I'm Starting a Debate on K-Members

[Yeahloh95]

i have a d and d its been in the car just a few 12 years with no trouble

[95opal]

Ill add another company to the list. this is there mild steel version they have a few different versions depending on what your doing.

 

1994-1995 Mustang Mild Steel K-Member w/ 5.0L MM Brackets

larger image <a href='http://www.racecraft.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&amp;pID=885" target="_blank"><img src="bmz_cache/9/9b211c6baa52747fbe75104fd83a8f35.image.150x91.jpg" alt="1994-1995 Mustang Mild Steel K-Member w/ 5.0L MM Brackets" title=" 1994-1995 Mustang Mild Steel K-Member w/ 5.0L MM Brackets " width="150" height="91" /><br /><span class="imgLink">larger image</span></a>

Starting at: $424.00

1994-1995 Mustang Mild Steel K-Member is made with 1 1/2 x.120 Mild Steel tubing and MIG welded in our precision fixtures. This is the same k-member design as our Chromoly piece, and utilizes the same style of tabs and features such as our multi-plane engine mount, the strongest in the industry. This is the factory replacement tubular K-Member for the 5.0L engine.

 

 

 

 

• Racecraft K-Members WILL ACCEPT ANY Aftermarket Tubular A-Arms That Are Constructed To Stock Dimensions.
• 94-95 Mustang K-Members WILL ACCEPT STOCK A-ARMS
• Grade 8 Bolt Kit is not Standard (Click HERE) for more information on K-Member Bolt Kit

 

[Prokiller]

i have a d and d its been in the car just a few 12 years with no trouble

but the car has only driven 12 miles in that time....

[95riosnake]

but the car has only driven 12 miles in that time....

 

[Tabres]

I've personally been on both sides of the coin when it comes to k-members I've had in my car so I'll share my experiences...

 

I at one point had a mild-steel PA-Racing k-member in my car with their tubular a-arms and MM coilovers.  I drove the car this way for probably about 1,000 miles.  The fit wasn't great.  It hit the longtubes I had in several spots and squaring it properly would have required wallowing out holes more than I was comfortable with so I ran it not correctly squared under the 'it's close enough' idea (yeah, dumb).  Handling was compromised and it was instantly noticeable that the rigidity of the car was significantly decreased.  NVH was also hugely increased.  Rough roads made me cringe because most of the time it felt like the car was going to come apart.  I was never comfortable driving with it in the car.  In addition, their customer service is horrendous.  To my knowledge, PA-Racing isn't so much a company as it is a guy, and while he was nice and helpful enough when you could talk to him, he was damn near impossible to get hold of.  Never answered his phone, never returned messages, never returned e-mails.  Took me two weeks of multiple calls daily to get him to answer the phone.  I wound up removing the setup and selling it to a friend who is into drag racing.

 

I then moved a Maximum Motorsports k-member package.  Talk about night and day difference.  There is a reason why they advertise it as track-tested, race proven and so many of the top AI and AI Extreme guys run it.  Just looking at it you can physically see and feel the difference in materials used and quality of the construction.  It went into the car with no fuss and I was able to square it without touching any of the mounting points.  The rigidity of the car is vastly improved compared to both the PA-Racing setup I had and the stock k-member.  The handling characteristics are significantly improved, as well as brake dive.  I honestly get no NVH from mine, even with the coilovers on the roughest roads.  The extra room for working it provides is, I feel just as good as the drag-race k-members are (argueable, I know).  Their customer service is by far the best in the industry that I've experienced.  And one of my favorite parts, it and all of their products are 100% American made.

[Cobraracer46]

The light weight tubular K mambers scare the crap out of me. No way would I run a drag race K member on my heavy 3700 pound Cobra convertible.

Tubular A arm broken

[Det_Riot]

What brand are these k members and a arms and what is the story behind tbem?

[Cobraracer46]

I prefer the factory K member, but tI had to choose an aftermaket K member, the Maximum Motorsport would be my choice as the quality is top notch and its strong.

 

Flimsy drag race K member top and the super strong MM unit on the bottom.

 

scary pic. Flimsy drag race K member that looks about as strong as a fold up lawn chair  and the super beefy factory K member

[Cobraracer46]

What brand are these k members and a arms and what is the story behind them?

 

 

One of the Broken K members looks like an AJE. Not sure about the rest.  The story is that the companies that built those K members went for light weight instead of strength and the result is parts that eventually fail. 

[OnyxCobra]

I went with all MM stuff because I love their quality and customer service and I have to say aside from having to slightly bend a brake line out of the way the entire MM front tubular suspension/coilovers bolted in place like stock. It was a pleasure to work with.

