A hundred dollars more spent up front could save you a thousand or more later.Ģ. “Speed is addicting, and you’ll never hear ‘I’ve gone tens and now I want to go twelves.’ Remember that what you choose for a ten second car probably wouldn’t work on a seven second car, but what you’d use on a seven second car would definitely work on a ten second car.” As Zimmerman instructs, plan ahead and decide the ultimate goal for your vehicle and choose your parts wisely. “In all my years in this business, I’ve never seen a person want to go slower,” said Zimmerman. This tip rightfully sits at the top of our list. The racing hobby certainly isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination, and everyone has a budget, but selecting the proper suspension components the first time may end up saving you a few dollars down the road when you have to buy it a second or third time. And to do so we turned to one of the experts in the field.ĭave Zimmerman, the man behind Team Z Motorsports in Taylor, Michigan, is without question one of the most knowledgeable and experienced individuals in the racing suspension business – especially when it comes to our beloved Mustangs – and so when we set out to provide our Late Show-like Top 10 list, there was simply no one better for the job.įrom the home office in Taylor, Michigan, here ladies and gentleman is tonight’s Top 10 list. Many misconceptions, outdated thought processes, and pure oversights exist regarding the preparation of a stock suspension Mustang, and to rectify that, we’ve compiled a list of suspension pointers and tuning techniques to cater to everyone from the beginner to the seven-second showmen. Because much like a full-on race suspension, several elements exist in stock and stock-style suspension systems that can make or break the performance of a car, regardless of whether it’s producing 300 or 3,000 horsepower.įor those of you out there with ten second and quicker Mustangs or those with such cars on the drawing board, suffice it to say, you’d like to get the most out of your investment, and cutting corners or overlooking things in the suspension department isn’t going to get you there. The springs can be purchased directly from Team Z’s website and have a retail price of only $159 – pocket change when it comes to getting your Mustang down the track efficiently. For you ’94-’04 owners, don’t fret, as springs for your application are currently in development.As a whole movement of doorslammer racers have proven over the last handful of years, a world of potential exists in a stock suspension-equipped vehicle when not only planned out and constructed accordingly, but fine tuned with an astute attention to detail. We have about 40 sets out in the field at this point and the feedback has been very positive,” says Zimmerman. “We found that these springs worked best with the slight progressive rate in order to absorb the hit from the tire and then as more force is applied to the tire, they settle in to keep the tire stuck to the racing surface. Over ten years of Team Z’s research and development have been used to make a spring package that simply works.Ī slightly-progressive rate along with a proprietary blend of spring steel (like that used in racing valve springs) combines to keep the tires planted downtrack. In fact, Zimmerman has tested them on his own car, “ Blackie“, which has achieved an insane 1.17 best short time using these springs and the company’s Strip Series control arm package along with an anti-roll bar. They’ll lower the ride height approximately 1.5 to 2 inches depending on vehicle weight, and will drastically improve the geometry and 60-foot times. These made-in-the-USA springs work in the stock location and are designed to replace the stock springs on a 1979-’93 Mustang. So what did he do? He decided to design a spring that would work properly and not break the bank for his customers. We found the cut-coil V8 spring to work most effectively with the anti-roll bar, but most people couldn’t find a set of stock springs that weren’t worn out,” he explains. Some of the spring kits in the market have left and right rear springs that have different rates, but those were designed years ago when people weren’t using anti-roll bars. “For years, I’ve been advocating that if someone wants to stick with the stock rear suspension design, that they take a factory V8 spring and cut off one coil – and that’s been good enough. Zimmerman has been designing suspension parts for the Mustang for over a decade now, and his front K-member kits and rear suspension kits are found on some of the quickest and fastest Mustangs in the small-tire racing scene. The factory coil springs are acceptable, but not ideal for a racing application, and that’s where Dave Zimmerman and the crew at Team Z Motorsports comes into the picture. The Fox-chassis Mustang boasts one of the most successful factory-designed rear suspension systems for drag racing that has ever graced the pavement.
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