plates (to maximize front tire grip and minimize front tire wear). Otherwise forgo any suspension mods initially. Don't worry about LCAs, UCAs, springs, struts, coil overs, watts links, etc... all that stuff is well and good, but won't really make you any faster until you've got enough seat time to know precisely what your car needs or does't need, based on your driving style.

Save your money for now and get good at driving your Boss. Then you'll be much smarter and more deliberate about what mods to make. Of course, this is JMO, your milage may vary...

Now that's what I call sage advise. Well put dabossinne.
 

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
5,228
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Dido on that! Thats what everyone told me and its very true. Once your lap times get consistant and "stuck" at a certain level, go nuts on the modes!
 

DEye

You can't get there from here...
The number one thing we tell people that show for events at the local club, is that the part that needs the most work is the loose nut behind the wheel, ;) next is tires.
I Joined the local Motorsports club in 2003 with a new FWD car that I picked up the year before, a MINI, and learned an enormous amount about car control, my and it's limits with that car, did its shocks, springs,sway bars, control arms in an effort to get it to behave the way i wanted it to, after it grenaded six years ago I picked up a little RWD car by Mazda, all new suspension ( 1989 model ) needed bushings plus everything. Great little car, but I'm 6'3" so any time with roof up was NOT the best time! After spending almost a year looking I found the BOSS I picked up last March ;D And sold the Miata.
I've learned a lot and had fun, but I'm an IT guy NOT a race car driver, if i was a race car driver someone else would setting up my car 8)

With no other experience with solid axel cars, I'd say the backend is pretty well behaved on smooth surfaces, but the "talk" is that the LCA + Brackets would minimize the wheel hop, and *be* a start down the path to controlling the sideways movement of the axel, the other part mentioned was the watts link, again to control that Huge metal assembly an keep it from movings ways that it should not be movin...

The way it handles in the corners out of the box is oddly Very close to the Miata, after a day at the track, with more th 4x the power I had before, I was pleasantly surprised how well behaved and gained a healthy respect for the right pedal !

So with more information on where I think I might be going and where I'm comming from, is what I'm thinking of adding going to settle things down back there a bit more?

Thanks again,
Don

dabossinne said:
DEye... It sounds like you're only going to be tracking your car a few times per year, and maybe do a few auto-x's here and there.

Honestly, my advice would be to spend time (and money) on the single biggest variable and weakest link, the driver mod. Unless you're already pretty experienced, your Boss's limits, stock, are way higher than you'll be capable of exploiting. Get as much track time as you can and gain confidence with the car in its stock configuration. This will help you establish a baseline of how the car feels and handles on the track unmodified, without which you'll not have much of an idea why you're making a mod in the first place, or how what you're doing may affect the car's overall handling balance and dynamics under different track conditions.

If you absolutely can't resist and have to spend some money on "minimum" mods initially, limit them to 1) a set of track wheels and tires; 2) brake upgrades: track brake pads and fluid, front brake cooling kit; and maybe 3) some camber plates (to maximize front tire grip and minimize front tire wear). Otherwise forgo any suspension mods initially. Don't worry about LCAs, UCAs, springs, struts, coil overs, watts links, etc... all that stuff is well and good, but won't really make you any faster until you've got enough seat time to know precisely what your car needs or does't need, based on your driving style.

Save your money for now and get good at driving your Boss. Then you'll be much smarter and more deliberate about what mods to make. Of course, this is JMO, your milage may vary...
 

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