gmantheman

I have steeda tubular LCA and I just ordered a non adjustable BMR UCA/3rd link. Paid only $65 on another forum for the BMR UCA. Now looking at my LCA, I see they are slightly lower in the front. Question is, can I still use relocation brackets even if I don't have adjustable LCA or UCA? My car is not lowered, but maybe because I only have 25.8" tires it played a role in the pinion angle.

shaun_beauchamp

Slight variations won't take the pinion angle out of stock range. I dropped my car with Steeda Competition Springs and bought adjustable LCAs. During install I started with the stock LCA length and figured I would adjust if necessary. No adjustment was necessary to correct pinion angle.

You can use Relocation Brackets and it will be fine. I suggest buying the stronger weld-in relocation brackets or some from CHE. Steeda Gus posted an image of the J&M ones bent to hell.

If you have any doubts, do some Geometry math. The LCA is about 28" long and if you move the mounting point by 1" your not changing the effective length by much. I went through hell finding facts on suspension mods and what you find out is that not much changes out back. You get better launch with the more rigid parts, but the driveline is usually good until you drop the car a full 2".

07 GT/CS

I bought the CHE LCA brackets and they are very strong. The Steeda ones have a lot more adjustability, but I'd definitely weld them in. Somewhere on here there is a thread where someone posted a good link to an article showing the various LCA configurations and explaining what you want and don't want. I'll try and see if I can find the thread.

07 GT/CS

Ok, found the article, here you go: http://www.cherod.com/mustang/HowTo/LCA%20_adj.htm

RadBOSS

Nice article, but I have found checking my LCA at stock ride height that the front of the LCA is already down, and not horizontal to the ground, so even at stock ride height there is some geometry optimization to be made by lowering the rear LCA pivot.

gmantheman

Actually, that article is the one of the reasons for my questions.

gmantheman

Do you mean down towards the front or back. Even with my steeda lca's are every so slightly lower in the front. I would guess about < or = to 1 degree.

07 GT/CS

I have Steeda Ultralites and put on the CHE LCA bracket. My LCA is definitely a bit higher in the front with the rear lower as shown in the article for "increased traction". If I had not gone with the bracket, I would most certainly have the front lower and the rear higher opposite to the recommended settings.

RadBOSS

Near dead level is generally good. There is a point of diminishing returns going to increasingly higher front upward angles.

At stock ride height, my LCA is lower in the front (by 5/8"). This geometry contributes to rear end squat on launch or acceleration.

The UCA angle affects this as well and there are brackets available to correct it too.

gmantheman

I hope by adding the UCA, my wheel hop will be reduced even more. The steeda LCA did help reduce the wheel hop, but not eliminate it. It dropped my 60' times by about .15 sec.

RadBOSS

Might consider installing the UCA pivot relocation bracket too.

Doogie

Did you have installation issues with your CHE LCA bracket?? I just read on another forum about an install that required lots of modification to the mounting bolt holes on a new CHE LCA bracket. It sounded like the mounting hole in the bracket required "enlarging" to allow for the stock bolt to fit. I am considering these when I do my LCAs sometime this winter and want to esnure I am getting a part that "fits".

gmantheman

Not sure about CHE, but I had no problems with the steeda LCA.

07 GT/CS

It was definitely a tight squeeze. The instructions tell you that there is some variance from car to car and so you might have to enlarge slightly the hole in the CHE bracket to accomodate the mismatch. I wasn't happy with having to do this so I just kept fiddling with the bolt and tapping the bracket around with a rubber mallet until I was able to get the bolts through. This was the only thing I wasn't happy with during the install. However, the CHE bracket is very beefy and from the pictures I've seen, probably the strongest. This is why I have complained about not having good pictures from the various vendors. It is hard to tell from the pictures of the various different brackets exactly how they will look and fit. But, from the CHE pictures I was able to tell that the CHE brackets were very stout, and when I got them, I was not dissappointed in the construction. The install did take a bit of the excitement away, but that wore off soon enough. I don't know if any of the other brackets have this issue.

