Looks like LMR is suggesting 285 x 35 x 19 for both front and rear with 9.5" wide wheels
Looks like LMR is suggesting 285 x 35 x 19 for both front and rear with 9.5" wide wheels
Work on the front end has been proceeding. Here is the obligatory "before" shot:
No major issues getting things apart. A few shots of the old vs. new parts. New OEM tie rod ends:
The new GT500 LCA compared to the old stocker:
Closeup of the bushings on the old vs. new:
Strut assembly taking place. That's the new Bilstien with the Ford Racing "P" spring, GT500 upper spring perch, and Maximum Motorsports caster camber plate:
Assembled and on the car. Note the Whiteline adjustable sway bar on it's softest setting for now:
Just need to do the brakes. I found out that my rebuilt Brembo calipers are missing some pins, so I ordered some. Once I have those, I should be ready to finish it up, get it on the road, and get it aligned.
Well, the brakes took a bit of sorting out, both rear calipers were frozen up for some reason, even though I rebuilt them. I ended up just getting remans from Autozone and now everything is good.
Anyhow, the car is back on the road!
Initial impressions are very good. No more clunking or banging from the suspension, which stands to reason, since basically everything is new. The ride with the "P" springs and Bilsteins is honestly really good. Probably a bit better than it was with the stock springs and the Koni Special Actives. Part of me is thinking I could have gone a bit more aggressive, dropped it a bit more, but I don't want to ruin the car for street driving.
Also happy to report that my bargain-basement brake upgrade worked out great, too. When I first bought the car, it had a very spongy pedal feel. Last year I swapped out the lines for stainless steel, which along with a full flush/bleed, helped some, but I still wasn't happy with it. Now, with the Brembos up front, the pedal is nice and solid, exactly the way I want it. Obviously I haven't pushed it too hard in street driving, but initial impressions are very good.
Honestly, the fact that you can just bolt on these huge rotors and calipers with no change to the master cylinder or having to deal with proportioning valves or anything, all for a few hundred bucks, is a pretty killer upgrade for these cars. I have no idea why you'd spend thousands on a kit from a place like Stoptech or Baer.
Track day!
Yesterday, I did an open track day at good old Waterford Hills, my local track where I have by far the most laps of any other track I've been to. Which isn't to say I have a ton, and it's also been quite a few years since I've been there. In many ways, the place hasn't changed since I started going 25 years ago. This was a Waterford-run track day, not put on by another club, and WHRRI has their own way of doing things. Like an hour-plus drivers meeting on a very cold and windy morning. To be fair to them, the day before, someone sent it coming down after Hilltop in a C5 and not only completely binned it and totaled their car, they took out about 50 feet of guardrail, which was still being repaired on Sunday morning. So there was a lot of "this is not a race" and "be careful" and "obey the flags". They stuck me in HPDE-3, which I was a bit apprehensive about given my lack of recent experience, but it turned out fine.
There were about 50 cars there. The usual mix of Miatas and Corvettes with a sprinkling of Hondas, BMWs, and a few other odd things. I had the only S197 there, though there were a couple of race-prepped Fox bodies.
As for the car, it did great. No issues whatsoever. I'm always nervous whenever I do a bunch of work and then go out and drive the car in anger for the first time. Everything was nice and tight, nothing leaked, nothing came loose or broke, and the highest temps I saw on my Ultragage were 203 degrees. Although, again, cold day. The car handled fine, pretty understeery, but I had the front bar on full stiff and the rear in the middle, so I kind of anticipated that. The Firestones seemed to grip fairly well and didn't wear too badly. I spoke to a guy who used to run those tires on an S550 Ecoboost, and he said they like a bit less pressure, I had them at 35, but that was after my last session so I didn't get a chance to adjust them. The brakes were just outstanding, amazing power and no fade. One thing that stood out, though, is that the factory seats absolutely SUCK for this kind of driving. My arms and upper body are still sore from trying to keep myself in place.
Overall, a good day. Had some fun, didn't break anything. Mulling over doing a TNIA at Gingerman next month. I've never been, and I'd love to check it out.
A few other miscellaneous pictures.
They just repaved the paddock area, it looks nice:
Finishing up repairs to the guardrail from the previous day's incident:
A few of the cool cars that were there:
Just a check in to say I've been dailying the car for a few weeks now, and I'm just delighted with how all the mods turned out. The ride is honestly really good. If I'd known it would be this good, I might have gone a bit more aggressive on the springs. I credit a lot of this to the Bilsteins, I'm a huge fan. The brakes are still amazing, I'm over the moon with how well they turned out. With the interior fixes and all fresh suspension, the car does not feel like it's 19 years old at all.
Only recent "mod" is that I installed a cheapo Amazon rear-view camera and hooked it up to my Sony head unit:
Just very happy with the car overall. Thought I'd share. 
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
I can concur. Tom Kindly let me drive it up to cars and coffee at M1 Concourse last weekend. I was amazed at how well it rode and the the brakes felt phenomenal. The clutch felt stiff, but consensus is I'm a wimp who's been driving two pedals too long. This was confirmed by another Mustang owner. 
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