roadrunner

ok so im doing research on suspension, and along with the kit, I will be getting a new panhard bar for the rear alignment. Question is, which one is best? I don't want to pay more unnecessarily, but I don't want crap either. ive seen the price got from like $115 to $900(or really $250). typically I try to avoid the cheapest price, since usually its also crap quality. But on these things they all seem to do the exact same thing, so I don't see why for example, the BMR panhard bar costs more than the J&M bar.


Any insight on this, and recommendation for which one to choose?


PS. I don't do racing, its mainly just got the rear alignment after the suspension switch

thanks!

steven46746

I'm curious about this as well, also is a panhard bar always required regardless of how much lower you go?

hogasswild

Get the J&M chromoly, adjustable one. It's only $20 more than the cheapest adjustable one which is aluminum. Although chromoly is a little heavier, it's also much stronger. The aluminum one does get bent if you drive really hard and is more difficult to adjust on car than the chromoly one.

zbrewha863

There are 4-5 things that will go into a panhard bar evaluation, in my opinion.

1. Material it is made out of. Chromoly is the best combination of strength and weight but most expensive, aluminum is slightly lighter but not as strong, and steel is strong and cheap but heavy.

2. Ends. Poly ends will be better for keeping NVH down, so better for street cars, and will also last much longer than rod ends. Rod ends are noisy and expensive, and you have to replace them more often, but they offer the best performance.

3. Rigidity/bracing. I don't know that this is published, but on my Camaro I originally had a no name panhard (similar to a J&M) and then went to a BMR, the BMR was noticeably thicker and worked much better.

Also, I have a Kenny Brown panhard bar double adjustable kit, it comes with a nice brace as well. You can buy a brace from some other companies for around $100, but it's nice to get it all at once and have it all designed to work together.

4. Price. Some will go all out (like my Kenny Brown double adjustable kit, which is $500), and some are pretty cheap (like J&M, which I think is $100). You don't need a crazy all-out setup for the street, but you also get what you pay for generally. The Kenny Brown kit, for example, also comes with a brace and relocation brackets, which together are probably worth $200-250 without the panhard bar.

5. Adjustability. Some are adjustable on the car, which is nice and easy but you will pay more for it. Some are adjustable but you have to take them off the car, which is more of a pain but they are generally cheaper. Some are non-adjustable, only useful if you're not lowering the car very much.

Then there is the adjustment point, as well. Some adjust near one of the rod ends, while some have the adjustment mechanism in the middle of the bar. IMO, and in the opinion of lots of other people (but debated), having the adjustment part in the middle of the bar is unsafe and a potential weak spot that could cause problems. I go for bars with the adjustment at the ends for safety reasons.

So all that being said, I would get the BMR. I have had nothing but good experiences with them for over 10 years, they make relatively cheap parts that work well, and their street parts are nice for the street. I also like Steeda and Whiteline in that price point, but I would go BMR just for my history with them, I trust their parts.

Mr. V

I have the steeda bar and I think it is a quality piece.

roadrunner

first of all, thank you very very very much for that post!!! I learned so much

I've narrowed it down to one of these 3.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/bmr-adj-panhard-0512.html BMR

http://www.americanmuscle.com/steeda...hard-0513.html Steeda (thanks Mr. V)

http://www.americanmuscle.com/jm-adj-panhard-0512.html J&M (thanks hogasswild)

All meet the requirements you mentioned, but on the steeda one seem to be adjustable at the bar ends. The other are middle(unless I understood this incorrectly). Also, if I understood correctly, seems the J&M one is the strongest, it is 4340 chromoly steel, the other two are 4130. its also the cheapest though, which I think is odd given it has stronger steel, so im wondering if theres something crappy about it lol. but then again im no racer so maybe its good enough. Can you give a little more input please?

IMO I was leaning towards BMR, but even before I read your post, I was already kinda wondering if it was safe to have the adjusting part in the middle, just seemed weird. You confirmed, so now Im leaning towards the Steeda bar. But I also don't want to over spend for my needs, so some more advice please! thanks

zbrewha863

Yeah, happy to help! The J&M bar adjuster is 4340 chromoly, the rest of the bar is mild steel. They have to make the adjuster out of super-strong material because it's sitting in the middle. There is another school of thought that says that the adjuster should be in the middle because the most stress is put on the ends. I have seen them broken both ways, but I prefer having it at the end for safety.

I would pick the Steeda out of the three. I like the adjuster where it is the best, it's $10 cheaper than the Whiteline (which is basically the same with some kind of elastomer bushings), and they have very good customer service and reputation. You're probably ok with the other two, but IMO the Steeda is the best.

tj@steeda

Sounds like a winner!

You can check out more here:


Send me an email if I can help put you in touch with a sales representative or provide additional information?

http://www.steeda.com/store/mustang-panhard-bars.html

Best Regards,

TJ