SUSPENSION

You’ve seen the YouTube clips and heard the jokes: the Mustang-crashing-into-acrowd scenario is a very real phenomenon. Partly it’s because showing off comes hand-in-hand with driving a muscle car, and mainly because many Mustang drivers aren’t familiar with powerful rear-wheeldrive machinery. Another factor is that, although the S550 is the first Mustang with independent rear suspension, it’s not exactly a sporty setup.

“The suspension can’t deal with 400bhp, let alone 700bhp,” says Robbie, “it’ll be straight into a hedge.”

Although British Mustangs have the Performance Pack settings as standard, it’s very soft and vague. Poor alignment from the factory means the rear subframe can be so far to the left or right that, if spacers are fitted, you’ll notice wheels sticking out more on one side than the other.

Ben says Steeda’s IRS Base Pack is a must-have modification, even if you do nothing more than drive to the shops. By filling oversized bolt hole with void bushes, it takes the slop out of the suspension

– which means you can feel what the rear end is doing. Add a set of lowering springs and subframe support bushes and your bill will be almost £1000, but you’ll need to budget for it if your previous car was an ST or RS – or you’ll be very disappointed.

Suspension upgrades will also help to eliminate wheel hop, for which the Mustang is commonly criticised. Again, factor the modifications into your budget before buying the car.

There are few suspension problems to be aware of, although it’s worth listening for rumbling from the rear wheel bearings, which can fail prematurely.

Be prepared for rear tyres to suffer a similar fate, and avoid anything wearing cheap budget-spec rubber. Robbie recommends the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, which suits UK roads and helps to reduce wheel hop too.

Finally, don’t assume any facelifted Mustang will feature fancy MagneRide damping, which adapts to road conditions – it’s a £1600 optional extra, but reckoned to be worth the outlay.