Decrease tramlining! Steeda G Brace works!

[stanglife]

Oh I'm by no means sensitive, Lol... my keyboard neither adds to or takes away from my testosterone level.

I have, though, driven an R with and without, a g brace. I never said the g brace took away my R's tramlining but it did improve it. I called BS just as you when I first heard the brace reduced it, and felt what could it hurt to find out... I'm glad I did as it made my interstate driving experience much better.

I've been around long enough to know what I'd call snake oil, when I see it. In all fairness, I don't think Steeda ever marketed this part to resolve this issue - so no foul there. I have to think you're driving in a different lane or something

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[DrumReaper]

Lol, possibly so... but I try to stick to the left lane on the interstate. That being said, there is a curvy little back road nearby that has some fun transitions in it. Used to love to carve it up with my B302 but when I got the R the road was a little more cray cray due to the tramlining and not as fun. Those ruts can scare the sh1t out of you... but after the brace the roads are much more pleasant. May be snake oil, but I'm sure even snake oil stops a squeaky joint sometimes.

 

[slc]

Not saying chassis flex is the cause of the tramlining but is it possible that any flex could magnify the effect? Tramlining has to put uneven forces on the suspension components, so any movement could possibly alter the geometries to make the problem worse. The brace simply better ties the two sides of the chassis together, it could either eliminate movement or transfer some finite amount to the other wheel creating a "correction".

All speculation obviously, but I do know the brace did help reduce the most severe tramlining (wanting to change lanes) on my R. Tramlining was definitely a function of the tires as it was much better when the tires were cold.

 

[stanglife]

Not saying chassis flex is the cause of the tramlining but is it possible that any flex could magnify the effect? Tramlining has to put uneven forces on the suspension components, so any movement could possibly alter the geometries to make the problem worse. The brace simply better ties the two sides of the chassis together, it could either eliminate movement or transfer some finite amount to the other wheel creating a "correction".

All speculation obviously, but I do know the brace did help reduce the most severe tramlining (wanting to change lanes) on my R. Tramlining was definitely a function of the tires as it was much better when the tires were cold.

Anything that allows the wheel to move can cause a tramlining effect. Typically, a grippy tire is the main cause even if the wheel doesn't move and the suspension is functioning perfectly. The tire itself can cause it to pull with ruts in the road but also consider the possibility that a tire with much higher traction can put more load on rubber control arm bushings and such - also leading to tramlining. The tire rack article above says it best.

 

[slc]

Anything that allows the wheel to move can cause a tramlining effect. Typically, a grippy tire is the main cause even if the wheel doesn't move and the suspension is functioning perfectly. The tire itself can cause it to pull with ruts in the road but also consider the possibility that a tire with much higher traction can put more load on rubber control arm bushings and such - also leading to tramlining. The tire rack article above says it best.

I'm not trying to identify the cause of the tramlining, just offering a possible explanation on how the brace may reduce the severity.

 

[jonesd]

Just got back from discount tire and an hour drive down my back country roads. I swapped my sport cup 2 tires back to my stock MPSS using the forgeline wheels. I can confidently say that the tramlining is 85+% gone simply switching back to the stock tires. I only felt tramlining 3 times on my 30 minute drive home vs an easy 50 times with the cup 2.

My car goes in the shop today for Xpel, once i get it back ill install the G brace and see if that helps even more with the remaining tramlining. I took note of the 3 spots on my road that caused issue, once i install the g brace i will go back over those same spots and report back.

 

[ITLRUN]

I have driven about 100 miles since I had the alignment verified / corrected. The tech made some corrections to both front and rear toe. Initially I thought there was no change, but I have either grown accustomed to the tramlining, or it has gotten slightly better. I will add the Steeda brace in the next few days and give my impressions after install and then again after driving.
[MENTION=25806]SteedaTech[/MENTION] [MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION]

 

[tj@steeda]

I have driven about 100 miles since I had the alignment verified / corrected. The tech made some corrections to both front and rear toe. Initially I thought there was no change, but I have either grown accustomed to the tramlining, or it has gotten slightly better. I will add the Steeda brace in the next few days and give my impressions after install and then again after driving.
[MENTION=25806]SteedaTech[/MENTION] [MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION]

For a small investment ... it will be a great compliment to the car!

Look forward to the install, drive & feedback.

