Author Topic: mustang suspension question  (Read 435 times)

Offline Gunslinger

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mustang suspension question
« on: September 20, 2006, 01:47:59 PM »
I was driving my wife's mustang today and notice the bellybutton end on it was more loose than usual.  As I was filling up I pushed down on the trunk and it sank down like nothing and then bounced.  

I'm not familure with a car like this so is the rear suspension supposed to be loose?  

Is the front supposed t be tighter because it is still very stiff.


2002 Mustang GT Conv.

Offline Ripsnort

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2006, 01:52:24 PM »
Its that American design/manufacturing mentality of having a log axle rear end instead of an independent suspension.  I curse at Ford everytime I go from my BMW to the wife's 05 mustang when I start taking corners....:mad:

Offline john9001

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2006, 01:59:21 PM »
mustangs will always have a solid rear axle, because it's the merican way.

some time in recent history, ford was going to bring out a mustang with front wheel drive and full independent suspension, but market surveys said mustang owners would not buy it , so ford renamed the FWD car something else and put together a "mustang" with a solid rear axle.

Offline Ripsnort

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2006, 02:01:44 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by john9001
mustangs will always have a solid rear axle, because it's the merican way.

some time in recent history, ford was going to bring out a mustang with front wheel drive and full independent suspension, but market surveys said mustang owners would not buy it , so ford renamed the FWD car something else and put together a "mustang" with a solid rear axle.
I've heard it is because that the log axles (solid rear axle) is about 10 times cheaper than independent suspensions.  Cheaper costs means more corporate profit...

Offline J_A_B

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2006, 02:08:19 PM »
Guns, are you sure the shocks aren't bad?  All the Mustangs I've had any experience with always had pretty stiff suspensions.


BMW's are for yuppies.


J_A_B

Offline SmokinSS

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2006, 02:08:53 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by john9001
mustangs will always have a solid rear axle, because it's the merican way.

some time in recent history, ford was going to bring out a mustang with front wheel drive and full independent suspension, but market surveys said mustang owners would not buy it , so ford renamed the FWD car something else and put together a "mustang" with a solid rear axle.




The 03 and 04 Cobra's had a IRS. a good deal of the folks who own them take the IRS out sell it and put a solid axle under it. IRS is great for turning but not worth a bent nickle for a drag strip.


Gunslinger....When the car rebounds does it continue to bounce or does it settle down?


Robert

Offline icemaw

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #6 on: September 20, 2006, 02:16:37 PM »
well its hard to tell from a desription like that. but it kind of sounds like you have a broken shock mount. while the shock does not really hold the car up spring does 90% of that work it does controll the movment of the spring. if you push down and let go the car should not bounce on the springs. a worn out or broken spring and or spring will allow the suspension to move with out damping. this would cause poor handling including massive oversteer and a very bouncy ride.

  of coarse even the omni potant bmw would do this with worn out or broken shocks.
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Offline Gunslinger

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Re: mustang suspension question
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2006, 02:22:11 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Gunslinger
it sank down like nothing and then bounced.  



Yes it bounced!  Any other car I'd call the shocks bad on it but from my experience usually you replace all 4 of them, not just the rears.  The front seem nice and stiff, no bounce at all, but the rear sink and then bounce once it springs back up.

I was just curious if this was normal to 02 Mustang convertables.

Offline J_A_B

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #8 on: September 20, 2006, 02:27:27 PM »
"Any other car I'd call the shocks bad on it but from my experience usually you replace all 4 of them, not just the rears."


I've seen just the rears go before; not on a Mustang, but it can happen.

J_A_B

Offline Waffle

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Re: mustang suspension question
« Reply #9 on: September 20, 2006, 02:27:29 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Gunslinger
I was driving my wife's mustang today and notice the bellybutton end on it was more loose than usual.  

 


So thats what they're calling it these days....the ol "driving the mustang"....lol those crazy kids!

Offline Birddogg

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #10 on: September 20, 2006, 02:34:11 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by SmokinSS
The 03 and 04 Cobra's had a IRS. a good deal of the folks who own them take the IRS out sell it and put a solid axle under it. IRS is great for turning but not worth a bent nickle for a drag strip.


Gunslinger....When the car rebounds does it continue to bounce or does it settle down?


Robert


99 and 01 Cobras also had IRS.

Offline Iceman24

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #11 on: September 20, 2006, 03:08:37 PM »
check the springs on the rearend, it doesn't sound like the shock would be causing that to me. you can actually take the shock completely off and it won't be that loose. If I were you I would look to make sure there is actually a spring on it, then check and make sure it's not messed up. secondly I would look at the shock mount area and make sure there's no cracks or anything like that in the area. maybe a loose/missing nut somewhere. If I had to bet, I would bet on the spring being gone or broken. sounds goofy but I've known people who had similar problems and go check and there actually missing a spring, I swear those things fall off somehow :) . Secondly, the main reason the mustang/camero's have always had a solid rear axle is that the majority of people who own them use them for 1/4 mile drag monsters, they market the stang and chevy the camero towards the 1/4 mile crowd as a cheap car that you can turn into a beast for very little $$. If they were to switch to an independant rear end then most of the parts would cost 5 times the ammount. generally speaking a mustang, especially an early 90's late 80's mustang is a great buy if you are looking for a 1/4 miler that you can buy reasonbly cheap and turn into a beast for a few grand more. Just take a 92 mustang and throw a crated up V8 in it and a shiftkit and your set. anyway good luck on the stang, let us know if find the culprit. If your still having problems figuring it out, run it down to your local garage and have one of the people out back working come take a quick look at it in the parking lot, most of the time they'll figure out whats wrong and won't even charge you sense its not in there garage but in the parking lot. I have a 68 camero and anytime I need to get under my car to work on something or to inspect something I just run down the street to discount tire and have throw it up on one of there lifts, I started building that car about 5 years ago, so needless to say I'm on a first name basis with most the people there :)

Offline Iceman24

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #12 on: September 20, 2006, 03:12:48 PM »
"99 and 01 Cobras also had IRS."

yeah and that's basically why the cobra was about 10k more then the regular GT. the brand new stock GT's with the V8's were around 25k or so, I bet you payed well over 35k for the cobra with the messed up/very expensive rearend, of course it will handle only a little bit better on the road, but on the track it really kicks the car's arse, especially when you are trying to buy new parts for it or to change something out in the rearend. that was probably the dumbest thing ford has done :)

Offline Iceman24

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #13 on: September 20, 2006, 03:19:18 PM »
"The 03 and 04 Cobra's had a IRS. a good deal of the folks who own them take the IRS out sell it and put a solid axle under it. IRS is great for turning but not worth a bent nickle for a drag strip. "

I still don't get it, why would you want to pay the extra money for a cobra with IRS and then scrap it off and buy a solid rear axle, why wouldn't you just save the $$ and buy a GT, that's the only difference between the 2, that and goofy hoods that are supposed to have a very basic ram air system but unfortunately doesn't work

of coarse the year that they offered the supercharger it was a deal :) almost forgot about that, I think it was in 03 or 04 that they offered that in the cobra, man those things would run out of the box
« Last Edit: September 20, 2006, 03:29:30 PM by Iceman24 »

Offline bkbandit

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mustang suspension question
« Reply #14 on: September 20, 2006, 03:32:33 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Ripsnort
I've heard it is because that the log axles (solid rear axle) is about 10 times cheaper than independent suspensions.  Cheaper costs means more corporate profit...


Yep more corp profit, cause the price of the mustang desont get cheaper.