BMR Suspension's New Greasable Polyurethane Bushing Vertical Links: Industry First!

Figured I would share the matching Camber Links to these new Vertical Links.

In our mission to offer a full array of IRS goodies, from the racers to the "average Joe" - we have been really busy with development and testing.

Early on (2014, early 2015), we were getting bombarded primarily by racers that were in a rush to hit the platform hard and heavy - set records and to gain business and attention, while setting the world on fire. We catered many of our early product design to them, making parts extremely heavy duty and honestly, overkill for most.

These new camber links are a nice lightweight and strong design, which will increase rigidity and remove bushing bind. Strong, functional, physically appealing and a solid price point was our overall target.

Eritas said:

Lol, yes I will take your word for it when you don't know how an integral link works or the forces that act upon it. If you can't even understand that, there is no way you can understand what the changes in the LCA did to the GT4.

On another note, the new Ford Performance FP350S racecar appears to use coilovers on the stock aluminum LCA. How is that possible??? They're not out yet and I'm not sure if they also use the stock integral link or not but I'm sure we will find out sooner or later.

A placebo is a hell of an effect. As long as you're happy with, and feel your money is well spent, that is all that matters.

Click to expand...

Are you arguing that rotation of the knuckle under accel/decel is a good thing?
We all agree that vertical links aren't a "first" mod. However, when you've done everything else and still have wheelhop, it's probably not a bad idea to try one last thing.

Eritas said:

The GT4's control arm has spherical bearings in it, replacing OEM rubber bushings, so they easily could have done something to the integral link if their testing and development felt it was needed. That's my point.

Click to expand...

What you don't know is the difference between an improvement on a stock/mildly modified vehicle and how much difference a different link made in concert with the rest of the parts submitted for homologation to SRO. Same design architecture yet two different animals. That said, nor do you know what wasn't approved by SRO in order to maintain balance across the GT4 spectrum.

Eritas said:

Again, Kohr doesn't decide which suspension components are on the GT4, Ford does and determined it wasn't necessary.

Click to expand...

Ford worked with Multimatic on homologation. Ultimately, Ford makes the call but Multimatic did the bullwork. The rear control arm was a welded/fabricated piece for a bit during submission but the car currently uses billet piece. The dry sump reservoir was moved from behind the driver to the engine bay. That's SRO mandating what can and can't be done and Ford/Multimatic following suit. I don't have early arm photos to share but here's the current one.

Eritas said:

Just because the GT4's LCA is different doesn't mean the integral link functions any differently. The fact Ford retained the OEM IL while changing the LCA (which isn't cheap) tells you something... -It's probably unnecessary to change out the link to begin with on a stock S550.

Click to expand...

SRO obviously allowed a number of changes here. But how do you know a different link wasn't submitted? How do you know that changes to the arm bushings, etc, may have precluded any necessity to change the link and as such, a compliant/OEM link got the job done? You don't.

Eritas said:

On another note, the new Ford Performance FP350S racecar appears to use coilovers on the stock aluminum LCA. How is that possible??? They're not out yet and I'm not sure if they also use the stock integral link or not but I'm sure we will find out sooner or later.

Click to expand...

I've seen it first hand and yes, it's possible.




Look closely and you can see the stock link and coilover spring up top.

Thanks to those of you who have ordered.

We are buttoning up the CNC machined upper beveled spacers, and also started the fabrication of the main-body units - and hope to start shipping these out soon!

Epiphany said:

What you don't know is the difference between an improvement on a stock/mildly modified vehicle and how much difference a different link made in concert with the rest of the parts submitted for homologation to SRO. Same design architecture yet two different animals. That said, nor do you know what wasn't approved by SRO in order to maintain balance across the GT4 spectrum.

Ford worked with Multimatic on homologation. Ultimately, Ford makes the call but Multimatic did the bullwork. The rear control arm was a welded/fabricated piece for a bit during submission but the car currently uses billet piece. The dry sump reservoir was moved from behind the driver to the engine bay. That's SRO mandating what can and can't be done and Ford/Multimatic following suit. I don't have early arm photos to share but here's the current one.

SRO obviously allowed a number of changes here. But how do you know a different link wasn't submitted? How do you know that changes to the arm bushings, etc, may have precluded any necessity to change the link and as such, a compliant/OEM link got the job done? You don't.

Click to expand...

Trick camber/caster plates, solid subframe bushings (it appears), $50K DSSV race dampers, a billet LCA that costs thousands of dollars with aftermarket bushings and heim joints, but good gosh, the SRO is probably holding the GT4 back by SECONDS by forcing them to use the stock integral link! Man, if they only had an aftermarket integral link.... :lol:

Or from all of Ford/Multimatic's testing and developing, they deemed the stock integral link performed sufficiently enough that replacing a $5 part wasn't necessary. I highly doubt they went through all of that testing and the SRO was the reason they are running a stock integral link.

Epiphany said:

I've seen it first hand and yes, it's possible.

Look closely and you can see the stock link and coilover spring up top.

Click to expand...

You missed the sarcasm there in reference to wildcat's comment:

" the cast aluminum (brittle) LCA on our cars is NOT designed for a true coilover at the lower mounting point"

This image is intriguing to me. Several things about it, one being the knuckle side mounting of the toe link. Hmmm.

BMR Tech said:

This image is intriguing to me. Several things about it, one being the knuckle side mounting of the toe link. Hmmm.

Click to expand...

What about the toe-link is intriguing?

