Bought the CHE k-member brace with torque limiters during a group buy on another site and finally got a chance to put them on today. I have a friend with a great shop, lots of tools, tons of knowledge, cold beer and a wife that feeds me so whenever I want to wrench I go to his house!

Pretty straight forward installation except I can see where someone might make some mistakes when installing the torque limiters. You have to put it on loose and them tighten the bottom bushings and then keep adjusting the bellhouse rod end during tightening so it doesn't bind under load.

The k-member brace ties the A-arms together and gives and nice feel when cornering. The torque limiters will help with WOT shifting because you won't have the engine flex under load. Overall a very worth while mod imo!

 

Had a blast today bro! Next time I think some fresh Sierra Nevada seasonal brew is in order . Keep us posted on the long term driveability changes from this mod.

 

Are the instructions pretty good?

 

Not really sure because Ryan had already installed a couple of others but from looking at them I would say yes.

 

well i finally got mine installed and WHAT a differnce!! the driveline is solid and I havent missed 3 gear yet going WOT yet!!! wow, def worth the group buy.

now for the trouble I ran into. 2 problems.

1. instructions needs A LOT of work! trying to incorporate instructions for both GT users and V6 users can get confusing, for some of the times i bumped into was following the instructions on how to install on a V6. so that in turn caused me to put the bar on backwards after everything was torqued down and also drilling holes into the K member which I didnt need to do, (*waste of time and now Ive got holes in my K member!*) grrrrr...... so the instructions, or perhaps separate instructions from the company between the two vehicles would be much more smoother and not confusing

2. setting up the torque limiters was confusing enough, per the instructions, so I called a friend of mine to help torque the limiters down, he said they were a pain as well with the spherical bearings and trying to get it the way the instructions said to (cause the instructions were confusing)

overall, I'm not happy with the instructions, but the product itself is great and it does what it says it does. recommend it to everyone who's been missing 3rd gear @ WOT.

 

Excellent.How long did it take you to install? Mine's sitting in the garage wait for me to install. I have to wait for a windy day because the mosquitos eat you alive around my place.

 

Great pics! Any downside as far as ride quality with the brace, or extra NVH with the limiters?

 

Front end feels more solid and no NVH so far! Haven't done a power shift yet because I need to work on my Hurst handle to Pro 5.0 matchup. It keeps coming loose, but I have an answer for that!

 

Is there any benefit to putting one of these on an automatic? Does anyone know if will even fit an auto?
Scott

 

I think you could benefit from the k-member brace but not sure if there would be any benefit with the torque limiters because they help the shifter arm from flexing under load.

 

Interesting - do you think there isn't any increase in NVH due to the rubber bushings at the bottom end? Great pics and feedback, much appreciated!

 

whats nvh?

 

I read that you have to compress the rubber bushings to the same size of the washer. Is that true? I'm waiting for the kit to arrive so I can install it and that is one question that I haven't resolved yet.

 

Noise/vibration/harshness I think.

 

Yep. that's it.

I've debated on this mod, but I don't have any problems shifting under load. In fact just today after reading this thread, I went out and deliberately full throttle powershifted into 3rd at around 5500 rpm and had no trouble. Still though, this is an interesting mod.

 

Yes, compress the bushings to about the size of the washer. Start with the bushings and work your way up to the spherical rod ends adjusting as you tighten the rod end to the transmission. After the bolts are torqued you should still be able to turn the rod end alittle. Then you know you don't have a bind.

Excellent mod for $150 IMO~

 

Close....noise/vibration/harmonics. I've been considering this mod for a while, are there any cons? I'll be installing a bunch of BMR stuff in the rear hopefully shortly so I'll have to look into this more after that.

 

Thanks. I'm waiting for Kevin to ship mine and I plan to put them on in the next few weeks. 4.10's should go in next week..