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Ride height suggestions

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DOM529

302 in 416
(I have a 4,000 mile stock LS)

I'm not a bid fan of the stock ride height and looking to drop it.
Some technical info I came across suggests the factory suspension/ride system is good for the average track day.
(Tracking her will be very limited, as well as making any other changes as I'm more of a rock stock kind of guy.)

So, to drop the ride height, I'm looking for suggestions on best bang for buck.
Also, can I drop the rear only as I'm concerned about the front spoiler getting too low.
Thanks in advance!
 
Many of us installed P springs with relocation brackets and adjustable panhard bar to recenter the axle. While you're in there install some Ford Racing LCA's.
 
I have the Steeda Boss Springs on my 13'. Drop in rear is .7-.8" and front is .2" (per their webpage). The front looks stock height but eliminates the nose dive under hard braking. My car is a Street / Canyon Carver and has yet to see track days. The springs are not harsh at all and very streetable. I recently installed FRPP Relocation Brackets and FRPP Lower control arms which helped the rear end hood up much better. When you lower the rear 1" or more you need to adjust the lower control arms as they will now be pointing in the wrong direction. Relo brackets are a simple way to do it.

Pics on Steedas:
imagejpg5_zpsb56c5e65.png

86083510-6558-40fc-b562-81ef8d3dd067_zps86c50358.png
 
675
253
Calif Boss302 - you car looks fantastic!

+1 on P springs. I had them on my '13 LS and the ride height was perfect for a street car - no scraping of the nose, tire/fender gap reduced an inch in back, slightly stiffer then OE but not ridiculous, flatter cornering and braking. Also agree on adjustable panhard to center the car over the axle and LCA relocation brackets to reduce axle tramp (and LCAs and UCA if you really want to tame it).

Only problem with most of the lowering springs you look at is that because they are typically stiffer than OE springs, they will overpower the rebound damping of the OE dampers, even when cranked to 5 (I had the same issue with Steeda Ultralite springs on my '12 Boss). Not an issue for most people most of the time but just something to keep in mind.

I eventually went to KW V3 coilovers on my LS, with full rebound and compression adjustability along with ride height adjustment via the spring preload. My car is strictly a street/fun backroad car and I could not be happier with the KWs. I should have just done it from the get-go.
 
I went with Steeda Boss Springs as well. They're fine on the street by themselves, although you might need an adjustable panhard bar to re-center the back end. I also installed the Steeda adjustable panhard bar, caster camber plates, LCA's, and FRPP relocation brackets since I track it a bit. Big reduction in body roll and overall handling.

P springs would probably be the more economical choice if all you're doing is street driving, but I believe they lower the front a bit as well.
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,530
5,247
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
DOM529 said:
Thanks for the replies so far guys.
As a newbie, what are "P" springs since I'm learning the acronyms with my new gen BOSS?
:-[

A "P" Spring is a lowering spring made by ford. The reason we call it a "P" spring is the Ford in their parts numbering/lettering system often uses a common number with a suffix to designate parts for a car.

M-5300-P is the "P" Spring, a 1" lower spring compared to standard GT suspension.

M-5300-L is a lowering spring for the GT500.

Folks just shorten the name to P, T, K or other suffix designations since M-5300 does not change.....usually.

BTW. I run the ford "P" springs on my Boss. Significant lowering in the rear, slight in the front from stock Boss springs.

Welcome to the club/hobby/sport!!!
 
I also went with the Steeda Boss springs and glad i did.Jacking the car with my jack,it just clears the side rocker .Bottomed out just once on a speed bump.Seeing how many times i'm under the car a lower spring would be a pain getting my big floor jack in.Also upgraded big exhaust becomes an issue the lower you go.I have pretty well the same other mods as stated by the other fellows.Yes you will need an adjustable panhard bar.I have a brute QA-1 piece thats is priced well.
Also your pinion angle may change.Mines set at -2.5 total.Hooks good with absolute no wheel hop.
 

DOM529

302 in 416
TMSBOSS said:
A "P" Spring is a lowering spring made by ford. The reason we call it a "P" spring is the Ford in their parts numbering/lettering system often uses a common number with a suffix to designate parts for a car.

M-5300-P is the "P" Spring, a 1" lower spring compared to standard GT suspension.

M-5300-L is a lowering spring for the GT500.

Folks just shorten the name to P, T, K or other suffix designations since M-5300 does not change.....usually.

BTW. I run the ford "P" springs on my Boss. Significant lowering in the rear, slight in the front from stock Boss springs.

Welcome to the club/hobby/sport!!!

