Whether your Mustang sees road course or drag strip action, in the process of modification, you’ll probably eventually want to swap out that heavy factory K-member. We shared the installation process of Steeda’s Drag K-member on an S550 Cobra Jet drag car a while back. That installation was a breeze and ended up saving the NMRA competitor over 20 pounds (the factory K-member had been modified and lightened), which is huge in an application where every ounce matters. When swapping from a stock OEM K-member to Steeda’s drag version, you can expect to shave nearly 30 pounds off the nose of your S550. Meanwhile, road race competitors can expect to save somewhere around 12 pounds by swapping to Steeda’s version.

Our friends at Steeda recently passed along the above video of a YouTube creator installing the road race version in his S550, and it got us thinking about the different designs between the two K-members.

The road race version is built from mandrel-bent chromoly tubing, while the drag version is constructed of mandrel-bent DOM steel. Both offer huge weight savings over the factory part.

Drag K-Member

The Drag K-Member features boxed and gusseted tension link and lateral link mounts for extra strength, and mounts in the factory location. It uses the factory mounting points, allowing for additional strength and rigidity and an easy bolt-in installation. All OEM suspension and steering components can be used, including control arms, spindles, and factory front sway bar mounts, as well as Coyote 5.0-liter and 5.2-liter engine mounts (although Steeda does recommend upgrading to Steeda mounts).

This K-member provides additional adjustment for roll center correction on lowered Mustangs and offers additional clearance for headers and oil pans. It also allows for more clearance and access when working on your engine. Steeda included welded tie down loops in the design to allow you to strap down your race car with ease.

Road Race K-Member

Steeda designed its Road Race K-Member to improve weight distribution and handling and spent a lot of time testing it on-track to ensure results. Like the drag version, this K-member utilizes factory mounting points, which provides improved strength, with boxed and gusseted tension and lateral link points and additional bracing in key areas. Due to its mounting location, it also allows for ease of use and compatibility with OE components like steering, suspension, factory sway bar mounts, and engine mounts (again, Steeda recommends upgrading to its own).

The design is 20% lighter than the factory part and allows for adjustable front track width and adjustable front roll center. It features a built-in and adjustable G-Trac Brace for use with long tube headers and built-in tie down hooks, making strapping your road race car down on the trailer easy. Mustangs with Magneride can maintain it thanks to Magneride sensor hookups.

For more information or to order your own S550 K-member, visit www.steeda.com!