Alternatives to BMR Upper?

mdoan

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Just looking for some feedback on any alternatives to BMR for my upper control arm (2010). They seem to be the hot item right now but I’m sure they have some competition somewhere.

I actually ordered the BMR with HD mount, but they sent the lowers instead and I’m getting nowhere on return/exchange communication after a week of emails (and photos...) with lethal. My stock bushing is failing and it’s going to the shop Friday for motor mounts already so I need to source another pretty quick.

Keep an eye on the market this week if you need an HD mount or BMR lowers. Thanks everyone.
 
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mikes35

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I’ve got a Metco upper. Check them out.


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Robert M

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Still BMR, but I installed the longer/more robust 2011-2014 UCA/UCM in my 2008. It has the better swing geometry than the 2007-2010 and has the larger more robust bushing and hardware like Ford incorporated into the 2011-2014 UCA/UCM......

The difference between the two....

025-zps61c8f4e3.jpg


The 2007-2010 and 2011-2014 oem and BMR's side-by-side.....

029-zpsd5c269ed.jpg
030-zpsf0ac6e70.jpg


I have seen some of the other aftermarket offerings out there, and some don't seem to have the complete makeover for the 2011-up application with all of the upgrades that Ford designed into the newer arm and mount, BMR did all of it, longer arm, larger bushing, larger through bolt, larger under seat bolt, etc.

R
 
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Robert M

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Did you have to modify anything to get it to fit?

No, but the UCA is closer to the fuel tank lip. The 2011-2014 had a fuel tank lip that was rolled down in this area. I did nothing to mine and it has been in my car for about 6 years.....Here is the fit with the longer arm.....

042-zps4e429bac.jpg


That poly bushing will not allow that arm to touch that tank lip, now if I got rearended and the axle got pushed forward? possibly.....

I had pictures of the 2007-2010 and 2011-2014 fuel tanks in this area....let me see if I can find them, it may be tomorrow...

R
 

Robert M

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Ok, so here is a picture from the internet for the 2007-2010 fuel tank, notice the lip ahead of the UCA is straight, just like my 2008.....

20130507-190326-zpsfba49bdc.jpg


It is hard to tell in this picture of the 2011-2014 tank, but if you blow it up, you will see that the fuel tank lip is rolled downward, that is for the longer UCA....

SANY0029-zps938f1f3d.jpg


R
 

Robert M

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Thanks man. Surely it will fit the 2010 then...

I would bet that it would. When I first did this a few years ago, Kelly at BMR was getting all kinds of questions and people sending my pictures to them. I called him and we discussed it and he agreed that it actually looked like it fits......They had not tried it........

Before I bought the 2011-2014 BMR I installed on oem 2011-2014 in my car and drove around for a couple of weeks, just to make sure it would work, then I bought the 2011-up BMR and installed it

R
 

Robert M

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Oh, and an FYI.....You will need to buy the larger underseat bolt from Ford, it does not come with the BMR mount because it is a resuse item.....here is the difference in the two bolts, 2007-2010 (smaller) and 2011-2014 (larger).....

0322-zps5a739bff.jpg
031-zpsb95c591b.jpg


^^^^The Ford/SVT Engineers even upgraded it for 2011....There was a reason...

R
 

Robert M

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I may have given some inaccurate info. on the fuel tanks......The picture of the fuel tank in post #9, the bottom tank picture (Pick-A-Part) with the rolled lip ahead of the UCA area......If I remember correctly from a previous discussion, that may be a 2011/12 tank. I think I remember a 2013/14 GT500 owner mentioning that his tank was different in the area ahead of the UCA, he posted pictures and it appeared to be more cut out in that area, not just a rolled lip......so the 2013/14 fuel tank may be different from the two I pictured in post #9.....I just wanted to mention that.

R
 

Robert M

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Looks like I will have to drill/tap a larger underseat bolt hole? Or is it a bolt/nut attachment and the hole is already large enough for the bigger bolt?

