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J&M ucas and lcas vs panhard bar and torque arm

2K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  Revvv 
#1 ·
Looking for opinions.

I want to get Abigail ('04 vert GT) handling better. I put the subframe connectors on and I discovered a whole new world.

I would love to have the panhard bar and torque arm setup but it does not come cheap. I found J&M ucas and lcas on AM. They look like they should perform much better than the stocks and like they solve the same problems as the panhard + torque does. Clearly the latter will do it better but if J&M can come to 85%ish then it might be enough. The car will see the occasional track day but that is it.

The end game is MM coilovers for sure with the 'winner' of the above deliberation.
 
#2 ·
IMO, I think the panhard bar and torque arm are overkill for some occasional track time. I'd go for LCA's from MM or Steeda and keep the uppers stock. If the bushings are bad on the UCA's, replace those with stock bushings. From what I've read (on MM's site), the uppers need to be able to move or things could break, so you don't want stiff bushings.
 
#3 ·
I've heard the same suspension binding comments with poly uppers. That being said a lot of people run them. I have stock uppers amd j&m lowers and I love them. Soooooooooo much more solid in the rear. I'd recommend to get their adjustible ones just because why not if your making the big purchase anyway. Have that extra adjustibltiy. Love there products.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Mustang Evolution mobile app
 
#5 ·
One thing to note is that if you will eventually get the coil overs then it would also be beneficial to get the Panhard bar because the pan hard bar provides mounting points for the rear coil overs. Without the Panhard bar you have to buy a little plate for both sides to mount the coils. Not a huge cost or change but those products do go together well.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Mustang Evolution mobile app
 
#6 ·
The J&Ms have a steel ball in poly cups the the chassis end. They should reduce the binding on the top arms. I assume there will be no binding but the axle may move a little more side to side under hard cornering with a bump. J&M made a jig and measured the binding force. Their stuff looks good :). I would like to see what they actually did, the jig, the test procedure. The LCA link has the test in it.
 
#9 · (Edited)
There is absolutely no comparison between those options. Upgrading the UCAs retains the 4 link system, which is complete garbage when trying to handle well. The 4 link creates so much bind in the rear end, that is why Ford put those quad shocks there, to reduce the bind. Going to a 3 link set up with the lanyard bar to keep the axle centered is a world of difference. Hell, I put my PHB on a week before the TA and that made a huge difference still.

To handle well it is 100% worth it. Keeping the 4 link set up is not a recipe to handle well.

Now just be aware with the rear suspension work, if you don't have anything on the front done the car will understeer if pushed hard enough in the corners. Especially if the car is lowered. It will really be best to pair it with the MM K member and A arms to drop weight, add stiffness, and get better geometry.

Pic of my set up.

The rear end is in complete control in my car. I can break the tires loose in 2nd and not even touch the steering wheel, it shoots straight. And it is very predictable when cornering hard, you don't feel like you have to try and tame the rear end anymore.

I have LCAs, PHB, TA, Coilovers, and SFCs. All Maximum Motorsports.
 

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#10 ·
"To handle well it is 100% worth it. Keeping the 4 link set up is not a recipe to handle well."

The UCAs are the cheapest part of the setup. I would be okay ditching them if they really suck. I will be using the MM LCAs, adjustable rear bar and coil-overs. If this does not get me to the church on time, the panhard bar and torque arm can go on later at a time less shocking to the Boss.

"It will really be best to pair it with the MM K member and A arms to drop weight, add stiffness, and get better geometry. "

The K member is not something that I have considered. I saw a video of the the full MM package going into a fox body. It seems to need a ton of labour to install. I picture the cost being outside my budget. The A arms are already in the mix!
 
#11 ·
The only way you would want to keep a UCA on the car when trying to handle well is with a Poor mans 3 link. That means running 1 UCA with a heim joint and torque boxes with reinforcements welded on. Otherwise in no situation should you run 2 UCAs if you want the car to handle well.

If you were to do only 1 modification to the car and nothing else, the Panhard Bar. That is by far the biggest difference I felt on my car. You notice it just turning the corner in your neighborhood at 10mph. But of course pairing it with the Torque Arm will yield best results for the rear end.

The K member was just something I mentioned because the set up does give some understeer. Reason being is because if the car is lowered then your front A arms most likely are pointing upward toward the wheels a bit, that reduces the travel they have available. The MM K member has 2 mounting points, the normal one, and a higher one for if the car is lowered and you need to get the A arms horizontal again. I don't personally run a K member or A arms yet. Without the K member, the A arms honestly aren't doing a whole lot.

The adjustable rear sway bar will help eliminate understeer. Stiffening it up will help.

Here are links to my first autocross, and one of the auto crosses after my mods. Obviously I was a newbie so skill wasn't as good, but compare it to the second video I'm posting which is one of my auto crosses after the mods, you can tell a big difference. On the second video, skip to 3:30, that was my last run. The previous ones I wasn't pushing as hard to learn the course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqyJDj99dHI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxdg27iPKAo

Although they were a few years apart it was actually the exact same course.
 
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