Are you modifying your 2015-23 Mustang and are running into the dreaded wheel hop issues? Take a look at our article to guide you through the solutions.
Wheel hop is the alternation of your drive wheels obtaining and losing traction. If you have ever experienced it firsthand you know what I am talking about. There are many different factors that come into play when solving wheel hop on your 2015-2023 S550. Normally this issue arises when you take your Mustang from a dead stop and hammer on the throttle. This may sound like a heavy rapid clunking coming from the rear of the vehicle. To the inexperienced driver, you may think something is breaking or is coming loose on your Mustang. In the past 03-04 Cobra Mustang owners ran into this prevalent issue due to the design of the rear IRS suspension of these cars. Although well built from the factory, there were vast improvements to be made. The 2015-2023 S550 is looking to be following in its footsteps. If you plan on planting some serious power down in your Mustang, here is an overview of the most common solutions to help solve this plaguing problem.
Mustang lowering springs will help lower the center of gravity and help with the overall traction of the rear tires to the pavement. A popular mod for most S550 Mustang owners, lowering springs can help solve a bit of the wheel hop problems, but it is best to pair them with some high-quality suspension components for a winning combination.
While it may seem like a weird concept, a new set of wheels and tires can drastically improve wheel hop. By selecting a wider wheel and tire, you gain a bigger contact patch of the tire to the pavement. Choosing a stickier tire such as a drag radial can increase traction, which can help improve your wheel hop. The worn-out suspension could cause the stickier tires to still wheel hop, so upgrading weak points in your suspension will be ideal.
The factory Ford half shafts in your 2015-2023 Mustang are great for daily driving and the occasional track day. Once you start adding some serious power and start to hard launch your S550, these half shafts have a tendency to break leaving you stranded at the staging lanes. Ford Racing & The Driveshaft Shop both offer performance half shaft kits to handle 800hp up to 1400hp.
A new feature on the 2015-2023 Mustangs is the addition of vertical links. Vertical links connect the rear control arm with the rear spindle and the factory link leaves plenty of room for improvement. Upgrading to new spherical bushing vertical links helps reduce deflection and tightens up the rear suspension to help fix your wheel hop issue. Take your pick from BMR, UPR, Steeda, and J&M 2015-2023 Mustang vertical links to upgrade your suspension.
BMR's cradle bushing lockout kits capture the inner sleeve of the cradle bushing and outer spring cup on the cradle which greatly reduces the amount of deflection normally found in the stock bushings. Reducing deflection in the bushings reduces wheel hop and improves the feel of the car under any driving conditions.
Upgraded adjustable toe links or toe rods give you a stronger replacement for your factory links and feature spherical Heim joints. By making the swap, you remove the factory rubber links that can cause deflection which results in wheel hop.
Similar to all of the other suspension components we have covered, the upper control arms can also be replaced with a stronger, spherical bushing component. BMR's upper control arms camber links feature both urethane and a spherical bushing to help reduce suspension deflection and reduce wheel hop.