The eibach line is pretty soft/low, same as FRPP B and C's. What are your goals for the car?

 

Really just winding roads & street...may try track a few time for fun with club, but haven't yet. Bilstein's worth the extra $?

 

Yes, they absolutely are worth the money. Hardly anyone ever wants to hear this, but I'd look into coilovers on the front and adjustable-height LCA's in back. It's impossible to count high enough to cover all the people who didn't want to spend that much money, only to spend that much and more doing it all over again when their conventional springs didn't sit at the right height.

 

I second MFE's advice. Having done the buy it twice thing myself at least purchase the adjustable height RLCAs. Also spring for the Bilsteins. In this way, when you decide to go C/O up front, you'll already have correct dampers and the rear will be adjustable too.

 

Sounds good...looks like I'll now be piecing this together individually. Maybe the bilsteins first...or maybe the rlca's and rear bilstein's together. Then tackle the fronts in the spring time. Have to think about the plan.

 

I have the adjustable J&M weight jacker lower control arms on my car. They are pretty nice pieces. I know some other companies make them also, but I would stick with the MM or J&M myself.

 

Definitely go coil-over if you are looking to spend that kind of money. I'd skip the k-member if not actually racing the car. An alternative to Bilsteins are the Konis (get the yellow single adjustables). They usually have an annual sale in March or May, I forget which, with 25% off, huge savings. Get some used 300-325 lb/in. front coil-over springs and go PM3L in the rear (43TA7 rear springs from MM). Does the car have SN95 brakes yet? Save the torque arm money and put it towards the brakes if it doesn't.

You should probably come read the road racing section for a month.

 

You should probably come read the road racing section for a month.

I'll do that, thanks.

 

Quick question...New Bilstein HD shocks/struts & MM RLCA's don't come with new hardware? That surprises me...Re-Use the OEM bolts? Thanks.

 

Yep.

 

Made the switch from Bilstein HD's to Koni Sports (along with other suspension changes including Eibach springs) last year. Night and day difference -- I'd give the Koni Sports a long look. And follow MFE's advice - do it right (and only once) the first time.

 

Been running the Koni Sport SAs on our Prelude for over a year. Not all that impressed with them. SAs are only rebound adjustable which doesn't seem to provide enough compression in the middle range. One click more and bump becomes a bit harsh. Thought having an adjustable damper would be neat but because of the SA limitations once set it pretty much stays put.

Experience from the Koni SAs led me to stay with the Bils on my 86. I suppose the Koni DAs would be a vast improvement but I'd want to try them first before spending that much money.

 

I already ran with a recommendation from Maximum Motorsports and bought the Bilsteins and MM non adjustable RLCA's (no problem with existing ride height)...along with other recommended parts/bushings. I suspect these additions will be good enough for this driver, on these roads, with these tires and brakes.

 

Thought I'd add that the Bilsteins did eliminate any road-dip created tire rub I had in the past. Sensa tracs just didn't dampen the movement enough.

 

Should have got the adjustable LCA's. You might not think you need them now, but at some point you'll wish you just spent the extra $$ and bought them from the beginning.

Your stuff is somewhat similar to my own.

MM full length sub frame connectors.
MM strut tower brace.
MM CC plates.
MM XD lower control arms.

I'm running 93 Cobra uppers with stock rear springs. Strange 10-ways front and back, and a soon to be changed too stiff 12x200 front spring.

 

Should have got the adjustable LCA's. You might not think you need them now, but at some point you'll wish you just spent the extra $$ and bought them from the beginning.

That may be...but really I call it an improvement over the flexi-flyer version of the car a few years ago. Had it in my mind that any raise in the rear would equate to some drop in the front. Gonna give it some time, now. Been a busy winter working on the car....

 

The only thing that bothers me with all these suspension upgrades for a street car is the noticeable increase in NVH. CC plates and coil overs made my car unbearable to me for a street drivin car. I believe the MM motorsports heavey duty rear control arms will add some more NVH. For me it just wasn't worth it on my street, just made the car much to load feeling and hearing every crack and surface. I'm back to stock parts with rubber bushing, and proved for me what was more important. My opinion and not saying there is no place for these parts, but for street car you give a lot in ride quality to get a little in my opinion.

 

This may have been YOUR experience. Mine was much different. Sorry you had such bad luck with yours. Mine has no creaks, rattles, squeaks or anything of any kind. The ride is good. I would drive that car from here to CA tomorrow if I had too. Only noise that comes from my rear (wait, what?) is some gear whine.

My only complaint would be the lack of support with the stock seats and the screaming my credit card would be making from not passing any gas stations.

 

In my experience going from all stock to all MM suspension in phases, the ride quality actually improved. NVH was not an issue until I installed the rod-ended PM3L. This one piece transformed that handling and ride quality of the car. But the price was a significant transfer of gear noise into the cabin. Never had any issues with the MM C/Os, PHB or either version of their LCAs (non and adjustable). In fact, when I installed the T/A and K the NVH decreased. This is without a rear seat and all the sound deadener removed from the seat area.

