Spring Replacement

I installed some pretty new 225/60ZR16 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires on my 88 a week or two ago and now the right front tire rubs the fender....the left front does as well, if I compress the suspension much. The tires look bigger than the old ones.....

I think the springs are just sagging from 25 years of holding up 3300lb worth of car.

I want factory ride height, no lowering, and a bit more stiffness than stock, if at all possible. What should I go with for springs? RockAuto has MOOG Variable rate coils for the rear but all they have for the front is constant rate. I want to be able to take corners with speed and I'm doing a bit of autocrossing this summer.

No advice, guys? I've searched and looked, all I can find is lowering springs. I do not want to lower the car and mess with front suspension geometry, and I want to maintain some ground clearance.

The front end sits a good couple inches lower than it did a few months ago, and I don't want to destroy either my tires or my fenders!

Get some stock v8 mustang springs

Idk I'm going to slam mine when I get a chance lol

Get some stock v8 mustang springs

He does not want to lower the car, so this is not an option.

If you car has sagged that much in the front in such a short amount of time, I'd be wondering if the springs weren't broken. :dunno: Not that it matters that much since you're replacing them either way.

As far as I know, for stock ride height you're either stuck with the constant rate front springs or you're going to have them custom made at a place like www.coilsprings.com . I *think* the factory front springs are constant rate as well.

I would not be surprised, the guy I bought it from last October owned it since 1989, and he was my dad's age.....seemed to not really run the car hard ever. Even put cheap all season touring tires on the car to quiet it up and soften the ride some.

Either the springs are broken or the spring mounts are deformed....it is a Nebraska car, and he did drive it in winter some. While I have seen no evidence of body rust, it is impossible to be sure. Where do these things rust badly in the front end area?

Does anybody make a stiffer progressive rate front spring with maybe 1" drop or something like that? I don't mind some drop, but I don't want the tires to rub. The new tires are the correct size but visually are at least an inch taller and 3/4" wider than the old ones once mounted to the rims.

Same for the rear, really. A bit of lowering would be OK, if that's what it takes to get something stiffer than OEM. I'm 21, my body is still young and tough enough to deal with a slightly harsher ride.

tl;dr I will be OK with a bit of a drop if it means better springs. And I could always use a machined spacer if I needed more height?

The springs are not broken, I had the car in the air today and checked....

I've had the springs break 4 times and 3 of them you couldn't tell. They had broken about one coil up from the bottom in the spring pocket so you couldn't see unless you were really poking in there.

The common rust spot is at the bottom of the shock tower, usually the passenger side first. I saw that 5.0 resto now has a patch kit for that area, at least for the Mustang. I would have to believe that the kit would work on a t'bird also with minor modifications.

steve

Wow, something is definitley wrong. I have lowering springs and don't have that problem. Every tire is a little different but you are using the right size. On the stock wheels I always liked 50 series tires but I like a more aggressive feel of the road. If it's that bad you should probably start taking things apart. Maybe measure the circumference of the tire and have someone on here with stock tire sizes compare what they measure, just for a reference. If you get a minute take a picture it probably looks pretty cool that lowered?? I would try to find the issue before buying anything. Maybe someone on here has a spare spring they can measure unsprung, and you can check it against yours, or compare some rough measurements ground to fender wheel well, wheel center to fender wheel well to someone else that has stock suspension? If you have to end up buying lowering springs, buy caster/camber plates also. maximum motorsports has them specific to the tbird.

Where do these things rust badly in the front end area?

Does anybody make a stiffer progressive rate front spring with maybe 1" drop or something like that? I don't mind some drop, but I don't want the tires to rub.
Same for the rear, really. A bit of lowering would be OK, if that's what it takes to get something stiffer than OEM. I'm 21, my body is still young and tough enough to deal with a slightly harsher ride.

tl;dr I will be OK with a bit of a drop if it means better springs. And I could always use a machined spacer if I needed more height?

I've seen a older F150 rust on the upper spring seat before. People need to learn to pressure wash under their cars after snow/salt.

Stock 94-03 Mustang Front Springs will lower your "Factory Ride Height" pretty close to 1 inch / maybe slightly more. It will sit at a decent height for sure. Search old threads and you should find some pics.
As for the same year Mustang rear springs, they seem to be 1.25" shorter on a Tbird. In other words, either due to weight or design its still going to sit 1.25" lower than the front.
The ride feels pretty good since the 94+ Mustangs weigh about the same as a Tbird.

Yes, you can keep use the factory PCR shocks and struts at that height.

teal95: Do you have pictures of your broken springs, or pictures of where to look while they are still installed?

TurboE: I don't think it looks better, but that's probably because different corners sit at different heights. I'll see if I can snag a picture. How much do the caster/camber plates run, and can a standard alignment shop use them without going apesh** at me for them not being OEM?

goldwing: If I buy a set of coils for all four corners for a 94-04 Mustang, you're saying it will be a 1" drop in front and 1.25" drop in rear from stock height, correct? Do the springs bolt right up in place of the stock units without needing new mounts or anything?

Is there a specific model's springs I should go for to get increased stiffness without necessarily making it race car stiff?