New Mustang Cobra rear suspension

supposedly it will be solid

no irs

f*ck ford uses CHEAP suspension in all their products cheap tooooooo u cant even get 30k on balljoints in a f450

fords idea: sell the same part in all cars make them so they dont last

btw if you seen what other auto manufactures use ford has blown it they are miles behind in this area

hurc ast

ya think ? Not so in every area. Look at the Ford SUV line-up. What other american manufacturer has irs on all their suv's ? (I exclude the exvaldez since it's out of production anyways)

The solid axle on the gt500 is supposed be a very good implementation. Let's wait and see.

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wow whats the only manufacture to get 30K out of there ball joints

?????

hurc ast

lmfao who told ya that

hurc ast

Al,

It's going to be a solid axle. According to Ford, most Mustang enthusiasts like to drag race and there's nothing better than a solid axle for that. Plus, Ford says a solid axle helps keep the price down by a couple grand.

Personally, I like both reasons.

Patrick '93 Cobra

yup and ya change your mind if ya could corner

hurc ast

It's just ford bullshit. They can put an IRS in a simple base level family sedan in austrailia. Ford can also build one that can hold up to drag racing just fine. They simply choose not to do so with the mustang because most buyers in the USA won't notice. Then they can pocket the money they don't spend on development. And I doubt it keeps the price down to us any. The price is what they think the market will bare and not a penny less.

The top mustang here in the USA doesn't even get the same consideration as a grocery getter in another country. In the USA it's all about marketing and getting away with cheapening the product in any way they can.

Will I put up with this? If it's the only definency, the price is really $40K, they really do build it to demand so I can just order one, there are aftermarket corrective actions I can install myself, and I haven't said 'the hell with it' and bought something else by the time it comes out.

That grocery getter isn't sporting a 5.4L, DOHC, four valve head, fordged rotating assembly engine topped with a twin screw blower either. Nothing is perfect but, IMHO, the GT500 is damn close. In the real world I bet the difference in performance between the new solid axle design and an IRS setup is minimal at best.

So you are going to tell me ford engineers are morons? Come on. They can do it. In fact, that 'grocery getter' has high performance models as well.

388hp from the boss 290 V8... If ford engineers can't make a proper IRS, then I doubt their ability to design the rest of the car. That's what makes it a matter of marketeer and bean-counter will, not one of 'too much horsepower'. Because if they can't do an IRS, they couldn't do the engine or transmission either.

Of course they can do it. Keep in mind there are many factors that they must consider before releasing any car. I don't see where anyone can complain about the car yet. It hasn't even hit the streets. We should all be thankful Ford is building this car... IRS or no IRS. The beauty of the 5.4L Ford is putting in the GT500 is that it is built for forced induction. This means it will see HUGE hp gains for very little money (aka the '03-'04 Cobras). Now that's what I want in and engine! Also, no N/A engine will ever remotely match the torque curve of a twin screw blown 5.4L engine.

My guess is that with the new geometry the actual handling improvement of using an IRS was minimal and probably not worth the weight or cost penalty. Especially considering the sheer torque numbers (600+ ft-lbs at the rear wheels) it must handle. Most reviews I have read about the Mustang GT actually show surprise at how well the new solid axle design performs. The GT500 will be several orders of magnitude better than the GT's rear suspension. I don't think many people will care about it having a solid axle and, in fact, more would prefer it than an IRS. I know I do for a car with this hp/torque potential.

Ball joints ? Did you keep them lubed ? Probably neglected. I've seen an F350 go way passed that. Then again, that truck WAS maintained.

A source who was involved with the development of it.

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We should be thankful for ford.... huh? I'm tired of products being cheapened, tired of instant-collectable marketing. Back in high school, sure it was great to take the copy of Road and Track and say 'nananananana look what the mustang has now camaro boy'. The luster of that wore off.

When I got my '97 GT I was like, ok, I'll just modify it. I've done a few things but I just can't take the car down long enough or have the time to do get what I really want done, done. And there is stuff I just can't do myself (weld in subframe connectors) and finding a competent shop to do it is a risk I don't want to take with my car. There are just too many incompetents. Now I want the car done much closer to 'right' when I drive it off the dealer's lot.

What weight penalty? Both suspensions have control arms, differentionals, bearings, and axles. Maybe the CV's and a little in a worst case situation. But hardly anything to be all that concerned about.

The falcon IRS is already taking 400ft-lbs... It's not like IRS is a new technology any more. IMO even the GT and base 6 cylinder cars should be IRS.

Look what they are comparing it to, the old quad-shock. Or the now gone F-bodies. I've been driving solid axle since I learned how to drive and I have grown tired of it on IL's ever worsening pavement.

What are they doing to it? There is no overcoming the mere physics of the thing that what happens on the left is transfered to the right and vice-versa.

Most people won't care, I wrote that already. I think in the 21st century we can have an IRS that can handle this car's output within the about 40K price range.

The only excuse I can accept is that the marketeers wouldn't allow time for the IRS to be done. Then again, they could have done it if IRS would be the only suspension type.

