Michael’s S550 Mustang GT on Volk TE37s gets BMR Suspension & MGW Race Shifter @ ModAuto

NickFebruary 22, 2016

Volk TE37 Ultra 20×10 20×11 Nitto Invo 275/35-20 295/35-20 on JRZ Coilovers + BMR Suspension

Former Mod Expert Michael Chen has built quite a few badass vehicles here at ModBargains – and these days Sr Mod Expert Alan coordinates Michael’s installs and today was another one of many. Michael’s latest project car is this S550 Ford Mustang GT, in the shop at ModAuto being fitted with an MGW Race Spec Shifter for S550 Mustang GT and a complement of S550 Mustang GT suspension upgrades from BMR.

Volk TE37 Ultra 20×10 20×11 Nitto Invo 275/35-20 295/35-20 on JRZ Coilovers + BMR Suspension

Rocking a custom front splitter from APR Performance and a set of extremely lightweight VOLK TE37 Ultra Wheels for S550 Mustang GT, Michael’s Mustang already looks really aggressive – and paired with a set of sticky sticky Nitto Invo 275/30-20 / 295/30-20 tires, its performance matches its looks.

Volk TE37 Ultra 20×10 20×11 Nitto Invo 275/35-20 295/35-20 on JRZ Coilovers + BMR Suspension

Already sitting nice and low on JRZ Coilovers, the disgusting wheelgap that’s on these cars from the factory is eliminated – but the S550’s chassis and suspension needs a bit more love than the old standbys of just throwing on coilovers and calling it a day.

More than just a pretty face, Michael flogs the hell out of this Pony at Trackday Weekends all over SoCal. However, those track sessions made it clear that he needed to do something about the shifter. While the factory shifter wasn’t awful, Michael didn’t like the ‘notchy’ feel of the stock shifter.

With a little consultation from Sr Mod Expert Alan and Master Technician Dave, Michael settled on a MGW Race Shifter for the S550 MT-82 to make his shift action firmer and crisper.

While many of the short shift kits we see are like a add-on plate, MGW’s unit is actually pretty impressive, replacing basically everything between the shifter knob and the transmission. While it may not look like much, this new shifter assembly will make shift action feel much nicer.

Check out this topdown view of the shifter’s box to get a better idea of the innards.

Unfortunately, the tight quarters into which the MGW Shifter installs means that it’s nearly impossible to get a photo of mid-install where you can see anything, so this is the last time anyone will likely be seeing all the great detail in this shifter’s construction for a long time.

The S550 chassis is pretty good, but Ford isn’t exactly known for being a road-racing chassis builder, so there are a few things that need to be addressed with the car’s handling behaviors. One problem in particular stands out with the S550 – wheel hop.

To resolve the problem, we installed a couple of goodies from BMR Suspension.

“The BMR rear cradle bushing eliminated the wheel Hop. Lowering springs help get rid of most of the bounciness that came with the factory ford springs, coilovers got rid of it entirely. The sway bars really help the car stay planted around turns and steering felt a lot more direct (like the smallest input on the steering wheel and the car went the way I wanted it to)” – Michael

The rear cradle of the Mustang tends to move quite a bit, so it required we get a wealth of goodies to make the S550 Mustang as good as it could be on and off track.

Here’s what we installed from BMR:

BMR SB043 Front & Rear Sway Bars for S550 Ford Mustang

BMR ELK012 Front & Rear Sway Bar Endlinks for S550 Ford Mustang

BMR CB005 Cradle Bushing Lockout Kit for S550 Ford Mustang

BMR TCA045 Billet Vertical Link Rear Lower Control Arms for S550 Ford Mustang

BMR TR005 Adjustable Toe Arms for S550 Ford Mustang

The BMR Front & Rear Sway Bars for S550 Ford Mustang seen here in red dramatically reduce body roll, resulting in much sharper handling performance. The BMR Sway Bars are 3-way adjustable both front and rear, allowing for fine-tuning the suspension’s handling behaviors.

To give the car on-car-adjustable toe, we installed a set of BMR TR005 Adjustable Toe Arms for S550 Ford Mustang to dial in the rear suspension geometry.

To eliminate all the excess movement in the rear cradle and keep it centered, a BMR CB005 Cradle Bushing Lockout Kit for S550 Ford Mustang was installed, making handling much more predictable.

In addition to the sway bars, we also installed a set of heavy duty BMR ELK012 Front & Rear Sway Bar Endlinks for S550 Ford Mustang.

Now all that was left to do was to take the Mustang outside into the sun.
Even before getting outside, we just can’t get enough of how badass this Mustang is.

Now let’s take a look at the interior and the installed shifter. The MGW Race Shifter gets rid of the notchy feeling of the factory shifter, making the throws shorter and much more certain.

“I just didn’t like the feel (of the stock shifter), (it’s) very notchy. The MGW shifter is very precise, the throws are short and the gates are very close together.”

Here’s how the MGW Race Shifter looks installed. As we said earlier, once installed it is nearly impossible to photograph, but we assure you it’s there.

Volk TE37 Ultra 20×10 20×11 Nitto Invo 275/35-20 295/35-20 on JRZ Coilovers + BMR Suspension

Sitting low on the JRZ Coilovers, the stance of the Mustang is just right, and the Volks give the car a decidedly JDM trackday flair.

Volk TE37 Ultra 20×10 20×11 Nitto Invo 275/35-20 295/35-20 on JRZ Coilovers + BMR Suspension

The Nitto Invo Tires are a favorite of the Mustang community, and look as great as they perform.

Volk TE37 Ultra 20×10 20×11 Nitto Invo 275/35-20 295/35-20 on JRZ Coilovers + BMR Suspension

The side profile of the car is spot on, even front-to-rear.

Volk TE37 Ultra 20×10 20×11 Nitto Invo 275/35-20 295/35-20 on JRZ Coilovers + BMR Suspension

Here’s another angle.

The black finish is given some extra pop by contrasting it with a set of Matte Black racing stripes.

We love the way the Mustang came out here on the Volks with all the graphics in place, but knowing Michael, nothing stays the same for long- we can’t wait to see what’s next.

Talk to the Mod Experts like Alan – call us at 714-582-3330 (x8006 for Alan) to see how we can help enhance your Mustang Motoring experience. Our Mod Experts like Alan can help you make your ponycar faster, sound beefier, sit lower, corner harder and look more badass – so talk to us today online or stop by the ModAuto showroom during business hours in La Habra, CA.

Story & Photos Nick Gregson

Mod List

Engine

Stainless Works Catback with H-Pipe

Stainless Works Off Road Catless Headers

Ford Performance Hood Struts

Suspension

JRZ RS Pro coilovers

BMR SB043 (front and rear way bar Kit)

BMR ELK012 (front and rear end links Kit)

BMR CB005 (cradle bushing lockout kit)

BMR TCA045 (Billet Vertical Links)