From day one, my main complaint with the stock Cobra was its floaty, jiggly suspension. Its does stick quite well, but it didn't feel as stable or controlled as my previous car, a Contour SE. I missed the precise handling and nimble lane changes possible with that underrated sedan -- it's a lot more surefooted than the '78 Fairmont-based Cobra. But fortunately, there is some help available for our Stangs.

Choose Your Vendor

When it comes to suspensions, a good plan is to choose one vendor and stick with them. I chose Steeda. I felt their package would be the best solution for my needs: a good-handling daily driver free from annoying noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH). I didn't need to build a competitive race car; otherwise, I might have gone with a different vendor. But the fact that Steeda actually races Mustangs using many of the same parts they sell was a point in their favor.

Essentially, the Steeda setup stiffens every suspension component, including springs, shocks, control arms, and swaybars. Some call this a "band-aid" approach, since the basic geometry is unchanged. However, improving the geometry takes a lot more parts which aren't cheap, and the results still won't match what you'd find in a world-class sports car (let's face it -- a Mustang will never be a Porsche or BMW). Not to mention the increased NVH common to radical solutions such as torque-arm rears and tubular front K-members. So, I figured the Steeda stuff would be the most sensible for me. Here's a list of the pieces that make up their "Stage III" setup:

Note that Steeda also sells subframe connectors as part of this package, but I already had the beefier Global West units on my car.

I ordered most of this stuff from Joe Scott at SP Motorsports, a Steeda distributor, in 1998. Joe provided excellent service and was very helpful and attentive even after the sale. I'd buy from him again. I should also note that Steeda's own customer service people have been excellent.

Postscript: I added Steeda's X2 Ball Joints and Bumpsteer kit in 2007. See details below.

Do It Yourself?

Even though I lack a great deal of experience wrenching on cars, the installation of these pieces didn't seem like it would be so hard. I plunged right in, making sure I was prepared with a good set of tools (ratchets, wrenches, jacks, etc.) and a Haynes shop manual (not the best, but sufficient for most folks). Steeda supplies decent instruction sheets with the control arms, c/c plates, and bushings, but you're on your own with the springs and shocks. The shop manual and tips from fellow Stangers proved quite helpful with those.

With any suspension work, you have two sides to worry about. It's important to finish one side before starting the other so that you can refer back and forth in case you get lost -- this rule applies to all the tasks outlined below. Also, be sure to retighten newly installed bolts after a couple weeks of driving, as they tend to work loose sometimes. Note that all my comments will generally apply to '96-98 Cobras; other models may vary in some ways.

Helpful hint: when breaking loose factory bolts, it helps to squirt them first with a penetrant such as Liquid Wrench or Aerokroil (what I use -- great stuff). Then use a long breaker bar or strong torque wrench. You shouldn't need an impact wrench except in rare cases.

Upper Arm Strength

I tackled the rear first, starting with the upper control arms. The Steeda pieces are heavy-duty versions of the Ford arms, with a steel plate welded to the open side for added strength, plus a stiffer rubber bushing on the chassis end. On the axle end, separate solid polyurethane bushings and thrust washers are supplied to replace the rubber factory pieces in the "ears" on either side of the differential housing.

The old arms came out fine, but I knew I was in for a major challenge when I attempted to remove the old axle bushings. You're supposed to use a 3/8" drill bit to work around the outside of the rubber in order to loosen it from its metal sleeve, but I was unable to make it work like the instructions said. After a couple of phone calls to Steeda and getting a few tips from fellow Stangers, I was finally able to get one of the bushings out with the help of a propane torch and wire brush drill attachment. It ended up taking me several hours and a couple of trips to the hardware store and I was pressed for time, so I simply inserted one of the new bushings into the sleeve and bolted the old arm back on. I planned to finish up during my next wrenching session. (I later learned that a 1-5/8" hole saw works well to get the remaining rubber out after the drill is used.)

