notnilc20

I see these online everywhere and people buy them and list them in their mods and they're like "yeah, i got a new K-member", but i can't figure out what is the benefit over the stock version besides weight. Thanks.

sick_tight

Mainly weight, but for clearance issues like long tubes or turbo setups

97FormulaWS-6

iTrader: (1)

Weight being a major one; the other main one is increased clearance for other things like Turbocharger setups.

1993yellowbird

iTrader: (1)

I needed to do lower control arm bushings and after the bolts froze I just decided to go to an all tubular setup. The clearance you gain in massive compared to the stock piece. Working on the engine became a lot easier, especially for spark plug access. I wish I did it sooner, would of saved me tons of time.

sick_tight

i recommend the road race one for added protection and minimal weight over the non road race one. a few people have had them fail during street use. havent heard any complaints about the road race version yet but some people say keep the steel one because its stronger. I personally would have gone with the Road race K member if i didnt get rid of my camaro

BIGCHRISS197

Weight loss is a huge factor, tubular is structurally more rigid than pressed steel, and of course the clearance is a huge factor

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

^^You aren't suggesting a tubular k is stronger then the stocker are you? Because that's plain silly.

I did it for weight and clearance, and its damn good at both of them. I cringe going over pot holes though, as there have been failures before in the past.

sick_tight

i understand its weaker, im assuming youre talking about the guy who commented above you. what i always wondered was if its designed for road racing, i assume a road race would put more stress on the Kmemeber than street use, then why is street driving tearing them up? is it the sudden shock of potholes doing it? i would assume youd get the same punishment at a track. even drag racing if youre lifting wheels and dropping them on a botched launch or just a regular drop i would imagine would be the equivalent of a regular pothole

BIGCHRISS197

Who are you guys getting your k members from? And I said structurally more rigid not impact resistant

1981TA

iTrader: (7)

While I understand road racing can be stressful on a k-member, I would think the types of stress are different. Think of holding car through a long sweeping turn with high lateral Gs, compared to hitting a pot hole or speed bump on the street - a sudden impact which should never be encountered on a track.

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

The UMI k-member is designed to reduce weight (25+ lbs) and increase clearance.

The factory k-member is like a vault in strength, weight and lack of clearance.

We are on k-member 1167 in our 4th Gen Quality Control book with no particular strength troubles both in standard and road race versions. i.e. they don't break.

ramey

sick_tight

I remember umi chiming their info on the last k member thread, if I still had my fbody I would have gone with the him road race version. Never really hear any quality problems or issues with their products.

RENE'S RAGE

iTrader: (96)

How much does a stock one weigh?
And how much does yours weigh?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I had some input on the UMI K-member design, and it's not your standard fare. BTW, I also sell them too, and I wouldn't if they had built the same old "lightweight" stuff that others do.

One thing I asked for, and got... and hasn't been mentioned here yet as a reason for going this way, is the greater range of camber and caster available to you. Also you'll notice the UMI uses two separate main tubes, that are then welded together which adds a ton of strength vs. a single tube. Yes, it weighs more than a single tube, but it doesn't fail either. And those were two things I really wanted to see, and discussed with Ryan way back when he told me he wanted to make a K-member. I'm glad he did it. I had one more thing I would have liked to have seen that didn't make it, but oh well.

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

I just weighed a RR at 34.6 lbs which means the standard version is 32-ish.

Factory is around 57 (standard disclaimer applies - approximate).

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

As an FYI, my k member had 17lbs on the shipping label. Yes its chromoly but that didn't save much over steel. Its a single tube design and yes I cringe over potholes on the hwy, a lot BC our roads suck here. There are low instances of failure but there are instances and I won't call brand names, you can search if you want to know. Another thing, bushings on tubular arms don't have the rivets to help secure the alignment settings. The bushing ends are smooth, there have been cases of bumps being hit and the control arm pops out of alignment. I believe tubular ks plus arms increase these chances. But nobody talks about that.

ss performance

iTrader: (17)

I would never go with CM on a street car. I know it is stiffer than MS but it is also more brittle and prone to cracking under the harsh treatment of street driving.

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

I've driven my car 200 miles or so this year

RENE'S RAGE

iTrader: (96)

Thank you Sir!

MidwestChassis

iTrader: (5)

Our Mild steel K-member comes in at 22.5lbs. We have set ours up for some of the worst roads in America! We have never had a failure on the street. This weight also includes the solid motor mounts!! If you would want to go with the chromoly it knocks about 5 pounds off.


http://www.midwestchassis.com/k-members.html