Steeda Subframe Braces on Mach 1

[ChitownStang]

I‘m curious in whether folks are looking for reasons to justify adding these components and how much of a difference they really make?? I haven’t seen negative comments for those attending the track attack or during the pro driver tour. I recognize most of us that attended Track Attack may not have fully pushed the car on that first day, but maybe on the second.

On the flip side, I recognize Ford hasn’t put full race components on this street car, and there is always room for improvements.

I haven’t seen an issue while street driving this vehicle, but I have gone ahead and added the subframe brace as it couldn’t hurt for the price. I’m looking forward to time on the track this summer.

Had them on my 15gt and the Mach , I can honestly tell you it makes a difference. But I drive my cars hard. I purposely drive to the cars limits until the rearend gets lose… just my need for speed and exhilaration but some don’t do that and this mod would be a waste for them.

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[Charlemagne]

I don't track or take my M1 to the strip, but it is disappointing to read that even with the GT350 rear subframe and bushings, the Mach 1 still has this problem-guess Steeda is happy about that. Ford could have just made S650 pretty much the same car and just taken the slop out of the suspension and everyone would have traded up. Did the 350 need this stuff too?

Would be tough if car couldn't be improved by aftermarket. I think the "problem" here is that the OEM car needs to work in multitude of scenarios, most customers will use it street only, even Mach 1. Some of the suspension parts can probably make it less street-friendly and more track-friendly. In the end, suspension tuning is the easiest of all and not expensive either, anyone can gradually do it on his own as it pleases him. Cost of diminishing returns and all that.

In the end, Mach 1 is "the most track capable 5.0" but it definitely was not sold as a track weapon like GT350R that had many other optimizations.

 

[kz]

I don't track or take my M1 to the strip, but it is disappointing to read that even with the GT350 rear subframe and bushings, the Mach 1 still has this problem-guess Steeda is happy about that. Ford could have just made S650 pretty much the same car and just taken the slop out of the suspension and everyone would have traded up. Did the 350 need this stuff too?

It is not really a problem - OEMs make the car the cheapest the can possibly make it (it is always priority #1 unless you go for some ultra luxury brand) and then performance is balanced with what they perceive as acceptable NVH. Car works without all these things, it works better with some aftermarket parts.

Sometimes it is a low hanging fruit where OEM really cheaped out or went super conservative on NVH (or set suspension to be super road understeery safe which is the case with pretty much any car these days) sometimes you buy parts that make zero real difference.

Some of the aftermarket parts add adjustability / ease of adjustability rather than actual performance of any kind.

 

[2021 Mach 1]

I did the alignment dowels, Steeda IRS subframe support braces, and Steeda IRS subframe bushing supports all at the same time. No additional NVH. You should get an alignment even if you do none of this, these cars are not aligned properly from the factory.

@SheepDog how did those mods make your Mach 1 feel? Both from a slow speed acceleration and turns? Thanks.

 

[2021 Mach 1]

I‘m curious in whether folks are looking for reasons to justify adding these components and how much of a difference they really make?? I haven’t seen negative comments for those attending the track attack or during the pro driver tour. I recognize most of us that attended Track Attack may not have fully pushed the car on that first day, but maybe on the second.

On the flip side, I recognize Ford hasn’t put full race components on this street car, and there is always room for improvements.

I haven’t seen an issue while street driving this vehicle, but I have gone ahead and added the subframe brace as it couldn’t hurt for the price. I’m looking forward to time on the track this summer.

Do you notice any difference in your street driving of the Mach 1 with the subframe braces?

 

[Decible]

Alright, I just ordered the Steeda subframe braces, I'll start here and see how it makes the car feel.
Stages this time instead of all at once.
Think I may paint them red to match my stripes and Brembos! LOL

I’m going to have mine powder coated Mach 1 orange

 

[ChitownStang]

I’m going to have mine powder coated Mach 1 orange

Nice! You can actually see them through the rear wheels

 

[Decible]

Nice! You can actually see them through the rear wheels

Thinking of doing the jacking rails in orange too.