When I got around to finishing replacing both of the axle bushings, I greased the bushing faces (marine grease -- the green stuff used for boat trailer wheel bearings -- does a great job of preventing the squeaking common with urethane bushings) and bolted up the new arms. They fit fine and don't appear to alter the pinion angle -- the bolt holes are the same distance apart as on the stock arms (if you want to experiment with angles, adjustable-length arms are available).

More Arms, and Springs

It makes sense to replace the rear springs when you remove the lower control arms, since the spring rests on the arm and falls out when the arm is unbolted. The procedure wasn't nearly as difficult as replacing the upper arms -- no bushings to remove! The Steeda lower arms have 3-piece urethane bushings already built in at both ends which are said to offer better compliance and less noise than conventional solid urethane bushings. A relatively soft red outer layer sandwiches a harder inner layer -- sort of a reverse Oreo cookie. In any case, it seems like a good design, and the arms themselves are impressively constructed of aluminum with nice even welds (See picture). The Sport springs seem to be from the same factory as Eibach or Motorsport coils -- they have the familiar charcoal finish.

Once the lower arm is unbolted from the axle, a jack is used to lower it until the spring falls out. To remove the frame (front) side of the arm, I had to disconect the mufflers from the H-pipe -- they were in the way of the bolts. I coated the exhaust fasteners with anti-seize before reconnecting them.

I gave the new arm's bushings a good coat of marine grease before bolting the frame side in, oriented the springs to point the bottom end of the coil to the driver's side, and jacked up the arm while holding the spring in place. A second jack was used to raise the front of the differential to get the bolt holes to line up. Once the axle bolt is torqued down, you can replace the sway bar and brake-cable brackets. Note that a small tab on each of these brackets needs to be removed in order for them to fit on the new control arms. I used a hacksaw; they came off easily.

To prevent the newly lowered suspension from bottoming out too much, you should replace your pinion snubber (rubber block bolted under the body above the differential) with a shorter one or cut the factory one down. I removed mine, trimmed about an inch of rubber off, and replaced it.

Shock the Monkey

Tokico Illuminas are well-regarded as a part of most Mustang suspension packages. They're easily adjusted to one of five different stiffness levels so you can tune your setup however you choose. Installation of the rear shocks was rather simple; you do have to remove the side trunk liners in order to access the top of the shocks. I found it easier to do this from the back seat with the seatbacks folded down. This way, the liner doesn't have to be moved very much. Some folks cut a flap in the liner so that the adjustment nut is always accessible, but it's pretty easy to get at them from the back seat.

Another Day, Another Bar

I installed the adjustable rear swaybar after living with the partial setup for a while. Steeda's instructions for this piece (it's made by Addco) weren't exactly clear and detailed, and I was a little concerned about making the rear setup too stiff (the Cobra's front bar is less stiff than other Mustang models to promote neutral handling, so going too stiff on the rear could theoretically throw things out of balance). But I figured I'd add the big front bar at some point, so I went ahead and slapped on the new rear one.

The hardest part of the installation (in more ways than one) was drilling the four holes needed to mount the bar to the frame rails. You need a 3/8" bit that'll go through sturdy sheet metal, and it's always mandatory to protect your eyes and other vital organs when drilling because of all the small metal shavings flying around. The bracket can be used to mark the locations of the holes before drilling so that everything lines up properly. The rest of the installation went OK -- I was able to figure out the assembly as I went along (See picture). Steeda could use a new instruction sheet for this thing, though. Oh, and the easiest way to get under the car for this job is to back it up onto ramps. The car must be at normal ride height for the installation, and using jackstands under the axle will be way too cumbersome (they'll be right in the way).

Postscript: Steeda now has new installation instructions for this bar at their website. Looks a lot better than what I had to go by!

It was a little traumatic to disfigure my car, but I'm pretty happy with the swaybar. It seems to help keep the rear end under control and makes things feel a little more solid without contributing to NVH. It's not a major difference, but I can play around with the adjustment feature (it's currently near its loosest setting) to find the perfect balance.

On to the Front!