[95riosnake]

IMO a drag race K member is the same as running skinnies on the front, best suited for drag racing, primarily straight line performance. When I see people running 3.5" wide skinnies on the street, it does not compute...especially a wheel like a Bogart which have been known to separate when street driven because the company specifically says they are not intended for street use. I lump together the drag race K's in the same boat, although a bit less so than skinnies. If you plan to do a lot of cornering/spirited driving or the roads are complete utter shit (like our mine field-like Pittsburgh roads) you should consider running something very heavily built.

[Cobraracer46]

Some more drag race K member carnage. A brand new drag race front A arm with a crack 

[95riosnake]

Some more drag race K member carnage. A brand new drag race front A arm with a crack 

 

That's a UPR arm, it's in one of the links I posted earlier in the thread. That wasn't a failure, rather a defect right out of the box... luckily the customer caught it before installation. In that pic he had ground away the coating to show UPR because they initially said it must be a defect in the coating...

[deceptive gt]

So, what are your options when you do not want to run a coilover kit? I know PA Racing, I was looking at their Chromoly Kit. Steeda is another option but not as much weight loss. The price is not a big factor. I was not all that impressed when I talked to the guys at Team Z. I refuse to go to UPR. I have called AJE and they require coilovers.

 

I already have the suspension for both cars. After reading alot, I refuse to do coilover on a convertible. These are both street cars.

[Tabres]

Unless I'm completely mistaken, QA1 has bolt-in spring perches for their tubular k-member and I *think* you can use either the stock a-arms or they make tubular arms that accept the conventional spring setup.

[Psychorugby]

Unless I'm completely mistaken, QA1 has bolt-in spring perches for their tubular k-member and I *think* you can use either the stock a-arms or they make tubular arms that accept the conventional spring setup.

 

Correct.  UPS managed to lose the spring perches that I had zip-tied to the K member when I shipped it out.  Bastards.

[deceptive gt]

I plan on going with the Steeda K Member. Sure, I will not drop that much weight off the nose but the structural rigidity is more important. I do want to lose all the weight I can without giving up the comforts of a full stereo, ac, etc... Since neither car will be turbo, not a big deal on needing a tubular K.

[410sn95]

It was touched on a bit by some but suspension geometry improvement should really be considered when looking into a new k-member.  Several of these K-members IMPROVE on the stock geometry

 

Example: MM k-members make it possible to dial in more caster (which our pigs need) and help facilitate lowering your car without ruining the handling of the car (two different a-arm mounting locations).

[Psychorugby]

Jesus Christ... learn to copy and paste correctly before shitting up another thread.

[Det_Riot]

Who the eff is Vorshlag racing?

[Steve-Oh]

Who the eff is Vorshlag racing?

It's Vorshlag Motorsports.... Duh everyone knows who they are.

http://www.vorshlag.com/index.php

[95riosnake]

Man, that delete post button works like a charm.

[410sn95]

It's Vorshlag Motorsports.... Duh everyone knows who they are.

http://www.vorshlag.com/index.php

 

They do build some nice stuff... Ls swapped e36 Bimmer's are the bees knees imho.

[95riosnake]

What about the ban hammer!?! Did you restore it yet?!? Lol

This message courtesy of crapatalk!

Almost ready for its first use since the restoration

[95riosnake]

Also, I think my not so Chinese factory ford made new k member will do just fine!!!!

This message courtesy of crapatalk!

 

Were you as surprised as I was at the packing, or lack thereof, that Team Z does on their K members? I kinda thought maybe some of that crumpled up paper bag shit might have been in order...lol. Nope, just a big box with a huge metal frame bouncing around inside lol.

[Sho Amo]

Were you as surprised as I was at the packing, or lack thereof, that Team Z does on their K members? I kinda thought maybe some of that crumpled up paper bag shit might have been in order...lol. Nope, just a big box with a huge metal frame bouncing around inside lol.

 

You mean like this?

[95riosnake]

 

You mean like this?

 

 

That's exactly how mine arrived... lol. One of the steering rack pins was poking out and the large washers that the rack rests against were scraped up on the bottom edges. I'm going to be powder coating it, otherwise I would have been pissed to have a brand new part that was scuffed up.

[Blackmage]

they sell such nice pieces, why not just a quick wrap job in some bubble wrap or paper?    

[95riosnake]

they sell such nice pieces, why not just a quick wrap job in some bubble wrap or paper?  

 

That's what I kept asking myself lol.

[ttocs]

I can see both sides of the coin myself.  I mean usps/ups/who ever would have to have an angry gorilla loose in the dist area to do any real damage to it and yet we all know we don't want new gear with scratches/marks all over it.  Personally when I see that a company took the time to ensure the product I bought will arrive as perfect as we expect it too it just tells me the company will go that extra couple of steps to be sure I am happy.  I can remember being impressed lately by both nitroplate on my intakes and @carbondriven with the cowl that both were well protected and almost sure to make it safe and sound.  It seems easier and safer to take the extra time and money to ensure its packed safe as I have been on the receiving end of broken gear that led to a postal dispute which was just more trouble then it was worth.

