Suspension soft?

[Gunslinger55]

Alright folks - just got back from the shop....

At the suggestion of the resident mustang/shelby expert mechanic here in the SF bay area(Trent Musser), I did not install the AJ hartman coilover conversion kit up front.

Couple reasons I am OK with this:
1. I am already generally happy with the way the car rides on street and performs on track.
2. This is still a street driven car and want to maintain streetability.
3. I am changing camber, rotors, brakes, camber and tires before my next track day so a lot of variables that already could affect driving dynamics.
4. He suggested sway bars first over spring rate modifications to get the desired turn in response and for my use case.

Now I'm looking into sway bars - Trent suggested Steeda Competition kit. I would love adjustability, and perhaps having slightly above my current PP1 setup at the softest setting. I don't want to end up with sway bars so stiff that I'm lifting a wheel often.

You are valuing streetability over track that’s going to drive you into very different mods then track over street. So in your case i get it. But obviously will not yield the best performance on track

 

[TeeLew]

I don't even know what this post means or why you are getting pissy.

It means that the mechanic doesn't really want to do the work and so he offers something easy to placate the customer. He thinks to himself, "This dipsiht won't know the difference anyway, why am I going to do all this work when it's not going to matter what I do?"

I get pissy when I take a couple hours to give people really good information and then the next shiny thing they see they run off in that direction. If you're just going to go to McHotRods in the end, anyway, then don't waste my time by asking questions.

 

[TeeLew]

what springs and specifically which sway bar they have several?

It doesn't really matter. All their spring combos suck.

 

[Rodpwnz]

Alot of interesting comments here...some more productive than others.

It was my final decision what to do with my car, and it was mostly because of current events in my personal life and trying to be more forward thinking instead of using my tiny primal motorsport brain. I discussed this with Trent but didn't share my private life plans with all of you for the sake of privacy and simplicity. I guess another example of where compromise can fall short heh.

Trent gets flown out to work with the Ford Performance race team for weeks at a time, and he works on many track enthusiasts cars in bay area and here on forums. Many who know/work with him respect him, and so do I. His reasoning was not because current 250lb springs are faster(He agrees it needs more spring), it's taking into consideration the entire life context I shared with him and my goals with the car. I'll leave it at that. I don't want the focus to be on Trent, it should be on our cars and our decisions.

I see this as "no harm, no foul" decision because I still have the kit, can always put it on after my next track day after I feel the new wheels, tires and brakes. I am also NOT chasing lap times, I am NOT competing, I am chasing better car feel and performance for more enjoyment. How much more enjoyment per dollar am I getting out of the springs? That's the golden question. I'm on 200TW endurance tires, I do not trailer the car, I still value street comfort, I generally like how the car currently handles.

I'll wait to see how things play out in the next month or two and then I'll decide on what to do next. I still want to thank everyone for their advice, and helpful comments!

 

[Rodpwnz]

It means that the mechanic doesn't really want to do the work and so he offers something easy to placate the customer. He thinks to himself, "This dipsiht won't know the difference anyway, why am I going to do all this work when it's not going to matter what I do?"

I get pissy when I take a couple hours to give people really good information and then the next shiny thing they see they run off in that direction. If you're just going to go to McHotRods in the end, anyway, then don't waste my time by asking questions.

Coming off rude with lots of assumptions here, but a fair intrepretation from your perspective. If I had said I wanted them on anyways, they would be on the car. Again, I intentionally left out many details.

Tim, I do value your input and it's great information - so still, thank you. I know you have best intentions at heart and its frustrating to see someone you steer right, take what you feel is the wrong path(stupid kid doesnt know what's good for em). I still have the kit and I am still heavily leaning on installing them after next track day just out of curiousity. Or maybe just to quit your whining

Food for thought: Maybe I realized that didn't really want to pay for the extra labor and Trent gave me an out?(win-win) Maybe I want to install them myself with a buddy in my garage drinking cold beers and listening to Willie Nelson?

 

[byronj]

For those of you that are badmouthing Trent, you should all shut your mouths. He was one of the guys that designed and developed Cortex with Filip. He didn’t move with Cortex because this is his home.
Trent will do what you want to your car. He will also advise you what he thinks is the best option for your plans. I’ve thrown things at him and he has told me he will gladly take my money but it’s a waste of time and money on my end. Ford Performance calls him for advice. He was flown out to races to be support. I’d say he has more skills and knowledge that most of us here.

He will even pick up the phone or reply back with a text if you need support. I have needed his lift at night and was granted access to his shop.

I can truly say I’m am disappointed with those of you that are talking bad about him or questioning his judgement. Maybe if you keyboard bandits get to Sonoma I’ll gladly take you to his shop and you can see is OCD quality of work.