 

Anytime you replace a rubber bushing with a solid or semi solid bushing you get more NVH transmitted through the connecting parts. I'll bet if you were to go back to all stock rubber bushing it would be night and day difference.

 

I agree with Fox,When these folks complain about all these noises from C/C plates and coilovers they never state what junk parts they are using.To make a blanket statement about noises and all this NVH without stating the parts being used is BS,it makes it sound like this is what you get no matter what,and that clearly is not the case.

I have not even the slightest vibration,creaks,groans,banging going on with my setup.I DD my '86 7-8 months a year putting on 3000 miles annually,and would NEVER go back to the HORRIBLE stock ride with all the binding rubber parts....never.My current setup is so much more compliant on my ####ty roads the difference IS night and day,just the opposite of what the other poster claims.

It comes down to parts quality and the slightest amount of install skill,plain and simple.

 

Sorry guys, but my intention was not to prove right or wrong or argue about the combination of parts here, but rather state one simple fact.

Rubber bushing will always translate less NVH than solid or semi solid bushing or metal to metal contact. OEM uses rubber for this simple reason. In the past my CC plates and coil overs were Maximum Motorsports and they will also not disagree that it will cause more NVH.

 

Coilovers themselves won't transmit any more NVH into the car than a spring located on the control arm. In fact they will have less NVH due to the reduced friction.

Higher wheel rates will result in more NVH. Whether this is from a coilover spring or a spring on the control arm it makes no difference. For a given wheel rate, coilovers have less NVH.

c/c plates will introduce more NVH into the car as there is direct metal to metal contact between the chassis and suspension. Whether this is audible or not is a different question. On a Fox convertible the increase is going to be the most audible. On a 2015 S197 the difference will be the least audible and usually undetectable. The quality of the paving is going to have a huge affect on the difference in NVH between a car with c/c plates and one with stock rubber mounts. With reasonable paving the difference is almost undetectable. On bad paving the difference can be obvious.

If the car was unbearable with c/c plates and coilovers, either the wheel rate was too high, dampers too stiff or the paving was too poor.

 

Coilovers themselves won't transmit any more NVH into the car than a spring located on the control arm. In fact they will have less NVH due to the reduced friction

Let's assume we are not driving on smooth roads, so yes cracks bumps large expansion joints what not, crappy country roads.

Not trying to argue just want to understand this. A stock spring has rubber or poly isolaters on both sides of the springs perch this reduces NVH. A coil over with spring on strut has non, this should increase NVH.

A stock strut setup has a big rubber bushing isolating the strut itself from the inside of the shock tower which reduces NVH. A coil over setup bolts directly to an aftermarket CC plate that is metal on metal, this should dramatically increase NVH.

 

I live in the Northern Maine and here the roads are poorly maintained country roads that have cracks, bumps and are ravaged every spring by frost heave. So as Jack Hidley stated above, with poor roads you will get a dramatic increase in NVH.

Of course if the roads are flat and smooth you would hardly now, but thats my case and I'd bet many have similar roads to drive on.

 

Here's the bottom line: You are driving a 92 Mustang LX with a smallblock producing 700 hp and all the induction, exhaust, and valvetrain required to get to that power level out of 363 cubic inches. You are not driving a Town Car. You are not driving a Silver Ghost. You are not driving a Prius. I don't care what the sharp stick up Kevin$ A$$ would prompt him to say, you won't ever notice any increase in NVH in that car from running properly made, properly assembled, properly functioning coilovers and c/c plates, because any (barely perceptible in the first place) increase in NVH is going to be masked 10x over by everything else going on with the car.

 

I don't care what the sharp stick up Kevin$ A$$ would prompt him to say, you won't ever notice any increase in NVH in that car from running properly made, properly assembled, properly functioning coilovers and c/c plates, because any (barely perceptible in the first place) increase in NVH is going to be masked 10x over by everything else going on with the car.

Still trying to convince the majority of world that we are all wrong, eh?
Obviously we don't drive POS like you if we can notice a difference. Try taking the stick out of your ear for a change and become a decent person instead of causing trouble. You're just a low life that gets his rocks off by bullying people around on the internet if they don't agree with you.. How low is that??

ks

 

Wrong like usual.. You should be getting used to hearing that, tho...
Hmm, nice dog.

ks

 

92rohcp,

The lack of rubber isolators on the top and bottom of the coilover spring doesn't have any affect on NVH conducted into the chassis. Since the spring is compliant, it can only conduct low frequencies through it. High frequencies cause one end to oscillate and the opposite end to stay fixed. No conduction. The reason that OEMs install rubber isolators on the ends of the springs is to stop the springs from making noise against the perches that they rest on, which are not formed perfectly to the ends of the springs. With a coilover spring, the ends are closed and ground, so there is a good fit to the perch and no noise.

All of the high frequency noise is conducted through the damper or suspension bushings. Dampers resist changes in high frequency motion, the faster you try to compress and relax a shock, the more it resists this and locks solid. That is the shock conducting the high frequency from one end to the other.

Out of curiosity what front spring rate and strut was on your car with the coilovers?

 

Thanks for the information and tech Jack. I started with 250 lb and ended with 175 lb springs.