Panhard Mount Brace... Thoughts?

[cobra186]

I have purchased FRPP Springs, Roush Upper Control Arm, Roush Billet Lower Control Arms. I daily drive my car and trying to minimize NVH clunks.

Now I am looking at adjustable panhard bars and unfortunately it seems Roush does not offer one. So while looking at BMR and Steeda I noticed they also offer a "panhard mount top brace". Yet while looking though Maximum Motorsports they only offer adj. panhard w/spherical ends and do not offer a brace.

Wondering what some of y'alls thoughts are on the brace.... did you buy one to help support & minimize the extra impact the new panhard will be applying to the brace..... or do you think its over kill on a daily that has some spirited driving on the back roads?

 

[Colleton]

I had the BMR adj. panhard bar with rod ends installed along with the brace just yesterday. It may be overkill, but it seemed like a good idea to replace the lighter stock brace.

Both the bar and the brace are very sturdy parts, and my axle is finally centered properly.

 

[WP64]

A aftermarket panhard brace is a waste of money for a street driven car that will occasionally see some track/strip time.

 

[1 bad bullitt]

A aftermarket panhard brace is a waste of money for a street driven car that will occasionally see some track/strip time.

I kinda thought the brace was only needed if you had a diff cover and your panhard bar was too close to the diff, or am I mistaking the brace for a panhard reloction bracket (thought they were the same thing)

 

[evasive]

If you get the low profile FRPP cover, neither are needed.

 

[Tob]

I kinda thought the brace was only needed if you had a diff cover and your panhard bar was too close to the diff, or am I mistaking the brace for a panhard reloction bracket (thought they were the same thing)

They are two different items. One is a stamped chassis bracket that runs parallel to the axle centerline. The other is a fabricated bracket the essentially acts as a spacer between the end of the panhard bar (on the driver's side) and the axle tube.

The stamped chassis bracket only acts in tension or compression - in this case it does the job admirably. It is light in weight and is all you'll ever need.

The spacer bracket does serve a useful purpose on an S197 chassis. Since the panhard bar does not run parallel to the axle, clearances can be tight as you follow the bar from the passenger side to the driver side. If you install a larger diameter bar (such as the lightweight aluminum one from Maximum) the bar in effect, gets closer to the axle centerline. If you were to install an aftermarket differential cover, such as the low profile FRPP unit, clearances can be very tight. I did just that, and found I only had approximately 1/4" of room at one point. Now, normal articulation shouldn't allow contact. But, with the soft bushings that are in place at the UCA and in the factory LCA's, there is the possibility that under extreme conditions (drag launches, etc) that the housing could move aftward under rotation - allowing cover to panhard bar contact. This is a case where moving the bar away from the axle centerline would obviously be a good idea.

That said, I've never seen load calculations for the bending moment at the arm/bracket juncture, but you are increasing the 'cantilever effect' at the point of fusion between the OE panhard bar bracket and the axle tube itself. The load could be substantial under certain circumstances. Until I see any data that would show it to be a non-issue, I'd avoid the bracket if at all possible.

Here is a shot of my MM PB along with the FRPP cover I used to have in place.

Here is a shot of a BMR (for example) PB spacing bracket, along with their steel PB.

Cobra186, I'd consider the MM bar over the others. They have been discussed ad nauseum here. It is very high quality. You'll have to adjust it once and forget about it, aside from inspecting the rod ends just as you should be on any other aftermarket suspension piece. I currently use them on three of my Mustang's and remain very happy with them.

 

[cobra186]

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/Product/Images/BMR-PHR007SB?default=BMR-PHR007SB_9659.jpg

This is a picture of BMRs Panhard & the upper replacement support brace.

I was mainly wondering if the more solid mount panhard bar would put extra shear load on the sheetmetal panhard mount causing it to rip or flex

 

[WP64]

05-10 Mustang Upper Panhard Rod Support, Black Hammertone Images - LRS

This is a picture of BMRs Panhard & the upper replacement support brace.

I was mainly wondering if the more solid mount panhard bar would put extra shear load on the sheetmetal panhard mount causing it to rip or flex

No, and I haven't heard or read of this happening?

I ran the BMR PH brace and PH adj. bar with the FRPP low profile diff. cover, this was before I switched everything to Griggs; there was a little more then 1/4" clearence between the PH bar and diff. cover.