It appears the FP350S also uses the stock integral link! :eyebulge:

So if the FP350S and the GT4 both use the stock link... either Ford/Mulitimatic are complete idiots, the SRO and whoever governs the FP350S rules (I don't think the car was built for a specific homologation like the GT4) OR 'upgrading' the link isn't necessary or possibly a bad thing if Ford's 2 main racecars aren't changing out the links...

The knuckle side mount (pivot bushing) is what I find intriguing.

It appears as if either the bushing has been dislodged and has shifted, OR they have offset it. Could be an illusion I suppose....BUT, in the image up above before that one I spy a knuckle bearing with a snap ring. Good stuff.

As for them using the stock integral links, I am not very concerned about it.

Our "Vertical Link" sales and I assume our competitors as well, are very very high volume. The consumer wants them so we will make them. Hence the reason this new set is our 4th design / style offering.

Gotcha, I kind of see what you're saying and agree it's hard to say.

So if they are changing some of these bushings out with spherical bearings, there must be something to that, and also further justifies or asks the question, why did they do all of this and retain the stock integral link.

I don't doubt your (and Steeda's) integral links do sell well, but you should ask yourself: are those individual sales for the link or is the majority of them sold as part of a package you offer?

I get it. Just like fake scoops and 'hot air intakes', if people will buy them, why not make $ off of people's ignorance and/or personal preference.

I think i've been more than a PITA so I'll stop now.

I am not sure, but I will ask someone when given the chance. Getting a specific and accurate answer may not be too easy, though.

Also please keep in mind, our customer base is not the same as someone who buys and races a car that Ford builds. Our customer base ranges from daily drivers, up to 2000+hp racecars.

When I assist a customer, one of the first things I tell them if they want to get RESULTS - is they need to move every part within the IRS system that deflects.

My customers know that when they call, they get good info. There is no smoke and mirrors here, and if you search well enough you can find MANY posts from me saying that "Vertical Links" are one of the most overrated and improperly hyped IRS parts/upgrades for the S550 IRS. ;)

To add, the person reading these posts likely doesn't have a suspension nearly as potent as the GT4/FP350S....so comparing them is really not apples to apples.

That is like saying, "Ford Performance, you are silly for offering a forged Aluminator for 'supercharged engines' because my supercharged bone stock car is fine and has a warranty!"

Then you have Ford Performance offering and selling "Performance Pack Toe-Links" to thousands of people who already have them?

Atleast it's good to see the images above have non-OE style toe links.

BMR Tech said:

I am not sure, but I will ask someone when given the chance. Getting a specific and accurate answer may not be too easy, though.

Also please keep in mind, our customer base is not the same as someone who buys and races a car that Ford builds. Our customer base ranges from daily drivers, up to 2000+hp racecars.

When I assist a customer, one of the first things I tell them if they want to get RESULTS - is they need to move every part within the IRS system that deflects.

My customers know that when they call, they get good info. There is no smoke and mirrors here, and if you search well enough you can find MANY posts from me saying that "Vertical Links" are one of the most overrated and improperly hyped IRS parts/upgrades for the S550 IRS. ;)

Click to expand...

Deflection is not always a bad thing and is often intentionally engineered into both race and street cars. There are often examples where you want some deflection to help take the 'shock' of the drivetrain to help put power down or to prevent breaking things. I know there are some FWD cars that will shear the teeth off of the gears when swapping motor/trans mounts out for solid polyurethane, while other cars don't have that problem.

On the flip side, if you were to swap out all of the bushings with solid delrin, or even solid poly in a foxbody Mustang's 4-link suspension, the suspension will bind due to the lack of axial movement. I think the S550 is somewhat similar (but not as bad) in terms of need of axial movement where it would bind if you swapped out all of the bushings with solid delrin.

I don't think you can blindly infer that you can't get results unless you use solid or spherical bearings in everything when some deflection or movement could be advantageous in a certain application -which is harder to understand in a multi-link suspension design than a SLA or solid axle. This is probably why the stock Integral Link is used on all of Ford's racecars.

It's called an "Integral Link" because that's the multi-link design that Ford copied from BMW, which has been used by them forever. I'm a BMW guy and it's funny how the Mustang now has BMW front and rear suspension designs. Ford even called the link itself an "integral link":




I'm not sure who coined the term "Vertical Link". That's as vague and erroneous as calling the toe link a "Horizontal Link". :lol:


I have to say I'm enjoying our cordial debate

Well of course, in some instances you want compliance.

You called the last reference I made to the cars I support, or that use BMR parts etc - Egotistical. But I will say it again, the absolute fastest S550 IRS Mustangs in the world do not use OE Integral Links. PAE has the fastest around corners, and Mo Makki has the fastest at a drag strip. So we can talk all day long about it - but until those cars are outperformed by a car with stock Integral Links, I think it's a moot point. If the GT4 and FP350S is the primary defense for the OE links, then I am unclear of why I cannot state facts about cars that are faster and make much more power.




So anyways, back to our TCA048s! To those reading:

Something to share is that we ensured to incorporate some great features into this design. For instance, our upper bushing sleeve is designed in a manner that fully captures the upper polyurethane bushing. When paired with the factory fastener, both the knuckle side and the rear side of the upper bushings are captured. This helps ensure that the bushing has the least amount of twist on the upper mount which will lead to better performance and a longer lasting bushing. This BMR unique sleeve design also enables the grease to stay inside the bushing assembly for a longer amount of time.

Both the upper and the lower sleeves are designed, tested and CNC machined in house of aluminum to help keep the weight down.

Here are (3) very impressive performers. On cars like these, I would not suggest stock or poly links. I would prefer to see a bearing on both the upper and lower mounts of the Integral Links.