I was a little skittish about tackling this job myself -- there's a lot more to the front suspension than the rear: the steering gear, the sway bar end links, the balljoints, etc. ... kind of a daunting prospect. But I decided to give it a go after getting all the tips I could from experienced wrenchers.

Before I started, I visited a nearby garage to have the top strut bolts loosened with an impact wrench since I couldn't get them off with hand tools. You need to remove them in order to take the struts apart so that you can use their lower rubber bumpstops (small donuts that slide over the strut shaft) and dust boots.

Spring, Sproing

The first step was to remove the springs. This can be tricky, since the front springs are much stiffer and larger than the rears. There are two ways to access the spring, both of which involve lowering the control arm on which the spring sits: unbolting the arm from the inboard frame side (the Haynes manual recommends this), or unbolting the arm from the outboard wheel/strut side. I decided on the latter since other Stangers had done this successfully and I needed to unbolt the struts anyway to replace them.

After raising the front of the car, placing jackstands under the front frame rails, and removing the wheels, a floor jack was used to support the control arm. The brake caliper was removed and placed on a makeshift stand within the wheel well while making sure the brake line wasn't stressed. Then the ABS line was disconnected from its brackets and the strut was unbolted. The rotor pivots on the balljoint and falls outward when the strut bolts are removed -- I lowered it gently by hand until it stopped falling, making sure there was plenty of clearance between it and the ground. After removing the strut from its top mount (three bolts on top of the strut tower, accessed under the hood, hold it in place), the strut assembly can be guided out of the wheel well. Then the swaybar end link is unbolted from the control arm. In preparation for lowering the control arm, a sturdy rope or chain is tied around the spring and arm to prevent the spring from flying out and bonking you.

If spring compressors are available, now is the time to attach them, before lowering the control arm. When the arm is lowered, the spring will tend to expand against the compressors instead of the arm and be much easier to remove. I slowly lowered the floor jack under the arm as much as possible. The steering tie rod prevents the control arm from being lowered very much (you can unhook this from the control arm as well, but it's a pain). When it was pretty low, the spring was clearly extended on the inboard side but still under quite a bit of pressure (even with compressors). I carefully tightened the compressors as much as I could, then pried out the spring with a long prybar. It came out without much difficulty; I covered the rotor and steering knuckle with an old rag to prevent the spring from hitting them too hard (See picture).

The new springs are shorter than the old, so popping them in with the aid of the prybar wasn't hard. After removing the top and bottom rubber isolators from the old spring and placing them on the new, I guided the top into place under the fender, orienting it so that the bottom end of the coil sat correctly in the control arm. I then pushed the bottom into the control arm pocket by threading the prybar underneath the spring in front of the coil's bottom end, through the hole in the control arm directly below the spring seat. Raising the bar caused the spring to slide neatly into place -- it should seat so that the rear drain hole is covered but the front one isn't.

When the spring is seated properly, the control arm can be raised with the jack until the swaybar end link can be reconnected. The jack should be left in place under the arm until the struts are bolted in.

C/C Riders

The caster/camber plates were next, and installed easily. Steeda's models are sturdily constructed of steel with a shiny zinc-plated finish, and fit very well atop the strut towers. Removing the factory plates requires that you chisel off a couple of rivets. I touched up a few spots of bare metal that were under the old plates, and followed the Steeda directions with regard to the new plates' orientation (See picture).

Struttin'

The Tokico struts were relatively painless to install -- they bolt right into the c/c plates up top, and fit into the lower mounts after raising the arm a bit more with the jack and moving the knuckle around to fit. The factory dust boots and lower rubber bumpstops must be retained -- they're needed for use with the Tokicos. There is a diagram with the c/c plate instructions that shows the correct configuration of the plates' bushings and spacers and the strut assembly. The lower rubber bumpstop from the old strut slides onto the new strut shaft first, then the dust boot is placed atop the strut, then the spacer and lower bushing. I made sure I had it right before mounting the strut to the car. After the strut was installed, the brake caliper was reattached and the ABS line was hooked back into its brackets (See picture). Then the wheels were remounted and the car was set back down, allowing me to admire its new lowered stance. Now that's what I call a cool car!

