After installing a Detroit Locker and running drag radials on my car with a 28 inch tall height, I decided it would be a good idea to get the rear end of the car lower while hopefully improving the launch characteristics. I had already installed some lower control arms before the tires and locker and this combo give decent launch characteristics, but left me uneasy on the parkways.
The car would give the feeling of attempting to kick the side out in a sweeping bend. I attribute this to both the locker AND the large new sidewall on the DR's.....
What to do? What to do?
RESEARCH. I decided on a 3 pronged attack. Lower the back using something that won't screw my launch, a Watts link to replace the Panhard, and an adjustable upper to get the driveshaft angle good again.
Onto what I wanted to share. I wound up using Ford Cobra Jet springs. Here's the kicker. On the box and the Ford racing website it was stressed these werenot intended for regular road duty. After looking up the part numvbers, I wondered why as the springs are what was standard in the 2008 Bullitt cars.....
Check this out.....
http://mygtcs.com/mustang/documents/ford/1-GeneralInformation//100-01-Identification%20Codes-Description%20and%20Operation%2005-2008.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Open the PDF file and scroll down to page 10 and it will give codes that correlate to specific part numbers for the front and rear springs the S197's came with from the factory. FWIW- my codes are GG for the front and BB for the rear.
Here's the charts for the spring specs:
Front Springs
Rear Springs
This shows I have the front springs with color code orange and the rear springs with color code blue eqiupped from the factory. Some GT's had yellow up front, some orange. I'm unsure the deciding factor considering I'm a pretty stripped down deluxe model and received the taller of the 2 with the higher check load value. I'm wondering if it is dependent upon transmission WRT the GT's.....
The light blue springs are the same springs that are SUPPOSED to be in the rear of all of the Bullitt edition S197's (It's been found to be in some of the V6 cars as well). It is a spring that was designed earlier and if you poke around on the Bullitt owner forums you will find quite a few Bullitts that have different springs from the factory.
I do have one question as far as the charts and that is in regards to the column marked "Check Load." Is this the same thing as the spring load rating? Load Rating is entirely different from spring rate and not mentioned nearly enough. Knowing the load rating for the springs in my Cougar made it MUCH easier in choosing what I wanted. All other dimensions being equal a lower load rating will result in a lower ride height. To top it ALL off, It would appear that these springs with the same spring rate and lower free height/check load are in fact the EXACT springs in the Cobra Jet spring kit from Ford. LULZ. Guess the "drag strip only" springs are streetable after all......
FWIW I kept my stock spring up front and used the Cobra Jet springs in the rear. Lowered the back around .5-.75 of an inch. I also wound up welding in some lower control arm relocation brackets as well. I know this info is in other places on the interwebz. Just figured I'd share it here as well.
Cheers.
The car would give the feeling of attempting to kick the side out in a sweeping bend. I attribute this to both the locker AND the large new sidewall on the DR's.....
What to do? What to do?
RESEARCH. I decided on a 3 pronged attack. Lower the back using something that won't screw my launch, a Watts link to replace the Panhard, and an adjustable upper to get the driveshaft angle good again.
Onto what I wanted to share. I wound up using Ford Cobra Jet springs. Here's the kicker. On the box and the Ford racing website it was stressed these werenot intended for regular road duty. After looking up the part numvbers, I wondered why as the springs are what was standard in the 2008 Bullitt cars.....
Check this out.....
http://mygtcs.com/mustang/documents/ford/1-GeneralInformation//100-01-Identification%20Codes-Description%20and%20Operation%2005-2008.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Open the PDF file and scroll down to page 10 and it will give codes that correlate to specific part numbers for the front and rear springs the S197's came with from the factory. FWIW- my codes are GG for the front and BB for the rear.
Here's the charts for the spring specs:
Front Springs
Rear Springs
This shows I have the front springs with color code orange and the rear springs with color code blue eqiupped from the factory. Some GT's had yellow up front, some orange. I'm unsure the deciding factor considering I'm a pretty stripped down deluxe model and received the taller of the 2 with the higher check load value. I'm wondering if it is dependent upon transmission WRT the GT's.....
The light blue springs are the same springs that are SUPPOSED to be in the rear of all of the Bullitt edition S197's (It's been found to be in some of the V6 cars as well). It is a spring that was designed earlier and if you poke around on the Bullitt owner forums you will find quite a few Bullitts that have different springs from the factory.
I do have one question as far as the charts and that is in regards to the column marked "Check Load." Is this the same thing as the spring load rating? Load Rating is entirely different from spring rate and not mentioned nearly enough. Knowing the load rating for the springs in my Cougar made it MUCH easier in choosing what I wanted. All other dimensions being equal a lower load rating will result in a lower ride height. To top it ALL off, It would appear that these springs with the same spring rate and lower free height/check load are in fact the EXACT springs in the Cobra Jet spring kit from Ford. LULZ. Guess the "drag strip only" springs are streetable after all......
FWIW I kept my stock spring up front and used the Cobra Jet springs in the rear. Lowered the back around .5-.75 of an inch. I also wound up welding in some lower control arm relocation brackets as well. I know this info is in other places on the interwebz. Just figured I'd share it here as well.
Cheers.
