Suspension upgrades and suggestions

terik4187

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Hello fellow Cobra owners,

I have an 04 Cobra and I'm looking to do some suspension upgrades over the winter months and I'm trying to get an idea of what I should get done. Best brands or manufacturers would be great as well.

I only drive the car on weekends in the summer. Car maybe sees the track once in a summer but mostly just street use. I would like a nice smooth drive and would like to handle the bends and corners nicely but doesn't have to be Bentley kind of ride. lol

So far what I have on my list is; FTBR IRS kit and full length subframe connectors.

Thanks in advance for all the help. Cheers
 

Roush6018

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hey i really like my H&R sport blue springs on my 03 cobra. i recommend running the aftermarket ISO upper and lower in the front and i recommend only the lower aftermarket ISO in the rear.

my car has the poly steering rack bushings, those are easy to install.

if you lower your car the bump steer gets worse and to install a bump steer kit will help. they are more difficult to install. install a front kit first then a rear bump steer kit.

last, i recommend keeping the front lower control arm bushings the OEM rubber design and do not install poly bushings in the front arms.
 

terik4187

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hey i really like my H&R sport blue springs on my 03 cobra. i recommend running the aftermarket ISO upper and lower in the front and i recommend only the lower aftermarket ISO in the rear.

my car has the poly steering rack bushings, those are easy to install.

if you lower your car the bump steer gets worse and to install a bump steer kit will help. they are more difficult to install. install a front kit first then a rear bump steer kit.

last, i recommend keeping the front lower control arm bushings the OEM rubber design and do not install poly bushings in the front arms.
Roush6018: thanks for all the info. I was told about the bump steer kit as well. Cheers
 

01yellercobra

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IMO, unless you're dropping the car 2"+ you don't need a bump steer kit. The only reason I have one now is because the MM K member requires one. But when I was on the stock K with H&R springs the car drove fine and with the caster/camber plates it was aligned with no issue. If the car feels darty after you lower it you might need the bump steer kit, but I doubt it will.

To me the car rode better once I did the FTBR bushings. I did those after doing the Stifflers sub frame connectors and jacking rails.

As mentioned, I would do at least the poly steering rack bushings. Though I've also run aluminum bushings with no extra vibrations or noises.

Best brands/manufacturers are going to depend on what the person likes and is running. Maximum Motorsports is good stuff. I'm running their K member and caster/camber plates. But I like the Stifflers set up better with the jacking rails. And after you lower the car you'll love the jacking rails. I like my MM coilovers, but I'm thinking of switching to Viking so I can have the adjustable shocks/struts.
 

Blkkbgt

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Nothing much done to it except H&R lower springs. Stock shocks.
I would swap out your old Bilsteins for some new fresh HDs.

I'd also add some aluminum steering rack bushing, new sway bar bushings and end links.

You didn't mention if you have CC plates or not but they should be on your list as well.
 

shurur

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Nothing much done to it except H&R lower springs. Stock shocks.
Q: Which H&R springs do you have?
Sport or Race springs?

The race springs are red.

I agree with Blkkbgt, and would add that you might want to choose a shock/strut that you could go to CO with, should you change your mind down the road.
 
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terik4187

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Q: Which H&R springs do you have?
Sport or Race springs?

The race springs are red.

I agree with Blkkbgt, and would add that you might want to choose a shock/strut that you could go to CO with, should you change your mind down the road.
I have sport springs.

With all of the suggestions I feel the COs is the way to go along with SFC, CC plates and new shocks and struts. Any suggestions on the brand shock/struts should I get.

Thanks for all the input svtp gents. Much appreciated eh!
 

shurur

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I have sport springs.

With all of the suggestions I feel the COs is the way to go along with SFC, CC plates and new shocks and struts. Any suggestions on the brand shock/struts should I get.

Thanks for all the input svtp gents. Much appreciated eh!
Opinions are going to vary.

I would only consider MM, Bilstein or Koni myself.

Deciding the CO spring rates and the front to rear ratio you want is where the real decision making fun begins.
 

01yellercobra

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I'm currently running MM coilovers and I would recommend looking at Vikings. I installed a set on a buddies car and they're pretty nice. The strut/shock bodies are threaded. So no sleeves. And they're adjustable.
 

shurur

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Since spring rates are part part of this whole discussion for OP..

What F/R CO spring rates are you planning to run?
I'm currently running MM coilovers and I would recommend looking at Vikings. I installed a set on a buddies car and they're pretty nice. The strut/shock bodies are threaded. So no sleeves. And they're adjustabl
 

01yellercobra

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Since spring rates are part part of this whole discussion for OP..

What F/R CO spring rates are you planning to run?
I'm currently running 300/475. The rear end feels a little bouncy, but I think that's due to the shock being under valved. I want to say my buddy went with 275/450 on his car and he's more than happy with it. Plus he was able to dial it in with the struts/shocks.

The only "downside" to the Vikings is the rear springs are 2.25" diameter. So some sheet metal needs to be bent out of the way. But it's nothing horrible.
 

shurur

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I'm currently running 300/475. The rear end feels a little bouncy, but I think that's due to the shock being under valved. I want to say my buddy went with 275/450 on his car and he's more than happy with it. Plus he was able to dial it in with the struts/shocks.

