Nobody I know of has tried it. The 3-link setup is way better than IRS for straight line performance and it can take more of a beating. An IRS would be better for road racing.
Nobody I know of has tried it. The 3-link setup is way better than IRS for straight line performance and it can take more of a beating. An IRS would be better for road racing.
Oh yeah, I agree....3 links can take a right beating. However, Top Gear, a highly respected {though somewhat conservative and traditional} British TV programme, referred to the Mustang GT's LRA and 3 link as "seriously stoneage"...effectively calling it dangerous and highly suspect. Richard Hammond {who is no boring Euro, he nearly killed himself in a 300 MPH smash recently} said that the Mustangs LRA was like "running around with your laces tied together, there are better ways of getting around"
Well they decided to keep it on the new Shelby after considering going to an IRS like previous Cobra models. Almost certainly a cost-saving measure. Sure, in curves, an IRS is more stable. And I don't think anyone would argue the GT is really setup for roadracing.
The 3 link catches a bad rap and doesn't entirely deserve it. If the track is smooth then there is little advantae to a IRS. Furthermore, our 3 links with some aftermarket help can be just as fast as any IRS. Ford went with the 3 link because of cost and strenght. It was the stongest thing they could develop given the money.
WEll, its all about what you want the car to do. IF you want to make a serious road racer out of a Mustang, don't do a swap... just get a Cobra with the IRS and go from there.
Yes the Mustangs 3-link is a little stoneage, but I don't see many funny cars runnign around with IRS. The Mustangs main Race focus is straight line and a Sild rear axle just works better for that and its cheaper as well.
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2006 Mustang GT in Torch Red
C&L Intake, Evolution Performance Tune, Borla Axle Backs, Hurst Shifter, 4.10's, JBA Long Tubes, Prothane Engine Mounts, Steeda UDPs, FRPP Charge Motion Delete Plates
The newer Cobras are the only Mustangs ever made with a IRS setup. If your goal is handling twisties at blazing speed, that's what you should be looking for. If you're looking to plant serious horsepower to the ground in a straight line, the solid axle is the way to go. With a panhard bar or torque arm, decent upper and lower control arms and good tires, the solid axle is impossible to beat for hooking up.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
The newer Cobras are the only Mustangs ever made with a IRS setup. If your goal is handling twisties at blazing speed, that's what you should be looking for. If you're looking to plant serious horsepower to the ground in a straight line, the solid axle is the way to go. With a panhard bar or torque arm, decent upper and lower control arms and good tires, the solid axle is impossible to beat for hooking up.
Exactly... I don't know of too many people who would invest in a Mustang because of it's fine handling characteristics. I have enough trouble making left turns at 1/4 throttle without the rearend wanting to come around!
When I first joined AFM, someone talked about having put a 2001 COBRA independent rear set up in their 2005. They took it out again after a couple of weeks. It was too squirrely.
I wondered if a Jaguar rear end would be fittable, since Jaguar is owned by Ford now. Also the Explorers have an IRS but I don't know how strong it is.
I have heard many arguments about IRS on the S197. Let's face it. Only about 1/100 of one percent of S197 owners have any need for IRS. For everyone else, it is a waste of money.
If you put the handling package (or it's after market equivalent) and a Watts Link on an S197, it will do more than 99% of the owners require. And the cost is considerably less.
Unless you have way more money than brains or if you are the type that has to have every possible available item on your car to best your buddy who doesn't have every toy on his car, why would you want to waste your money?
Oh yeah, I agree....3 links can take a right beating. However, Top Gear, a highly respected {though somewhat conservative and traditional} British TV programme, referred to the Mustang GT's LRA and 3 link as "seriously stoneage"...effectively calling it dangerous and highly suspect. Richard Hammond {who is no boring Euro, he nearly killed himself in a 300 MPH smash recently} said that the Mustangs LRA was like "running around with your laces tied together, there are better ways of getting around"
What say ye?
Dangerous and highly suspect? Sounds like Euro BS. You could make a much stronger case for the fundamental design of the Porsche 911 being dangerous and suspect, but Porsche has managed to make it work for 40 years. There seems to be an apologetic attitude among some Mustang owners when it comes to handling which stems more from ignorance than any inherent deficiency in the car itself. Bone stock Mustangs handle as well as any other car with the equal levels of comfort. Firm things up a bit, as on the upcoming Shelby GT, and the performance excels, no apologies necessary.
Oh yeah, I agree....3 links can take a right beating. However, Top Gear, a highly respected {though somewhat conservative and traditional} British TV programme, referred to the Mustang GT's LRA and 3 link as "seriously stoneage"...effectively calling it dangerous and highly suspect. Richard Hammond {who is no boring Euro, he nearly killed himself in a 300 MPH smash recently} said that the Mustangs LRA was like "running around with your laces tied together, there are better ways of getting around"
What say ye?
I say that you're trolling.
Pneumatic tires are also seriously stone age. So is the idea of a steering wheel. And the internal-combustion engine.
The Mustang dominated its competition in Grand Am racing with that live axle. Yes, the competition had IRS.
There is a popular prejudice against a live axle because it's cheap and is simpler in design than IRS. Unfortunately for the detractors, a live axle has fewer bad habits than a poorly-engineered IRS. It's just like the idiots who claim that automatic's are always a bad idea, or the dimwits who claim they'd never be caught driving a FWD car.
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Black 2006 Mustang GT Premium Coupe | Interior upgrade package | 18" 'Torque-Thrust' style wheels | Shaker 1000 | T3650 | Side airbags
Pneumatic tires are also seriously stone age. So is the idea of a steering wheel. And the internal-combustion engine.
The Mustang dominated its competition in Grand Am racing with that live axle. Yes, the competition had IRS.
There is a popular prejudice against a live axle because it's cheap and is simpler in design than IRS. Unfortunately for the detractors, a live axle has fewer bad habits than a poorly-engineered IRS. It's just like the idiots who claim that automatic's are always a bad idea, or the dimwits who claim they'd never be caught driving a FWD car.
There's no need to start throwing around the troll word. It was a genuine inquiry, not an inflammatory remark.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
Indpendent Rear Suspension Vs Live Rear Axle 
