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Auto Cross set up for 05 Mustang GT
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:08 pm
by TracAction
Anyone driving a S197 or have any specific set up ideas?
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:24 pm
by Native
I have no idea what an S197 is, but since you said you have an '05 GT, I'm gonna make the leap that that's what it is...
There's a guy named Pete Brown who races a new-gen Mustang. I don't think he's on the forum, but he's at the events often enough. Hopefully you can catch up with him at some point, he might be able to give you some ideas.
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:15 am
by TracAction
yes the S197 is the new body figured if anyone had one they might know it off hand
I will look for him I noticed there is an 06 signed up for the next event at SPC.
off hand I think the best thing I can do quick Cheap and Easy is the new mustangs don't come from the factory with a camber adjustment, BUT I can get some bolts that allow slight camber adjustment for like $20 the next thing is how much is too much!
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:26 am
by Solar
Go to
http://www.maximummotorsports.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; they have a great FAQ's and Tech section, plus a ton of handling accesories.
EDIT: I found that the Tech section is empty, normally it's full of good stuff, I know they're changing web servers so that might be the problem, but still a good site to visit if you have a Mustang.
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 10:36 pm
by TracAction
Ok so as I feared I have obvious understeer issues
here are possible fixes I can prob choose one before the next event.
1) new spring kit (will have to wait another month on shocks new adjustable shocks) this should tighten up the front end and the the lower stance will add some negative camber.
2) front shock tower brace
3) brace up the current front swaybar with lateral brace will reduce flex of current parts and also provide suport at weaker points.
4) new front swaybar.
What I am thinking to do is get an alignment to get the most negative caber I can get prob only -1 degree with factory set up. so minimal help and if I go with a new spring kit in another month or so I will have to redo that anyhow so I DUNNO?
I think I may get the most from a front tower brace as there is no support there currently, and don't think i want to install springs then shoks would rather do that all at once.
any thoughts out there?
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:43 pm
by treekiller
shop around. if you can get a set of nice matched coil overs do it. Tein has a Super street damper kit for the car retail is 1300, street price around 990 and they have a nice camber plate kit with their flex kit. (they will let you just buy the plates and add them to the other kit) Getting springs and shocks that are too soft and don't work well together is just a recipie for re-buying later. do it once and do it right. you won't regret it. since a set of race valved shocks are the cost of coil overs it's money well spent and they are rebuildable/revalvable so they can grow/change for the life of your car..
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 10:11 am
by AScoda
TracAction wrote:1) new spring kit (will have to wait another month on shocks new adjustable shocks) this should tighten up the front end and the the lower stance will add some negative camber.
Do springs and shocks as a matched set, don't do it twice.
TracAction wrote:2) front shock tower brace
Bling. Don't waste your money.
Even if it did flex between the towers, you would be gaining negative camber right?
TracAction wrote:3) brace up the current front swaybar with lateral brace will reduce flex of current parts and also provide suport at weaker points.
Not even sure what you are proposing here.
Any tiny amount of flex you would be bracing isn't going to amount to anything on a daily driver/autocrosser. If you are roadracing on a regular basis, those flex points may add up to significant wear over time. If that is what you are wanting to build, brace everything.
TracAction wrote:4) new front swaybar.
If you are understeering, softer front or stiffer rear.
I would get an aggressive alignment, and get some more runs in the car. You may find that the understeering can be cured with a healthy dose of right foot.

Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 9:18 pm
by blacksheep-1
I think that you're going about this beackwards, if the car pushes, you want to free up the rear, not the front. Since our cars are so freaking nose heavy, they tend to go straight to the "push" effect without much transitional time. Lowering the car, and therefore the weight is a very good thing, and since the car is now lower, then use a bump steer kit to get the roll center from about 3 feet under the pavement back up into the car where it's supposed to be. (IMHO I'd use the Steeda kit and not the offset rack bushings) This actually made as much difference in my car as anything else that I did. Changing the camber also works well, some guys run a lot of camber, I never did, because I figured the car had to do most of it's turning on turn in, once you went pass the threshold where really radical camber would work, it was already pushing. Realistically, that's about all you can do to the front of the car without being too radical (see Ascoda for radical front ends on mustangs). What you need to do is to make the REAR of the car looser so it will be more neutral in the corners, Go to the biggest rear bar that you can find, and stiffen up the shocks, harder rear springs will also help. As far as the front shocks, you want them to slowwwllyy transfer weight to the front end and get as much turning done as possible before the dreaded "push" occurs, but too soft, the car plows, too stiff, the car plows, it's a balancing act.
In general terms, our cars are somehwere around 60% or more on the front end, not just on the front end, but in front of the front axle centerline. This has some enertia effect as well and is probably the main reason thay transition so fast, so, unless your willing to redesign the car and move the engine backwards in the chassis, you're screwed. This is one reason why the Camaros handle better than our cars, if you look at them, the engine is buried under the dash board, our cars have 1-2 cylinders ahead of the front axle C/L, but at least we can change plugs without removing the radio.
One other thing, there is a big debate on tire pressure, for instance, do I go with a lower pressure, which increases sidewall flex and allows the car to steer faster on turn in? or do I run the tires at a higher pressure that heats them up faster and allows them to stick better through the complete turn? In my case the Kumho VR710's liked more pressure than less, your results may vary.