Review of the Freedom Racing Tool and Die Steel Panhard bar
9/22/11, 05:18 PM
#1
Mach 1 Member
Thread Starter
Review of the Freedom Racing Tool and Die Steel Panhard bar
(note: I'm a third party, not endorsed to review this product which I purchased, just passing along this because it was such a pleasant surprise of a company to work with)
Doing my usual browsing of various mustang forums, I came across Freedom Racing Tool and Die (FRTD since I don't want to type that 40x, haha). They were offering suspension parts at costs that were unbelievable and stood on the fact that the products were made in the USA.
Link to the sub $100 bar:
http://www.shopfreedomracing.com/Adj...-FRST-9003.htm
After doing a bit of research on what they had to offer, I decided to try a steel adjustable panhard bar (Figured its a safe product to try and get a feel for what kind of quality to expect). I was concerned at these prices, I'd be getting something Chinese-built and copied from another company's hard work (think Granate-edit-redacted). I PM'ed asking questions about the right product to buy between their aluminum panhard bar and steel, and the owner of the company was very quick to respond with detailed responses. He talked to his team to get the right answers for me. I placed the order and off we went. The bar arrived very quickly, well packed and this was even after receiving a PM asking if I could wait for revised steel bushings.
Out of the box, there was the bar, a sheet with notes and spacers, and the owner's business card.
Right hand thread joint
Left hand thread joint
Included notes and spacers
The bar is well constructed, powdercoated and the specs on the rod-ends are 19,000lbs sheer, Nylon Lined, Non-greaseable, Chrome Moly. Pretty standard fare and should last a good amount of time/mileage before needing replacement. The welds on the bar look good, and everything fits snugly together
removed heim assembly with spacers:
Threaded end of bar assembly:
Stock bar weight
FRTD steel bar weight
Doing my usual browsing of various mustang forums, I came across Freedom Racing Tool and Die (FRTD since I don't want to type that 40x, haha). They were offering suspension parts at costs that were unbelievable and stood on the fact that the products were made in the USA.
Link to the sub $100 bar:
http://www.shopfreedomracing.com/Adj...-FRST-9003.htm
After doing a bit of research on what they had to offer, I decided to try a steel adjustable panhard bar (Figured its a safe product to try and get a feel for what kind of quality to expect). I was concerned at these prices, I'd be getting something Chinese-built and copied from another company's hard work (think Granate-edit-redacted). I PM'ed asking questions about the right product to buy between their aluminum panhard bar and steel, and the owner of the company was very quick to respond with detailed responses. He talked to his team to get the right answers for me. I placed the order and off we went. The bar arrived very quickly, well packed and this was even after receiving a PM asking if I could wait for revised steel bushings.
Out of the box, there was the bar, a sheet with notes and spacers, and the owner's business card.
Right hand thread joint
Left hand thread joint
Included notes and spacers
The bar is well constructed, powdercoated and the specs on the rod-ends are 19,000lbs sheer, Nylon Lined, Non-greaseable, Chrome Moly. Pretty standard fare and should last a good amount of time/mileage before needing replacement. The welds on the bar look good, and everything fits snugly together
removed heim assembly with spacers:
Threaded end of bar assembly:
Stock bar weight
FRTD steel bar weight
9/22/11, 05:19 PM
#2
Mach 1 Member
Thread Starter
Install:
All you need are:
-set of ramps (or jacks and a jackstand)
-18mm wrench or ratchet/socket
-Something to use to measure your wheels and fenders (somewhat optional)
-30 minutes time and a beer (mandatory)
Back the car up on some ramps to get access to the rear suspension
remove the 18mm bolts (if you don't have big dog crab arms, use leverage)
On the driver's side, the assembly is in reverse. Also loosen (but don't remove) the upper nut seen in the picture below. Its the nut that secures the panhard brace, but it pinches the metal holding in the bar once you remove the bolts
Once out for quick adjustment, lay the old bar down with the bolts through it, lay the spacers and then use that as a template to adjust out the new panhard bar. Try to center the bar as far as how much is threaded out on either rod end so you can maximize the adjustment range without worrying about backing out a rod-end.
If you feel the car was centered before, go ahead and tighten the lock nuts on either side. If not, hand tighten them to hold the bar adjusted while you install, as you'll loosen them to adjust the bar once its on the car.
Start with the axle side, install the bushings on the rod-end, and slide it into place. If there's space between that assembly and the bracket, slide in the provided spacers to minimize that. I had room for one spacer (note in the picture the locknut is loose as I'm going to adjust the bar before final tightening)
The other side is also simple, install the bar, run the bolt through, and tighten to spec (129ft-lbs). No spacers will be needed as the bracket on this side is somewhat flexible and will crush down on the bar's mounting bolt.
