Need help with caster/camber plates
 

Trying to find some that look good, are not expensive and get the job done. J&M ones are out of the question after have their stainless brake lines and subframe connectors on my car. I don't want anything to do with any of their other products. I have been looking at the UPR billet 3 bolt ones.

Car is of course a street car that does mostly drag racing.

http://www.uprproducts.com/images/pa...hrk_CC_LRG.gif

MM.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/maximu...tes-94-04.html

$188 to your door with the discount code. Not much more than the UPR ones after shipping adds in.

MM

I saw a thread where the UPR piece failed and the strut went through the hood. I would go MM. I went stangsuspension and would suggest them but they are closed now, so MM seems the logical choice left.

yeah dont skimp on the hardware holding in the top of your struts...

Could of swore that was a GMS caster camber plate wasn't it? Can you find that thread for me.

I really dislike the looks of the MM setup. Sounds stupid to care and from me of all people, but I like my engine bay to look nice.

functional and safe vs. looks?

seriously?

When your c/c plates are clattering due to a crap ass bearing, bending due to poor design, unable to get a good alignment because you cant adjust caster any more than stock, you will care less about what it looks like. In my opinion the MM plates look better than those UPR shark plates due to the fact that they are a no funny business part that is made to withstand anything you want to throw at it. That UPR plate is designed to look "good" and hopefully work. There have been quite a few complaints about the UPR plates. If it wern't a function over looks part I wouldn't care, but the caster camber plate has to work before it looks good.

I will look for it, I really thought it was UPR but maybe it wasn't. I think I saw it on SVTP but they have 'database' error right now. But when it's back up I will browse around and see if I find it again.

Do you prefer the chrome ones? I got mine for $235 from MPE Racing on eBay.

Get the MM's. You don't EVER use a 3 bolt on a street car that's 94+ and you really want something you won't have to replace in a couple years so get the MM's. Please... don't make me say mean shit to you.

Whats so wrong with a 3 bolt anyhow? I really have a hard time seeing a piece of billet like that break. Isn't stock a 3 bolt setup anyhow?

nothing is wrong with the 3 bolt. It's the quality of the bearing in the plate that holds the strut. When that fails that allows the strut to travel unguided and unrestricted.
Having bought the stang suspension 4 bolt plates, in their instructions they even say that they can be installed in 3 bolt or 4 bolt option. There is really no benefit that i see, supposedly in heavy duty racing more stress is put on the strut tower and that 4th bolt adds to the rigidity giving it more strength, maybe their is more to it than that, but that is all I have been able to find as a reason for the 4th bolt option.

4 bolts just allow the stresses to be distributed more evenly.

Just throw some fat washers on there if your worried about 3 bolt.

I am more concerned with the quality of the bearing in the plate then I am if its 3 or 4 bolt. That's why I don't get why some people are very anti 3 bolt. My car is not a road racer or autox car so I really don't care if I get 3 or 4 bolt. I found a solid deal on the UPR billet shark ones. I might be able to get their CC plate and their double adjustable upper control arms for a super deal from a local dealer. Even though I don't have the money for both I might have to find a way to get those.

I have yet to find a decent deal on the chrome MM ones. So many choices out there, does any one know of some other CC setups I am missing? Steeda is stupid expensive too so forget them.

Here's my opinion. If you do not plan on going with coil over’s then a 3 bolt caster camber plate will work just fine. One benefit with going 4 bolt CC plates is you can swap the camber plate to either side to get more negative camber or more positive camber. Depending on what you need. You can't do that with a 3 bolt plate. As far as what brand to go with, I would go with any one that offers a warranty on bearing failure. I know MM offers that on their CC plates but I don't know if UPR does. If they do and the price fits your budget I say get them.

on fox bodies the strut is centered between the 3 bolts which shares the load very effectively. On SN95 cars that's not the case and you end up with a big bending load on the plate as it tries to shear off 2 of the bolts holding it down. Get 4 bolt plates for SN95's. MM makes the best.

That's why you use 4 bolt plates. Think of it like this. Imagine the bolts for the plates are the corners of a triangle. When the strut is within that triangle, you have a bending load similar to what a bridge girder would deal with. That is, solidly supported on two ends. However, when the strut moves outside that triangle, you get cantilever bending, which is like our bridge girder example, but supported on one end. This kind of bending causes a lot of stress and deflection in the plates, and the loading it has to endure requires the plates the be thick enough to endure it and for the strut tower to be strong enough to support it. Adding a 4th bolt captures the strut in a square, making the bending load the same as stock (not cantilever).

For the most part, 3 bolt plates are fine, as the strut is captured within the triangle (another reason why SN95 cars have limited caster adjustment). However, NEVER INSTALL 4 BOLT PLATES W/ 3 BOLTS. Though the manufacturer may say it's fine, the adjustability one usually gets w/ 4 bolt plates will put the strut outside the triangle formed by the 3 bolts.

Remember, form ALWAYS follows function. This isn't art, this is your car.

Well shit I still can't make up my mind, but I need to get this done. Anyone have pics of the chrome MM ones?

Much better looking than the shark ones

I don't think it looks better,but whatever at this point I need to make a choice.

Any photos you guys can find of them in cars is what I am looking for. Thanks for the help guys.

Seriously? Maybe i'm a sucker for black and chrome, oh well

I can get you pics but it might not be until tomorrow.

Sorry for being late but here's the pics. Don't mind that they're the nicest things there and the nicks on them. That's from the alignment shop.

I have the Steeda plates and am very happy with fit,finish, and operation. They are four bolt plates and come with guide to make drilling the fourth hole easy. The UPR plates are shit. Had a set for couple of months and looked like shit and the RH plate always made a noise.