STEEDA 1999-2004 Mustang STEEL REAR UPPER & LOWER CONTROL ARM KIT: Autocross Review
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- čas přidán 15. 02. 2024
- When you’re autocrossing your 1999-2004 SRA Mustang, rear grip & composure at the limit of traction are key to running fast times. OEM rear upper & lower control arms with rubber bushings are a weak link in your rear suspension. Many Mustang owners choose to upgrade their rear control arms. But, with so many rear control arm kits available, choosing the one that offers the best bang for the buck can be a challenge.
This video shares my honest, AUTOCROSS-TESTED REVIEW of the STEEDA 555-2002 STEEL REAR UPPER & LOWER CONTROL ARM KIT that I used on my 2000 GT for 5 SEASONS. The arms in this video have done over 600 autocross runs!
I detail the kit’s FEATURES & BENEFITS and review its QUALITY, PERFORMANCE & DURABILITY.
This is NOT a paid promotion. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Dude, this was an excellent review. A little cheesy, but as a fellow cheese ball, I totally dig it. Thank you. You just earned yourself a sub.
Thank you! The cheesy stuff is intentional; I try to balance a lot of facts with a little fun. I'm glad you liked the review. Thank you for subscribing!
Those are similar to the BBK rear control arms I used except, BBK uses a boxed upper and red poly 3-piece bushings. Steeda is high quality with everything they build, I like the boxed look on the lowers much better than the tubular..
It's good to have multiple options for rear control arms with 3-piece poly bushings. J&M also makes rear control arms with 3-piece poly bushings. I've had a lot of positive experiences with Steeda parts over the years.
great review. thank you
Thanks! I plan on posting more parts reviews this year.
Doin this upgrade on my fox...found a deal on a set....only time I heard you wanna use the stock uppers is when you run a panhard bar an still wanna use the 4 link for best results idk I have a panhard bar an gonna try this setup so guess we'll see
Please let me know how the Steeda UCAs work with your PHB setup.
600 runs and still lookin fresh?!
Yes. Steeda makes a pretty impressive set of rear control arms.
Excellent video. I am guessing that your car sits at stock height or very close? How are you adjusting your Instant Center or Roll Center, if you are not using adjustable control arms or a phb? Are you using relocation brackets for the lower control arms? Thank you for your time.
Thank you! I generally don't lower my autocross Mustangs more than 1". Going lower with stock-style springs (not coil-overs) limits suspension travel and can lead to needing more mods to solve more handling issues. I don't use relocation brackets for the rear control arms on my SRA cars. The other mods I've made (weight reduction, mass centralization, adjustable shocks & struts, sway bars, etc.) have gotten my SRA cars to perform well enough to where I haven't felt the need to use extended ball joints, adjustable control arms or a PHB.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I would agree that lowering your car past stock height causes a lot of problems. The 4-link rear suspension is actually pretty good when it sits at correct angles and height. Out of curiosity, have you looked at true triangulated 4-link suspensions? The 79-04 mustangs have more of a semi-triangulated 4-link setup in my opinion. What do you think about some of these upper control arms that connect off the frame rails?
By the way, very impressive what you can do with your mustang. without running a watts, phb/ta.
@@JP-ri1wf I haven't looked at different 4-link suspensions. And, honestly, I'm not familiar with UCAs that mount off of the frame (I'll have to check those out). When I started working on these cars many years ago, the most common steps were to upgrade the rear control arms and add a stiffer rear sway bar, then upgrade to some "next level" rear suspension mod (like a PHB or Watt's link), then eventually add a TA to get rid of the UCAs. Steeda offered different solutions. I've always had to build my cars on a budget. That means I've had to figure out how to do more with less. Steeda's (now discontinued) adjustable rear sway bar was $150. I was amazed by how well it performed, especially when combined with adjustable shocks and struts. That experience changed my thinking about SRA mods. I plan to use all 4 rear control arms on my SRA 2.3L project. I've tried my best to show people that these cars can be competitive at local autocross events without coil-overs, aftermarket K-members, or a PHB/TA setup. Those mods do make a big difference, but I don't want people to think they can't autocross unless they have those parts on their cars.
Would you say these control arms eliminate the need for a panhard rod or watts link?
Forgive the long reply, but I always try to give balanced answers. This is a tough question to answer, because there are lots of variables that factor into suspension performance, and personal preference also plays a role. I refer to Panhard bars and Watt's links as "next-level" rear suspension mods. They're more involved than just simply adding a larger rear sway bar to get the car neutral, they require you to choose which option you think is better and, with the addition of a Torque Arm, allow you to remove the upper control arms. I can't argue with the fact that removing the rear UCAs improves the handling capability of these cars. I can say that I used this rear control arm kit in conjunction with a Steeda adjustable rear sway bar (now discontinued) and I competed against several cars with a PB/TA setup at my local events. To the best of my recollection, I don't think I competed against any 79-04 Mustangs with a WL. My car was very competitive against the PB/TA cars. I didn't always run faster times, but the results were often close enough that winning was more dependent on the driver/suspension adjustments, not the choice of rear suspension upgrades. In a world without the Steeda adjustable rear sway bar, I'm more likely to consider a PB or WL for a solid-rear-axle Mustang. I tend to focus on weight, so I'm not as likely to use a TA. Lots of people will disagree with me about that. I prefer a WL, and I would use it with all 4 control arms (with 3-piece poly bushings). If I went with a PB, I would follow the manufacturer's recommendation about rear control arms (specifically the UCAs). It's hard for me to definitively say that these control arms will or won't eliminate the need for a PB or WL. I do think it's worth using them in conjunction with the correct stiffer rear sway bar for your car to see how well you can do against cars running a PB or WL. I also think it's worth riding in/driving cars with a PB or WL to get a sense of how they perform relative to your setup.