If you drive a solid-axle 1994-2004 Mustang, you might know the feeling – that slight wiggle or unpredictable shift from the rearend, especially when cornering or launching hard. It’s a common trait known as rear steer, and Maximum Motorsports has long offered a popular solution they cheekily call “the part that Ford forgot.” Their bolt-in Panhard bar kit directly targets this issue on the New Edge Mustangs (excluding Cobras fitted with factory independent rear suspensions).

Ford didn’t include a Panhard bar on Mustangs from 1979-2004, meaning nothing definitively controlled the rear axle’s side-to-side movement relative to the car’s body. Maximum Motorsports’ kit adds this crucial link, physically preventing the axle from shifting laterally during suspension travel, which causes that unstable feeling and unpredictable handling.

Owners often report a dramatic improvement after installing the MM Panhard bar. The car feels significantly more stable and predictable, whether driving straight down the highway or navigating turns.

This increased stability means that fewer small steering wheel adjustments are required to keep the car on line. Hard launches also tend to track straighter. Additionally, Maximum Motorsports designed the bar’s geometry to lower the rear roll center, which helps reduce body roll and keeps the rear tires more evenly loaded during cornering.

The kit itself features a stout, long aluminum Panhard rod equipped with precise, quiet PTFE-lined spherical rod ends. The design bolts in without requiring any welding, utilizing special inserts to properly clamp the chassis bracket without damaging the frame rail.

It includes adjustments for different ride heights and generally clears stock and popular aftermarket exhaust systems. Maximum Motorsports offers one critical piece of setup advice: The company strongly recommends using this Panhard bar only with the factory Ford upper control arms that retain their original rubber bushings.

Swapping to aftermarket upper arms with stiffer polyurethane or spherical bushings can create a bind in the rear suspension when combined with the Panhard bar. This bind can lead to sudden, unpredictable handling behavior like snap-oversteer, so sticking with the rubber upper bushings ensures the suspension works as intended.

For New Edge Mustang owners looking to eliminate that inherent rear steer and gain a much more confident, planted feel from their car, the Maximum Motorsports Panhard bar remains a highly regarded upgrade.