Are there any good K-Member kits out there that keep the stock A-Arms ? I have no interest in using coil overs on my car but would like to put a K in to move the engine back a bit and drop some weight in the front end.
Kmemeber without coil overs ?
- Thread starter Rusty67
- Start date
If you are doing a k member, you mine as well do coil overs to get the most advantage out of it. If you want to do a kmember and reuse your stock arms, get the steeda kmember. I toured Steeda a while back and had a chance to look at this piece before they started selling them. It is a well built k member, and very light. If I had not already have a upr setup in my car, I would have bought one of these.
Steeda Lightweight K-Member for 1996 thru 2004 Ford Mustang 555-5078
Steeda Lightweight K-Member for 1996 thru 2004 Ford Mustang 555-5078
PA Racing allows you to use your stock a arms and is a nice piece.:beer:
AJE K-Member
I have the AJE K-Member and it is a great peice! They sell it with the spring perches so you can use your factory A-Arms. I just upgraded to poly bushings and an X-2 Balljoint.
They also sell A-Arms with spring cups if you want a lighter more rugged piece than the stamped steel with better bushings and geometry. It's your call as there are some great products out there.
I have the AJE K-Member and it is a great peice! They sell it with the spring perches so you can use your factory A-Arms. I just upgraded to poly bushings and an X-2 Balljoint.
They also sell A-Arms with spring cups if you want a lighter more rugged piece than the stamped steel with better bushings and geometry. It's your call as there are some great products out there.
I'm looking for something for the street and occasional use (once or twice a year) at Willow Springs. I'm not neccissarily intrested in the lightest thing out there. I've seen too many broken parts on cars that put really light stuff on and then drove it on the street.
I know a lot of this stuff works great on a drag strip but how does it hold up to speed bumps and pot holes ?
I know a lot of this stuff works great on a drag strip but how does it hold up to speed bumps and pot holes ?
Here ya go ... STEEDA K-member
This K-member allows you to use your OEM control arms, and it's built to withstand real world usage.
MM k-member is hands down what your looking for.
if your not looking to swap the control arms and do coilovers your wasting your time doing the k-member.
just my .02
if your not looking to swap the control arms and do coilovers your wasting your time doing the k-member.
just my .02
Coil overs tend to have a negative impact on ride quality in these cars when compaired to the stock setup.
Additionally, the K-members can be used to repossition the engine which gives a better weight distrobution and center of gravity. Aftermarket K's also allow much better header clearance.
For me, the weight eliminated by going to coil overs and lighter A-Arms are a nice bonus but not what I really care about. If I want that later, its easy enough to add.
GoatSlayer
Banned
X10000000
For those that have K-members and using their cars as street, what are the chances of this tubular K-members cracking, bending etc due to dips, potholes, bumbers?
Another shout out for PA Racing.
PA Racing
I installed one last spring and reused my stock A-arms. Been driven over shitty Virginia roads and interstates and has done great. I think I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $350/shipped to my door. Fitment was excellent, I bolted it up loosely in place and it was aligned perfect the first time around.
I did need an oil filter relocation kit though, pretty sure that is standard for most aftermarket k-members out there. I went with the MM kit and haven't looked back.
PA Racing
I installed one last spring and reused my stock A-arms. Been driven over shitty Virginia roads and interstates and has done great. I think I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $350/shipped to my door. Fitment was excellent, I bolted it up loosely in place and it was aligned perfect the first time around.
I did need an oil filter relocation kit though, pretty sure that is standard for most aftermarket k-members out there. I went with the MM kit and haven't looked back.
Improper suspensnion geometry negatively impact ride quality in these cars. A properly setup coilover will ride just as good as stock setup. The only thing a coilover will do different that stock suspension, is it will make a little more noise when you hit a bump.
99 Cobra + QA1 K-member + fox body a-arms = - STLMustangs Forums
Here is my write up on the aftermarket k-member and stock a-arms. I used a PA Racing in the end. Stay away from QA1. The PA Racing one allowed great header clearance. Only things you will have to pay attention to are the passenger side brake lines, driver side ground, and the oil filter.
In lieu of the oil filter relocation, I run an oil filter that is a bit shorter.
Here is my write up on the aftermarket k-member and stock a-arms. I used a PA Racing in the end. Stay away from QA1. The PA Racing one allowed great header clearance. Only things you will have to pay attention to are the passenger side brake lines, driver side ground, and the oil filter.
In lieu of the oil filter relocation, I run an oil filter that is a bit shorter.
this is what i have !! and i have the AJE racing tubular a-arms too
This is from PA's website right on the page where you order the crossmember:
"NOTE: While we sell this product as "streetable", it is still a race-inspired piece and may not be choice for an everyday driver."
That statement is enough to make me not want the piece. It seems to me if I wanted to go with a K at all its going to be MM and I'll have to go coil over.
I know it has been debated many times on different forums but I don't like the way coil overs load the strut towers. They were not engineered for that load and I worry about fatigue over time. My friend's fox body has had the rear shock tower rip right out after years of coil over use. I haven't heard first hand account of this happening on the front yet but I do know that the front was not designed to have the sping load go through the shock towers.
"NOTE: While we sell this product as "streetable", it is still a race-inspired piece and may not be choice for an everyday driver."
That statement is enough to make me not want the piece. It seems to me if I wanted to go with a K at all its going to be MM and I'll have to go coil over.
I know it has been debated many times on different forums but I don't like the way coil overs load the strut towers. They were not engineered for that load and I worry about fatigue over time. My friend's fox body has had the rear shock tower rip right out after years of coil over use. I haven't heard first hand account of this happening on the front yet but I do know that the front was not designed to have the sping load go through the shock towers.
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