Steeda S197 Mustang Suspension - Q Grip

Before it was fully Steedafied, we witnessed Dario Orlando's Vapor Silver '08 GT begin its transformation from stock to rock. We're big fans of this color, and it serves as a great canvas to highlight those 20x9.5-inch Steeda Ultra-Lite rims (PN 013-0004-45; $349 each) rolling on Nitto 555 rubber.

Horse Sense: It's not often that an aftermarket manufacturer achieves the coveted certification from the International Organization for Standardization, but that's just what happened recently at Steeda Autosports. The company earned the prestigious ISO 9001-2000 Certification by developing a quality management system. "The entire Steeda Autosports Team quickly realized the benefits that achieving ISO 9001-2000 certification would provide and made its own individual commitment for success-something that happens frequently around here at Steeda," says Glen Vitale, Steeda Autosports' vice president of operations and ISO main quality representative. "Our quality system is maintained and continually improved through the use of the quality policy, quality objectives, audit results, analysis of data, corrective and preventative action, and management review to ensure only the best quality for our Ford performance customers."

It's no secret that I've long been a fan of Steeda Autosports' suspension systems. Though the company has its heart on the road course, it knows that the street is where most of us have our fun. To that end, it has always offered an array of suspension packages for combinations ranging from daily drivers to full-on race cars.

I've spent plenty of seat time in Steeda street and race cars, and even had its G-Trac Stage 3 system on my '98 Cobra. Over that time, one thing has always stood out: compliance. Unless you opt for full-race springs, these cars always offer a supple ride in everyday conditions, but one that digs into the pavement when you push it through the turns.

These genetic traits have followed the Steeda gear from the Fox era, through the SN-95s, and into the latest S197 Mustang. It's good that some things never change, especially since the latest car provides a more rigid, well-thought-out starting place than the chassis and suspension of its Fox and Fox 4 brothers.

Naturally, Steeda's own line of Q-series Mustangs are equipped with a selection of suspension bits that makes them much better than stock without pushing them too far into race car territory. This is no less evident than on Steeda President Dario Orlando's personal Q500, a car designed for big performance without impact on its daily driveability. You can read our review of the Q500 in this issue ("Brain Power," p. 48). We were fortunate enough to follow along with the installation of the car's suspension system to see how it came to perform as well as it does.

Our old friend and Steeda technician Steve Chichisola begins the transformation by perching Dario's 'Stang on jackstands atop the drive-on lift. He then removed the stock wheels and tires, clearing the way to remove the stock gear and install the Steeda upgrades. We're hitting the highlights, but all the Steeda parts include detailed instructions with photos, so you shouldn't run into any trouble.	Since front springs, ball joints, and brakes were on the menu, Steve removes the stock brake rotor to gain access to the spindle's fasteners.	With a wrench and air rachet, Steve makes quick work of removing the stock spindle.
S197s have a coilover system up front, which means you can't just pop out the spring and slip in a new one like the old days. Now you have to pull the strut and spring out together.	Steve uses a spring compressor to remove the stock spring from the strut and replace it with the shorter Steeda Sport Spring (PN 555-8215/8216; $259.95). The new springs lower a Mustang 1 inch in the front and 1 1/4 inch out back, which improves the way the car sits and looks, but the most important change is in the improved handling.	While things were apart, Steve popped out the stock balljoint and replaced it with Steeda's X5 unit (PN 555-8108; $149.95 per set). These pieces correct the roll center geometry that's altered when you install lowering springs. The company says this improves traction by keeping more of the contact patch on the road.