JMS 2000 Ford Mustang GT Kenny Brown Suspension System Install - The Evolution Of Intelligent Design - Tech

Out back, Snelgrove supported the rearend, removed the stock uppers, and installed the KB adjustable upper control arms (PN KB-28050). The KB pieces feature the same FEA-aided design as the K-member and A-arms, and are coated with the same corrosion-resistant powdercoat; the retail price is $249. Snelgrove and Hood then unbolted the stock lowers and installed the KB anti-squat traction brackets (PN KB-49001), which offer both stock and 7/8-inch lower mounting locations. They require drilling of the stock mount and retail for $99. Snelgrove then bolted the KB adjustable lowers (PN KB-28061CO; $349) in place and moved on to the rear coilovers.

The Kenny Brown/AFCO rear coilover kit (PN AFCO-CO; $799) comes with single-adjustable AFCO coilover rear shocks, springs, and mounting brackets. The shocks mount to the stock upper mounting point up top and to the anti-squat brackets down low. Hood then installed the rear shock tower brace (PN KB-29901; $149) by scraping the seam sealer away and bolting it to the shock towers. To finish off an already-stellar system, JMS fabricator Kenny Gunn added a custom-built panhard bar for added rigidity.

Later, JMS added a Baer brake kit and Pirelli P-Zero Rosso street tires on 18-inch wheels, and headed to Gainesville Raceway to meet us for some testing. JMS brought along experienced driver and racer Brad Grissom. Having never driven Gainesville, Grissom hit the 1.1-mile road course and pulled off a 1:13.28 lap right out of the gate, followed by a 1:12.04 and two laps in the 1:11s. "The suspension was so tight that we actually had to remove the rear sway bar to prevent the right rear tire from lifting in right turns," Grissom said. "The turn-in is so good, you feel like you're driving a Z06 or a Porsche."

After removing the rear sway bar, Grissom ran a couple of 1:10 lap times, followed by a few 1:09s-on touring street tires. After swapping to a Pirelli full-slick race tire, Grissom knocked off a 1:08, then a 1:07, then a 1:06, and finally a 1:05.30. "The car is not pushy at all," Grissom commented. "It just stuck."

After accomplishing some of the quickest lap times we've seen at Gainesville, an impressed Grissom summed it up simply. "The only car it can compare to is a BMW M3 race car." When asked what makes the KB kit work so well, Grissom explained how the Kenny Brown-designed K-member promotes more positive caster, allowing less aggressive initial negative camber. In other words, instead of running 3 or 4 degrees of negative camber like most Mustangs, 0.75 degrees of negative camber produces the same results with less tire wear.

As Kenny Brown puts it, "It's not rocket science, but it is science." Years of experience, testing, and technological advancements have put KB at the forefront of chassis and suspension technology. Brown's philosophy is simple: "The easier a car is to drive fast, the faster you can drive."