Another newbie

[SoCal SRT]

Hello all,

I saw your cross-posting of the Feb 20 cruise on srtforums.com. I was psyched to find a group of folks who actually encourage people with different kinds of cars to come together for events. The cruise will be a bit of a hoof for me, coming from the San Diego area, but your video of last year's cruise sold me and I'm planning on making the drive.

I have two rides. My daily driver is a 2005 Dodge SRT-4, lightly modded with a K&N drop-in filter, 3" exhaust, Vogtland springs, and 18" Kyowa Racing wheels with 225/40/18 Kumhos all the way around. My weekend car is a 1986 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 that I'm (slowly) building into a "weekend warrior" track car. Power mods on the Stang are limited -- K&N CAI, JBA headers, Ford Racing cam, and a 3" exhaust. Suspension mods are a bit more extensive, including a 5-lug conversion with Cobra brakes, tubular front suspension and rear control arms, panhard bar, and Koni sport shocks (new adjustable Konis are ready to be installed as we speak).

I've run some amateur track events (Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow, California Speedway), and hope to get back on track once I get kinks ironed out on the Stang. I look forward to meeting some car enthusiasts who appreciate a wider variety of cars than just what they drive.

[blackax]

Wow sounds like you have some nice rides. You should post some pix of them. I hope I see you on the 20th

[Leedom]

Welcome to the board.We are a EOAF (equal opportunity car automotive forum)
Your stang sounds pretty beefy already. Which one are you gonna be bringing on the 20th?

[Vettezuki]

Welcome aboard.

[enkeivette]

Welcome to the board.We are a EOAF (equal opportunity car automotive forum)
Your stang sounds pretty beefy already. Which one are you gonna be bringing on the 20th?

Not true. Only cool cars are welcome. If I see any Nissan Quest tuners in here I'm leaving.

[blackax]

Not true. Only cool cars are welcome. If I see any Nissan Quest tuners in here I'm leaving.

Damn I was going to pick one up this weekend. :jester:

[Leedom]

Damn I was going to pick one up this weekend. :jester:

I will pitch in if that helps! :rolling:

[BRIAN]

:need_pics:

and welcome to the board.

[SoCalC55]

Welcome to the site

[SoCal SRT]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone. I was just talking with a friend of mine over the weekend about the need for a catch-all group of enthusiasts who like to drive. Ask and ye shall receive!!

If the weather's good, I'll probably bring the Stang. It doesn't have A/C, so if it's going to be hot then I'll bring the SRT. I have a decent pic of the Stang, so I'll probably post that up tonight. I still need to get some decent pics of the SRT. Maybe someone can shoot a good "on-the-road" pic during next month's cruise.

[SoCalC55]

Thats why this little(well maybe not anymore) community is so great. There is such a diverse group of cars and all everyone cares about is having fun behind the wheel


I must also commend you on your super original and thought out username, I found myself in a similar position of uniqueness :lmfao:

[94cobra69ss396]

Welcome. Now get those pictures up. What make is the suspension on your Mustang?

[SeanPlunk]

Welcome. Now get those pictures up. What make is the suspension on your Mustang?

+1 on the pictures :)

[jedhead]

Welcome

Bob

[SoCal SRT]

The front suspension on the Stang is the Steeda QA-1 tubular K-member and control arms. The panhard bar is Maximum Motorsports. I also have a MM differential cooler. It's a passive system - no pump, just routes fluid through the diff - but I got a good deal on it and I figured it couldn't hurt when I eventually get it on a track.

It's a bit hard to see in the attached pic, but I also had a buddy of mine build me a custom aero kit with a front air-dam and a lexan rear wing. The car was floating badly at 85+ MPH, and I hoping to get a little downforce. I obviously haven't tested it in a wind-tunnel (wouldn't that be sweet?) but I think it helps. Of course, I only have three inches of ground clearance in the front, but that's why we have daily drivers, right?

