With our 2012 Mustang GT's driveline in check, we moved on to its suspension and braking systems to help transform it into an awesome handling machine. Getting the ball rolling on the handling modifications was a set of H&R's 2011 to 2014 Mustang GT 5.0L Sport Lowering Springs. H&R's Sport Springs bring down ride height by 1" in the front and 1.6" in the rear, which drops your Mustang's center of gravity down by just enough to get a noticeable improvement in handling performance. While H&R has more aggressive springs available, these springs offer good performance without overly hurting ride quality, and since this car is a daily driver on usually not-great Phoenix roads, ride quality is fairly important.
With lowering a car like a Mustang with a solid rear axle, the stock geometry of the rear suspension gets thrown off and can cause the axle to not be as good of a position as it can be for handling and getting power to the ground. BMR's Adjustable Panhard rod is here to help. BMR's panhard rod is stronger and more rigid than the factory panhard rod, and also features an adjustable design that allows you to dial in your Mustang's rear suspension geometry for whatever ride height it happens to be at. BMR's panhard rod is a must-have for anyone with lowering springs that's serious about performance.
One of the biggest problems the 2011 to 2014 Mustang GTs have is rear wheel hop. With a lot of power going through those rear tires, wheel hop is a real issue, especially when even more horsepower and torque have been stacked on with performance parts and tuning. Our friends over at BMR came to our rescue again with their Tubular Lower Control Arms for the 2005 to 2014 Mustangs. BMR's control arms are stronger and more rigid than stock and come with polyurethane bushings that are much more resistant to deflection than the standard factory rubber bushings. The control arms drop in right in place of stock and more effectively hold your tires to the pavement, even with increased power levels so your Mustang gets improved launches and overall handling.
With its extra power and a lifetime of performance driving ahead of it, even our Brembo-equipped 2012 Mustang GT was quite cutting it in the stopping power department. Giving our 2012 Mustang GT a bump in braking performance was Power Stop's Complete Z26 Rotor and Pad Kit that comes with a set of four drilled and slotted Power Stop rotors and Z26 Street Warrior Ceramic/Carbon Fiber Brake Pads. Power Stop's brake pads improve bite and stopping power with lower levels of dust than stock, while Power Stop's rotors provide improved cooling capability for decreased fade and more consistent stopping ability thanks to their drilled and slotted design. The rotors also give our car a high-performance and hyper-aggressive look, which we definitely don't mind.