At this point, its important that the torque numbers are reached, and that the bar has no play in it. There shouldn't be any movement outside the bar rotating on the heims somewhat, if there is play, make sure the bolts are tight, and if you can't get the axle side tight, try to get both spacers in. Any looseness here will translate to noise (I didn't have a problem, but I could see where a lazy installer could).
To adjust the bar, you should be able to turn the bar by hand to lengthen or shorten it. Once set, make sure you have the heims upright, and tighten the locknuts. You're done!
The completed assembly:
Driving impressions:
Being a simple part, I was looking for two things: NVH, and increased feel/feedback in the rear-suspension.
NVH - I couldn't hear any. The rod ends don't transmit much noise in this application, I think that if you had brakes that had a lot of moan or a whiney rear gear setup you might hear it a bit more strongly, but my car didn't have an ounce more noise or harshness/vibration.
There was a noticeable improvement in how the car felt through a corner. I tested the car on an offcamber turn that I can induce oversteer by throttle on. In this case, I was able to negotiate the turn much more precisely as feedback from the rear suspension was much easier to perceive and much more immediate. This is attributed to the heim-joints not having any deflection in them versus the original rubber bushings (which were surprisingly firm on my 2011 car). In addition, I'm happy to be rid of a few lbs (which I believe is unsprung).
My overall impression is that the company did their homework, and has done a great job bringing a fresh approach to price/value and quality.
All you need are:
-set of ramps (or jacks and a jackstand)
-18mm wrench or ratchet/socket
-Something to use to measure your wheels and fenders (somewhat optional)
-30 minutes time and a beer (mandatory)
Back the car up on some ramps to get access to the rear suspension
remove the 18mm bolts (if you don't have big dog crab arms, use leverage)
On the driver's side, the assembly is in reverse. Also loosen (but don't remove) the upper nut seen in the picture below. Its the nut that secures the panhard brace, but it pinches the metal holding in the bar once you remove the bolts
Once out for quick adjustment, lay the old bar down with the bolts through it, lay the spacers and then use that as a template to adjust out the new panhard bar. Try to center the bar as far as how much is threaded out on either rod end so you can maximize the adjustment range without worrying about backing out a rod-end.
If you feel the car was centered before, go ahead and tighten the lock nuts on either side. If not, hand tighten them to hold the bar adjusted while you install, as you'll loosen them to adjust the bar once its on the car.
Start with the axle side, install the bushings on the rod-end, and slide it into place. If there's space between that assembly and the bracket, slide in the provided spacers to minimize that. I had room for one spacer (note in the picture the locknut is loose as I'm going to adjust the bar before final tightening)
The other side is also simple, install the bar, run the bolt through, and tighten to spec (129ft-lbs). No spacers will be needed as the bracket on this side is somewhat flexible and will crush down on the bar's mounting bolt.
At this point, its important that the torque numbers are reached, and that the bar has no play in it. There shouldn't be any movement outside the bar rotating on the heims somewhat, if there is play, make sure the bolts are tight, and if you can't get the axle side tight, try to get both spacers in. Any looseness here will translate to noise (I didn't have a problem, but I could see where a lazy installer could).
To adjust the bar, you should be able to turn the bar by hand to lengthen or shorten it. Once set, make sure you have the heims upright, and tighten the locknuts. You're done!
The completed assembly:
Driving impressions:
Being a simple part, I was looking for two things: NVH, and increased feel/feedback in the rear-suspension.
NVH - I couldn't hear any. The rod ends don't transmit much noise in this application, I think that if you had brakes that had a lot of moan or a whiney rear gear setup you might hear it a bit more strongly, but my car didn't have an ounce more noise or harshness/vibration.
There was a noticeable improvement in how the car felt through a corner. I tested the car on an offcamber turn that I can induce oversteer by throttle on. In this case, I was able to negotiate the turn much more precisely as feedback from the rear suspension was much easier to perceive and much more immediate. This is attributed to the heim-joints not having any deflection in them versus the original rubber bushings (which were surprisingly firm on my 2011 car). In addition, I'm happy to be rid of a few lbs (which I believe is unsprung).
My overall impression is that the company did their homework, and has done a great job bringing a fresh approach to price/value and quality.
9/23/11, 11:28 AM
#3
Looks good. Get a breaker bar!
9/23/11, 12:44 PM
#4
Mach 1 Member
Thread Starter
My lemon's team has commandeered all my tools (all I have left is one craftsman box set I keep with the car). My compressor, torque wrenches, specialty tools, even all my rolling toolboxes are 25 miles from home, haha.
Besides, what's some wrench on wrench violence from time to time?
Besides, what's some wrench on wrench violence from time to time?
10/4/11, 09:01 AM
#8
Mach 1 Member
Thread Starter
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