anteyeiabazele

http://www.americanmuscle.com/jm-panhard-0509.html J&M
http://www.cjponyparts.com/steeda-pa...010/p/5552551/ Steeda
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/05-10...mZ300414277104
Billet
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/05-09...mZ360193866583
UMI

Ok so which one would be the best one? How important are the urethane bushings?
I'm not a daily driver on this car but still quality ride is important!

randy_tho

Haven't installed it yet but I just picked up a steeda bar and brace. I like the idea of chrome-moly and steeda stuff seems to be great quality. It's adjustable on car. It does not have zerk fittings but I take it that is not an issue and that there can be negatives to greasing the bushings if you were to ever overdo it.

05GT-O.C.D.

Mine's a Spohn Performance APHB. Can't comment on the others since I don't have them, but just that I like mine. It doesn't get much talk online, but it's a great piece.

JedCranium

If you do any amount of canyon driving or any track you may enjoy a Watts Link better. True anything is better than a stock panhard bar but I don't think you're moving the needle all that much. With a Watts Link system you will notice the difference when you drive for sure.



Panhard bars and Watt's links control the lateral location of a live axle. That is, they keep the axle from moving side-to-side (laterally).

This is a Watt's link:



The ends of the blue bars are attached to the chassis. Note how the axle is free to move up and down, but it can't move side-to-side.

Here's a panhard bar:



This works similarly, except it's one long bar that's attached to the chassis on one end and the axle on the other. The lateral movement shown in the diagram is not that much in real life.

The Mustang has neither of these devices - it relies on the four links in the rear to keep the axle from moving side-to-side. Unfortunately it doesn't do a very good job of it, as you know if you've ever hit a bump while turning. That's why people ditch the upper control arms and do the torque arm and panhard bar (or in extreme cases, torque arm and Watt's link). A bunch of vendors have panhards for Mustangs; Griggs, JDM and Fays are the only shops I know of selling a Watt's link.

A lot of cars do come with panhard bars - the F-bodies have them along with a torque arm, and the Chevy Trailblazer has one with a parallel 4-link rear setup (similar to the Steeda "5-link" in concept). The Crown Vic has a 4-link rear with a Watt's for lateral location.

These diagrams from Total Control Products - they build a Watt's setup for classic Stangs.

anteyeiabazele

Isn't a watt's link mad expensive?
To clarify what i mean by "car is not a daily driver" means i use my bike more often to save on gas and time(traffic)! So i use my car on weekends and is not a track car! The reason i am modding the car is because i dont want an S2000 or an RX8 whiping my *** so the reason is road racing (always safely not risking crash)...
Watts link although the better choice it would be too much for a natural aspirated car. However the side to side movement when skipping over a bump IS a concern of mine but i tried to help fix that with Koni dampners and lowering the car with stiffer springs! Thats why i need tha phb for the rear side to side movement!

anteyeiabazele

So I did some research and Fays2 is the best unit for my taste but still too expensive for what i need it for.
i like the Techco unit but i already bought a new differential girdle so i dont feel like spending more money on another girdle for the watts link!
I also read that nascar and grand am all use panhard bars!
Since i will be adding more suspension stuff on the car like control arms sway bars, mayebe the watts link wont be much of an improvement not to mention the weight added 20 pounds more!
It is a good mod but i can deal with just a phb so we are back to which phb is the best one?

jlmounce

All valid points and it does come down to cost. Although, the watts link is a huge improvement over the panhard rod setup we have in our cars.

Just a note on the NASCAR setup, it makes sense for them to use a 3 link with panhard rod since they only turn in one direction. They actually go as far as adjusting the rod to **** the rear end towards one side of the car to help it turn.

The watts may be a bit more weight, but remember it's also sprung weight since the frame is part of the chassis. The only portion of the watts link that is unsprung weight is the clamps and about half of the locating rods.

anteyeiabazele

The reason i am considering a phb is because i will be lowering the car and i read that i should change the phb when doing so with an adjustable setup.
In addition to the weight increase and cost another thing that really turned me off with the watts link i read that there is welding involved?
Anywho so what other suspension mods are needed to equal the benefits of the watts link?

Doogie

If you do decide to get a PHB, make sure it is an "on car adjustable" like the center BMR bar pictured below. Otherwise the adjustment is a PITA. I have a Steeda, which is a nicely built bar, but the adjustment is not a simple task as you can not easily access the nuts on the bar ends (especially on the passenger side).

70MACH1OWNER

I just ordered the center BMR PHB from Brenspeed this weekend for the exact reason you are talking about. Adjust it while is it on car.

TacoBill

I'm a fan of Steeda stuff, but their adj PHB is a PITA to adjust.

anteyeiabazele

Thanks yall! Question though...
Why would I be adjusting more than once?
I'll be changing the height only once with the Koni STR T's (Non-Adjustable) and FRPP K's...

cntchds

Springs settle completely after about 2 weeks. I would suggest adjusting your PHB when you first put the springs on, and then 2 weeks later to compensate for any change in geometry that happened from your springs settling. Really, the bar is a bar, it's the bushings that should make or break which one you decide to go with.

anteyeiabazele

Ok one more Question.
http://www.cjponyparts.com/bmr-panha...5-2010/p/PHB5/
http://www.cjponyparts.com/bmr-tubul...5-2010/p/PHB6/

So why is the rod ends PHB $60 more expensive than the mid adjustable one?

70MACH1OWNER

That bar has spherical bearings on each end instead of poly bushings. It is more for racing applications. It would be very noisey. I am getting the one with the poly bushings. You and I use ours cars about the same. That is the type you want. And Brenspeed has it for $5 bucks cheaper shipped than CJ Pony.

anteyeiabazele

That much is understood but does that mean it is a better PHB if we take out the NVH? meaning more effective on harsher use?

05GT-O.C.D.

FYI - check out LMP's site as they have a lot of informative information on the Spohn bars. FWIW- here's what I got - http://www.lmperformance.com/5283/73.html - great peice and $117 shipped. They've got all different types of configurations and materials, so after you figure out what you want, take a look.
Me, my only purpose was to center my rear axle so I went with the one linked above. It's lighter than stock, stronger than stock, looks good, on-car adjustable, and easily centered my axle.

If you look here, you can scroll down and see all different setups and prices: http://www.lmperformance.com/c/1/87.html

anteyeiabazele

alrighty then can i use a phb from one company and a phb brace from another company?

70MACH1OWNER

Well... it has steel sphereical bearings with a steel bolt going thru the center of each end. No cushion at all. It surely will be more rigid than the one with the poly ends but the trade off of the added NVH it not worth it to most people. And it is not more effective than the one with the poly ends. The poly end bar will be much stiffer than the stock bushings.

bob

Hey Jed, might want to edit your post a bit since it looks like a C&P for a Foxbody/SN95 suspension discussion.

Also I beleive a Watt's link (while the better of the two) alters the roll-rate of the rear suspension which may or may not be an issue????