 

[cheeser]

Do you notice any difference in your street driving of the Mach 1 with the subframe braces?

I haven't seen any difference on the street, but that's probably because I'm not pushing the car extremely hard on the street. I purchased more for the few times I will take to the track...I usually make 1 - 2 trips per year.

 

[2021 Mach 1]

I haven't seen any difference on the street, but that's probably I'm not pushing the car extremely hard on the street. I purchased more for the few times I will take to the track...I usually make 1 - 2 trips per year.

Thanks for the feedback. I mainly do 10-70mph pulls on the street, full throttle.

 

[kz]

Thanks for the feedback. I mainly do 10-70mph pulls on the street, full throttle.

For this you need absolutely zero aftermarket parts. None of them will make any substantial difference.

 

[luc]

I almost Never heard someone buying and installing an aftermarket part and saying that it was not an improvement
Placebos effect, justification for the money spent, etc. who knows
Real test would be how much faster, if any, the car would be on a race track…
Since i have been tracking and racing for over 30 years, i have had countless experiences, with myself and friends, of “improvements “ that didn’t improve anything
Not saying that it is specifically the case here, simply that without back to back testing, it’s nothing more than opinions/feelings

 

[RobZ71LM7]

I almost Never heard someone buying and installing an aftermarket part and saying that it was not an improvement
Placebos effect, justification for the money spent, etc. who knows
Real test would be how much faster, if any, the car would be on a race track…
Since i have been tracking and racing for over 30 years, i have had countless experiences, with myself and friends, of “improvements “ that didn’t improve anything
Not saying that it is specifically the case here, simply that without back to back testing, it’s nothing more than opinions/feelings

Granted I'm not a great driver, but I autocross and follow a lot of the track guys and groups. I had someone in the Mach 1 facebook group raving about the huge difference a k-member brace from Steeda made in his car... from driving on the street. I just shook my head... if it were needed you would see guys that track their cars with 335 r-compounds running them. Few if any suspension mods can really be evaluated based upon driving down the road on street tires at sane speeds.

 

[tj@steeda]

Granted I'm not a great driver, but I autocross and follow a lot of the track guys and groups. I had someone in the Mach 1 facebook group raving about the huge difference a k-member brace from Steeda made in his car... from driving on the street. I just shook my head... if it were needed you would see guys that track their cars with 335 r-compounds running them. Few if any suspension mods can really be evaluated based upon driving down the road on street tires at sane speeds.

When a customer engages in spirited driving and is looking for improved performance on the street, then that's qualitative data that the driver is providing via his/her feedback. Driver satisfaction and subjective feedback can provide valuable insights into the improvements they are experiencing in the vehicle's performance & handling.

The quantifiable data would require pretty rigorous testing such as acceleration times, lap times on a track, braking distances, cornering forces, and various instrumented tests that provide measurable and repeatable results - which is probably unrealistic for most drivers.

But that is why Steeda does this repeated testing for our consumers - on & off the track, at the strip, etc.

Ultimately, the aim is to establish a balance between subjective driver experiences and quantifiable data to ensure a robust and reliable assessment of the upgrade's effectiveness.

Plenty of data here on the subject: https://www.steeda.com/s550-mustang-k-member-guide

Steeda is & continues to be one of the only companies that has a fleet of test vehicles that compete regularly on the track & on the street to ensure the success of our products:

Took 1st this past weekend while at the track:

 

[Rock50]

Maybe it’s like the Steeda kit i.e. just discard two of the items ? (On the part of the bush that normally takes the horseshoe clamps).

Red bits GT kit :

Gold bits Mach kit :

WD

For anyone that happens to read this thread. Steeda has the subframe alignment kit 555-4450 that can probably work on an M1, but they recommend buying 555-4449 and 555-4438 separately, as it won't contain those horseshoe clamps, plus it is cheaper that way.

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