H&R Street Performance Monotube Suspension Kit (S197 Mustang)

Introduction

We at Vorshlag will be the first ones to tell you that the S197 Mustang's OEM dampers and springs are all sorts of wrong for performance driving. The suspension designers at Ford had to make this high volume chassis with too many compromises and couldn't make the Mustang GT or Boss302 a low-slung corner carving demon with high-end monotube dampers or adjustable camber. With typical Mustang buyers ranging from 16 year old kids to elderly grandmothers and everyone in between, they have to cater to a wide array of ride quality requirements - so to cover their bases they went SOFT on the spring and damping rates. Since this car is sold all over North America, the ride height on this chassis is TALL to accommodate every possible weather condition, even deep snow drifts. They also have to keep the price of the dampers and top mounts low, to keep the car affordable - to appeal to the most buyers. So you end up with a very compromised suspension from Ford.

If you take your bone stock Mustang to a road course and run an open track day you will quickly notice the chassis flopping around under hard cornering, with more body roll than you thought possible in a modern sports coupe. By day's end the front tires will have shredded their outer shoulders, due to the low static camber settings, body roll, and massive deflection in the rubber upper strut mounts. The Brembo brakes work GREAT, but you will notice massive front end dive when you push the brake pedal, and lots of rear end squat when you mash the throttle. The factory suspension is the culprit - even the Tokico "adjustable" shocks on some Boss302s ends up handling like a Big Hot Mess. We have driven bone stock S197 Mustang GTs and Boss302s on track and it is the "opposite of fast".

A good percentage of S197 Mustang buyers are looking for a lower ride height and firmer spring rates and better damping. If you are reading this, you might be one of those folks. Maybe you want to compete in some autocrosses or HPDE track events? Or you have a favorite canyon road you want to attack without the marshmallow Mustang suspension letting the car flop around? In order to handle well for performance driving, you need to lower the center of gravity (cg), use better dampers (monotubes, not twin tubes), and add negative camber up front (adjustable camber plates). If this sounds like what you need, Vorshlag has the answer.

The H&R Street Performance kit is a ready-to-install suspension for a multipurpose S197 Mustang. The shortened H&R inverted monotube struts and rear shocks are paired with a set of springs much stiffer than most lowering springs. This kit offers ride height adjustment, on the strut in the front and at the stock spring location in the rear. They will come assembled, ready to install if ordered with the optional Vorshlag spherical adjustable camber/caster plates and heavy duty shock mounts. Having this system pre-assembled by Vorshlag means it does not require a spring compressor to install. 

Key Features

• Monotube front struts that utilize 36mm dia. pistons and 40mm inverted shafts that maximize deflection resistance under hard cornering loads
• Front struts are 1.5" shorter than the OEM length, for more bump travel at the lower ride height (from the matched lowering springs)
• Monotube rear shocks that utilize new OEM-style rear upper shock mounts
• Rear shocks are 1.75" shorter than the OEM length.
• Nitrogen charged for exceptional fluid foaming resistance on track
• Valved for a comfortable street ride with the matched lowering springs, with improved track performance, lower cg, and (with camber plates) adjustable front alignment specs.
• No valving adjustment on the dampers - less to fiddle with!
  
• This system fits all 2005-2014 Mustang V6, Mustang GT, GT500, and Mustang Boss302 models.
• Four corner ride height adjustment, to get the stance where you want and also to set corner balance
• Great price for a complete damper/spring/camber plate suspension kit
  

Standard Parts Included:

• 2 Front H&R inverted monotube struts, inverted shaft, height adjustable
• 2 Rear H&R monotube shocks
• 2 Rear ride height adjusters
• Front and rear dual-rate springs
• Pair of spring perch adjuster wrenches
• Bottle of Boeshield T-9 lube for the threads

CAMBER PLATES and REAR MOUNTS : Turn the H&R Street Performance kit into a Bilstein StreetPro kit by selecting the camber plates and shock mount option. These optional spherical strut top mounts are the legendary Vorshlag adjustable camber-caster plates made for the S197 chassis. These include the proper Vorshlag upper spring perch to fit with the included springs and are pre-assembled onto the front struts with the springs in place. With the Vorshlag plates, you can quickly adjust front camber track side with a jack and hand tools. Caster can be adjusted while the car is being aligned, in three different positions (stock setting and two additional positive caster settings). Our plates are built using over-sized 19mm ID spherical bearings, designed to withstand the rigors of street and track abuse. All components are powder coated, plated or anodized for maximum corrosion resistance and long life. Please see the Vorshlag S197 camber plate product entry on this website for more information about the Vorshlag camber plates and perches. This Street Performance kit comes with the proper selection of components to allow the Vorshlag camber plates to fit the strut and spring perfectly - and it's even pre-installed to the strut. It doesn't get any easier than this.

The camber plate option includes a set of heavy duty rear mounts sized for the H&R shafts. These are easier to install than the OE Ford parts with their bonded bushings.