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So i have a question for the suspension experts in here. I have mostly replaced all of the rear suspension with bmr black powdercoat tubular stuff. I replaced the panhard bar but was looking at the upper and wondering if it’s worth replacing or is it just a mounting point to the frame for the panhard bar and to clear for bigger exhaust systems? I won’t be taking my exhaust back that far as it dumps out before the rear axle. I read that it’s better to have the u-shape of the upper for when the suspension compresses, the panhard bar can “fit inside”. If it’s not worth replacing, i will just be painting it to match. Thanks again for the advice/input.
In factory form, it's mostly a chassis brace. What it primarily does is hold the spring pockets and shock mounts the right distance apart; prevents the floor pan from folding up (or down) along the drive shaft tunnel. The fact that the PHB mounts to it, and that it's so often referred to that way in the aftermarket, is its only connection to the Panhard bar.
Not sure about "U" shape. It's got some stamped contours to stiffen it so that it itself doesn't fold up, but for the most part it's just a flat piece of metal. There's not all that much force on it, anyway, in normal operation; kind of like the "wonder bar" up front.
Unless you are looking for the exh clearance, doesn't seem to be much "need" to replace it.
If you are interested in relocating the PHB mounts, perhaps because the car is lowered and its geometry is now out of whack, there are also other ways of doing that, that don't require replacing that piece. Not that replacing it is "bad" or any such; just, there's a vast gulf along the continuum between "I want to do it", "it helps", "it's A Good Idea", and "it's needed".
In factory form, it's mostly a chassis brace. What it primarily does is hold the spring pockets and shock mounts the right distance apart; prevents the floor pan from folding up (or down) along the drive shaft tunnel. The fact that the PHB mounts to it, and that it's so often referred to that way in the aftermarket, is its only connection to the Panhard bar.
Not sure about "U" shape. It's got some stamped contours to stiffen it so that it itself doesn't fold up, but for the most part it's just a flat piece of metal. There's not all that much force on it, anyway, in normal operation; kind of like the "wonder bar" up front.
Unless you are looking for the exh clearance, doesn't seem to be much "need" to replace it.
If you are interested in relocating the PHB mounts, perhaps because the car is lowered and its geometry is now out of whack, there are also other ways of doing that, that don't require replacing that piece. Not that replacing it is "bad" or any such; just, there's a vast gulf along the continuum between "I want to do it", "it helps", "it's A Good Idea", and "it's needed".
yeah from what I’ve been hearing and reading all day, it seems like the only benefit is exhaust clearance or like you said for ride height. Which I don’t need exhaust clearance as mine dumps out before it gets to the rear axle, and the car isn’t lowered, in fact it sits a little higher then stock, so I’m probably just gonna take the stock one off and repaint it. And save that $120 for something like gas lol. Thanks for the input tho.
