Our BMR front suspension install...
Our BMR front suspension install took up to Bayside Auto Works in Spring Hill, Florida, where Greg Fenton started by disassembling the stock front suspension on our AMSOIL GT.
It doesn't take rocket science to know that less weight equals greater performance. The lighter the car, the less power it takes to get it moving. During the build, and throughout our track tests, the weight of our '11 AMSOIL GT has not been something we've paid much attention toùwe never even took the spare tire and jack out of the trunk! Now that the car performs consistently in the mid-10-second range, it's time to shed a few pounds.
Until now, our AMSOIL GT has seen quite a bit in the way of modifications. The rear suspension has been upgraded, wheels and tires have been changed, the interior has been given a redesign, and added power comes from a Ford Racing supercharger, Kook's Custom Headers' full exhaust, and custom tuning from VMP Tuning. All of this equates to a best e.t. of 10.65 at 128 mph.
The addition of some BMR Suspension rear suspension components improved our 60-foot times but added a little weight. This month we turn our attention to losing some weight and dropping our e.t.'s with the help of BMR Suspension front suspension components and a Flaming River manual steering rack.
We started by putting the AMSOIL GT on the scales in the same trim as the last time it went down the track. (Editor's Note: Tire pressure was set at 35 psi in the front and 24 psi in the rear, which will remain constant for both the before and after weight. The tires distribute the vehicle's weight, and as a tire's pressure increases or decreases, the load that tire supports [and the tire diagonally located from it] changes. This can alter the corner weights and ultimately how the car handles.) In race trim, the GT tipped the scales at 3,622 pounds without a driver. Although not horrible, there was room for improvement.
We headed to Bayside Autoworks in Spring Hill, Florida, where Greg Fenton made quick work of removing the stock front suspension components. The K-member and A-arms were replaced with BMR's tubular K-member (PN KM018) and adjustable A-arms (PN AA026). While under the car, Fenton also replaced the stock radiator support with BMR's tubular version (PN RS002), which is much lighter than the stock support.
After the suspension changes were complete, Fenton removed the Optima battery to relocate it to the trunk. This gives you better weight distribution when launching the car at the track. The batter was relocated using Summit Racing Premium Battery Relocation Kit (PN SUM-G1231-K).
1 BMR Suspension supplied...
1 BMR Suspension supplied us with its new K-member for the ’11 Mustang GT. The K-member is very similar to the ’10 piece, but has an extra mounting tab for the EPAS rack.
2 BMR also supplied us with...
2 BMR also supplied us with its tubular radiator support, which will replace the bulky stock piece. Being that our car is drag-oriented, we are not running a front sway bar. By the time this hits newsstands, BMR’s radiator support will be available with mounting brackets to keep the front sway bar.
3 Fenton dropped the stock...
3 Fenton dropped the stock K-member, A-arms, and EPAS unit as one assembly. All together, the K-member weights a heftly 114 pounds. The new pieces from BMR, along with the manual steering rack from Flaming River check in at only 60 pounds.
4 BMR supplied its adjustable...
4 BMR supplied its adjustable front A-arms. The arms were set to stock length and installed in the new K-member.
5 Its easy to see the difference...
5 Its easy to see the difference between the stock radiator support and the BMR version when you see them side by side. The stock unit weights 18 pounds, while the BMR support is only 5 pounds.
6 The finished product is...
6 The finished product is simple and clean. Being our GT is used primarily for on-track use, we did not reinstall the Z-brace or plastic covers under the engine. This only added to the weight reduction.
7 Summit Racing sent us its...
7 Summit Racing sent us its Premium Battery Relocation Kits for our AMSOIL GT. The kit included a black plastic battery box and all of the necessary wiring to safely mount the battery in the trunk.
8 With the front suspension...
8 With the front suspension finished, Fenton shifted his attention to the trunk. Until this point, we hadn’t even removed the spare tire. Once the truck was gutted, it was time to relocate the battery.
9 Fenton mounted the new...
9 Fenton mounted the new battery box then ran the cables to the trunk. The relocated battery gives you better weight placement when launching at the track. This will help our 60-foot times.
10 At the track, the car...
10 At the track, the car responded well. Our previous best 60-foot time was 1.57-seconds, and e.t. was 10.65 with Pete Epple driving. With less weight and new steering and suspension components, and Evan Smith (100 pounds lighter than Pete) behind the wheel, those times were lowered to 1.52-second 60-foot times, with a 10.48 e.t. at 130 mph. When it comes to weight, less is more!