Aftermarket Sway Bars

[zombiekiller]

I didn't use the actual k member brace. I used the other that's header friendly since I plan on adding headers. But I believe both fit with no modification.

incorrect.

The full braces are not header friendly ( at least kooks headers).

The bmr lockouts make a really big difference in the ability to control rotation. And yes, I have tracked the car since adding both them and and the steeda 2 point brace.

My observation? The car points much better on hard braking with the front brace.

The bmr lockout braces made the car more precise when wanting to rotate it on acceleration out of turns. The deflection in the crade bushings made the car feel like it was hesitating just a little bit when i wanted to rotate the back end a little. at times the delay would surprise me.

After the braces it does what i want, immediately when i want and feels far more predictable, stable and responsive.

CN: both bits removed some mush from the handling.

I've also replaced some arms in the rear and added plates to the front to make alignment changes easier at the track. I believe my mods were well worth it. the arms and plates got put in more for ease of adjustment above tangible direct performance improvements.

to be fair, the braces helped me shave about a second off my lap times by themselves. I'm running a little bit off the track prepped viper times now that I've gotten more used to the car. ( 3-6 seconds depending on who is driving said viper). I dont think i'm going to get much faster without track rubber and more horsepower.

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[Myshelby3425]

So you have this one?

http://www.steeda.com/steeda-s550-ultralite-2-point-g-trac-brace-555-5533/

Yes

 

[Myshelby3425]

incorrect.

The full braces are not header friendly ( at least kooks headers).

The bmr lockouts make a really big difference in the ability to control rotation. And yes, I have tracked the car since adding both them and and the steeda 2 point brace.

My observation? The car points much better on hard braking with the front brace.

The bmr lockout braces made the car more precise when wanting to rotate it on acceleration out of turns. The deflection in the crade bushings made the car feel like it was hesitating just a little bit when i wanted to rotate the back end a little. at times the delay would surprise me.

After the braces it does what i want, immediately when i want and feels far more predictable, stable and responsive.

CN: both bits removed some mush from the handling.

I've also replaced some arms in the rear and added plates to the front to make alignment changes easier at the track. I believe my mods were well worth it. the arms and plates got put in more for ease of adjustment above tangible direct performance improvements.

to be fair, the braces helped me shave about a second off my lap times by themselves. I'm running a little bit off the track prepped viper times now that I've gotten more used to the car. ( 3-6 seconds depending on who is driving said viper). I dont think i'm going to get much faster without track rubber and more horsepower.

Great, thanks for putting that placebo convo to rest.

For the k member brace I was referring to stock headers.

I also have the vertical links installed but didn't notice a change in handing but I'm sure less wheel hop. I was thinking of doing the steeda red diff inserts and the steeda lower control arm bushings next to get rid of the bushing deflection.

 

[nastang87xx]

Ok cool. Was just wondering since the rear sway is very thin compared to the aftermarket.

Pretty much everyone else who's driven my car (championship winning SCCA racers btw) have said do not do a thing to the rear end except maybe stuff like your cradle lockouts and bushing supports. The rear bar is perfectly done for controllable rotation, predictability, and power delivery. The front could use maybe a slightly bigger bar but not much. And that's a maybe. So much maybe so that it could depend on the course/track.

 

[Zitrosounds]

I didn't want to go there, but yes I did. I do it everyday on public roads as its my daily driver ;)

Safely of course

So if I add a whipple and don't test the data, would it be safe to assume it's a placebo effect?

Ah! A power adder vs a suspension/chasis modification. Good argument (sarcasm). My point, have you benchmarked your car on a track? Are there suspension modifications by the various manufacturers been tested to show improved lap times? Whweres the data? See where this is going. If it feels that it has improved for you great but that doesnt mean it actually has.

 

[dron_jones]

Ah! A power adder vs a suspension/chasis modification. Good argument (sarcasm). My point, have you benchmarked your car on a track? Are there suspension modifications by the various manufacturers been tested to show improved lap times? Whweres the data? See where this is going. If it feels that it has improved for you great but that doesnt mean it actually has.

If he bought them, installed them, and feels that is has provided a benefit isn't that all that matters? Not everyone tracks their car, and if you don't track your car butt dyno and "feel" are all that matter.

And even if he did track his car, suppose between the before and after he saw a 0.5 sec time improvement, that amount by a non professional driver could easily be a difference in road conditions, weather, or even improvements that he has made as a driver over time as he better understands his vehicle.

 

[snaproll]

Sway bar mods are a total waste of money and effort unless you are driving 11/10ths in anger at the track. They reduce ride quality on the street inherently so smaller the better really. If you are a track hound, I would expect the best way to dial out a bit of understeer is to put a proper sized front tire on the car. Then go from there. BWTFDIK

 

[nastang87xx]

Sway bar mods are a total waste of money and effort unless you are driving 11/10ths in anger at the track. They reduce ride quality on the street inherently so smaller the better really. If you are a track hound, I would expect the best way to dial out a bit of understeer is to put a proper sized front tire on the car.

I generally agree with this. I never touched my sway bars on my '11 and I knew a ton of people locally who were madly frustrated with front end feeling getting screwed up or plowing miserably. I always asked if they changed sway bars and it was always "yes" and adjusted to nearly the stiffest setting. When I'd ask why, the response was often "because I wanted better." If it was so much better then why are you all of a sudden understeering like an out of control slip 'n slide? *deer eyes in headlights*

I spend most of my time on autocross though so a front bar that is ever so slightly thicker could potentially be warranted. But most autocross surfaces are so bad that it can often end up being detrimental if you're going from one bar to another. Not having ANY bar on the other hand is a different story.

 

[snaproll]

I generally agree with this. I never touched my sway bars on my '11 and I knew a ton of people locally who were madly frustrated with front end feeling getting screwed up or plowing miserably. I always asked if they changed sway bars and it was always "yes" and adjusted to nearly the stiffest setting. When I'd ask why, the response was often "because I wanted better." If it was so much better then why are you all of a sudden understeering like an out of control slip 'n slide? *deer eyes in headlights*

I spend most of my time on autocross though so a front bar that is ever so slightly thicker could potentially be warranted. But most autocross surfaces are so bad that it can often end up being detrimental if you're going from one bar to another. Not having ANY bar on the other hand is a different story.

Autocross is a like an alien sport to me so I'm sure it's totally different. Fun though and how most track dogs get started for sure. Sway bars should be the last on the mod list for any V8 mustang imho. Don't waste your money kids. ... Butt Dyno my ass

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