AzPete
Well-Known Member
This is on a '66 Mustang Coupe, 302, auto, non power car. This car is driven a fair amount, 6000 miles from mid Oct to mid Aug. We installed Opentrackers street version of the upper and lower control arms with a set of stock perches. The rest of the steering is tight also. The car drove good with no noticeable problems. All was good.....until I was offered a set of the roller perches put out by Opentracker. The price was real "right" so I went ahead and installed them.
My thoughts prior to installing them was so-so. I really felt for a street driven car, what is the big deal, especially for the asking price. Stock cost me $30 local, these list on the Opentracker Racing web site for $199. Big difference for what the average person drives the car. I had heard all the comments about how good it would be but still........
Install was pretty good. Lifted the car, removed the odds and ends (wheels, shocks, upper shock mounts) in the way, compressed the spring from the top so it would not have to be removed, and went at it. The new/old style came out ok, but the new roller perches went in much easier. The reason is the mounting bolts are removable. You can slide the perch in place, drop in the bolts, and tighten without any issues. Nice change there for sure. Set the spring back down and went to the other side. The entire job was a lot less time than we had expected.
Now, I drove it for a week with a bump steer problem caused by other things as you can read in another thread here. Went back to the garage I use/steal for a day here and there and fixed the bump steer and did a great alignment on the car.
So, how does it compare you ask........it is a better ride for sure. The first difference I really noticed was the speed bumps in parking lots. No noise, no moan and groan as with the factory style. It felt like the car did not travel as far up and was just plain smooth. So, I gotta test these more on the street.
The local streets have some interesting surfaces as other locals can attest to. I went across an intersection that normally sent the car into kind of a gentle twist/wiggle as it peaked the high part plus the crossing of the opposing traffic tracks. This is a 45 - 50 mph traffic area and I always cringed as I crossed it. There was a difference. The car did not do the normal twisting and wiggle and it tracked real straight. Hmmmm. Check that on the return trip. Yep, same thing, now I did not have to slow down and grit my teeth as I went thru there. Just run with traffic....nice.
Next thing was some of the rougher railroad tracks. Again, the car was just plane solid on the road. Didn't feel the tracks in near the same way.
How about some corners......oh yea. I ran through a 45 mph turn that most around here take at 30-35. It is a good sweeping left with a slight slope to the outside, maybe 120 degrees of turn. Not sharp, but with two lanes of travel in one direction, you need to stay in the lane of choice. This was never a problem before but it was smoother now and the car felt as if the tires were planted on the ground better. I refuse to admit to the speeds I might have tried that corner and a few others at. lol
On hard accelerations, the front of the car will rise real smooth and I notice it comes up at more of an angle than it did before. Even with the increased rise, the car steers straight and rides smooth. As the front end drops, again, it is nice and smooth compared to the stock perches. I also have had the monte carlo bar and the export brace in the car for some time.
I have tried numerous other road conditions and found all factors to be improved with these installed.
Soooo, overall, I think they are a sweet improvement over the stock perches. Overall handling is improved and I do feel it makes the drive a bit safer. For sure I won't be parting with them..... My wife even noticed a difference in the overall ride quality.
Worth the money.......not really sure there, for me. John makes a quality product, it does improve the ride and handling, but I think if priced around $100 I personally would buy them for sure. With that being said, I am retired on a limited income so spending on the extras has to be considered carefully as $30 can make a difference at times. (I know, what am I doing with an old Mustang then, lol). I will say that I have built custom motorcycle products for over 10 years in the past so I do realize the costs involved in what John is doing so I am not knocking his price structure, just looking at my pocketbook at this point of my life....... That said, I would probably budget to buy them if I was doing another car as they do make a nice difference.
For the gal/guy that has a trailer/garage queen, it would not be worth it in my opinion. Yea, you would notice the bump into and out of the trailer a bit less. For the guy/gal on the track, a must for sure along with other products from John. Your tires will stick to the track better. If you drive your car every day as in to work and such and count on it, I would say go for it also. You will enjoy the driving a bunch more plus have a safer ride.
Bottom line, in my opinion, quality product; does what it is advertised to do, plus; priced a bit high; and John will bend over backwards to make things right with anyone, customer or not. Just look up his name on other web sites.
