[machinehead]

Talked to a local speed shop about installing either a Roush Stage 3 suspension package or the Ford Racing package. They gave me an estimate of 12 hours at $65 per hour for labor ($780). For anyone who has had the work done, or done it themselves, does that sound reasonable? Thanks for the help!


Forgot to mention this includes the 4 wheel alignment.

This post has been edited by machinehead: 29 October 2009 - 10:42 AM

[AgentIan]

machinehead, on Oct 29 2009, 10:21 AM, said:

Talked to a local speed shop about installing either a Roush Stage 3 suspension package or the Ford Racing package. They gave me an estimate of 12 hours at $65 per hour for labor ($780). For anyone who has had the work done, or done it themselves, does that sound reasonable? Thanks for the help!

Forgot to mention this includes the 4 wheel alignment.

Machinehead,
I had my Ford dealer supply and fit the FR3 handling/suspension kit with 4 wheel alignment for circa $2200.

Megan

This post has been edited by AgentIan: 30 October 2009 - 03:03 AM

[Silverghost]

I'll do it for half that!! This is the easiest Mustang they have ever made to work on. You can do it, and it won't take you 12 hours to do it. Won't take the tech at shop that long either, but they will surely charge those 12 hrs because that's what the "book" calls for. Try finding a performance shop that will charge you actual time for install, not the book rate.

[mixxer]

Time is right ,labor is cheap.

[machinehead]

Thanks all! Sounds as though they're at least in the ball park.

Megan - did that $2200 include tax? Mine would come to about $2415 with tax ($1500 for the kit+$780 labor+$136 tax).

[doogie65]

The Stage 3 kits only consists of springs, shocks, sway bars and struts... what are they doing for the other 6 hours?? Seriously though, as everyone is saying, that is way too long. I could install all those parts (including a trip to town to pick up a spring compressor) in 6 to 7 hours max.

If this is not something you want to tackle on your own, find a different shop.

[pucky]

MY FORD SUSPENSION PKG WAS $1468 CANADIAN AND $850 TO INSTALL 7.5 HRS PLUS 4 WHEEL ALIGN AND ANOTHER NOTE IT RIDES BETTER NOW THAN BEFORE , AM VERY SATISFIED WITH THE FR3-SVT KIT

[Snake Handler]

machinehead, on Oct 29 2009, 10:21 AM, said:

Talked to a local speed shop about installing either a Roush Stage 3 suspension package or the Ford Racing package. They gave me an estimate of 12 hours at $65 per hour for labor ($780). For anyone who has had the work done, or done it themselves, does that sound reasonable? Thanks for the help!


Forgot to mention this includes the 4 wheel alignment.

If your car is a daily driver I don't think you will enjoy the Roush Stage 3 package. I had the Stage 3 on my GT500 for a month and switched the springs and shocks out for the Eibach Shelby GT500 Pro-Street S-Coil Over Kit. Much better ride now.

[AgentIan]

machinehead, on Oct 30 2009, 08:55 AM, said:

Megan - did that $2200 include tax? Mine would come to about $2415 with tax ($1500 for the kit+$780 labor+$136 tax).

Hi Machinehead,
I just checked the receipt; total was $2266 plus tax.

oh yeah,....I agree with Pucky that the car now has much better handling than before together with a surprisingly good ride.

This post has been edited by AgentIan: 02 November 2009 - 04:53 PM

[BAD SNAKE]

I installed the Ford Racing suspension in about 6 hours, and I took my time and I enjoyed it. Just you and your car.
If you can change your oil and change a tire trust me! You can do it!

This post has been edited by BAD SNAKE: 04 November 2009 - 06:07 AM

[Silverghost]

BAD SNAKE, on Nov 2 2009, 07:55 PM, said:

I installed the Ford Racing suspension in about 6 hours, and I took my time and I enjoyed it just you and your car.
If you can change your oil and change a tire trust me! You can do it!

+2....12 hrs for labor is a ripoff!!! I've always enjoyed working on my own Mustang, not pulling out the wallet to pay somebody to do it. It's not hard, this is the easiest platform to work on as far as Mustangs go.

[blkGT500nCA]

You could do it your self w/ a jack and jack stands in less time. With THESE manuals and the instructions that come w/ the new parts you'd be set. That's all I used.

