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Just installed the Steeda Springs and Sway bars

M

meridock

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There were two things I did not like in the ST. My other car is even more performance oriented than the ST so these were something I looked to "fix"
  • Body Roll
  • Brake Dive
I wasn't in need of a lowering look, but as long as the rake was good I wasn't going to complain. I decided to settle on the Steeda package. Package was Front/Rear sways (middle hole), springs, and strut brace.

I will note the Strut brace is very sturdy compared to stock. The Stock one easily can be flexed/twisted by hand. I don't know if this translate to real performance gains in normal driving, but YMMV.


My impressions of the Springs/Bars/Brace eg a butt dyno of the kit in the last 3 days of driving around town and one 20mile highway jaunt:
  • Improved/Similar Ride Quality. Similar to stock - wife approved. She commented that the quality of ride may even be better than stock
  • No Bouncing. I had a 95 Mustang and I went with a Kenny Brown kit back in the day. That had a slightly annoying jounce to the ride on imperfections in the road and train track crossings. The Steeda doesn't yet exhibit any of those bad attributes. I have had to cross tracks multiple times a day and it is not harsh at all.
  • Reduced Body roll. This is largely a function of the sway bars. I have a traffic circle to navigate thru a couple times a day. The stock suspension felt like it was going fall over at most speeds over a slow entry. This truck turns 60-70% flatter. REALLY love that.
  • Less Brake Dive. This area in the stock annoyed me. Braking feel ow it is definitely better and more manageable. I have not yet panic braked, but in traffic and around driving, I like it.
  • Turning Feel from Stop. This is related to body roll i know, but I had a complaint on the way the truck accelerated from a stop when turning. Drivers in NoVA are not known for allowing people out of cross streets so I found I was having to get into the gas a little bit to get onto the major roads. The Body roll aspect I mentioned above kicked in and I literally was pulling the foot off the gas and completing the turn off boost and the ST felt like a wet noodle until the truck got straight. This could be totally a "me thing" but I am more confident in this action so far.
  • Look. The ST is dropped at least an inch and half. The shop parked it next to another ST and it is very noticeable.
  • Noise. Silent so far - no creaks or popping sounds. I instructed the installer to lube up the perches for the springs and the sways.
Left to do next week - Alignment - I always let the springs settle for a week or two of light driving. There is no obvious camber issues with a direct swap, but I will get it aligned next week. I haven't done a forum search for any suggested alignment settings outside stock but please share if you have a slight performance oriented set of alignment settings :) I am not looking for tire eating alignment since this is my wet weather ride.


No Pics yet.
 

UNBROKEN

UNBROKEN

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I’ve been testing other versions of those parts since they came out…so have many others. I’ve said many times the front bar is just not needed. An IRS car needs a lot of rear bar, not front. Change your settings to full soft up front and full firm out back…your car will be a lot more predictable at the limits.
As for the strut bar…that’s a cosmetic addition on these cars just like the factory piece. The real strength is in the tubular factory bars that triangulate the strut towers with the cowl that are hidden under the plastics along the cowl.
Those combined with the way the car is built makes for a very stiff chassis to begin with.
For the alignment you’re gonna get what you get up front for camber…likely right at -.8°, caster will be fine and toe can be dialed in properly. For the rear set camber at -.5° then set the toe. If your shop tells you camber can’t be set I would find a new shop. That setting for camber will make the rear tires match the front as far as protrusion so things look nice and even.
 

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meridock

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Yeah the strut bar was in the box. It is more substantial than the stamped steel, but this isn't a 95 Mustang that needed a bit of tying together.

good advice on the front bar.

Thanks for the camber advice.
 

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