Fix the Alignment

After the front was done, I drove to Cooke's Automotive west of Austin (recommended to me by Jim Whelan) to get an alignment. I specified +4.5 degrees caster, -1.2 degrees camber, and .08 degrees toe-in as per suggestions from Steeda. The c/c plates made it easy to get the settings just right.

Note that mildly lowered '96-up Mustangs probably do not need an adjustment for bumpsteer, which is usually handled with offset steering rack bushings. Older models may benefit from these, but the new ones have a redesigned front end that minimizes the issue. If you're really concerned about it or notice the steering wheel getting jumpy over rough pavement, the best thing is to have your car measured for bumpsteer at a good performance shop and correct it if necessary with custom-drilled bushings or adjustable tie rod ends. If you must get off-the-shelf parts, I'd probably go with the aluminum offset bushings from Global West. Or, if you just want a better steering feel without affecting bumpsteer, try center-drilled (non-offset) aluminum or polyurethane rack bushings.

Finishing Up

After three years of driving with the whole Steeda package except for the front control arm bushings and front swaybar, I finally acquired those items and installed them along with the Maximum Motorsports center-drilled aluminum steering rack bushings. With the able assistance of David Simmons, the whole job took about six hours (would've been much longer without the help -- David is Mr. Mustang Tech).

The first step was to unbolt the steering rack, both to get it out of the way of the control arm bolts and to replace the bushings with the new aluminum pieces. MM's instructions were reasonably clear -- you have to cut the metal bolt sleeves used with the old rubber bushings since the MM pieces don't fit around those. I also gave the bushings a coat of primer to combat the corrosion which can happen when aluminum is in contact with steel. The fit was fine, but polyurethane rack bushings would have been easier to install.

The new control arm bushings are an "offset" design which move the arm forward about 3/8" -- this helps increase caster. They are of a relatively soft polyurethane which is said to result in lower NVH than some other urethane bushings. Installation is similar to any other control arm bushing.

After removing the swaybar, a jack was used to support the A-arm under one of the springs. The bolts holding the ears of the arm where it bolts to the K-member were removed and the jack was lowered until the spring could be pulled out (note that this is the opposite method of removing the spring from how I did it the first time -- if you aren't replacing the struts, it's easier this way). Once the spring is out, the arm can be swung around 180 degrees to give good access to the bushings.

For the larger rear bushing, the rubber was chiseled out and the shell was removed by cutting a groove into it and crushing it with a C-clamp (see David's site for more info). The smaller bushing was removed by heating the shell with a propane torch until the rubber could be wiggled out with a prybar. We saw no reason to replace that shell, so we simply tapped in the new bushing and trimmed its inside face so that it wouldn't be compressed by the K-member (this can cause harshness). The same thing was done with the larger bushing; its new shell was also trimmed as per Steeda's instructions. We used synthetic grease on the inside bushing surfaces and marine grease on the outside (exposed) surfaces. Finally, the spring was placed back into the arm's seat using new urethane isolators (I wanted to raise the front about 1/4" -- these pieces do the trick) and the arm was swung back into position and raised with the jack until it could be bolted back in. It helps a bunch to have assistance when lining up the arm bolts -- not easy!

The new Steeda swaybar had been modified by David (its previous owner) to minimize any binding from its pivot mounts. The powdercoating was removed from the area that contacted the bushing, and the swaybar bushing itself was radiused where the bar entered and exited and was lubricated with anti-sieze. The bar must be free to move in its mount or NVH will increase and dangerous handling characteristics may result. We made sure the bar could be pivoted freely before bolting it onto the end links.

Finishing Up, Part II

In late 2007, after enjoying my Steeda setup for the better part of a decade, I started noticing a squeaking noise from the front end while turning and going over bumps at low speeds. I figured it was the ball joints going bad, so naturally I looked for a way to give my car something better than just new OEM parts. The perfect solution came from none other than Steeda once again, via their "X2" ball joints and bumpsteer kit.