I spent around 2k for these parts.

Steeda HD strut mounts
Tokico adj. shocks/struts
Ford Racing lowering springs
J&M adj. upper control arm
BMR HD UCA mount
BMR street/race adj. lower control arms w/ relocation brackets
BMR adj. panhard bar


and absolutely love the ride. The Tokico's are adjustable too. Very nice improvement over stock. Seriously, you can tackle this your self. If you've got questions just start a thread and ask for help. Good luck, but don't pay for 12 hrs labor, or ask if you can sit outside the shop and watch them. The front spring/strut assembly falls off after you remove like 6 bolts. Then take the whole assembly to a local tire/brake shop and have them switch the parts w/ their spring compressor for apx. $30.

This post has been edited by blkGT500nCA: 03 November 2009 - 11:03 PM

[GT500bro]

blkGT500nCA, on Nov 4 2009, 01:57 AM, said:

You could do it your self w/ a jack and jack stands in less time. With THESE manuals and the instructions that come w/ the new parts you'd be set. That's all I used.

I spent around 2k for these parts.

Steeda HD strut mounts
Tokico adj. shocks/struts
Ford Racing lowering springs
J&M adj. upper control arm
BMR HD UCA mount
BMR street/race adj. lower control arms w/ relocation brackets
BMR adj. panhard bar


and absolutely love the ride. The Tokico's are adjustable too. Very nice improvement over stock. Seriously, you can tackle this your self. If you've got questions just start a thread and ask for help. Good luck, but don't pay for 12 hrs labor, or ask if you can sit outside the shop and watch them. The front spring/strut assembly falls off after you remove like 6 bolts. Then take the whole assembly to a local tire/brake shop and have them switch the parts w/ their spring compressor for apx. $30.

Thinking of upgrading suspension on my 2010 with Steeda springs, lower/upper control arms, adj panhard, front and rear sways. Have noticed that alot of you have gone with FRPP and BMR parts. Is there a reason you've all steered clear of Steeda? Have any of these aftermarket setups been road tested with published results? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[blkGT500nCA]

I've heard nothing but good things about steeda. Only thing is on their Heavy Duty upper control arm mounts. Apparently you have to bend a flange on the gas tank to get it to fit. I've heard that this part of the job is a pain. Adjustable length lower control arms are nice too.

[mmm208]

Stop! Dont buy a roush suspension! I drove a 2010 427R with stage 3 suspension! It sucked! Was very very squshy in the rear...Did not feel right! The stock 2010 Gt500 suspension is 10 times better. I have one and drove both back to back! Call fordracing and find out th estock ford prts used in a 2010. youll thank me!

I would ALSO suggest a good Coilover setup with an adjustable pan hard bar and lower control arm....
Here is some info on coilovers vs stock spring setup
(Q. How do I compare a Mustang rear coil-over spring rate to a conventional spring in the stock location on my solid axle equipped Mustang?

A. As with Mustang front spring rates, rear spring rates must be converted into wheel rates. The wheel rate for the rear of a Mustang with a solid axle is approximately 50% of the stock location spring's rate. For example, a 200 lb/in stock location spring has a wheel rate of 100 lb/in. For a rear coil-over suspension, the wheel rate is approximately 110% of the coil-over spring rate (because the spring is actually behind the centerline of the Mustang's solid axle). Also, because the shocks are mounted more outboard than the stock spring location, the rolling rate of the suspension is mildly increased. This helps to reduce understeer. )


If money is no object (3600) i would consider Griggs Gr40ss kit. Its supposed to be one of the best! i will doing mine shortly...
It comes with Koni coilovers and it allows for adjusting ride height and damper lever.....It eliminates upper link with a torque bar and the coilovers it uses make the ride less harsh i hear....

DO NOT BUT ROUSH SYSTEM....IT REALLY SUCKS

This post has been edited by mmm208: 14 November 2009 - 06:54 PM

[chuckstang]

machinehead, on Oct 30 2009, 08:55 AM, said:

Thanks all! Sounds as though they're at least in the ball park.

Megan - did that $2200 include tax? Mine would come to about $2415 with tax ($1500 for the kit+$780 labor+$136 tax).