[Sho Amo]

The Spoiler I got from SpecialCarbonFiber was wrapped very well. I was soo happy with their whole customer service experience and rockauto usually does a very good job. I was a bit surprised.

[Schiffy]

I'm late to the party and i have no personal experience on my own vehicle or the pics anymore, but i was there when my buddy removed his UPR K member from his '04 Cobra and one of the welds had cracked. The car only had about 200 miles on it since the install. there are pics and i'll try and get them. it's been probably 8 years. either way, ever since then, i've been anti UPR, i gave them another shot with their coilovers on my '98. I know it's not a k member, but speaks volumes about their customer service or lack thereof. i had issues, i called them, nothing, emailed them, nothing, used the contact form on their website, nothing... QA1 and UPR are the exact same, so i group them together. i helped Caleb install his Team Z on the smurf and it was a little pain, but we got it figured out, and they stayed at the shop late the day we did the install, in case we had anymore questions, so i was super impressed with their customer service. I also run their tubular rear street beast control arms on my car, and will be purchasing their k member soon.

[ttocs]

I just ordered an maximum motorsports K and front control arms.  This post was a good help in narrowing it down

[SIIaCanuck]

This is a great post for a new-to-SN95 guy.  I'm an engineer and I've build a couple of semi-spaceframe cars so I'll just add my initial observations.

 

The factory K-member is 'beefy' but that doesn't mean 'strong' or 'rigid' or 'good geometry', it just means heavy.

 

The Griggs, MM and Kenny Brown tubular K-members are the only ones with triangulation to transfer longitudinal loading (fore/aft) from the lower suspension mounts into the chassis using pure compression/tension loading on a tube.  The rest rely on bending strength of the tubes, the least efficient structural loading for a round tube. 

 

MM and Kenny Brown's look very similar in load path structure but MM's has more reinforcement gusseting.  Perhaps not necessary but it's probably the strongest/stiffest of the three.

 

The Griggs uses slightly different triangulation to carry the same loads and it'll probably be the lightest as a result (one less tube on each side).  They've proven it on the track so it can probably take a pounding and come away smiling.

 

All the rest look lighter than stock but would flex more under hard braking (without additional  bracing of some kind).  The Steeda is more sheet metal than tubing, perhaps stronger/stiffer than stock but I'd imagine it's the heaviest of the bunch and not necessarily as strong or as stiff as the Griggs/MM/KB trio.

 

Of course, that's not taking into account metallurgy, welding quality or tubing diameter/wall thickness.  Those factors will also come into play.

 

Personally, for a street & road race car, I'd probably go with the MM brace.  It looks the closest to how I'd design a K-member if I had to clean sheet it.

 

All I need to do is find a car! (I've only got a '66 at the moment)

[Psychorugby]

All I need to do is find a car! (I've only got a '66 at the moment)

 

A fellow '66 owner!  I need to get mine running again so I can correct the errors of my youth.  Details on yours?

[SIIaCanuck]

My '66 is just a project at the moment.  289 V8, fuel injection, T-5, 8.8" rear end (suspension undecided yet), convertible rocker panels, seat pans, and torque boxes, full length sub-frame connectors full length seam welded to floor pan.  Tubular coil-over front end.

 

Details will probably vary as I go along.  As I've got a '69 Land Rover, a motorcycle and two little kids, it's a long term slow-burn restomod.

[deceptive gt]

I jumped in on the Steeda K Member buy for my convertible. I should have it in a few weeks. Also, since I decided to go turbo on the Cobra, that will get a MM setup.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ttocs]

I saw that sale steeda had and almost picked some stuff up.  I already have the front end stripped, the engine support bar ready to go up and really just down to the last few steps before I drop it.

[94Pro-5.0]

This is my first post on his forum. I'm a senior member over on SN95 forums and just started lurking on here. Life took over for the past few years but I am getting back into my 94 Mustang. 

 

I'm about to do the tubular K on my 94. I am going with either Team Z or MM

 

My question is, you guys that go with Team Z, do you also use team Z control arms ect or do you mix and match with MM stuff? Does Team Z move the front wheels forward at all?

[ttocs]

is the offset info on the M&M stuff scaring you or is it what you want?  There is some info on their site that contradicts itself I found.  A couple of weeks ago I was making sure I had all the parts I needed(I got mine a while back) and was surprised to see in one place on their site it said they do not sell non-offset arms for 94/95 but the box I have with mine in it says they are non-offset arms.