I must thank John for his assistance thru the other problems I encountered and for a great product. I must also thank Randy, aka Midlife, for the assistance and use of his garage and tools, oh, and for not using those roller perches. I like being a full time RVer with a garage close by, lol.
Your experiences may vary so remember, this is one mans opinion.
My thoughts prior to installing them was so-so. I really felt for a street driven car, what is the big deal, especially for the asking price. Stock cost me $30 local, these list on the Opentracker Racing web site for $199. Big difference for what the average person drives the car. I had heard all the comments about how good it would be but still........
Install was pretty good. Lifted the car, removed the odds and ends (wheels, shocks, upper shock mounts) in the way, compressed the spring from the top so it would not have to be removed, and went at it. The new/old style came out ok, but the new roller perches went in much easier. The reason is the mounting bolts are removable. You can slide the perch in place, drop in the bolts, and tighten without any issues. Nice change there for sure. Set the spring back down and went to the other side. The entire job was a lot less time than we had expected.
Now, I drove it for a week with a bump steer problem caused by other things as you can read in another thread here. Went back to the garage I use/steal for a day here and there and fixed the bump steer and did a great alignment on the car.
So, how does it compare you ask........it is a better ride for sure. The first difference I really noticed was the speed bumps in parking lots. No noise, no moan and groan as with the factory style. It felt like the car did not travel as far up and was just plain smooth. So, I gotta test these more on the street.
The local streets have some interesting surfaces as other locals can attest to. I went across an intersection that normally sent the car into kind of a gentle twist/wiggle as it peaked the high part plus the crossing of the opposing traffic tracks. This is a 45 - 50 mph traffic area and I always cringed as I crossed it. There was a difference. The car did not do the normal twisting and wiggle and it tracked real straight. Hmmmm. Check that on the return trip. Yep, same thing, now I did not have to slow down and grit my teeth as I went thru there. Just run with traffic....nice.
Next thing was some of the rougher railroad tracks. Again, the car was just plane solid on the road. Didn't feel the tracks in near the same way.
How about some corners......oh yea. I ran through a 45 mph turn that most around here take at 30-35. It is a good sweeping left with a slight slope to the outside, maybe 120 degrees of turn. Not sharp, but with two lanes of travel in one direction, you need to stay in the lane of choice. This was never a problem before but it was smoother now and the car felt as if the tires were planted on the ground better. I refuse to admit to the speeds I might have tried that corner and a few others at. lol
On hard accelerations, the front of the car will rise real smooth and I notice it comes up at more of an angle than it did before. Even with the increased rise, the car steers straight and rides smooth. As the front end drops, again, it is nice and smooth compared to the stock perches. I also have had the monte carlo bar and the export brace in the car for some time.
I have tried numerous other road conditions and found all factors to be improved with these installed.
Soooo, overall, I think they are a sweet improvement over the stock perches. Overall handling is improved and I do feel it makes the drive a bit safer. For sure I won't be parting with them..... My wife even noticed a difference in the overall ride quality.
Worth the money.......not really sure there, for me. John makes a quality product, it does improve the ride and handling, but I think if priced around $100 I personally would buy them for sure. With that being said, I am retired on a limited income so spending on the extras has to be considered carefully as $30 can make a difference at times. (I know, what am I doing with an old Mustang then, lol). I will say that I have built custom motorcycle products for over 10 years in the past so I do realize the costs involved in what John is doing so I am not knocking his price structure, just looking at my pocketbook at this point of my life....... That said, I would probably budget to buy them if I was doing another car as they do make a nice difference.
For the gal/guy that has a trailer/garage queen, it would not be worth it in my opinion. Yea, you would notice the bump into and out of the trailer a bit less. For the guy/gal on the track, a must for sure along with other products from John. Your tires will stick to the track better. If you drive your car every day as in to work and such and count on it, I would say go for it also. You will enjoy the driving a bunch more plus have a safer ride.
Bottom line, in my opinion, quality product; does what it is advertised to do, plus; priced a bit high; and John will bend over backwards to make things right with anyone, customer or not. Just look up his name on other web sites.
I must thank John for his assistance thru the other problems I encountered and for a great product. I must also thank Randy, aka Midlife, for the assistance and use of his garage and tools, oh, and for not using those roller perches. I like being a full time RVer with a garage close by, lol.
Your experiences may vary so remember, this is one mans opinion.
ep