As usual lots of misinformation

First off the stage 3 kit is designed for the GT mustang not your GT500, the GT500 weighs much more

Get the Ford Racing kit desinged for your car

Second, that labor cost is completely not right, my ford dealr charged me about 500 with alignment

[machinehead]

chuckstang, on Nov 15 2009, 07:26 PM, said:

As usual lots of misinformation

Agree... and just lots of info in general. Very confusing. Panhard bar, no panhard bar, watts link, coil overs, lowering springs, modified UCA and LCA mounts, stock mounts. Sheesh! Local speed shop recommended Roush stage three which chuckstang says isn't for a GT500. Now that's REALLY interesting since these guys are Roush distributors, or maybe that explains it.
Sounds like the ford racing kit may be the best solution (now let's let everyone shoot that theory down).
BTW - I understand that there may be many ways to accomplish the same thing.

[machinehead]

mmm208, on Nov 14 2009, 09:50 PM, said:

Stop! Dont buy a roush suspension! I drove a 2010 427R with stage 3 suspension! It sucked! Was very very squshy in the rear...Did not feel right! The stock 2010 Gt500 suspension is 10 times better. I have one and drove both back to back! Call fordracing and find out th estock ford prts used in a 2010. youll thank me!
DO NOT BUT ROUSH SYSTEM....IT REALLY SUCKS

Interesting mmm208. Back in July I drove a 2009 Roush 427R and a 2010 GT500 back to back and liked the feel of the Roush better. It felt more buttoned down than the Shelby. The Shelby suspension was noisy, kinda banged/wobbled over rough surfaces (probably not the best terminology). Couldn't decide which to choose. Went back in August and drove a 2010 Roush 427R and a 2010 GT500 back to back. Still liked the feel of the Roush. The GT500 (a different one) felt the same as the first one I drove. Handled nice but was noisy over bumps. Long story short I ended up ordering a Shelby for a number of reasons, took delivery in Oct and have driven approximately 1000 miles. As with the other two GT500s I drove, my suspension bangs over bumps. One of my least favorite things about the car. I'm hoping the suspension mods gets rid of the noise.
BTW- I understand this is a performance car and have owned cars with performance (i.e. stiff) suspensions before. I currently own a 2006 BMW M3, and over the years have owned six different Corvettes. They were all tight and rode rough but didn't really make the noise the Shelby does. If I hadn't driven the Roush(s) I would attribute it to the straight axle, but obviously they have the straight axle as well.

Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

[GT500bro]

machinehead, on Nov 16 2009, 05:03 PM, said:

Interesting mmm208. Back in July I drove a 2009 Roush 427R and a 2010 GT500 back to back and liked the feel of the Roush better. It felt more buttoned down than the Shelby. The Shelby suspension was noisy, kinda banged/wobbled over rough surfaces (probably not the best terminology). Couldn't decide which to choose. Went back in August and drove a 2010 Roush 427R and a 2010 GT500 back to back. Still liked the feel of the Roush. The GT500 (a different one) felt the same as the first one I drove. Handled nice but was noisy over bumps. Long story short I ended up ordering a Shelby for a number of reasons, took delivery in Oct and have driven approximately 1000 miles. As with the other two GT500s I drove, my suspension bangs over bumps. One of my least favorite things about the car. I'm hoping the suspension mods gets rid of the noise.
BTW- I understand this is a performance car and have owned cars with performance (i.e. stiff) suspensions before. I currently own a 2006 BMW M3, and over the years have owned six different Corvettes. They were all tight and rode rough but didn't really make the noise the Shelby does. If I hadn't driven the Roush(s) I would attribute it to the straight axle, but obviously they have the straight axle as well.

Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

I haven't driven my 2010 enough to be able to have an opinion on the noise issue, will be on the lookout for it. Btw, for those of you considering suspension mods, check out Steeda for their suspension components. They have specialized in Mustangs and have special springs for the GT500. They work in conjunction with Ford engineers. I haven't installed any of their products yet but have spoken to several guys over there and they all seem really knowledgeable.

[mmm208]

my car is super quiet...dont hear any banging either...my car is fresh off the trailer. i wonde rif they did any mods to late production cars...
make sure the tires at no more than 35psi. my dealer delivered car with them at 42psi and i was all over the place...

This post has been edited by mmm208: 17 November 2009 - 03:12 PM