More To ComeH&R is currently up and running for the '05 Mustang with a variety of conventional coil spring packages, and as President Roland Graef explained, complete coilover setups should be available sometime this summer. H&R's conventional offerings are identified using the company's traditional Sport, Super Sport, and Race terminology. Sport springs are intended primarily for street driving, maintaining excellent ride characteristics even with the factory strut/shock package, while dropping ride height approximately 1 inch up front and 51/48 inch in the rear. Super Sport springs offer somewhat stiffer spring rates and a drop of 131/44 inches at all four corners, making them a favorite among the in-the-weeds crowd. Race springs are likely the ideal package for the more track oriented and street performance enthusiast, and are the coils featured on the '05 GT seen here. Race springs provide an approximately 111/42-inch drop up front, and 111/44-inch in the rear, and are suggested to be paired with upgraded struts and shocks to best complement the increased spring rates.
In addition to the spring thing, H&R's '05 carried a couple other noteworthy items that fall into the new product and potential new product limelight. In production form were a new sway bar pairing built from high-tensile-strength 50CrV4 steel, featuring hot-forged ends and Teflon-lined bushings. The show car bar dimensions were 38 mm in front and 25 mm in the rear, and this combination will soon be joined by another matched set with a slightly different performance envelope in mind. A bit further from production were the prototype titanium control arms and Panhard bar, which we ogled on the company demonstrator. Equipped with spherical rod ends at all mounting points, these two products are planned for production at a future date. Stay tuned!
My, What Big Claws You Have!It doesn't take but a moment of perusing the H&R '05 before you notice the massive binders not-so-hidden behind 19-inch wheels. We figured removal of the SSR forgings up front would behold Baer's impressive new monoblock six-piston calipers, but Baer's Todd Gartshore explained the H&R car went together before the new calipers were in production. As such, H&R's setup is more or less a prototype, featuring what has been the Baer standby in the Extreme Plus line heretofore-Baer emblazoned Alcon six-piston units. Out back, the stock calipers are paired with 13.5-inch two-piece rotors, smaller versions of the pie-plate-sized 15-inch fronts.
Todd went on to explain what Baer has in store for owners of the new '05. Top of the line would be an understatement for the Extreme Plus fronts, which now include the ultra-stiff Baer one-piece six-piston calipers, 15x1.25-inch two-piece rotors, braided lines, pads, and high-quality mounting hardware. The cost for ultimate Mustang front brakes will ring up a retail price of $2,750-a good deal less expensive than the former Alcon-equipped kits. Obviously, more affordable to the masses is what is known as the Eradispeed Plus 2 kit, essentially a big rotor upgrade retailing for $608.33 at each end of the car. Both front and rear sport slotted and drilled 14-inch, two-piece rotors with aluminum hats, the front featuring a 1.185-inch thickness, the rear measuring in at 0.75 inch. Critical to the whole affair are new cast anchor brackets that properly locate the factory calipers to the big discs. It's a good guess to figure such brakes will require something larger than the stock GT 17-inch rims, but the bigger question may be possible compatibility with an 18-inch factory option come 2006. Baer's Eradispeed Plus 2 kits should be available by the time you read this.
Tech SpecsEngine And DrivetrainEngine Stock 300 hp, Three-Valve 4.6Fuel System StockExhaust Stock w/Flowmaster 60-series mufflersPower Adder Vortech SQ in the worksTransmission Stock Tremec 3650 five-speedRearend Stock 8.8 w/3.55 gears
Electronics Engine Management StockIgnition StockGauges Stock w/Auto Meter tach
Suspension And Chassis Front Suspension K-member StockControl Arms StockSprings H&R RaceStruts StockBrakes Baer Extreme PlusWheels SSR GT10, 19x9.5-inTires Pirelli PZero Rosso, 275/35-19Rear Suspension Springs H&R RaceShocks StockControl Arms Prototype H&R titaniumPanhard Bar Prototype H&R titaniumBrakes Baer 13-in rotors w/stock calipersWheels SSR GT10, 19x11-inTires Pirelli PZero Rosso, 305/35-19Chassis Stiffening Rollcage by Camtec