My previous post got me thinking, since my car is 9 years old and has spent it's whole life in third world roads that look like a lunar landscape, it has started to creak and groan. Are there any chassis braces that actually do anything or are they all just marketing gimmicks? I just want the car to quiet down a bit, those noises really make it seem like a much older car, plus it's kind of embarrassing when you have passengers on board.

Suspension is new, well greased and tightened with no worn bushings or worn parts, it's mostly flexing from all the years of abuse, both on the road and the track.

Thanks in advance for any input into this.

PS. I plan to call Sam to get some ST coilovers and anti-roll bars, I think that will increase the noises since it will be a much tighter suspension. I'm also going with 285's or 295's all around, Nitto NT05's, depending on clearance. I have a Corvette I need to whack on the road course, but that's another story.

 

weld in subframe connectors, should stiffen it up a bit

 

Any particular brand? I see tons of them. Stifflers, Steeda, Kenny brown, BMR, etc..

 

they all seem to do the same thing, i cant vouch for any paticular brand, check out reviews and decide from there

 

Did not do a lot of research but I went with BMR because I have a lot of BMR components in my car and find them to be of very good quality.







They make excellent jacking points, jack anywhere along the subframe connector and it lifts the whole side of the car evenly.

 

Chassis stiffening with these cars is a gimmick. The amount of deflection is barely measured in millimeters. They are unbelievably stiff. Don't waste your money.

I know of at least one honest rep from BMR who has said, in no uncertain terms, that they make the subframe braces for the most serious drag racers, but they're mostly just a holdover form previous Mustangs where the chassis isn't nearly as stiff.

Someone else will chime in and say "well I installed X part and I felt a difference." Unless you're tracking the car a couple of times a month, I guarantee you that's just your mind trying to justify the purchase.

 

Well, I do track the car, but mostly road racing, will it make a difference? I don't want to add unnecessary weight unless the trade-off compensates for it.

 

Same here. It won't make a difference. There isn't a trade-off, you will only be adding weight for zero gain in handling ability. It's a net drain on your handling capability. If you look at the S917s competing in things like American Iron, most (if not all) have removed as much of this bracing (even the factory stuff, which is only added because people will pay for it) as possible to save weight.

 

If you installed them and felt a difference, I would not be surprised. Noise and vibration characteristics of the chassis are also affected, and even adding a little stiffness here and there can change the structural vibrations. Whether there could be any measurable performance improvement is a whole 'nother story, and the deeper you get in the land of diminishing returns the less likely you'll find any useful and repeatable benefit there.


Norm

 

I finally installed the Ingalls bars I showed in another thread and they have cut down on interior noises a lot, especially the rear one. creaks are mostly gone now, especially in the back. The only thing I need to fix is the clunking from the stupid BMR panhard with rod ends. Talk about a piece of crap, if it weren't for the adjustability I'd switch back to the stock one. I really want a watts link....