Must be thissun:
2011-2014 Ford Mustang Upper Control Arm Upper Bolt -W714389-S439 | Auto Nation Ford White Bear Lake

2 of ‘em?

Mine did not require any drilling but I have read that some have had to enlarge a hole for that larger bolt. Mine fit without any modding. There won't be any tapping that I can think of, the BMR has the larger tapped hole and that larger bolt will screw into it. It will be the hole in the floor that "may" need to be opened up, but I did not have to do mine.

...................and yes, that looks like the bolt and has the correct description.

R
 

Robert M

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Actually let's fall back and regroup, I have a picture, stand-by.....

It was not the bolt hole that some said needed to be enlarged, it was the hole from the bottom side where the mount "boss" fits through the floor sheet metal.....Below is the boss size difference. The 2011-2014 is larger for that larger bolt and it is that larger boss that "sometimes" required the hole in the lower floor to be opened up so the newer mount will fit in place. Once that mount is put in place, the bolt comes in from the tunnel side under the seat.

028-zps942ad07c.jpg


.......and some additional info....."If" you do need to open that floor hole up a little bit, it will probably require the tank to be lowered more to get a tool in that tight area to enlarge the hole. On mine, I lowered that tank partially and that allowed me to remove my original oem UCA/UCM and put the 2011-2014 in place without hole enlargement......Bottom line, don't do this with a large amount of fuel weight in the tank.......and use a TP50 torx bit on the tank strap bolts, NOT a T50. I have also seen the correct torx bit called a T50P so TP50 or T50P, that fits the splines in the fuel tank strap bolts. The T50 may work kind of, but it is loose and there is much more chance of stripping the splines on those strap bolts........That is a whole other project if they get stripped.

R
 
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PM-Performance

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My honest opinion after dealing with BMR and their support, is the hype is not real.
If I were to do it again I would probably saved a good chunck of money and went with UPR or kept that Whiteline I had.

Here is my experience:
 

1 Alibi 2

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Had a Team Z Motorsports double adjustable in my 11, got their name from SVT, while discussing UCA / LCA's. @ the time they were supplying components for the Cobra Jets through FRPP.
 

Catmonkey

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One overlooked aspect of the rear UCA is the rubber bushing on top of the differential. It is not a very stout bushing. Energy makes a poly bushing for it. I've had one installed in that position for a while now.
 

Robert M

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My honest opinion after dealing with BMR and their support, is the hype is not real.
If I were to do it again I would probably saved a good chunck of money and went with UPR or kept that Whiteline I had.

Here is my experience:

I just watched your video, they are always informative. I have not had any issues with BMR, I have been over to their site in Tampa (<<original location, now I think they have moved closer to Plant City) a couple of times a few years ago when I was dealing with this upgrade, sat in their office, talked to Kelly, they seemed like good old car enthusiasts just like us........meaning, to them it is a passion, not just a job. Sorry to hear about your BMR experience, I do remember that video from before and could not believe the Whiteline sub-standard quality on that original arm.

As I mention above in my comparo, for me, I did not need to install the longer/more robust 2011-2014 BMR arm and mount in my car, but since all of the things Ford/SVT addressed in the oem arm were included in the BMR arm, I decided to take advantage of Ford/SVT's R&D that was also incorporated into the 2011-2014 BMR arm and it has worked fine for me.

Another question related to that 2007-2010 BMR smaller diameter boss vs. the sheet metal hole in the floor................With that mount securely fastened with two bolts at the back and virtually no slop in those two bracket holes and the underseat bolt pulling/holding the front part of the bracket against the floor sheet metal under the car, how is that smaller boss going to move in that larger hole? It would seem that the movement would be fore and aft. Unless something goes terribly wrong at the rear two bolt mount attachment or something loosens under the rear seat, I can't see that front boss moving forward or back or side to side in that hole? The only other possibility would be deformation of the sheet metal under the rear seat, but that would affect the larger boss also and cause a loose condition at the front attachment point. <<Just asking because I thought about this wayyyy back when you first posted the video and your findings.

R
 

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