The only "downside" to the Vikings is the rear springs are 2.25" diameter. So some sheet metal needs to be bent out of the way. But it's nothing horrible.
I like 300/400 or 300/425.

I know the split is less than MM recommends, but Bruce at FTBR only had a 100# difference between F/R...but also had no blower on the front. So my interest is more with the 99-01 cobra.


I will probably never go CO anyway.
 
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01yellercobra

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As usual it also depends on the use of the car. I tend to drive my car a little more aggressive than my buddy. And my car probably transfers weight a little better than his when I stomp on the pedal.
 

DCguy

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300/500 is a pretty good street/strip setup and can take a corner if needed. I've seen quite a few people go with 600 in the rear for the street as well. A stiffer spring rate in the rear has some advantages like less squat under acceleration and less body deflection during corners......which is important to note if you're running really wide rear wheels/tires with aggressive offsets......you'll want a stiffer spring rate to help keep the fenders from contacting the tires, especially if you're lowered more than 2 inches or so. In other words, the more you lower your car, consider a stiffer spring.

400/600# coils will get you far less articulation during braking/hard cornering and is a setup that favors corners, not weight transfer for drag racing, but is still driveable / tolerable on the street as long as you stay on decent surfaces.

Anything beyond that is going to be too uncomfortable on the street and more of a dedicated weekend track day toy with minimal use on the street, more meant to withstand the body roll you'd get from the load slick tires would generate.

But like stated, springs are only half the equation. You need to choose shocks to match that spring rate or you're not going to have a fun time.
 
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shurur

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300/500 is a pretty good street/strip setup and can take a corner if needed. I've seen quite a few people go with 600 in the rear for the street as well. A stiffer spring rate in the rear has some advantages like less squat under acceleration and less body deflection during corners......which is important to note if you're running really wide rear wheels/tires with aggressive offsets......you'll want a stiffer spring rate to help keep the fenders from contacting the tires, especially if you're lowered more than 2 inches or so. In other words, the more you lower your car, consider a stiffer spring.

400/600# coils will get you far less articulation during braking/hard cornering and is a setup that favors corners, not weight transfer for drag racing, but is still driveable / tolerable on the street as long as you stay on decent surfaces.

Anything beyond that is going to be too uncomfortable on the street and more of a dedicated weekend track day toy with minimal use on the street, more meant to withstand the body roll you'd get from the load slick tires would generate.

But like stated, springs are only half the equation. You need to choose shocks to match that spring rate or you're not going to have a fun time.
This 200# F/R difference is also because of the terminator's greater weight in the front due to the blower?
 

DCguy

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This 200# F/R difference is also because of the terminator's greater weight in the front due to the blower?

No, the stiffer rear springs is due to the IRS. As the rear axles articulate individually and the suspension geometry of an IRS, you need more spring pressure per side compared to an SRA swapped car.

For example, an SRA car, having the same 400# springs up front, would use a 250-300# rear, compared to the IRS car's 500-600# rear.

Typically, you need more spring pressure where there is more weight in order to keep the forces in check. In a front engine car like ours you'd need stiffer springs in the front than in the rear, however the IRS changes that relationship a bit.

Most coilovers for our cars are 2.5in in front and 2.25in in rear so the front coil is always bigger/beefier than the rear. I think there are some companies that offer a 2.5in in the rear as well, but you'd likely run into some clearance issues with the underside of the rear shock towers with those bigger units.

For guys running aluminum blocks instead of iron blocks or for those that have stripped a large amount of weight out of their cars, this also means that you don't need as stiff of a spring.

The weight savings from a Teksid block is about 80 pounds, so an iron block car with a 400# front spring would feel not too different from an aluminum block car with 350ish# springs. That's a pretty rough example, as it completely excludes shock valving which is something you also want to take into account, but you get the idea.
 
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1Kona_Venom

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I have sport springs.

With all of the suggestions I feel the COs is the way to go along with SFC, CC plates and new shocks and struts. Any suggestions on the brand shock/struts should I get.

Thanks for all the input svtp gents. Much appreciated eh!

I may be the odd ball of the bunch. Would never recommend Coilovers for a street car

Had a Comp Orange with CO's kit and FTBR, MM everything, including K member; street car

Had a SY 04 at the same time, just your standard springs HR Race, FTBR kit, New Bilstein HD shocks and struts. And everything else. Street car.

It was rewarding to do it myself and that. In the end, the SY rode and felt better than the CO, honestly. Northern roads are not gonna be very forgiving in the ride quality department

If I had to do it again, Poly, basic upgrades FLSC, new shocks and struts, caster camber plates and some nice soft tires, like a Michelin or Nitto


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1Kona_Venom

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I would also mention, start simple, ditch the sport springs for H&R race springs and add the subframes at the same time.
Than go out and compare the difference

To many folks tweak and change so many components, that they never really know if it was worth it or not. Dialing all the multiple changes in, like pinion angle and all that stuff can be a never ending chore to

Simple changes

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