UPR full rear suspension install
 

I had the opportunity to do some work on my cousin's 2012 Boss 302 this past week upgrading the stock rear suspension components. This was something he had been looking forward to since being deployed to Afghanistan this past June. We discussed his goals and covered a few options and came to the decision to install the UPR 1999-11-03 pro series II suspension package: http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-s...anhard-11.html

We began by removing his lower control arm and installing the LCA relo brackets. I have installed suspension components made by just about every major vendor and I have to say the UPR LCA brackets were the best fitting af them all. No prying, bending, no drilling, no clearance issues. FWIW - There is a another vendor who claims UPR copies everything they produce. They must not copy the fitment issues of the other vendor. :)

Once finished with the LCA relo brackets we installed the solid bushing into the rear end housing. Out of the entire install, this was the most time consuming part. The stock busing just didn't want to come out so we pulled the rear and used the BFH.

While the rear was out of the car we installed the upper control arm mount along with the upper control arm. Everything fit like a glove. We stabbed the rear back into the car, starting with the stock UCA length, and installed the lower control arms set to the stock LCA length.

Finally we installed the adjustable panhard bar and reconnected the stock sway bar.

With the rear suspension components installed, we set the pinion angle to 0 degrees (measuring at the proper points - back of pinion flange and front crank) as all components are rod ended.

After the pinion angle was set we adjusted the panhard with full load on the rear suspension.

Some items to note for the install, the UPR LCA's and panhard bar are lighter than the stock components. The UCA and mount were slightly heavier than stock. The measured differences are:

LCA's - ~4lbs. total savings
Panhard bar - ~3lbs. total savings
UCA and mount - ~2lbs. total gain

At the end of the day, including the LCA relo brackets, the weight differences between stock and all UPR components is basically the same however the UPR pieces are much stronger and the suspension greatly improved.

Many thanks to UPR and Sharad for the kick ass components and support.

Pics below:
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...psmp5ptz7a.jpg
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...psfg071bot.jpg
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...psrztuoncu.jpg
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...psfg2ysd8w.jpg
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...psbwprvpnp.jpg
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...pscbdqka9j.jpg
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...psqyb77nb6.jpg
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps6ywbldz0.jpg
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...psu8sxscpg.jpg

Those are beautiful pieces compared to stock. So would you say the stock Boss suspension is adequate? I would think the components should all be lighter, too.

The stock Boss control arms are no better than the GT stuff. The upper is exactly the same as the GT and the lowers still use rubber bushings. The panhard bar is the same as the GT. The short answer is no.

Review of the new hardware
 

Everyone, I'm the cousin that owns the car with the new hardware. The weather was pretty poor in the days following the install, but we've finally had a few dry days to give the new gear a try. Bottom line up front, the new suspension is a huge improvement over stock regarding traction and elimination of wheel hop, with only minor increases to NVH.

With the stock components, wheel hop was frequent and almost expected during hard acceleration. Since the install, there have been zero instances of wheel hop. None. Now the only traction issues are with the tires. The car feels much more connected to the road. Whether under hard straight line acceleration or putting power down in a turn, the performance difference is substantial. Wheel spin is still a factor at high rpm, but with the stock set up, the car was more difficult to predict and control because of the sudden wheel hop that nearly always accompanied the loss in traction. Now the car communicates the traction limits much more clearly and smoothly. From a performance stand point, this is a much, much better set up than stock.

Regarding the NVH, I went with a full rod-end set up. I have a pretty long commute (about an hour each way) and I was a little worried about making the car a bit too punishing for the drive. I am really pleasantly surprised. There is a little more gear whine and a slight increase in road noise. That's about it. I've taken the car over rough roads, speed bumps, highway driving, dirt roads, etc. If the rough sections of the drive were accompanied by a 'boom" or a loud bang, I really couldn't tell (the louder exhaust may have played a role, though). On really smooth highways at speeds above 70, I can hear a bit of gear whine from the rear end. On less smooth roads, I think a little bit more road noise is heard in the cabin. Overall, a pretty minor price to pay for the increase in traction.

So that's what I can report so far. Much better feel for the road, clean hook ups and better traction through the twisties. The cabin is a little louder, but not nearly as loud as I had expected. This was a great upgrade. Now I just need to work on the tires! Thanks for reading.