tkogt

I went to HPM today to check out their rear control arms.

They have a beautiful set of lowers that are gold anodized and come with diff lowering brackets,
poly bushings. And are non adjustable, rectangular tubeing. $390


They dont offer an upper for our cars?? When i looked around i see that they make uppers for
the sn95/ fox mustangs ect. So i asked them what was up, and this is what I was told.

"We went and did all the R&D for this part and made several prototypes.
They would be great for a drag car the has been jacked up to fit some bigger slicks.
But still the body mounting point would be ABOVE the floorpan under the rear seat and
would require cutting a hole, building a mounting point and welding a dome over the whole mess after you were done.

For a lowered car the upper arm only makes sense if your one piece driveshaft hits
the floor with people in the back seat. As far as any other reason the rear geometry
is SO BAD that its a waste of time and money to
install it so we dont build one!!"


This from a company that has built road/drag race suspension parts for
saleen/ steeda/ kenny brown ect ect. they have been in buis for years
and have never steered me wrong in the past. I dont think he would B.S.
me about this and even mentioned that BMR(?) puts a disclaimer in with thiers,
that there is no performance gain by installing thier part. He said it kinda like the
companies that build subframe connectors for our cars when we dont need them.

Sorry for the long post but whats everyone think???

Jay

Cali HP addict

I call .

mikeelia

From what I understand, the main reason for an adjustable upper arm would be to correct any pinion angle problems caused by lowering the car a lot. Some people have had fitment problems with larger diameter [usually aluminum] driveshafts hitting the floor of the car.

And some people have said that the stronger /stiffer UCA reduced their wheel hop problems on hard launches. And at least one company sells a replacement stiffer mounting bracket.

Beyond that, it seems like some of the aftermarket UCA designs might inhibit proper movement of the axle for normal driving as Ford's stock part has a large rubber bushing that allows for pivoting and keeps the noise in check [the polyurethane vs rubber bushing issue].

Mike E

94tbird

the UCA also corrects the wheel hop issues. the LCA's dont always get rid of it. they are BS man. go with CHE or BMR

MooStang05gt

Who is HPM...???

I am going to disagree with you on several of your quoted statements from the HPM representative.

Number one.. I would like an explanation as to why the HPM person says the new S-197 mustang doesn't benefit from Sub-frame connectors. It is a uni-body constructed vehicle and to the best of my knowledge, no one has produced one that doesn't twist and flex under heavy torque loads..

Number two.. If you lower a mustang over 1.0" you will need to have an adjustable control arm, either the LCA or the UCA, because the pinion angle is going to change, just because the driveshaft doesn't hit the tunnel, doesn't mean it is at the safe and proper angle..

I have all of BMR's suspension parts on my car, I don't remember any disclaimer about having no performance value on any of the parts. That wouldn't bother me anyway... I've been playing with race cars and street performers since 1962 and I know what worked then and still works today.

Also, $390 for a non-adjustable LCA and a relocation bracket seems to be a pretty stiff price... are you sure they didn't use GOLD as anodize..??

You believe who and what you want.... But, I know that sub-frames are a must on any uni-body constructed vehicle whether Ford, Chevy, or any other make.. and good heavy duty constructed LCA's improve the launch and handling characteristics of the mustang. And, if you want to do the job right you install parts that will allow for retention of factory specs.

I guess I've rambled along long enough...

Bobby M.

tkogt

H.P. Motorsports

The co stuff has been featured in all the fast ford rags out there.

They recently changed ownership and dropped the M from the name?

The same employees and fabricaters are still there.

Jay

max2000jp

Griggs, Steeda, and Multimatic don't put SFC's on their S197s. That should be proof enough that all they do is add weight.

RadBOSS

Unless these guys have hard test data that their subfame connector changed the body torsional stiffness from 'x' ft-lbs/degree to 'y' ft-lbs/degree and it was a significant increase, I would take their benifits claims with a grain of salt.

retfr8flyr

Steeda does make frame rails for the 05+ I have a brand new set for sale because I decided to go with the BMR rails and never installed them. The new chassis is much stiffer than the old cars but it is still a uni-body and can benefit from frame rails if you are going to put lots of power to the ground.



Earl

max2000jp

Steeda's are torque box reinforcements. Their own website says that traditional SFC's aren't necessary.

MooStang05gt

Well considering that I'm an ole retired FART... I don't have hard test data that my sub-frame connectors are beneficial. And, I don't know how many of the sub-frame manufacturers have performed such test... I must trust their expertise just like you are trusting Griggs, Steeda and Multimatic when they say sub-frames aren't needed.

It only makes sense to me that uni-body constructed vehicles will still flex under stress because the body panels are thin sheet metal and only spot welded together. I suppose this debate could go on for some time both pro & con. Everyone is entitled to their opinion..

I am still a strong proponent of sub-frames on mustangs, even the S-197. To me the added weight is insugnificant to the benefit I saw after they were installed, and if nothing else they make a good 'skid plate' for lowered cars..

Has Steeda ever used subs on any of their Steeda modified mustangs...?? I know that earlier mustangs surely needed subs, FOX and SN 95 bodies for sure... Steeda's have always been to expensive for my blood, so I wouldn't know.

My mustang has subs, tunnel plate, A-arm brace and a strut tower brace and is much more rigid than from the factory. If it weren't for the cost, I'd probably have a full street roll cage installed too. But, that's just me... I put my money in handling, roadability and safety over going faster than the next car on the street.

You know the nice thing about this is.... I'm happy with my mods, beneficial or not, and that's what's important. Eveyone should enjoy their ride, no matter what has been done to it and regardless of what others think should have been done to it.

It's great to hear opinions from such a diversified group of mustang owners.. that's why I visit this and other sites... there are far more knowledgeable people out there than I am...

Bobby M.

Dirty Sanchez

Hey Jay.

I agree with HPM. Other than for the pinion angle they dont do much. I dont think your car is lowered enough to move it past 1 degree (my 1.5in lowring didnt move it past 1 degree). Ive hear of people saying wheel hop..... I installed the LCA's and its gone. I havent been to the strip with drag radials, but it might get worse there due to the extra traction - but knowing you, you probably wont see the strip more than once or twice a year, so probably not needed (ive also heard of people replacing the bushings to eliminate the hop - this is probably where people buying new kits with nicer bushings are reporting less hop).

As for subframes they arent needed at the stock power levels. It is still a uni-body but soo much stiffer than any other mustang to date. If you going to go over 400tq, they may be of benefit then. Just my 2 cents.

Roll cage would benefit your car a ton more Jay, but i know you want to keep it as a DD.

tkogt

Its funny that you bring that up. I just put these seats in,

http://www.sparcousa.com/pseats_street.asp?id=198

And im lookin at this bar,

http://www.autopowerindustries.com/I...g/DSC_2942.jpg


What do you think??

Jay

Fman67

...not sure about UCA...but i did notice a difference having the Steeda Torque box braces installed. They are a bolt in...but i also welded them in...i immediately noticed they stiffened up the body...my creaky noise when backing out of my driveway and onto the road is gone...it did it everytime before...it's hard to describe...but it is just more solid back there now.Even bumps are better...almost like i put in better shocks..

androdz

Get adjustable LCA's and a fixed UCA. A friend of mine twisted the UCA with just 390rwhp and I bent my stock panhard with 320rwhp. I still have no idea htf I bent it though.

Andrew

Dirty Sanchez

Those are nice. I would defiantly go that route, bar should add alot of strength without being too obtrusive.