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BMR’s parts are super-easy to install, because they fit just like OEM. Most of these parts were installed using only ramps and jackstands at my garage in Redneckville, Maryland.The next part that we installed was the panhard rod and brace. The purpose of the panhard rod is to laterally locate the rear axle. Lowering the car requires changing the length of the panhard rod to keep the axle centered.
This photo shows the black OEM panhard rod next to the BMR piece. The OEM rod has squishy rubber bushings at both ends and is actually filled with sand to lower NVH. Consequently, the BMR rod, which is filled with good old American air, is both lighter and stronger. It is also very, very red.
Here’s a comparison of the chassis side of the panhard rods. You can see how much more solid BMR’s polyurethane bushing is than the stock rubber one. Those 6 holes around the center serve an interesting purpose…
BMR installed Zerk fittings on all their bushings and designed them in such a way that using a grease gun lubricates both the insides and faces of the bushings. As I hinted at earlier, polyurethane loves to squeak if it isn’t perfectly lubricated, and BMR has found a perfect solution to keeping the bushings lubricated without removing them from the car!
This is the axle-side of the panhard rods. You can see how the Heim joint allows articulation without deformation or binding and how the stock rubber bushing has to squish in order to articulate.BMR also sent us their panhard brace. The purpose of the panhard brace is to stiffen the chassis in the lateral direction and provide support to the panhard rod. The OEM unit appears to be rather flimsy, but because all the forces are transmitted along the length of the brace, it is more than sufficient and should never bend in any circumstance short of a wreck. However, BMR’s brace is even stronger and has a slight “kink” in it, allowing more room for the rear suspension.
BMR’s brace is clearly stiffer. You can see the slight bend in it that increases rear suspension clearance.
