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1994-1998 Saleen Mustang For the SN-95 platform. Be sure to specify year, model and equipment if asking for help.

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Old 01-01-2012
mike44 mike44 is offline
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Default Suspension

I bought a 97 S-281 convertible with 16,000 miles on it. I'm only going to drive it for pleasure and some shows. I had Livernois install the PI intake with their adapter,long tube headers and X pipe , throttle body, cold air intake, and a tune. It runs better but I think I will go with the PI heads in the spring. My question is that the suspension seems really harsh! Is that normal or is there something I can do to help. Secondly, it pulls a little to the left a little , so I will get an alignment in the spring when I get it out of storage here in Michigan, but do I need to get the caster plates ?
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Old 01-01-2012
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87 vert 87 vert is offline
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Caster/camber plates are not necessary but do make a difference is cornering. The harsh/tight suspension is somewhat normal. Have you ever driven anyone elses car? Might be blown saleen shocks? Bilstiens make a big difference. Good luck.
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Old 01-06-2012
XEVIOUS XEVIOUS is offline
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16,000 miles on a 97 is fantastic, It could be that the shocks have gone bad or possibly the bushings. or simply your not accustom to the stiffer ride. On bad streets saleens ride very harsh. Also check your tire treads, believe it or not , tire wear plays tremendously your cars ride. Take it from me ive gone threw the whole suspension thing. a new set of tires can do just as good as a new set of springs or shocks if ride quality is the only issue. The Tire itself is the first defense for a good ride. If the streets are really bad you may want to up your tires sidewalls from 40's to 45's. i couldnt believe what a change it made on my 96 s281 but it could have also been the quality of the tires i purchased. (michellin pilot sports A/S) And Yes a good summer tire with treads also works well in the snow contrary to popular belief.
NEW bushings helps as well but mostly for handling and steering feel and accuracy ((deflection -sway bar bushing or end-link bushings You can change both on your own, easy to do)). CC plates are not needed with an s281 although there were optional s351 plates. Saleen setup the s281 perfectly for track use. (trust me) getting cc plates will give you other option setup but you can find yourself in an ongoing rut with alignment shops that dont have the proper Saleen alignment settings, or youl will jack up the car and change the settings on your own several times but it is easy to do. I put on steeda's Billet aluminum 4 point ccplates on mine.
But remeber alignment shops only carry Stock Ford mustang/GT/Cobra specs which is crap. Dealerships that sold large numbers of saleens MAY have the old setup specs but more than likely not.

If anything if you do get new tires make sure the installers keep to the way the car was currently setup, or at least make sure you keep the original specs before they change it. They will say the specs is way off because there going by Fords setup. IF they go with fords setup the car may not feel as nimble or the steering will feel wrong. depends on what they do.

Last edited by XEVIOUS; 01-06-2012 at 07:33 PM.
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