I took the pic while I was waiting in line to get the car dyno'd at the Coronado Speed Festival in 2008. It was running a little rough, but it managed to pull 210 HP & 270 lb/ft at the wheels. It does have a decent torque curve. It hit 250 lb/ft at 2,700 RPM, peaked at 269 lb/ft at 3,500 RPM, and stayed over 250 lb/ft until 4,400 RPM.

Oh, and by the way, it's "light desert tan" (not beige) because it was originally a 4-cylinder car that I bought for its coupe body and transplanted a 5.0 drivetrain into. I'll get some more pics up soon...

[SeanPlunk]

That looks cool - I like the home made aero kit :thumbs_up:

What are your future mod plans?

[SoCal SRT]

That looks cool - I like the home made aero kit :thumbs_up:

What are your future mod plans?

Thanks. I have some brand-new Koni Sport (yellow) double-adjustable shocks and struts waiting to be installed. I bought them through the VP of Vogtland Springs up in Temecula, who used to race Fox-body Mustangs back in the 90s. He had them specially valved for road racing by Koni, so I'm really looking forward to getting them installed. They're supposed to control rebound much better than the Koni Reds that I have on the car now.

I'm pretty happy with the front suspension, but I'd like to replace the panhard bar with a Watts link. It'll probably be a while, though, because I think there are going to be some maintenance issues popping up in the next year or two. I had a new Zoom clutch and lightened flywheel put in when the car was built, but I used the old transmission and it has 160K+ miles, so it's going to need a rebuild soon.

I doubt I'll put any serious money into the engine, because it also has 160K+ miles. I'll probably just run it until it starts to go, then look around for a newer one or drop in a crate motor.

I'd also really like to have it painted, but that's a ways off...

[SoCal SRT]

Thats why this little(well maybe not anymore) community is so great. There is such a diverse group of cars and all everyone cares about is having fun behind the wheel


I must also commend you on your super original and thought out username, I found myself in a similar position of uniqueness :lmfao:

Thanks. It seems that great minds think alike.:bigthumbsup:

[SoCal SRT]

Here's a pic of the SRT. Not the greatest, but it'll have to do for now. I have a friend who's into photography, and I'm planning to have her do a shoot with the car in the near future. I'll post those up when they're done.

I just had a short-throw shifter installed yesterday. The shift is very firm (new bushings), but it's very nice. The throws are reduced by 50%. The factory shifter had been one of my beefs with the car for a long time. I'm going to upgrade my plugs and wires in the next few weeks, and then hopefully throw on some Hotchkis sway bars within a few months.

[BlacknBoostn]

Here's a pic of the SRT. Not the greatest, but it'll have to do for now. I have a friend who's into photography, and I'm planning to have her do a shoot with the car in the near future. I'll post those up when they're done.

I just had a short-throw shifter installed yesterday. The shift is very firm (new bushings), but it's very nice. The throws are reduced by 50%. The factory shifter had been one of my beefs with the car for a long time. I'm going to upgrade my plugs and wires in the next few weeks, and then hopefully throw on some Hotchkis sway bars within a few months.

Looks clean bro! I have a 2004 black srt. Don't really have any mods right now, just a cai coilovers and a sts. Which one did u go with? I have the maddog 80% sts with booger bushings, I love it.

[SoCal SRT]

Looks clean bro! I have a 2004 black srt. Don't really have any mods right now, just a cai coilovers and a sts. Which one did u go with? I have the maddog 80% sts with booger bushings, I love it.

Thanks. It's the first new car I ever bought, so I've tried hard to keep it in good shape. I don't have a garage, so it's not easy, but it's held up pretty well. I went with the Maddog 50% with Rage-Tek bushings. It's definitely a nicely made piece of equipment.

Which coilovers are you running, and what do you think of their ride quality? I thought of going w/ coilovers, but I've been told that they ride significantly more harshly than springs, and that the adjustment mechanisms can easily get clogged up with road grime. I put a high priority on handling, but the ride needs to be liveable on a daily basis.

[BlacknBoostn]

i have megan racing coilovers on a softer setting right now. worth the bucks. but pick them up from the factory. it'll be cheaper. i'll elaborate more on it later.

[BlacknBoostn]

Ok its later...