Thanks for the info, this helps. ;)
 
Being new to the S197 car I surfed the posts (lots of info to digest) on suspension upgrades . Since I have a 6yr 100k ext warranty I want to use all Ford Racing stuff. My car will be street with maybe one or two track weekends a year. Looking at pictures I like the way the cars sit with the p springs to reduce some of the tail high look without being slammed .

So from what I have read this looks like basic upgrade list.

Springs: M-5300-P

Adjustable Panhard Bar: M-4264-A

Rear LCA relocation brkts: M-5650-A

Rear Lower Control Arms: M-5649-R1

Not sure I will bother with dampers just yet, I only put 3-4 k on it a year total.
 
k98dave said:
Being new to the S197 car I surfed the posts (lots of info to digest) on suspension upgrades . Since I have a 6yr 100k ext warranty I want to use all Ford Racing stuff. My car will be street with maybe one or two track weekends a year. Looking at pictures I like the way the cars sit with the p springs to reduce some of the tail high look without being slammed .

So from what I have read this looks like basic upgrade list.

Springs: M-5300-P

Adjustable Panhard Bar: M-4264-A

Rear LCA relocation brkts: M-5650-A

Rear Lower Control Arms: M-5649-R1

Not sure I will bother with dampers just yet, I only put 3-4 k on it a year total.
That's it and what I initially installed on my Boss. It will lower to the car to what is an acceptable level without sacrificing ride much and the LCA will firm up and improve the feel of the car on turn in. IMO the P springs are what I expected the car to feel like when I drove it off the lot. This setup will firm up the ride a little but it won't destroy it. I think you'll be pleased with it.
 
Do you really need the relocation brackets with P-springs?
The P springs lower the car....what about 1 inch. Thats not alot.
I can see the panhard bar being needed to center the axel. But not the relo-brackets being a must have part.
Am I wrong. With a 1 inch drop the LCA will still have pitch to them.
I was always told nothing less than level and your OK.
What say the BMO experts that have done this work many times.
 

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
5,237
4,227
Santiago, Chile
P springs are great. But they need the relo brackets for any kind of sporty driving.... car corners like a crab with out them. Rear axle steers the wrong way!

Sent from my SM-G900M using Tapatalk
 
898
544
My preference are the Steeda Boss springs followed by the Ford P spring. Both provide a very modest change in front ride height and level out the rear. The Steeda springs have a slightly higher spring rate than the P springs which is why I prefer them. I would recommend an adjustable panhard bar and relocation brackets for both spring sets.

If you want a panhard bar with poly bushings, the Steeda unit is niece. If you are going to use bearings, go with the Maximum Motorsports panhard.

For relocation brackets, either Ford or Maximum Motorsports. You will need to verify they work with factor lower control arms.
 

cholmes1

400lb Gorilla
350
216
Denver, CO
VoodooBOSS said:
That's it and what I initially installed on my Boss. It will lower to the car to what is an acceptable level without sacrificing ride much and the LCA will firm up and improve the feel of the car on turn in. IMO the P springs are what I expected the car to feel like when I drove it off the lot. This setup will firm up the ride a little but it won't destroy it. I think you'll be pleased with it.

Curious what the views are of the M-5300-T springs compared to the 'P' springs? Without spring rates listed I would be interested in learning more about the ride characteristics of each spring and what their strengths and weaknesses are...
 
BOSS-TANG said:
I also went with the Steeda Boss springs and glad i did.Jacking the car with my jack,it just clears the side rocker .Bottomed out just once on a speed bump.Seeing how many times i'm under the car a lower spring would be a pain getting my big floor jack in.Also upgraded big exhaust becomes an issue the lower you go.I have pretty well the same other mods as stated by the other fellows.Yes you will need an adjustable panhard bar.I have a brute QA-1 piece thats is priced well.
Also your pinion angle may change.Mines set at -2.5 total.Hooks good with absolute no wheel hop.

+1. Like the moderate (.8") rear drop, just enough to more or less level the car, and virtually no front drop (front's already low enough to be practical on the street). Also like the higher springs rates vs. the FPP spring choices. If there's a downside to the Steedas, it's that the front springs have a larger OD, which can limit camber adjustment range with CC plates vs. some other springs.
 
Do any of the springs work differently if a watts link is added at a later time? My wish would to one day (hopefully soon) get all the FRPP components (P springs, adjustable PHB, LCAs, and relocation brackets). I'd like to test that combination out and essentially move up to adding a watts link at a later time.. Any recommendations on springs that work best with a watts link?
 

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