It's been 20 years or so since cars came from the factory with grease fittings on ball joints. If we are supposed to lube them, then they should have fittings. (yes I know the boot can be pierced by a needle and they still can be lubed)

If you want a BMW then be prepared to pay the price of a BMW. That just isn't the Mustang market. Ford has given us a car that is the best Mustang ever from about any yard stick you care to measure it with. It's a new (and much improved) chassis, the looks are almost universally liked, the drivetrain is very good and it can be had for the price of most four-door econo sedans. No other car can touch it for price verses performance. If you think the GT500 is just another "instant-collectable" marketing exercise then you must not be reading the same specification sheet that I am reading.

Just look at the weight difference between and '03/'04 Cobra IRS and the GT solid rear. It is substantial. The GT500 would need an even beefier one to handle the torque output of a blown 5.4L and consequently weight even more. Also, I don't blame Ford for using a solid axle just to win a few "atta boys" from some lame car magazine writers or a few buyers that think the Mustang should be a BMW "M" series clone for half the price.

Most buyers just don't care whether its IRS or solid axle. The car is selling like mad with a solid axle. There are many GT buyers that want a solid axle for better drag strip performance. The GT500 will easily be capable of 600-700 ft-lbs or torque at the rear wheels. That is a far cry from a six cylinder or even 400 ft-lbs at the crank.

If you haven't driven an '05 GT how do you know it handles bad with a solid axle? As I said, many of the magazine writers have been pleasantly surprised by how well it performs. If you want a world class IRS then break the piggy bank and buy a BMW.

They could lower the car, change spring rates/shocks, bushing composition and even change the entire linkage design. I will bet you the GT500 design team won't be that concerned with a nice supple ride. This car is for those that want a bare knuckled brawler with a few table manners.

I think Ford could have done an IRS if they chose too. In the end my guess is they saw little performance improvements for the cost and weight gain. Add to this that the majority of the target market for the car either doesn't care whether it has IRS, or actually prefer the solid axle, and it was an easy decision to make. If Ford can stick more money in their pocket at the same time then I really don't have a problem with that either. They aren't a non-profit organization. After all, none of us have to buy the car if we don't like it, can't afford it or think Ford is ripping us off.

>

The mustang wouldn't be a BMW with an IRS. Have I compared the mustang to a BMW at all? No, I've compared to other mass produced _Fords_.

And the new mini is the best mini ever made too I'll guess.

What good is it if the axle hops on the rough pavement on the connection between I57 NB and the dan ryan expressway and sends the car into the jersey barrier? I often don't dare use the stock power of my '97 in situations like this because I know it would be unwise given the pavement only to see some crappy front driver go around me like it was nothing.

Depends on what rumors are true and which aren't. I'll believe it isn't when I can walk into a ford dealer and order one below sticker or no more than sticker at the WORST. And I get to test drive it first. Not the no-test-drive-this-car-is-special stuff.

The special case that proves the rule?

A new chasis doesn't involve making a bolt-on IRS work on an essentially

1970s design never intended for anything but a solid axle.

I've stated as much. Most people in this country don't care much above looks and gizmos.

I can't believe I am alone in wanting to turn and not living with the rear end skating on bumps and rough pavement. Or am I the only person of thinking of driving the car on the street in a state where winter degrades the roads more every passing year? (note in winter or in snow, but in summer on the roads messed up _by_ winter)

I haven't said it 'handles bad'. And no dealership around here is going to let me push the car hard enough to find out anyway. And I repeat, I am not comparing to BMWs, although in the $40K zone that starts to be viable. I've been careful in my comparison to other _fords_ in this thread.

Not talking up and-down smoothness. I am talking the left changing the geometery on the right and vice versa. If you have a bump that displaces the right wheel, the left wheel is going to be displaced too. If you are cornering, the forces involved on the left will be transfered to the right and vice-versa. Nothing is going to change that. Some of the force transfer in cornering can be delt with, but the displacements can't. If I move a bar up at one end, it's going to move down at the other. Restricting one end from the other means bending the axle and housing.

Which has been my point.

Yes, it's about money and the fact that people in the USA don't care or notice. That's why we get something like the Taurus and Austraila gets a car like the Falcon.

And as far as not buying it, I already covered that. If it doesn't meet those conditions, then it's not likely going to be the car I buy.

To boil this all down I see the new Mustang as Ford giving 95% of Mustang enthusiasts 95% of what they wanted in a new model at a price they can afford. I think in todays auto market that is an outstanding achievement. This car will also bring people to the showroom who will then buy minivans, sedans etc. and further add to the roles of the Mustang faithful.

I never quiet understand why people bitch about Ford wanting to make money. If it wasn't for profit none of us would have a job or collect a paycheck. When is the last time you refused a raise from your employer? This is essentially what you are expecting from Ford. They have designed and built a very good car in the Mustang and, IMO, they are entitled to receive as much profit as we will let them make off this vehicle.

they are tard look inside the solid axle all the SAME BEARINGS as in other ford products SAME GEARS as in other ford products ford is out to sell PARTS tard the same part IF possable

use your head FFS an irs in a stang would give ya way better cornering

hurc ast

lmfao yup you lube those joints lmfao they have no grease nipple TARD I have seen FLEETS of school buses and ambulances come in for WARRENTY ball joints ambulances , fire trucks and school busses are INSPECTED every 50 days by LAW

buddy u are no ford teck or you would know this

yup but the boot then starts to rip

hurc ast