Video Review & Installation

Hey everybody, I'm Justin with AmericanMuscle.com with my detailed review of the Ford Racing GT500 Style Strut Mount Upgrades available for your 2005 to 2014 Mustang.Now there's a couple of reasons why you should be checking out the GT500 Style Strut Mounts from Ford Racing. First and foremost, they are a necessary upgrade if you do plan on running '05 to '10 style struts on your '11 to '14 Mustang. Now this is a common issue, as anyone with a lowered S197 will tell you.In addition to that, the Ford Racing GT500 Style Strut Mounts will be an affordable upgrade and replacement for a set of damaged, worn out or noisy factory strut mounts on your S197.Now first up guys, what is a strut mount? Well, as the name implies, it's basically something that's going to connect the front strut to the actual vehicle. Now typically it's constructed like a sandwich. We have a metal top plate here with the studs that go through the strut tower. Generally you're going to have some kind of rubber material here in the middle which is going to help isolate or dampen any road noise. And then finally on the bottom we have some sort of bearing plate here which acts like a steering pivot, and typically it's that bearing that wears out.This is a simple part again guys that will appeal to two different groups of people. Now first and foremost, again, this will be affordable upgrade or replacement for a set of beat factory strut mounts like we talked about a little bit earlier. And this statement is definitely geared more towards the older S197s or even the higher mileage S197s who might be experiencing some of the symptoms of a damaged or worn out strut mount.Some of the big symptoms of a worn out front strut mount include excess steering play, improper tire wear, or probably the most common symptom I guess you could say, would be a lot of clunking from the front end. Especially when you go over speed bumps and things like that.Now, a good way to determine if your strut mount is actually causing the noise instead of a beat end link for instance, is to put your hand on top of the actual strut in the engine bay, with the hood open of course, and have someone carefully lift up and down on the fender nearest the strut. Now if it is a damaged strut mount, then you should actually feel that clunking or the vibration through your hand here, which is usually a dead giveaway of a bad strut mount. Now if that sounds like your ride, then chances are it's probably time to replace those front strut mounts.Now these guys are going to be a solid upgrade not only because they're fresh, they're brand new, but also because of the original purpose they were intended for. These were actually original equipment on all '11 to '14 Shelby GT500 which, as we all know, were the king of the production Mustang for that particular generation, and as such, were built just a little bit better in regards to performance-oriented parts, the strut mounts being one of them.Now these guys were actually built with a slightly firmer or harder durometer for the rubber bushing here, which is going to result in slightly improved handling and steering response.Now, with that said, will bolt in these things up to your S197 make it turn over a G on the skid pad by themselves? Well, obviously not here, guys. However, they will offer an improvement through tighter steering feel again, along with a better build quality and materials.So that's one reason why you might want to check these things out from a replacement or upgrade aspect. Let's talk about the second reason real quick, and that is basically using the older S197 suspension components on your later gen. Basically using the '05 to '10 stuff on your '11 to '14 Mustang.Now this isn't as big of an issue now as it was a couple of years ago, because a lot of these suspension companies have already released their '11 to '14 specific components. However, it still is a common issue that people go through for one reason or another. The reason for the issue is that the piston rod or strut shaft on the actual strut, whatever you want to call it, is slightly different between the two cars, and that's why you can't use the '05 to '10 struts with an '11 to '14 factory strut mount. However, picking up a set of these Ford Racing GT500 Style Strut Mounts will allow you to bolt up those older style struts to your '11 to '14 Mustang.Now generally this is going to be the more cost effective or more affordable way of doing this. Your other option would be to go with an aftermarket caster camber plate, which are a little bit more dough than these but they do offer some additional adjustment in the end.Speaking of dough, these are definitely again going to be your most affordable option when it comes to bolting up the older struts to your newer gen S197, coming in right around the hundred dollar price point. A far cry from those aftermarket caster camber plates which can range anywhere from $200 to $300.As far as the install, guys, obviously you will need to remove those front struts in order to gain access to the actual strut mounts here, but overall really not that difficult. Just make sure you have a decent socket set and wrenches on hand, along with a spring compressor, and finally a way to get the car off the ground whether it be a lift, jack, jack stands, whatever.Now, if you've done suspension work in the past, then you know this really isn't all that difficult, guys, just a few nuts and bolts is really all you're tackling here. So let's call it one out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter, maybe a few hours in the garage or driveway to get everything installed.Overall guys, the GT500 Style Strut Mounts from Ford Racing are going to be beneficial to a couple of different people as we already discussed. Whether you're replacing some worn out stockers or you want to use the older suspension on your '11 to '14 S197, this will definitely be an affordable fix that will offer some additional benefits as well.So be sure to check out a set for your S197 right here at AmericanMuscle.com.