Kenny Brown ????

[03ShadowCobra]

Has anyone ever delt with them? I ordered the Big Boy Seat Rail Extenders and recieved them within two days. Anyway on the phone the guy was talking about their Kenny Brown cat back, all SS the system sounded sweet over the phone I just wondered if anyone has this cat back or any of their performance parts. Also they have a really sweet looking black 03 on their web site.
kenny brown web site

here are the 03 pics.

 

[Petzuk]

I did the subrame connector / jacking rail / full matrix install today with a local race welder.

It took 4 hours with lots of cutting, adjusting and tweaking.

He's an old time racer / builder / designer and he liked what Kenny B provided, even with all the work.

I have a ragtop and it does feel a lot tighter and more solid with the hardware installed. I had driven the car for almost 2K miles without them.

It's worth it, but be sure you have someone who can handle the job first. It's not for amateurs.

:beer:

 

[JKD COBRA]

I have heard that Maximum Motorsports and Griggs Racing is the way to go for mustang suspension. But, the KB stuff looks great too. I really like the look of the cobraR rims with the "black chrome" finish. I will probably order those for mine, the color goes perfect with a black 03.

 

[toofast4u]

Originally posted by KevinJKD
I have heard that Maximum Motorsports and Griggs Racing is the way to go for mustang suspension. But, the KB stuff looks great too. I really like the look of the cobraR rims with the "black chrome" finish. I will probably order those for mine, the color goes perfect with a black 03.

I agree if you want the most agreed on best suspension for a Mustang the only places to go is Maximum Motorsports or Griggs Racing. Some people believe others are better but the larger majority agree that they are the best.

 

[Rwick7]

I think that just convinced me to get a black 03...those wheels look great on there....I bet they would look good with silver also.

:beer:

 

[Petzuk]

Originally posted by toofast4u


I agree if you want the most agreed on best suspension for a Mustang the only places to go is Maximum Motorsports or Griggs Racing. Some people believe others are better but the larger majority agree that they are the best.

Are you referring to chassis stiffening components? And why are Max Motorsports and Griggs better? Has anyone done comparisons on the same car or chassis style?

:??:

 

[toofast4u]

Originally posted by Petzuk



Are you referring to chassis stiffening components? And why are Max Motorsports and Griggs better? Has anyone done comparisons on the same car or chassis style?

:??:

I am referring to the entire suspension system which includes stiffening components. Because they have been proven the best several times over on the track, where it counts. They both have a structured solution that has been designed and proven on the track. The people most knowledgeable about suspension are on corner-carver.com and they recommend griggs and maximum by name. If you want to see comparisons and the respect that these companies have check out corner-carvers. There are some people who post on this forum which have already replaced there entire suspension with griggs on the 03 Cobra. I am planning on going with Maximum when I start moding my 03 which will probably be in about a year because I don't feel like dealing with my wife complaining I just bought the car why am I screwing with it already again.

Thread on suspension
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17365

Corner Carver
http://www.corner-carvers.com/

Good thread that sums it up pretty well and includes the respect the experts have for griggs and maximum components.

FAQ: Can I make my Mustang handle as well as <X> car?
As originally posted by Matt Miller (Msquared).

Getting back to the orignal question: no, in general a Mustang cannot be made to "handle" or perform like a Vette or 911. M3? Perhaps, but it won't be as "nice" car (like when driving on the street) for the same level of performance. First of all, let's separate handling and performance. They aren't the same. Performance is very simple on our terms in this forum: how fast can the car complete a circuit on a given track? It's easy to measure, too: use a stopwatch. It's also pretty much all that really matters in the end. "handling" is a subjective terms that ecompasses the behavior of the car when pushed near, at, or over it's performance limits. For the moment, let's forget handling.

There are some very basic parameters that determine 90% or more of a car's performance: power, light weight, low CG, rearward weight distribution, track width (within the confines of the track layout), braking power, tire compound and width, and ability to keep the tires oriented to the track surface at the limits of adhesion (I might have left something out, but follow along anyway). All the rest of the "stuff", like suspension geometry, steering geometry, spring rates, understeer/oversteer, body roll, etc, matter a lot less to performance.

Now a Vette and 911 have some basic parameters that Mustang will never match: lower CG, wider track (at least the Vette), better tire alignment, and power (at least unitl the 2003 Cobra comes out, and probably even then, too). You can make a Stang as light as a Z06 if you don't care about it's niceness any more. You can always upgrade brakes. You can easily make it more powerful (again, at a cost in terms of streetability). But at the end of the day, the Vette will still have a lower CG, a much better weight distribution, wider track (especially up front compared to a Fox), and better camber curve. And you can always improve the power and brakes and lighten the Vette, too. Same deal on tires, of course. So, even though you can make a heavily modded Mustang probably run even with a dead-stock Vette or 911 on the track, it's so easy to make the Vette or 911 surpass that Mustang for fewer mods that you can't really say a Mustang could ever be the equal of them. A lower, lighter, wider car is just always going to be faster, regardless of suspension goodies. keep in mind that the magazines almost never test two cars using the same kind of tires, so any comparison is bogus right from the start. Also keep in mind that most of their writers and testers couldn't drive their way out of a paper bag. So keep taking their results lightly.

