According to the company, the ROUSH Stage 3 Suspension Package is the result of hundreds of hours of testing and thousands of miles on both the street and racetracks across the country. ROUSH says tests including slalom, lane change, and skid pad were performed on a wide variety of road surfaces to provide the best combination of ride comfort and road handling. Data was captured and evaluated using a DIVAS Data Acquisition System, the same equipment used by the Ford vehicle engineers. ROUSH says it took more than six months of non-stop research and development to create the system.
The kit (part # 401761), which fits S197 Mustangs 2005-2009, comes with springs, dampers, jounce bumpers, and anti-roll bars which ROUSH says work together to provide optimum performance on the street or track. The kit also comes with instructions and all the necessary OEM-grade hardware required for the installation.
The front anti-roll bar is more than 45 percent stiffer than the stock unit and is a solid material, unlike some on the market which are hollow. This is said to reduce body roll. ROUSH takes the additional step to forge and machine the bar ends so that all the joints are parallel and surfaces match for joint integrity. The rear anti-sway bar is also solid and is heavier to help balance the vehicle and remove some of the understeer that is a characteristic of the Mustang.
The twin-tube shocks have a special valving designed to keep the maximum tire contact patch on the ground, even while driving over uneven terrain. They were developed in part with an advanced 7-post shaker rig like many of the NASCAR teams now utilize to hone their chassis setups.
The shocks are powder coated for corrosion resistance and the springs are cold wound and made from high chrome silicone steel. According to the company, they are pre-set so they won’t sag.
Performance guru Jack Roush said, “ROUSH has always been known for being the best in powertrain components, but we also have some of the most knowledgeable chassis engineers in the auto industry on staff.” He added, “I continually challenge them to design suspension pieces that offer tremendous performance enhancements yet don’t make sacrifices when it comes to ride comfort. With the ROUSH Stage 3 Suspension Package they have met this challenge, and even exceeded my expectations for what a performance enthusiast would want on his Mustang.”
According to a press release issued by the company, the bushings, though stiffer than OEM, are a bit softer than other third-party pieces which allows for more compliance over low speed bumps. There is a spiral groove cut in the front and rear bushings which helps to keep the grease in place and quiets the unit. The jounce bumpers were actually designed to act as a spring assist, and are constructed from an OEM-quality, micro-cellular material. In all, ROUSH says that their engineers paid particular attention to the bushings and jounce bumpers.
The Stage 3 Suspension Kit is said to work with any type of wheel combination, but for optimum performance ROUSH suggests you use ROUSH RR03 forged wheels (part number 402422) and as ROUSHcharger. The suspension was specifically designed with the weight of these components in mind. In all, the kit lowers the Mustang by one inch.
For more information about ROUSH Performance products, check out their official Web site.
