I can't speak about the Steeda items but I just had the BMR tubular subframe connectors welded in a couple of weeks ago(05 gt) and can say with confidence that the car felt more solid after putting them on. I didn't need any time at all to notice the difference, I felt the difference immediately after going over the same bumps in the road i always go over everyday on my daily commute, bumps so familiar that I know I can drive with my eyes closed, I just will never find out if that's true. The improvement was both tactile and auditory, in that the car felt more solid over those bumps and that a lot, not all, of the noises I heard while going over the bumps were gone, you should've seen the smile on my face at that moment as I realized my life had just gotten better. I just wish I had done this on day 1 (ok day 365 maybe), i feel it might have prevented some of those creaks from, uhh, creaking.

 

hi kingpin, thanks for the detailed personal experience.

it would be great if someone who installed the steeda frame rail give a before/after.

thanks all...

 

I have them and just like Kingpin said about his subframe connectors , the car is really tightened up. Either way you go , I think they help. Also the Steeda provide a good jacking point ...

 

the reason i was originally planning on getting the bmr rails was to have that nice jacking rail right at the seem weld.

i'll go with SteedaGus. That thing is a frame rail that happens to be welded into the car. Look at what it does. In the end, what does ford call that part?

 

You are right, I mis spoke in my attempt to agree with Reality Check.

I still stand on my second clarification. And will be posting pictures to show what I have been talking about.

If you add subframe connectors to the 05 you certainly are going to notice a slight difference. Add bracing to any car, even the most rigid car, and it will make a difference. Doesn't mean the car needed it. You can add a 4-point roll bar to a Porsche and you will notice an improvement.

I have attached a couple of pictures to illustrate what we have been talking about. These are straight off of a plain body we have in our engineering dept.

First picture is from the front of the body, you can see the frame rail like structures, for those who dont want them called frame rails, starting from behind the bumper support and going down along the body as you move towards the back of the car.
http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/b...ontframe05.jpg

The second picture is a continuation of the "frame rail like structure" as it extends along the bottom of the car to the rear. This is one of the design features of the 05+ Mustang that makes it such a rigid platform compared to the previous generation Mustangs.
http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/b...merail05-1.jpg

This is why you will not see us manufacture subframe connectors for the 05+ Mustang.

Gus

 

hi gus,
can you briefly describe exactly what the steeda frame rails connect up in the rear of the car and why it makes the car feel more solid for daily driving?

thanks very much!

 

Thanks for some clarification.

So, the S197 might be a uni-body car but it no longer has front and rear sub-frames.

That said, can anyone really call anything that would be bolted onto an S197 a "subframe connector"?

If we are going to get all hung up on definitions and terminology, the BMR stuff should be more generically called "chassis stiffeners"?

 

This isnt the biggest picture, but its the best I could do on short notice. Don't have alot of time to take pictures during the day. So I borrowed this one from our server.

http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/b...oint-brace.jpg

As you hopefully can make out in the picture, it ties the rear of the inner and outer "frame rails" and the rear lower torque box. So it is strengthening the rear chassis and re-inforcing the torque box (rear lower trailing arm forward mounting point) as well. This reduces flex in this area, which is the most prone to flexing from high torque loads in the 05+ Mustang. Especially on higher horsepower cars.

Gus

 

That's still not right. There ARE subframes. What Gus is talking about are basicly factory designed boxed tubes that are built into the body that provide extra stability. It's a piece of the body not the suspension.

 

jesus yao why did u start this thread. ur still stock. u dont need any of this. just ur sway bar mounts fixed so u got no clunks.

 

ok dood not to knock steeda parts, but u all make a buttload of parts that are not nessecary and just add bling. or dont do anything at all. steeda is quality stuff, but you all do have some parts that do absoulutly nothing. so dont knock the subframes. i got them and trust me, my car is gonna last a hell of a lot longer in nyc then without. im thinking of adding ur torq box things too if they will fit, once im rocking 5.0 on the fender. o and who else is selling torq box braces? lol

 

if its possible, i want to make my car as stiff and nice as a bmw m3

or as close as possible..

 

You know what's as nice as an M3?

An M3.

I hope you aren't trying to make it as good as the new M3 because you're going to go broke buying a supercharger and tons of suspension components.

 

im comparing it to my buddies '02 m3 suspension/chassis feel.

not the new one thats not even out yet....

if i can get the stang 80% of the e46 M3 feel, i'll be happy...

 

i dont like M3s.

 

I'm trying to decide what ones to add to my GT. I DO drag race on weekends with 325/50/15 MT drag radials and do pull front tire 3-4". That will be different as soon as my trans is back in/install the extreme rear anti-roll bar.