One of the quirks with the standard Steeda setup (or with any lowered Mustang) is that the front control arms are usually not parallel to the ground as they should be. This results in suboptimal geometry, less precise handling, and a harsher ride than necessary. By substituting taller-than-stock ball joints, the arms can be made parallel once again, just as they were from the factory. Doing this, however, generally means that bumpsteer must be addressed -- and offset steering rack bushings won't likely solve things. What's much better is a set of adjustable tie rod ends which can make the tie rods parallel to the control arms. This way, bumpsteer can be eliminated for good. See a picture of the installed parts.

Since I was going to have to have the front end taken apart to install these things, I figured it would be a good time to upgrade my Maximum Motorsports aluminum steering rack bushings. MM now has a kit which includes spherical washers that eliminate rack bind, the effect of which can be felt as a slight shudder when turning at low speeds. Not really a major problem, but it can be an annoyance. For $25 in parts, it was a no-brainer to get it taken care of.

I ordered the Steeda stuff from Wake Performance, a relatively new online dealer. They had great prices and got the parts to me in a reasonable amount of time. For installation, I went to Soulspeed Performance, a good suspension shop in Austin who handled alignments and tire mounting for me in recent years. This was a job I really wasn't equipped for myself, so I went with a pro this time. An alignment was mandatory after this work, which was another reason to take it to the shop.

Impressions, Part I

You may be wondering by now if all this effort was worth it. YES! The handling is transformed with this package -- the Cobra now feels like a good European sport sedan and less like a big fat Lincoln. With just the initial setup (stock front swaybar and control-arm bushings), turning response is improved, there is much less body roll and brake dive, and the car is stable and controlled at all times without having a harsh ride. After the front was finished including the Maximum Motorsports rack bushings, the handling improved to a higher level of responsiveness and control, and brake dive and body roll were further reduced. The additional caster gave a more solid on-center feel to the steering; the car tracks straight as an arrow. The complete Stage III package really works as a system -- with this, you feel the front and rear working in harmony to allow effortless control during quick lane changes or curvy sections of highway.

There was more kickback from road reflectors and expansion joints after installing the new front-end bushings, but there were no additional noises or vibrations during normal driving (a bit of bump-induced squeak when starting out in cold weather, but that disappears after a few minutes on the road). Ride quality is still not what I would call harsh -- it remains more comfortable than the typical SUV or truck. Your passengers will probably not complain unless you drive on moonscape-like surfaces. Even with just new springs and shocks, you will feel the bumps more -- the suspension doesn't soak up as many road irregularities -- but the feeling of being planted to the road inspires confidence. The overall NVH level of the full package is quite acceptable, and I'm more sensitive than most. One needn't worry about the Steeda parts in this regard.

The lowering is perfect to get rid of the off-roader look. You really have to see a lowered Mustang in person to appreciate the difference -- it looks like an exotic sports machine now. You wouldn't want to drop it more than the 1.25" provided by the Steeda springs or it would look funny and scrape the underbody on road obstacles (I scraped one of the catalytic converters' heatshields on a tall speedbump once, which is partly why I installed polyurethane spring isolators to raise the front about 1/4", but have had no other problems). Oh, and the rear springs may seem a little high at first (the picture above was taken immediately after install), but they settle to the perfect height in a couple of weeks. Bravo, Steeda! I no longer miss the old Contour.

So, would I do this job myself again? Not unless I had plenty of free time, knowledgable friends to help out, and a craving for bleeding knuckles and sore muscles. It's easier to have a pro handle this kind of thing -- but then you wouldn't get all that good mechanical experience, would you? I say, if you feel up to it, go for it! As for the amount of time required, figure at least a day for the rear, probably at least a weekend for the front. If you're experienced and/or have helpers, the whole job shouldn't take more than a day or two.

