Dallas Fort Worth 5.0 Mustang Club - View Single Post

CODE · 01-08-2015, 11:50 PM

Everyone, I'm the cousin that owns the car with the new hardware. The weather was pretty poor in the days following the install, but we've finally had a few dry days to give the new gear a try. Bottom line up front, the new suspension is a huge improvement over stock regarding traction and elimination of wheel hop, with only minor increases to NVH.

With the stock components, wheel hop was frequent and almost expected during hard acceleration. Since the install, there have been zero instances of wheel hop. None. Now the only traction issues are with the tires. The car feels much more connected to the road. Whether under hard straight line acceleration or putting power down in a turn, the performance difference is substantial. Wheel spin is still a factor at high rpm, but with the stock set up, the car was more difficult to predict and control because of the sudden wheel hop that nearly always accompanied the loss in traction. Now the car communicates the traction limits much more clearly and smoothly. From a performance stand point, this is a much, much better set up than stock.

Regarding the NVH, I went with a full rod-end set up. I have a pretty long commute (about an hour each way) and I was a little worried about making the car a bit too punishing for the drive. I am really pleasantly surprised. There is a little more gear whine and a slight increase in road noise. That's about it. I've taken the car over rough roads, speed bumps, highway driving, dirt roads, etc. If the rough sections of the drive were accompanied by a 'boom" or a loud bang, I really couldn't tell (the louder exhaust may have played a role, though). On really smooth highways at speeds above 70, I can hear a bit of gear whine from the rear end. On less smooth roads, I think a little bit more road noise is heard in the cabin. Overall, a pretty minor price to pay for the increase in traction.

So that's what I can report so far. Much better feel for the road, clean hook ups and better traction through the twisties. The cabin is a little louder, but not nearly as loud as I had expected. This was a great upgrade. Now I just need to work on the tires! Thanks for reading.

01-08-2015, 11:50 PM	#4
CODE Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Age: 46 Posts: 1	Review of the new hardware Everyone, I'm the cousin that owns the car with the new hardware. The weather was pretty poor in the days following the install, but we've finally had a few dry days to give the new gear a try. Bottom line up front, the new suspension is a huge improvement over stock regarding traction and elimination of wheel hop, with only minor increases to NVH. With the stock components, wheel hop was frequent and almost expected during hard acceleration. Since the install, there have been zero instances of wheel hop. None. Now the only traction issues are with the tires. The car feels much more connected to the road. Whether under hard straight line acceleration or putting power down in a turn, the performance difference is substantial. Wheel spin is still a factor at high rpm, but with the stock set up, the car was more difficult to predict and control because of the sudden wheel hop that nearly always accompanied the loss in traction. Now the car communicates the traction limits much more clearly and smoothly. From a performance stand point, this is a much, much better set up than stock. Regarding the NVH, I went with a full rod-end set up. I have a pretty long commute (about an hour each way) and I was a little worried about making the car a bit too punishing for the drive. I am really pleasantly surprised. There is a little more gear whine and a slight increase in road noise. That's about it. I've taken the car over rough roads, speed bumps, highway driving, dirt roads, etc. If the rough sections of the drive were accompanied by a 'boom" or a loud bang, I really couldn't tell (the louder exhaust may have played a role, though). On really smooth highways at speeds above 70, I can hear a bit of gear whine from the rear end. On less smooth roads, I think a little bit more road noise is heard in the cabin. Overall, a pretty minor price to pay for the increase in traction. So that's what I can report so far. Much better feel for the road, clean hook ups and better traction through the twisties. The cabin is a little louder, but not nearly as loud as I had expected. This was a great upgrade. Now I just need to work on the tires! Thanks for reading.