Tubular K-Member on Street Car

[beowulf68]

I'm looking to go F/I on my 04 Mach 1 and have opted to go Supercharged instead of Turbo because of the requirement to replace the stock K-member with an aftermarket one if going Turbo. The shop that is going to be doing the tuning and some Exhaust work (LT Headers/midpipes) recommended that I stay with my stock K-member if my car is going to used mostly for street driving and not a dedicated track car. They said an aftermarket K-Member makes a car no fun to drive around town. What do others think about this......

[DSG2003Mach1]

Theres a steeda tubular K member in my car and I have zero clue its not the stock one when driving.

maybe this applies to some of the super duper light weight drag pieces?

I dont recall hearing complaints about the Maximum Motorsports and a few others out there

[04MACH!DSG]

I guess it really depends if you go coil over. I really wish I never did. I even vahe the maximum motorsports coil over kit and mine makes a bunch of noise. There are some k-members that you can keep factory springs. That's the way I would go.

[Vndcatr]

Originally Posted by 04MACH!DSG

I guess it really depends if you go coil over. I really wish I never did. I even vahe the maximum motorsports coil over kit and mine makes a bunch of noise. There are some k-members that you can keep factory springs. That's the way I would go.

I started out with a qa1 k member kit with coil overs. And i went back to stock arms using the spring perch and love the ride and still have all the clearance.

[TKat13]

I have UPR K-memeber and Control arms, but MM coil over with MM front struts. It drives great and not sure what he is talking about. I have not seen any drivability issues at all. I am sure it is less to do with a tubular K-Member and more to do with the selection of the strut/spring package for street driving.

I chose not to run a drag setup, so I have the MM struts with 350lb springs. Drives great.

[beowulf68]

Originally Posted by TKat13

I have UPR K-memeber and Control arms, but MM coil over with MM front struts. It drives great and not sure what he is talking about. I have not seen any drivability issues at all. I am sure it is less to do with a tubular K-Member and more to do with the selection of the strut/spring package for street driving.

I chose not to run a drag setup, so I have the MM struts with 350lb springs. Drives great.

The owner of the shop was saying they are great for a drag setup going in a straight line on a very smooth track. But on the
Street they are very noisy. He did say if I were to do it the only one he recommends is MM. Right now I have Tokico adjustable struts, H&R springs and stock control arms. If I wanted to go with a Turbo setup I would go with the MM K-Member. But do I go coil overs and control arms to get the best ride?

[DSG2003Mach1]

You need to see what turbo kits work with that k member and if the kit requires coil overs or not

[TKat13]

Originally Posted by DSG2003Mach1

You need to see what turbo kits work with that k member and if the kit requires coil overs or not

He is correct, I wanted the MM k-member but it would not work with the turbo kit I selected. I would have loved to have the MM one.

As far as noise, I do have additional NVH but my setup is not making any squeaking, clunking etc that others have complained about. I just followed the instructions from MM on assembling the Coil-overs, grease where they tell you to.
There is a big difference between the MM coil-overs and the UPR ones, and yes it is perfectly fine to use the MM coil-overs with the upr k-member/control arms.

[beowulf68]

Originally Posted by DSG2003Mach1

You need to see what turbo kits work with that k member and if the kit requires coil overs or not

I would probably do the Hellion 62mm single Turbo kit. Especially since MM makes a K-Member and other suspension mods specifically for this Turbo setup. But.....I'm not sold on a Turbo. If I can get a used blower at a good price I would probably go that route. It seems a lot easier to install a centri blower with updated fuel system then putting in the turbo? The centri blower is something a friend and I could bolt on ourselves.....I don't know about dropping the K-member, installing a new one with associated suspension mods and then installing the whole turbo setup....

[serviceman1]

I put in the UPR K member, and coil overs. No cpmplaints here. I do street , and track driving. Glad I did it. I do not have turbos or super charger yet.

[DSG2003Mach1]

Originally Posted by 04MACH!DSG

I guess it really depends if you go coil over. I really wish I never did. I even vahe the maximum motorsports coil over kit and mine makes a bunch of noise. There are some k-members that you can keep factory springs. That's the way I would go.

interesting, I always thought the MM kit was supposed to be quiet

[mach1metalhead]

I have a PA Racing k member (with stock control arms & springs) and it is fabulous. I have had absolutely no complaints and the extra space afforded by it is well worth the price.

[TKat13]

Originally Posted by DSG2003Mach1

interesting, I always thought the MM kit was supposed to be quiet

My MM's are quiet, wonder why some are not.

[DSG2003Mach1]

Originally Posted by TKat13

My MM's are quiet, wonder why some are not.

Ive never played with a set but I wouldnt be surprised if its something in the setup/install that gets overlooked - its either that or tolerance in their build quality.

Id certainly be calling them and asking what to double check if I dropped that kinda coin

[TorqueO]

Been driving mine for a few years now. No noise here riding on the streets. UPR k member kit with coil overs all around.