Good news for 2003 through 2009 Ford Mustang owners that don't want to throw down $21,000 on a complete Roush Stage 3 kit: The suspension alone is now available separately for just $1,449, meaning it's now affordable to make your 'Stang handle. The complete kit is a direct replacement for the spongy stock suspension, lowers the car 1", and includes springs, dampers, jounce bumpers and anti-roll bars. Full details follow the jump.

ROUSH® STAGE 3™ SUSPENSION AVAILABLE TO ALL MUSTANG OWNERS WHO WANT TO PULL Gs

LIVONIA, Mich. (July 31, 2008) - One of the things that sets the ROUSH®
Stage 3™ Mustang apart from the competition is the road-hugging,
highly-tuned suspension package. Previously, this vaunted suspension
package was only available as part of a ROUSH Stage 3 vehicle build, but
now anyone with a 2005 to 2009 Ford Mustang can feel what a 1G lateral
skid pad rating can give you on the daily drive.

Developed by some of the top chassis engineers in the industry, 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. Tests, including slalom, lane change, skid pad, and 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. Overall, it took more than six months of
non-stop research and development to create one of the finest
suspensions available today.

The complete kit includes springs, dampers, jounce bumpers and
anti-roll bars which work together in harmony and provide optimum
performance on the street or track. The suggested retail is $1,499.00
(part number 401761), and when installed will lower the car
approximately one inch for a more aggressive stance. All instructions
and necessary OEM-grade hardware is included.

The front anti-roll bar is more than 45 percent stiffer than the stock
unit and is a solid material, unlike most others on the market which are
hollow. This helps to significantly reduce body roll, and 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 unique valving and will 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.
Like all the metal components in the Stage 3 Suspension Package, the
shocks are powder coated for corrosion resistance. The springs
themselves are cold wound and made from high chrome silicone steel. They
are pre-set so they won't sag.

The ROUSH engineers paid particular attention to the bushings and
jounce bumpers, areas other companies tend to overlook. 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 unique
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.

"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," said Jack Roush. "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."

The Stage 3 Suspension Kit works with any type of wheel combinations,
but for optimum performance it is suggested that the ROUSH RR03 forged
wheels (part number 402422) and ROUSHcharger™ be utilized as well. The
suspension was specifically designed with the weight of these components
in mind.

Send an email to Wes Siler, the author of this post, at wes@jalopnik.com.