Hey, everybody.
I'm Justin with americanmuscle.com, and welcome to my detailed breakdown and install of the
SR Performance Lowering Springs, available for your 2005 to 2014 Mustang.
In this quick breakdown, guys, I'm gonna talk about some of the benefits of lowering your
ride with the SR Performance Springs, we'll talk about what kind of drop you can expect
when these puppies are installed, and then, last but not least, we'll cover some of the
big chunks of the installation.
And right up front, I'm gonna tell you, not the end of the world here, guys.
Two out of three wrenches is what you can expect, but we will have some more detail
later on.
Plain and simple, guys, the SR Performance Lowering Springs are gonna be the most affordable
way to lower your Mustang, compared to other spring options on the site.
Now, in addition to being very budget-friendly, the SR springs will also lower your Mustang
1 1/2 inches on all 4 corners here, giving you a nice, even drop, but at the same time
still maintaining the slightest bit of that nose-down factory rake.
Now, in the world of aftermarket Mustang parts, SR Performance will typically be one of your
more budget-minded or value options in the land of aftermarket stuff, something that
will serve a purpose, but maybe without some of the bells and whistles of the more expensive
options.
And I would say that's true for a majority of stuff out there with the exception of springs.
That's because springs are one of the most basic parts in the aftermarket, they're all
gonna be made very much the same using a steel alloy, and there's really no moving parts
here.
So again, very basic stuff.
Now, with the exception of your spring rates and your drop, will all perform pretty similarly.
But let's talk details here with the SR springs.
As far as drop is concerned, you're looking at 1 1/2 inches on all 4 corners, and if you've
been shopping around for aftermarket springs here on the site, you've probably noticed
that's a number a lot of aftermarket manufacturers tend to go with when they make their springs.
Why?
Well, because it's low enough to make a dramatic impact in styling, eliminate some of that
wheel gap, but at the same time, it's not gonna be super low and dragging on every speed
bump or driveway around town.
And I can speak from personal experience here, guys, about the SR springs.
These are one of the first things I actually installed onto my 2014 GT after I bought it.
I had a great experience with them.
The 20s that I installed on the car afterwards looked fantastic.
Even the factory 19-inch track pack wheels looked pretty damn good as well.
So don't take my word for it.
Check out the 100-plus customers reviews on the site, along with the customer-submitted
images.
This is a great way to see how your own Mustang might sit after you install with SR springs,
and I highly encourage you to check this out.
But let's get back to the springs here and talk a little bit more about that drop, again,
1 1/2 inches on all 4 corners.
And that means the car will maintain the slightest bit of rake, and if you're not familiar with
this term, here's what it means.
Basically, it's when the nose of the car sits a little lower than the front.
We call it that classic muscle car stance, and it looks great on any S197.
Now, other springs, like the Eibach SPORTLINEs, for instance, will lower the car more overall,
but it will also lower the rear a little bit as well, giving you more of a leveled look.
Some people might prefer that over the nose-down look.
Other people might prefer the nose-down look of the SR springs.
Totally your call at the end of the day.
And there are a lot of options out there that differ, so just pay attention to that when
buying.
So we know that that drop will help improve your car's appearance by eliminating that
factory wheel gap.
But did you also know that installing a set of lowering springs like this will also help
different areas of your car's performance.
We're talking less body roll in the turns, less brake dive under hard braking, and, of
course, less squatting when you're really starting to accelerate hard.
Now, this is all attributed to the fact that you're looking at a slightly firmer spring
rate over those factory springs, 230-pound fronts, 200-pound rears, to be exact.
And that's gonna be pretty much the ballpark spring rate for a lot of progressive springs
in the category.
These are a progressive rate spring, and what that means is you're gonna be getting a varying
spring rate, much like a lot of the other aftermarket springs in the category.
And you're essentially getting the best of both worlds here, guys.
You're getting that softer initial spring rate because that's what we want when we're
cruising.
You're gonna soak up the bumps a little bit better.
But when the springs are pushed a little bit harder, the springs tend to firm up a little
bit, and that's where you get a little bit more handling performance.
Now, if I can make one suggestion, it's that you consider adding a set of aftermarket shocks
and struts to the SR Performance Springs here, not only for improved handling, but also for
a better ride quality as well.
And this is due largely to the part that the factory dampers, or shocks and struts, are
not really designed to work with the firmer spring rate or the lower ride height of the
aftermarket springs.
Now, can you install these springs on your factory dampers?
Sure, absolutely.
In fact, if your stuff is still pretty fresh and low mileage, I would say it's really not
all that uncommon to do so.
However, if you have a high-mileage S197, you still have your factory dampers, or shocks
and struts, still in place, chances are installing these SR springs onto those will not only
result in a poor ride quality, but also eventual failure of the dampers themselves.
And that is one of the nice things about keeping things budget-friendly with the SR springs.
Again, right around 150 bucks is what you're looking at here, the most affordable set of
springs currently for your S197 on the site, and this is gonna leave you some extra dough
left over to put towards those aftermarket shocks and struts if you choose to.
Another thing to consider here, guys, is looking into an adjustable Panhard bar because, whenever
you lower your Mustang, that rear axle will inevitably shift to one side and you will
need an adjustable Panhard bar to re-center that rear axle under your Mustang.
But let's switch gears and talk about the installation here with the SR springs, and
guys, I'm not gonna do a step-by-step.
Instead, I'm just gonna run down some of the big points for you.
And if you've done springs before on an S197, you know where I'm going with this.
I'm saying strong two out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter, maybe four hours
to a half a day in the shop or garage to get knocked out.
There are a couple of tools you will need to consider here, guys, including a lift,
jack or jack stands, of course.
Definitely gonna need that spring compressor, a nice assortment of sockets and wrenches
should help you do the trick, and a pole jack wouldn't be a bad idea to help you lower and
raise that rear axle.
The front will definitely be your more time-consuming part of the installation here with the SR
springs, as you do have to drop that entire strut assembly out of the car.
Use your spring compressor to remove the factory springs and get the new SR springs installed.
The rear springs, on the other hand, I would think are the easier part of the job, but
that's just me.
You just have to disconnect your sway bar mounts, along with the lower portion of your
shock.
Let the rear axle sag.
Remove the factory springs.
Install the new SR springs.
And this is important, guys.
These tight-wound coils here, make sure these guys are facing up.
You don't wanna have these things the other way around because that's not correct.
So leave them like they are here, tightly-wound springs towards the top, install them into
the rear axle, and you should be good to go.
Wrapping things up here, guys.
If you're looking for a simple and very inexpensive way to lower your Mustang, the SR Performance
Lowering Springs might just be your best option on the site.
They're gonna ride and perform well, given the very low cost.
However, if you prefer to have a little bit more adjustability, you might wanna consider
a coilover instead.
So that is my review of the SR Performance Lowering Springs, which you can grab right
here at americanmuscle.com.