Hop Stoppers

Steeda’s new IRS bushing support system reduces S550 wheel hop

By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Steeda Autosports

Admit it, we were all a little concerned that the arrival of an independent rear suspension under the hindquarters of the 2015 Mustang. It feels great on the street and the road course, but would it hold up to drag strip launches? Well, it hasn’t been all bad, but it could always be better, and Steeda Autosports has developed a clever product that reduces wheel hop by securing the IRS subframe—its IRS Subframe Bushing Support System (PN 555-4437; $134.95).

“Made from CNC machined, 6061 aluminum, our bushing support system gives the rearend a much more solid feel with no increase in NVH at all,” says the company. “The Steeda IRS subframe bushings eliminate rear subframe movement notorious in the 2015 Mustang GT, EcoBoost, and V6. A stiffened subframe allows the car to increase traction to the rear wheels and helps eliminate wheel hop.”

Rather than completely replacing the factory bushings with stiffer materials, this system adds billet supports to the factory bushings. This method is said to offer no change in noise, vibration, and harshness. Moreover, you can reportedly install the kit in 30 minutes, and return it back to stock in the same amount of time.

Watch the company’s install video here…

So, you can reduce IRS subframe travel by over ½-inch in your driveway and improve your S550’s performance for under $140. Sounds pretty great. To see the results, you can check out the IRS movement before and after the installation right here…

“As you can see in the video, when completely stock, the entire rear IRS subframe assembly moves around under acceleration, braking and even more so when bangin’ gears. This is a major problem because every single rear suspension piece is connected to this subframe. So as it’s moving and vibrating, so is the rear sway bar, toe links, integral links, camber arm and lower control arm,” Steeda explained. “They are all moving around violently as well so it makes it very hard for your suspension to ‘work’ and keep the tires planted on the pavement for traction. The assembly is basically fighting the car and not allowing for the suspension to work the way it was designed. This causes unwanted changes in camber and toe which will lead to unpredictable traction and control, resulting in handling issues. Steeda’s simple kit eliminates this.”

Comments

comments