Doogie

That's a fair compromise as I really don't want a weld in piece like Steeda's. But at least it clarifies that the other issue I read about was not isolated and will just need to expect this when I move forward with that upgrade.

07 GT/CS

I noticed that you have plans for some installs that are the same as mine. I did the Steeda Ultralites, Steeda ProAction struts, Steeda HD upper strut mounts, the CHE adjustable panhard bar and brace, and the CHE anti-squat bracket. Here is my feedback from these installs.

Steedal Ultralites and ProAction struts - Great handling, harsher ride but not by that much, good quality. Downside though is that they don't lower the car as much as the FRPP springs and struts. I was dissappointed with how low my car went, or the lack of it to be precise. I wish my car was about another half inch lower. Don't get me wrong, it made a huge difference in handling and it looks much better than stock. I was just wishing for a slightly lower stance.

Steeda HD strut mount - As I just posted in another thread, I still have an occasional loud clunk in the front end as I get into my car and fire it up. I am not sure if this is perhaps the Tokico made Steeda ProAction strut, or the HD strut mount didn't fix the infamous strut popping issue that has been discussed here quite a bit. I am still looking into this one. However, the quality of the Steeda HD mount is excellent and it gives you some ability to adjust camber which is nice.

CHE adjustable panhard bar and brace - Excellent quality, easy install, and I am very happy with that purchase. I did the extreme duty adjustable panhard bar with poly ends and I like it a lot. I was going to go BMR but I didn't like the adjustable section being inthe middle of the bar. The Steeda adjustable bar is also very nice.

CHE anti-squat brackets - I recommend them, but as you mentioned, be ready for some fiddling with the install. I also plan on welding my CHE's even though if there are any brackets that don't need it, it is the CHE. I have a mig welder so for me it is an easy upgrade. If you do not want to weld your brackets, I think the CHE's are the best one for strength.

I also am replacing my sway bars. I will report on this when some issues are resolved between myself, Tillman, and Granatelli. It looks like I have a resolution and I will report back on how that goes.

Doogie

Well, I am still not 100% locked in on my components, but continue looking for feedback like yours to help with the final decisions. As for the springs, I want to lower things a bit, but also want the least amount of impact to ride quality as possible. Especially with the convertible, I know things can be more pronounced which is why I feel the Ultralites will be the best choice/balance. I almost jumped on a set of FRPP 5300-K springs, but decided otherwise. Oh well, I have all winter to finally make up mind, but do want it lowered by spring.

It would be interesting to find out exactly why you are getting the popping noise as I purposely bought the HD mounts to eliminate that variable... but they are collecting dust for now as I snagged an almost brand new set for an awesome deal from another forum. So now I just need to make up my mind on the springs.

07 GT/CS

If you want to lower the car, but not that much, the Ultralites are the way to go. They put the car at a nice height and aren't too stiff. You will definitely notice a difference in ride quality though. I can't understand how anybody can say that they ride the same as stock. Stock was cushy, the Ultralites are definitely not. However, they aren't bad and you get used to it. I took the family for a drive the other day shopping and both passengers complained of the stiffness. The Mustang isn't normally a family hauler though so I didn't worry about it much. I've only heard the pop two or three times so it isn't common, but it has happened.

Doogie

Guess there always is a trade off when you start changing things from "stock". But at the same time, I did not buy this car to be a DD and I wanted to have some fun with it! And from every thing I have read, the Ultralites probably have the least amount of impact to the "ride" than any other lowering springs out there.

Granatelli

Granatelli also offers a set of lower control arm relocation brackets. They can be welded in or bolted in. They have relocation holes that will allow you to neutralize the lower arm (make parallel) for optimal handling or you can drop the arms to induce rear end bite for optimal drag race acceleration - this way you get the best of both worlds. They can make your car handle like a dream or accelerate like a bullet. I can’t find a picture to attach and I am working from home today