LCA Relocation Brackets: I need some!

[wbt]

Another +1 for CHE. Their shit is top notch and I will not run anything but on my car.

 

[Flapjack]

CHE here. Welded in. I'm very happy with them.

 

[Norm Peterson]

OP - for recovering only the small amount of anti-squat that you lost from OE, the amount you need to lower the LCAs at the axle is less than you might think. Probably quite a lot less, actually.

There are other effects that relo brackets alter besides the early acceleration grip. If you've installed the brackets, have you noticed anything else yet?

As for welding and DD use - in my honest opinion you should only use weld-ons for a DD, because daily drivers almost never get the required level of inspection & maintenance that a bolted connection in that kind of service requires. Especially down underneath where they're hard to see or get at.

You can always weld the bolt-ons at any time afterward . . .


Norm

 

[Hiltsy845]

Norn, can you elaborate a bit on what else is affeccted when installing relocation brackets? I am currently lowered about 1.5" in the rear and trying to regain a little forward bite after my Saleen S/C install.

OP, not trying to jack your thread. Just trying to help everyone make educated decisions on their purchases.

 

[UMI Performance]

Thanks every for the positive comments.

sklwerl- Please post some results once you receive the items and have them installed. Pictures are always great too!

 

[Norm Peterson]

Norn, can you elaborate a bit on what else is affeccted when installing relocation brackets? I am currently lowered about 1.5" in the rear and trying to regain a little forward bite after my Saleen S/C install.

Your rear axle roll steer behavior goes from a slight understeer effect to less understeer or even slightly oversteerish, depending on how far you drop the axle side LCA pivots and on how far the car is lowered. Yes, rear stick axles do steer at least a little under virtually all conditions where the chassis has rolled relative to the axle.

I don't have enough numbers in front of me to be 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure that the OE amount of rear axle steer on the S197 chassis is much lower (closer to neutral) than it was in the Fox/SN95/NE models. It would be part of why this chassis is able to hold its own against its IRS-equipped competition.

If you don't ever drive all that hard to begin with, you might live your whole driving life and not ever notice this effect at all. Most car owners (looking at the entire driving population, not just car enthusiasts in general or Mustang owners in particular) probably fall into this category.

If ALL of your hard driving is in straight lines, you might notice that the car "torque steers" the other way on a hard-ish launch.

If your hard driving involves any enthusiastic cornering and you've dropped the LCAs too far, there's a pretty good chance that you'll give yourself a butt-pucker moment every so often when the back end decides to run a bit wide on you.


Norm

 

[J.Kidd]

I actually opted NOT to install the brackets. I didn't want to adversely affect the balance of the car while cornering and I don't think the drop from the springs is enough (for me) to warrant the brackets. I do get a little more spin when accelerating hard than I did before the springs, but the spin replaces wheel hop and I feel I'm a bit better at handling/compensating/adjusting for the spin as opposed to the wheel hop. As far as I am concerned, the car became even a bit more predictable.

A set of some nice lower control arms might help me regain a bit of the traction but will also help in the handling of the car in corners - so that is next on my list.

Norm - thanks for elaborating on many of these points so I can understand!

 

[Hiltsy845]

Thanks guys. Good info.

 

[Norm Peterson]

As far as I am concerned, the car became even a bit more predictable.

I'm not surprised.

Lowering the car but not the axle side pivots or changing anything else dials a little more roll steer-caused understeer into the mix, and it's a bit more tolerant of driver inputs not being perfect all the time that way. IOW, a little more stable and a little less demanding. Where it might specifically cost you the most is in handling feel and general behavior in slalom or sudden lane change maneuvers.

Roll steer isn't really a "pass/fail" sort of thing, as there's a range over which most people are reasonably comfortable. This varies with the individual, and could even be considered a "fine tuning" thing to tinker with as the mix of driving changes or as driver development in a hard cornering environment progresses.


Norm

 

[Riptide]

IME with brackets and using the lower hole, with a stock height car, it feels like it's up on stilts. Definitely does NOT inspire confidence with cornering. It has however significantly helped with my wheel hop and traction issues.

 

[Flapjack]

@Norm
Would love to download your suspension knowledge Matrix-style.

Sent from my Android using Tapatalk

 

[Fallenauthority]

@Norm
Would love to download your suspension knowledge Matrix-style.

Sent from my Android using Tapatalk

Agreed, I have to read some of his stuff a couple times, very technical info, very informative.
I'm about to install che lca brackets on my car, stock height, anxious to see results

 

[Flapjack]

I've had the J&M pieces (UCA/LCAs) for a long time now... ever since Brian at HotPart asked me to test/do a write-up. I previously had the CHE ones, which were noisy. Outside of knowing the brackets and control arms helped with my wheel spin, I really don't understand the dynamics of how it all works. Definitely appreciate this thread...

Sent from my Android using Tapatalk

 

[Fallenauthority]

I've had the J&M pieces (UCA/LCAs) for a long time now... ever since Brian at HotPart asked me to test/do a write-up. I previously had the CHE ones, which were noisy. Outside of knowing the brackets and control arms helped with my wheel spin, I really don't understand the dynamics of how it all works. Definitely appreciate this thread...

Sent from my Android using Tapatalk

I have J&Ms as well, I love them, very quiet

 

[Flapjack]

I have J&Ms as well, I love them, very quiet

To be honest, I'm surprised they've gone noise-free for this long. I was really expecting to have to break them apart and re-grease them, but I never have. They keep the rear in place just as well as the CHEs did... without all the racket.

 

[Fallenauthority]

To be honest, I'm surprised they've gone noise-free for this long. I was really expecting to have to break them apart and re-grease them, but I never have. They keep the rear in place just as well as the CHEs did... without all the racket.

I had to grease mine with a grease gun about a month after I installed them because they were squeaking, that was about a year and a half ago, havent heard a peep since.

 

[Flapjack]

I had to grease mine with a grease gun about a month after I installed them because they were squeaking, that was about a year and a half ago, havent heard a peep since.

So there are zerks on there? Shows how much I look under that area... I even had the rear suspension apart over the weekend to change the coilovers out for GT500 springs. Sheesh...

 

[Fallenauthority]

So there are zerks on there? Shows how much I look under that area... I even had the rear suspension apart over the weekend to change the coilovers out for GT500 springs. Sheesh...

Yep lol I have a zerk on the front bushing and rear bushing on each LCA, the upper has a zerk on the upper joint IIRC.

 

[HellsBells]

Suppose you lowered your car a significant amount (2-3"). I know the relocation brackets hang low and probably close to the ground. Do you guys know any alternatives to increase traction without running into bottoming out issues?

 

[skwerl]

The relocation brackets are on the axle, so the height of the car suspension is irrelevant.