Our 06 Vert has it and my 06 Coupe did not (built January 06), so I went with the CHE unit with Torque Limiters. I noticed the stiffer front end on hard corners at speed, but I also have Steeda Comp springs and a Strut Tower Brace from Ford Racing.

The front end is rock solid, but due to the torque limiters and direct link from the bell housing to the K member, I have additional NVH which can be felt in the pedals and floorpan.

It makes the car handle better, ensures the front end will remain tight over the years, and gives is more of a race car feel. If this isn't your DD then I say go CHE.

 

I noticed the front-end stopped making weird noises once the OEM A-arm brace was installed. It also handles flatter now and rides a bit rougher. Going over speed bumps no longer causes the struts to make a weird "squidgy" noise. The CHE is the unit I'd recommend if you don't like the OEM brace. I am not a fan of the extra weight from the CHE brace though, and I felt the OEM brace is good enough since it's used on the 500 hp GT500.

 

I couldn't tell a difference on the track, but that's probably because I ran slicks on my last road course day, as opposed to the street tires I usually use.

This might be more of a "wishful thinking" mod, but for the price I'd rather have it than not have it, especially since I actually do track the car--so if there is any benefit--I'm getting it

 

Would the Steeda G-Track brace be the same as the CHE or BMR?

 

My GT was built in April of 2007 and already had the brace.

 

Yes, the G-Trak brace mounts using two bolts and is a large diameter rigid bar. The CHE mounts using four bolts and the bar diameter and materials are similar.

 

Thank you Shaun!

At least I know that it will work.

 

" weird "squidgy" noise.


I tried looking up the official definition of this term and could not come up with one. Can you help out Metroplex?
Scott

 

It sounds like someone making a "squidgy" sound, sort of like a mix between a squeak and a hydraulic piston.

 

Ford racing called me back today. The engineer spec'd out that the pressed in stud is a grade 5, 3/8" with 16 threads per inch and according to their torque manual should receive 36 ft lb. to 42 ft lb. Then check after 500 miles and if it is not torqued to your original spec increase by 5 ft lb and check 500 miles later. So really there is no official torque spec, they essentially gave me the generic torque specs out of the back of a Ford manual. I think I will go with 40ft lb. and check it later.

 

Sorry for the stupid question but what exactly is "NVH"??
thanks

 

Noise Vibration Harshness

 

Thanks

 

Yep, and it costs the OEM a lot of money to reduce NVH that we add in 5 seconds with aftermarket mufflers and chassis mods

I actually had a discussion with a girl at work that used to work on testing/reduction of NVH.

 

Sounds reasonable and that is what I have found for threaded parts of similar dimension/spec, so I went with 46 ft-lb. The nylock nuts ought to remain torqued even with vibration from the K-member.

 

I've got an 06GT (build date 5/3/06) without the OEM brace, but does have the flanges. I've been seriously thinking about this mod. Just curious, how much "rougher" of a ride does this brace invoke? As it is, I think my 06GT is already border-line rough...(but necessary for better handling), but I can feel every tiny hole or ridge on road surface as it is. Does adding the OEM A-arm brace really make a noticeable (rougher) ride difference? Is this the only downside? Thx, and great post.

 

I installed the Steeda G-trac brace at the same time as their adjustable panhard bar and panhard bar support. The car is noticeably more rigid, but the ride isn't much rougher than it was before the install. I'm running Steeda sport springs, their rear sway bar with billet end links, their strut tower brace and Tokico D-specs with Steeda strut mounts.

I rather like the feel of the car with the current setup and I'm afraid that more parts might ruin the comfort of the ride, as each part seemed to make it more responsive and as a result stiffer.

My next performance mod might need to be the addition of 'better' tires.

 

Does the G-trak brace use the same mounting point as the OEM A-arm brace... but just uses 2 of the holes in the K-member flange instead of the 4 used for the OEM A-arm brace?

 

The "G-Trac" bar uses the control arm bushings as mounts. The problem is that this brace relies on the threaded portion of the bolts to provide support for the k-member. The threaded portion of any bolt will be the weakest part of the bolt. In addition, the OEM flange location is mounted towards the edge of the k-member, and would provide the most support while the G-Trac is located closer towards the engine.

The OEM brace has 2 studs per side, with the load evenly spread out. Although the G-Trac bar is thicker and more rigid, I have doubts on its effectiveness compared to the OEM A-Arm brace. The CHE is the best of both worlds and adds the ability to mount torque limiters if they are desired. The OEM A-arm brace seems the lightest as well. I don't want to add extra weight on the front-end of the vehicle to disturb the weight distribution.

 

Although the g-trac uses the control arm bushings as mounts, along with using the threaded portion of the bolts, in providing support for the K-member.

We're not talking about using the g-trac as a major chassis support component here. As the the current S-197 chassis, is already strong and supported enough as is.

The purpose of the g-trac, is designed to just enhance chassis support, and nothing more. As for the threaded portion of the bolts being the weakest, I can assure you that these bolts are extremely thick/huge, and will not bend or break lol.

Also, the g-trac is actually lighter than the OEM A-arm brace