Impressions, Part II

After the installation of the X2 ball joints, bumpsteer kit, and rack bushing upgrade, I noticed a couple of things. First, the ride quality had improved significantly. The car fairly glided over bumpy road surfaces that had previously delivered harsh reports to the cabin. Road imperfections were now handled with aplomb -- it was a major difference! Second, it felt as though the front had been raised up a bit, when it actually was the same height as before (I used the spring spacers that came with the ball joints). Different, more like a high-end factory would give you than a typical aftermarket setup. This was, I surmised, a result of having optimal geometry restored and bumpsteer issues solved. I also noticed that all traces of steering rack bind were gone (thanks, MM). Oh, and the handling? At least as good as before, seemingly "tighter" while simultaneously smoother, if that makes any sense -- there was a loss of perceived road feel to go along with the smoother ride, but gone was any feeling that I was driving a cobbled-together aftermarket "kit" -- not that it was that bad before, but the car frequently reminded me that it was something I'd modified, betraying its nature with a bit of a harsh edge. Now it felt like a truly finished system. I absolutely recommend these parts without reservation!

One more positive effect from this latest upgrade is that my front-end alignment is better than ever. With the sport springs, c/c plates, plus offset a-arm bushings, the most camber I could get was -1.5 degrees, which is good for all-out handling but tends to result in uneven tire wear (more wear on the inside edge). Now, I'm able to get -1.1 degrees camber, which should minimize that issue while still allowing good performance.

With all the suspension parts I have now, it's nearly equivalent to Steeda's "Stage IV" level, the only difference being the lack of billet swaybar mounts, which may be nice but I didn't feel the need for those pricey things).

Other Options

I really like the Steeda package. It's an excellent solution for someone who drives their Mustang daily and wants to keep it civilized yet enjoyable on the streets and highways. It'll do fine on the track as well, but there are more radical (and expensive) setups that may be more suited for those who desire a competitive race-oriented machine. You could go nuts with 3-link (Torque arm/Panhard bar) rears, tubular front k-members and control arms, coil-over springs, etc. You'd have a nice race car, but maybe not livable daily transportation. Before springing for one of the high-end packages, try to sample a similarly-equipped car and decide if it's something you'd enjoy driving every day on public roads.

If you do end up deciding to build a track beast, or just want to do something different, consider one of the following vendors:

Maximum Motorsports: they offer several levels of setups, including a Torque Arm/Panhard Bar/LCA rear which is a bit much for the street -- NVH will surely increase -- but their "Starter Box" (basically just springs, shocks, and c/c plates) plus some subframes would be a nice upgrade for a stock Mustang (albeit a little pricey). Their selection of suspension parts and other items is very good.

Griggs Racing: generally well-regarded for high-end racing setups, but quite expensive.

As for the option of Independent Rear Suspension, this is potentially the ultimate Mustang rear setup. Ford's version has been used on 1999-2004 Cobras, the 2000 Cobra R, and the FR500 project with good results; word is that it will be made available from Ford Racing as a retrofit to other Mustangs. Some guys have already swapped in the IRS from a '99 Cobra donor into their car (see David's site again!). The parts are pretty much interchangeable, so if your desires include a comfortable ride and great handling, consider ditching that solid axle.

If you're on a limited budget, you might try some springs and subframe connectors first. The factory struts and shocks aren't too shabby, but are a temporary solution at best -- they tend to wear out quickly and can't match the control and ride improvement gained from good aftermarket units such as Tokicos or Bilsteins or even Konis if you're seriously into racing. Save up and get a complete set when you can, along with a set of c/c plates to get an optimal front alignment. As for the control arms and swaybars, they're nice but aren't mandatory for most drivers -- I'd get the X2 ball joints and bumpsteer kit before those.

A good budget-minded option for those who desire a cost-effective handling upgrade while maintaining good ride quality is the Bullitt suspension package available from Ford dealers such as Gene Evans. This includes a matched set of springs and shocks (specially valved Tokicos) that were OEM on the 2001 Bullitt Mustang. The springs lower a stock Stang up to an inch or so -- nothing dramatic, but enough to improve the looks and handling. The package lists for less than the price of a decent set of aftermarket shocks, so it's probably the most economical choice out there.

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