Scott from
MRT asked me to evaluate
a couple of new suspension parts for them. Needless to say, I jumped at the
chance to try these parts out! Scott wanted to see what I thought of
the new set of rear lower control arms (LCAs) and panhard bar that
MRT was going to start
offering.
The first item we installed was the new LCAs. These LCAs are very
different than any other LCA I've seen! These LCAs poly bushings are offset!
The offset bushing ends are designed to make the lower control arm "square"
to the axle and eliminate the factory "splayed" angles. Take a look at the
following pictures: |
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The new LCA are also adjustable! |
If you look closely you can see my old LCA was not square. I believe this
"splayed" angle was actually causing the LCA to bind... Not good! |
With the new MRT LCA installed you can see how the offset bushing keeps the
ends nice and square! No binding!!! |
Next we installed the new panhard bar. Then new bar is also adjustable
and comes with a relocation bracket. Why a relocation bracket?
Once again we were dealing with factory angles. The relocation bracket
lets the panhard bar run parallel to the axle, eliminating the splayed
angle. The new panhard bar also features MRT specific durometer
poly-urethane bushings... getting rid of that mushy stock bushings!
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The panhard bar comes in the same powdercoat finish as the LCAs
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The relocation bracket does require one hole to be drilled. See the bolt
hole at the bottom. Simply mount the bracket then use the hole in the
bracket to mark the spot to drill. |
Panhard installed! Here you can see the bolt installed in the bottom part of
the bracket.
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Here you can see the panhard bar now runs more parallel to the axle! |
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So with the install wrapped up, it was time to
"test" them out! First to test out the LCAs with some hard launches! I
did a number of launches, some very hard. The difference was very
noticeable. The car was squatting a lot harder/faster than it had
been! The rear end came down like never before! The nose came up and I
could really feel the weight transfer! Tires hooked with no sign of wheelhop!
Now in 2005 I put in a set of MMR rear drag shocks. I never really
felt a difference when I put them in. The car really didn't seem any
different on the street. With the new
MRT LCAs however, the
car really seemed to have a lot more see-saw motion when going from stop
light to stop light. What I believe was happening is the old LCAs were
in fact binding, preventing the rear end from squatting down, which is why I
could not feel the difference with the drag shocks! Now that the rear end
was not binding and free to travel, I could really feel the drag shocks!
Then it was time to take the Mistress through some tight turns to see if the
new panhard made any kind of difference. A couple of hard corners and it
became obvious... The new panhard bar was a big improvement! With the stock
panhard bar, the rear end always seemed to a have a bit of a "wiggle" in the
corners... This mushiness just never inspired a lot confidence in the
corners. I believe this is due to the nice soft rubber bushings in the stock
panhard bar. Also, the panhard bar should travel more freely due to
the relocation bracket. Now the rear end feels nice and solid... The
car just really plants itself now!
As far as ride quality.... The Mistress is my daily driver, so ride quality
is pretty important. These new pieces have very little effect on the
car's ride quality. The ride is a bit harsher with a bit more of noise
transfer... But again the stock components were so mushy, they really seem
to be built for comfort, NOT PERFORMANCE! These new pieces offer a
great improvement in performance will a minimal amount of comfort sacrifice!
Once again, MRT has
brought us some great performance parts! Thanks guys! |
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