REVIEW
On the street, it’s difficult to say that there is a noticeable difference from the Steeda Extreme G-Trac K-member brace. Unlike the Steeda’s Stop The Hop Package for the S550 Mustang GT, which was substantial in the first few hundred yards of driving the car. If anything, there may have been a minute improvement in chassis stiffness when driving up steep driveway inclines, but short of this extreme twisting of the chassis at very low speeds, I can’t say in good conscious that there is a subjective improvement. On the otherhand, even when driving up extremely steep driveways and through deeply rutted off-road parking lots, there have been zero witness marks or contact from the 1″ loss of ground clearance due to the front of the K-member brace.
Overall, we respect Steeda’s engineering and have been a fan of many of their products. The purpose of the brace tying the open area at the rear of the subframe is a very good one. They also offer a 2-point G-Trac Brace for an even lower price point. However, the K-member brace did not deliver a difference in seat of the pants feel to the already stiff S550 front subframe on stock suspension. That’s not to say that we wouldn’t notice an improvement if the car had coilovers and wider slicks, but for a street car that’s tracked on stock width tires on stock suspension; the benefit of the brace will not be one that gives you a change in feel to a relatively stock car. Steeda uses this K-member brace on their Q500 Enforcer track package that I drove and felt was very well built, performed extremely well and put down some impressive lap times; so it’s a contributing factor to a car built to those standards, but I wasn’t able to feel much of a difference on a stock car.
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3 comments
Good to read an honest opinion. This thing does nothing. Steeda sells a lot of vapourware and poorly built products. Their GT motor mounts are absolutely awful, unable to take the heat from a lapping day without breaking down. I’d look elsewhere.
Personally, I try to make my own braces if I can. You can usually make these for far less money, if you are willing to get creative. There’s pretty cheap ‘conduit’ that you can buy from Home Depot. I have used this to create my own subframes, and strut bars. Not always do you feel a huge improvement in stiffness, but as long as, you are not spending a grip of money, I always find the upgrades to be worth it. Obviously, if you are running street spring rates, you are ‘future proofing’ your car for the track, and sticky rubber, where you will most likely feel the difference in handling and steering precision.
In your comments about the ground clearance, I would suggest that any true automotive enthusiast focused on actually improving the performance of their vehicle, is not going to go out and ‘slam’ their car. The worst performing cars on the street are always way too low, bucking, bouncing, and scraping pavement everywhere. they go.
I just don’t know how you can think you have a ‘sports car’ when you have to go 5mph or otherwise you will inflict massive damage on your vehicle.
Surely, there has to be some middle ground. I have lowered all my cars, but not to the point of compromise. Also, I increase the spring rate, anytime I lower a vehicle., which should help negate some of the negative side effects of lowering.
I’m curious as to exactly why that fastening protrusion could not be made with thinner connections that are just as strong. Invest in some machine time for 1/2″ plate, bend and compress the end of some square tubing, do something than subtract an inch of clearance from that region. Steeda already charges high for what looks to be unimpressive hardware–not that I need everything anodized bright red for GO FAST!!1! but every stock photo of their products with a weld has disappointed, just like the functional but… ugly rear subframe braces I purchased. They couldn’t bother to have a decent set of welds on what was cut up angle bracket and tubing? They couldn’t bother to charge 15% more for a more advanced manufacture over bandsawing tubes and drilling slots in angle? I mean, I’d pay the premium. Just not Roush premium.