Eibach Sportline Lowering Springs (05-10 Mustang GT)

Video Review & Installation

Hey, guys, Stephanie with americanmuscle.com, here with the Eibach Sportline lowering springs for the 2005 to 2010 GT Mustangs. We're gonna be talking about a few different things with these springs, but mostly we'll talk about what you can expect from these springs in both the performance and looks categories, and we're also gonna talk about the install as well. I'll talk more about the install later, but you're looking at a two out of three wrenches in the difficulty meter. The Eibach Sportline lowering springs are gonna be a good option for the GT owners out there who are looking for a spring that'll give an aggressive drop and more aggressive handling. This spring is perfect for those owners out there that are willing to sacrifice some of the nicer amenities of a soft ride quality in order to gain one of the biggest drops from a lowering spring. Lowering springs have a big impact on these cars. They can completely change the looks of the car without having to change a lot, and the Sportlines offer one of the largest drops for these cars. The Sportlines are gonna drop the GT about 1.6 inches in the front and 2 inches in the rear. Like I said, it doesn't get much lower than this for the S197 from a spring, and this is an aggressive drop. The drop will change slightly depending on if your car is a coupe or a convertible, due to the weight differences between the models. Depending on your wheel and tire setup, this drop is going to eliminate nearly all of the wheel gap that the GT has from the factory and it's gonna leave the car sitting just above the wheels and tires. Now, a one-inch drop is pretty standard across the board for the S197, and I'd say that one inch lower is pretty significant for these cars. I mean significant in both looks and performance changes. So that means that the over one-and-a-half inch to two-inch drop that the Sportlines offer is one of the greater drops that you're gonna be able to find. This drop will lower the car's center of gravity enough to create more track-like handling capabilities. These springs are really gonna reduce squat during acceleration and reduce wheel hop as well. You're also looking at much less body roll during cornering and less nosedive during braking. Lowering the center of gravity this much means that these springs are really gonna change and tighten up the handling of these cars. Now, if you think that this is too much drop or if you really want to hang on to some of those softer ride quality characteristics, Eibach also makes a Pro-Kit lowering spring. Those springs drop the car a touch over one inch all the way around and they will ride differently than the Sportline kit, a little bit more comfortably. To really lay this out, I would say that the Sportline springs are more aggressive and better suited for some track use or those that are really looking for high performance and forceful looks. They're an all the way around more aggressive spring. The Pro-Kit springs, on the other hand, are a great option for those that would like to lower the car and reduce wheel gap but that want to keep the ride quality and streetability in the forefront of their mind as well. This doesn't mean that the Sportline kit won't work on a daily driven car. It'll work just fine. It really all comes down to your personal preference and what you want out of the springs. The Sportline springs, like the Pro-Kit springs, are still a progressive spring. Progressive springs concentrate on providing balance at all times in order to improve handling. Like I said earlier, these springs do provide an aggressive drop but they are still gonna work with both the factory wheels and the preconfigured wheel and tire kits that are on the site. These springs aren't gonna make the car difficult to drive places but you will need to be a little bit more careful. They are gonna be stiffer than the factory springs as well, so you will notice some more road noise. But, I wouldn't say that these give a bad ride quality at all, it's just not as soft as factory. I do want to say that a lot of times when you're shopping for lowering springs, you're also shopping for things like adjustable caster camber plates and a new set of both shocks and struts. In this case, I wouldn't say that caster camber plates are necessarily required, but I will say that a one-and-a-half inch drop is about the limit of where you would need a set of adjustable CC plates in order to get the alignment within spec. It is going to be close, so a set wouldn't be a bad idea at all. At the end of the day it never hurts to have caster camber plates, so if you've got the extra cash, I'd say go ahead. As far as shocks and struts, this goes back to the drop too. I'd say that you can get away with the factory shocks and struts in this case, for at least a little while anyway, but it is gonna come back to how many miles that you have on these components. If your shocks and struts have a ton of miles on them, I would replace them, but if they don't, you can always consider picking up a new set anyways. When it comes to price, these springs are gonna be one of the middle of the road options. They're not the most expensive but they aren't the least expensive either. They cost just under $200, which is slightly less expensive than the Pro-Kit springs. If you're just looking to get your car lower and you aren't concerned with ride quality, there are some other options on the site that cost a little less and will get you where you need to be. On the other hand, if you are concerned with keeping a nicer ride quality and getting as low as possible, then you're shopping in the right place.So the install here is going to take about four hours. I'm gonna call it a two out of three wrenches on the scale. You will need some knowledge to complete this install, so I'd recommend having a knowledgeable helping hand or taking this to a shop for the install, especially since it's always a good idea to get an alignment after the install anyways. This install can be done on jack stands if you don't have access to a lift, but as usual, a lift would be your best bet here. You're gonna need a few tools, including a spring compressor, so make sure you have that before you start the install. You're gonna need to get down to the spring and strut assembly, so everything like the wheels, brakes, and ABS lines will need to be moved out of the way so you can pull the assemblies out of the car. The spring compressor will help you remove the spring from the strut and install the new front springs, which are compressed and installed the same way. The strut assemblies go back in the same way they came out, and the install is the same for both sides. The rear is nearly the same. You will need to disassemble some items to get to the springs, but ultimately you'll be able to lower the rear axle enough to the point where the springs will be free. Just like the front, the rear springs install the same way that they were uninstalled. You install your rubber insulators and your new bump stops are installed, and after the new springs are in, you can begin reinstalling the shocks and everything else that you uninstalled. That's about all it's gonna take. Like I mentioned earlier, a fresh alignment after the install isn't a bad idea.Wrapping things up here, the Eibach Sportline lowering springs offer a spring with an aggressive drop and improvements in handling to make for a car that feels track ready. They drop the car about 1.6 inches in the front and 2 inches in the rear and will leave the car sitting just above the wheels and tires. The springs are not difficult to install, they're in the middle of the pack as far as pricing goes, and you can check them out more online right here at americanmuscle.com.