MM 4PT K-Member Brace: First Impression

Slykin

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I threw on my MM 4 point k member brace today and I thought i'd write a short review.

Fit/Quality: The piece, like most MM stuff, was really nice. All of the welds are very nice, the powdercoating good, and the bolts are grade 8 I think. The fit was perfect on my 1994 mustang gt coupe with no subframe connectors. I thought I might have trouble lining up holes due to flex in the chassis, but it was not a problem.

Install: Install is about as easy as you can get... Just pull off the 2 point stock brace(which is crap), unbolt the two inside rear k-member bolts(one per side), and bolt the new brace into those spots. The brace came within an 1/8th inch of the k-member without hitting. Took me about 20min by myself.

Impressions: I have no subframes on my car as of right now... Without subframes, I can definitely tell that the front end is flexing less and it just feels more solid. Is it worth $100 new from MM? Eh, I don't know about that. I got mine used for about half that, so I think at that price it was worth it. I think with SFC's it'd be hard to tell a noticeable difference. When I do get SFC's in next weekend(hopefully), I might take it off and on to see if there's much of a difference.

Another thing I thought I should mention is that the tubes the bolts run through look like they hang down pretty far, though I didn't measure to see if they hang lower than the lowest part of the front end. I'll try and remember to check that sometime soon also, as that might be an issue for some guys that ride very low.
 

RichV

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What springs/shocks do you run? I take it youre just driving around the block for results?

I noticed a lot less under steer in the entry. Front grip really increased, but obviously our driving is not apples to apples. The Fox Saleens had 2 point braces stock, and those cars handled much better then stock Foxes. But they also had stiffer springs and performance shocks.
 
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Slykin

Slykin

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What springs/shocks do you run? I take it youre just driving around the block for results?

I noticed a lot less under steer in the entry. Front grip really increased, but obviously our driving is not apples to apples. The Fox Saleens had 2 point braces stock, and those cars handled much better then stock Foxes. But they also had stiffer springs and performance shocks.

Lol, my suspension is SH*T right now. It's got Eibach Sportlines in front, stockers in back, and stock struts/shocks all the way around. Plus, my tie-rods/balljoints are shot. So, basically, everything is really numb right now. I'm probably going to order full MM coil-overs on Bilstein HD's today, and get the front suspension worked out soon. I'm sure once I get that all worked out i'll be able to get a better idea for what's working and what's not. I could tell a drop in understeer though, just thought it might be in my head haha.
 

ReplicaR

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A lot of times it is. But the upside of plasebo effect is that it gets you more comfortable with the car, and as a result of that you end up extracting more out of yourself.
 
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Slykin

Slykin

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A lot of times it is. But the upside of plasebo effect is that it gets you more comfortable with the car, and as a result of that you end up extracting more out of yourself.

Very true. Right now i'm pretty uncomfortable with this car, though understandably, since the suspension is beat to hell and very unbalanced. I do believe this made a real and good difference though, I just didn't want to go overboard with the praise when it may partly be in my head. The front end has been stiffened up for sure though.

Edit: Oh, and RichV, I tested it out on some very curvy backroads, and in my old highschool parking lot. I've done some autoX before and, not to toot my own horn, am a pretty decent driver.
 

RichV

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Cool! You should think about doing some NASA. HPDE sounds like its right up your alley.

Definitely post up on what you feel after the shocks and springs. Other biggies are lower rear control arms and experimenting with sway bars.
 
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Slykin

Slykin

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I'd love to do NASA/HPDE stuff, but right now I don't think my car would hold up, not to mention the cost of tires.

I'll probably go with control arms/sway bars etc after I get all of the maintenance issues out of the way. I also have a vibration in my drivetrain, possibly a bad harmonic balancer etc etc. All my money from this summer is going to the car since this is my last summer at home. I want to make sure everything is working good before I leave home where I won't have all of the tools/workspace.
 

RichV

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Get your stuff together! Im trying to get out to Eagles Canyon this October. My good friend works tech at NASA TX races. Eagles Canyon is by Dallas/FtWorth.
 
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Slykin

Slykin

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I was at Eagles Canyon the weekend before last lol!! They had the Power Tour in Arlington, and then the day after they had a "best street car" type competition going on at Eagles Canyon. It's supposed to be televised on Speed Channel sometime. We just went to watch and check out the track. I definitely plan on going back when my car is halfway ready and I have the dough.
 
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Slykin

Slykin

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Thanks man! Hopefully I'll be able to get over there. If I do I'll make sure to hit you up.
 

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