Improving suspension for daily driving
 

I am new to the world of Mustang as I just got a 2008 GT CS convertible. I love most everything about the car. I took it on a trip to and from the west coast. The one issue I do have is the "ride", it is quite rough on bumpy roads. It felt like it was bottoming out several times. I have not checked the shocks and strutts yet. It seems the front end handles the bumps okay but the rear does not. With the solid rear axle I expect some choppy ride. It will never see a track so I want to have good cornering and a bit smoother ride. I do not want to lower the car with a change to the suspension. Would adding a load assist rear spring kit stop the bottoming out?

Would aftermarket rear lower control arms and/or panhard bars help alleviate this issue?

Welcome and congrats on the new ride. Tough problem, how many miles on the car? LCA's and a pan hard bar never hurt, but I'd go with an engineered package as opposed to swapping out parts at random from different manufacturers.

As much as you hesitate to lower your ride, don't be too worried, the S197 sits high from the factory. The Ford Racing (now Ford Performance) FR3 Handling Package will give you shocks, struts, springs and upgraded pan hard bars and make that GT CS sit pretty and ride well.

I know guys that have used it, and not one has regretted the decision.

Best of luck and welcome again, post pics of your ride.

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-FR3A-MGTA

https://www.cmoc.ca/attachment.php?a...ine=1469320131

My last car was 08 GT/CS vert.
I found it had a lot of body roll and a soft suspension.
How many Kms? SO many options depending on end goal.
I did a complete swap, but I was looking for performance.
AP gave you some decent advice.

It has 118K km but I do not know if shocks/strutts have ever been replaced by previous owners. Like I said I have not checked the suspension yet. I live off the pavement on a gravel road so I do not want to lower the suspension. I recently put Bilstein shocks on my truck and they seem to be good quality.

My only goal is smoother ride and to maintain good cornering.

Well, there you go, sounds like a plan. I'd guess the shocks and struts are original, but thats just a guess, and never used Bilstein myself, but its a recognized name.

Tough balance, smooth ride is usually associated with a softer suspension, and good cornering benefits from a stiffer suspension.

Good luck, keep the updates coming !

I've been tackling this myself the last couple of years. Last year I went with koni sport adjustable struts, and this year I did the rears with the matching pair of adjustable shocks.
What a difference. My GT has the Eibach Sportline springs which are very tight! The koni sport adjustable struts, and shocks made a huge difference on ride quality. You can adjust the ride quality to your comfort, and liking. From soft to hard, depending on your driving style, and mood.