TJ

 

[WhiteyDog]

I didn't really notice any tramlining before my G brace. But after I installed it, I noticed lane changes on the highway moving along at a good clip, the front end felt firmer and didn't have that "floaty" feeling.

 

[machsmith]

I had this installed prior to any driving in my R. It makes me think the guys in the 350s are experiencing a Mercedes/ 1975 caddy ride.
I only put 10 miles on the highway before dropping it off at the expel shop but I had nothing going on and I was doing 55 to 75 mph.

 

[jonesd]

I had this installed prior to any driving in my R. It makes me think the guys in the 350s are experiencing a Mercedes/ 1975 caddy ride.
I only put 10 miles on the highway before dropping it off at the expel shop but I had nothing going on and I was doing 55 to 75 mph.

I really think it depends on the road honestly. The Interstate around Houston, my car rode extremely smooth on my cup 2 tires. While The older less updated back roads for me heading home (my home is on the outskirts of Houston out in the country/farm land area) is where i noticed pretty aggressive tramlining.

Im installing my G-brace this weekend and will update this thread after i go do a spirited drive on my back roads.

 

[machsmith]

I agree with the roads being a large factor as well. The road I was on was a mix, but they were all in decent shape.

 

[ITLRUN]

This install was extremely easy. It almost took longer to get the car on the lift than it did to do the actual install. I was finished in less than 30 minutes and that included putting the car on the lift.

Once the car is in the air and property supported, you will need to remove small pieces of metal slag from the subframe where the Steeda G-Trac brace actually attaches. These pieces are waste / left over from the stamping process when the subfarme was produced. Mine had two per side on the inside of the subframe from both the top and the bottom. The included instructions suggested using a chisel or file to remove them. I was able to get them out with a common screwdriver, my fingers and a magnet.

At this point you will be able to slide the included spacer into a hole in the subframe just ahead of where the brace will attach. The folks at Steeda were smart enough to attach a bit of stiff wire to the spacers to help you align them where they need to go without any fuss. You will do this on both sides.

At this point the Steeda G-Trac brace simply bolts in. Since I was using a lift and able to stand upright under the car, I used my head to hold the brace up while I installed the nuts and bolts on both sides. Although probably not necessary (not listed in the directions), I tightened each side progressively alternating between sides of the car before finally torqueing the fasteners to 60 ft-lbs. My thought process was that the brace would self align itself in the subframe.

At this point you remove the stiff wire from both of the spacers in the subframe and you are finished with the install.

I intend to drive the car for several days before I give any feedback on its performance and effect on tramlining. For what its worth, the description listed on Steeda’s website for the part (555-5533) doesn’t indicate that it will improve tramlining at all. It does state, and I quote, “Improves chassis stiffness and suspension compliance” and “Improves vehicle response and predictability”.

My experience and “gut feeling” tell me I will really need to be pushing the car at or near its limits to feel a difference with this brace installed. However, I cannot simply dismiss the multiple user reports of improved tramlining with the use of the Steeda Ultralite 2-Point G-Trac Brace.

Is it really a magic bar or more of a placebo effect? Inquiring minds need to know! ;) I’ll report back with my findings in a few days. Stay Tuned!
[MENTION=25806]SteedaTech[/MENTION]. [MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION]

Edit: I tried to add multiple photos, but it's just not happening.

 

[tj@steeda]

Here is install video we did a little while back:

[ame="[MEDIA=youtube]6RLn5ug_r94[/MEDIA]"]

Here is one we did for the GT350:

[ame="[MEDIA=youtube]aZA1UxSR0iU[/MEDIA]"]

Just for reference.

We look forward to your review & feedback of the G-Trac brace!

Best Regards,

TJ

 

[bpracer]

I just got done putting the brace on my car.

On my car the holes were not punched clean through and each hole had a tab stuck to it. It was a little tricky to get them out with just the front wheels up in the air.

I would use a washer beneath the head of the bolt (only one for the nut is included) or the head digs in to the bracket material itself. Better yet, go buy a flange head bolt 14 by 2mm pitch to replace the bolt provided. I bought one that was 10mm shorter and its j-u-s-t long enough, one more thread would have been ideal, but its not going anywhere.

I'm not sure what effect this piece will have, but it certainly looks like it triangulates things very nicely and that Ford intended one of these to be installed.

I have more camber than stock, so yes, on certain roads the car is trying to kill me.

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