The megan racing coilovers are awesome imo. They are inexpensive and good quality. 32 way adjustable damping for soft medium and hard settings. Height adjustable and u can get LOW on these lol. Fronts have adjustable camber, rears do not ( that's fairly standard on most coilovers I think). They can be anywhere from about 650 I hear to about 900 if u look at the right places. I also believe the srt community recommends the BC inverted coilovers... But I don't know the difference other then extra $$$. Pt-performance has a set of coilovers that's also really good.

One nice thing is that BC makes a set of rear camber plates to sell seperately and they also bolt up to the megan racing coilovers

As far as rideability is concerned I've never owned springs, and with few exceptions I probably never will. Srt4 stock shocks are not designed for prolonged driving at compression like that. U will blow them out, the springs will sag, they will become bouncy and annoying and you will regret not spending the extra $$$ later. In my experience the springs tend to be a little bouncier. I prefer the coilovers because you maintain full shock travel and you have the adjustability of how hard the ride is. It takes a high quality shock to mate to a set of springs and have them last and perform exceedingly well. MINI S for example. I know some guys running better times on springs then coilovers because of the amazing shock design (I know nothing about it so don't ask lol) on an srt I'm not so sure its going to perform even half as well as a c/o, but that's my opinion. If handling is a priorityn pick up some megan racing coilovers and throw them on a soft setting! :) good luck bro!!!

[SoCal SRT]

Thanks, I appreciate the input. I've had pretty good luck running springs on my SRT w/ stock shocks (30K miles on Mopars, 20K on the Vogtlands), but I'll probably eventually make the switch to coilovers to get the ride and height adjustability.

[BlacknBoostn]

Thanks, I appreciate the input. I've had pretty good luck running springs on my SRT w/ stock shocks (30K miles on Mopars, 20K on the Vogtlands), but I'll probably eventually make the switch to coilovers to get the ride and height adjustability.

the mopar s1 springs are great, especially because it's a fairly mild drop (looks good tho for realz :D) and it doesn't hurt that they are designed by mopar for the stock shocks. I've never heard of the Vogtlands, but as long as nothings sagging then ur good :drink: Ur car do what you like :) I personally just prefer coils on all my rides, my last car i put coils on as my first mod. suspension before power ftw!!!

I got some bushings that needa be replaced, tires that need to be bought, and an alignment that needs to happen and then I'll be hitting up the cruises again probably. just gotta make sure my car is dialed in 100% for leaks lines and electrical.

[SoCal SRT]

the mopar s1 springs are great, especially because it's a fairly mild drop (looks good tho for realz :D) and it doesn't hurt that they are designed by mopar for the stock shocks. I've never heard of the Vogtlands, but as long as nothings sagging then ur good :drink: Ur car do what you like :) I personally just prefer coils on all my rides, my last car i put coils on as my first mod. suspension before power ftw!!!

I got some bushings that needa be replaced, tires that need to be bought, and an alignment that needs to happen and then I'll be hitting up the cruises again probably. just gotta make sure my car is dialed in 100% for leaks lines and electrical.

A car's never done, is it? I just plunked down a decent chunk of change to have the camshaft and crank sensors replaced. Of course, my "bumper to bumper" extended warranty didn't cover those particular sensors. :mad: I just talked to the Service Mgr. at the dealership today, and he said he's going to pass my complaint on to the General Mgr. who supervises the Finance Dept, since they're the ones who oversold the warranty. I'm not expecting much, but who knows? Maybe they'll surprise me...

My SRT will be due for tires in about 5K miles. I'm running Kumho Ecsta ASX's now, but I think I'm going to go with something a bit more aggressive. I'll be doing some research over the next couple of months to figure out what I want.

Not too many folks have heard of Vogtland. They're a German company that's been around for a long time overseas but just hit the American market in 2001. I met their VP of North American Operations a while back, and I was impressed with his level of knowledge. He used to be a senior product engineer for other well-known suspension companies before going to work for Vogtland, and he's done his fair share of road racing. They make a coil-over kit for the SRT, which I'd like to upgrade to, but tires are going to have to come first.