It's probably even worse with respect to handling. The dedicated sports cars just have much better-designed suspensions that tend to make the cars easy and predictable at their very high limits. With all due respect to Griggs and MM (a they are both due a hell of a lot, IMO), there's just not a good way to overcome the designed-in deficit of driving a 2-door Fairmont. None of this should discourage from working over your Mustang. You can really make big improvements with either company's parts, and it's still a lot cheaper than a new Vette or Porsche. Plus, there's an intangible benefit to knowing you did some things yourself and are driving a car that's not exactly like any other out there.

Wikied by BryanGT

http://www.corner-carvers.com/wiki/index.php?Can I make my Mustang handle as well as <X> car?

 

[MineralGSVT]

Originally posted by 03ShadowCobra
Has anyone ever delt with them? QUOTE]

I have the Extreme Matrix Kit with Jacking rails, and super subs on my '01 Vert. They made a world of difference in how the car feels. I also have their strut tower brace and CasterPlus plates sitting in my garage.. hopefully to get installed today.

Anyway, they are a great company to deal with and I believe their products are very high in quality.

I hear good things about MM and Griggs, but I've never seen or been in a car that have those parts installed.

Alot of people around here run KB!

btw.. here's my car on the Kenny Brown Performance
website!

Good Luck!

 

[Petzuk]

Thanks TooFast.... Good to see other real world observations, especially with auto technology.

Peter in CT


:beer:

 

[OH3Cobra]

I just got the extreme matrix sub kit put on my 03 along with the seat extender kit for the driver side. KB put them on at their indy location. I am happy with both. The car is much stiffer and I've only driven it with the top down but I'm sure a good portion of the shimmy is gone. My only complaint is the door spacing. It seems to be farther out of gap after install. The top seems to seal but I haven't had it out on the interstate yet. My seat frame extensions give it so much room I think Shaq could drive this car. I do wish that the seat rails also lowered the seating position. One added benefit to the sold rails is the seat flex is greatly reduced. This really reduces the seatbelt pinch (tightening) that you get on strong acceleration.

 

[toofast4u]

Originally posted by OH3Cobra
My only complaint is the door spacing. It seems to be farther out of gap after install. The top seems to seal but I haven't had it out on the interstate yet.

When they installed the subframe connectors they had the car on a drive-on four-wheel lift right not a frame lift. I just took a look at the pictures of there facility and all I see are frame lifts. The problem with frame lifts is they don't distribute the cars weight the same as when the car is on its wheels. Cars are designed to correctly distribute there weight when they are on there tires no suspended by there frame. So when you weld on the subframe connectors your car is no longer correctly distributing the weight on the tires. Some results are the car does not drive straight, doors don't line up, and vert top does not line up. Whenever you have subframe connectors installed the car should always be on a drive-on lift.

 

[OH3Cobra]

I talked with the KB about this very issue. They assured me that this was ok. Kind of hard to go back on this. I agree on your comment. Did get out on the interstate, car is stiffer with less shimmy.

 

[Goldy]

I have a bunch of the Kenny Brown products installed on my '03 Cobra convertible. They are as follows:

- Strut tower brace
- Caster Plus plates
- Lower chassis brace
- super sub-frame connectors
- jacking rails
- cross matrix bracing
- rear shock tower brace

Prior to the install of these parts, I did check the 'gap' between the doors and fenders (both front and rear) on both sides. Prior to the install of the Kenny Brown parts, the gaps were not consistant on either side; the gaps between the rear of both door and the front of the rear fenders were slightly greater at the tops than at the bottoms. After I got my car back from Kenny Brown, all gaps were exactly as they were before the stiffening stuff was installed. (My guess would be if you look at 3 stock '03 convertibles and compared the door/fender gaps of each, each would be slightly different.) I do think it is a good idea to go over the chassis prior to the install of these parts, to be sure the installer is aware of this 'gap/chassis' issue, and that the installer has experience installing these parts. I'm very, very pleased with how my car turned out.

Regarding the stiffening, I do not see how sub-frame connectors (with 't' part which attaches to the seat mounts) alone, much like those offered by many other manufacturers, could provide the same level of stiffness as the Kenny Brown sub-frame connectors (again with the 't' parts), cross matix bracing and jacking rails combined. Add to that the strut tower brace and rear shock tower brace (which I do not believe others offer) to that and the chassis is even stiffer. (I'm certain a roll bar would yet add even more to the stiffness.)

As for the suspension, Kenny Brown did just come out with springs/shocks/struts for the '03, with the front consisting of a coil-over set-up. (As new as they are, I'm not certain if the Kenny Brown '03 suspension parts have been tested/compared with those of other manufacturers.) Kenny Brown also offers other mods and parts for the '03 which I'm not as familiar with (k-member, control arms, rear steer kit, brake upgrades and such).

Approx. 1 month ago, I had the opportunity to go for a ride in a Kenny Brown prep'd '03 Cobra with the '03 spring/strut/shock mods (as well as the chassis stiffening pieces), and was very, very impressed with the whole package, so much so that the springs/shocks/struts will probably be my next mod. I did not drive the car myself, nor have I had the opportunity to drive or ride in other cars with similar mods from other manufacturers; my thoughts are soley from a passenger's perspective.

I'm not looking to start a flame throwing contest; everyone has an opinion. All I'm saying is I wouldn't discount the Kenny Brown products; I would take a serious look at them before deciding. I do know Kenny Brown Performance invests a lot of time and effort into the testing and development of their products, and is very commited to '03 Cobra.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

Howard
Indy SVTOA chapter director

'99 Cobra Vert; Electric Green w/Black Top
'03 Cobra Vert; Black w/Black Top