Topic: Review: DDM Backbone EXTREME and ProBeam

[Sky 5]

I just signed up for either the Powdercoated Race Backbone or Street....... 

Anything to make this a stronger and safer performing vehicle with an eye to performance is my goal. 

To answer your first question with a couple questions ...
Intend to Race the car? If not, then the Street backbone should be just fine.
Planning on some Extreme driving? Well then, what's next? 
Along comes the super-ultra-extreme ... a 2 X 12 bolted onto the belly of the beast?






Regarding making the car safer... 

Upgrade to 255/45 hi-performance tires all the way around.
Replace the white foglight bulbs with PIAA yellows.
Install a third brake light signal pulser relay.
Check and tighten all turbo hose clamps.
Check and seat fuses in both boxes.

[lil goat]

OK here are the specs as tested by DDM
Flex of stock backbone 140 mm
                       Street 14 mm
                       Race     4 mm
                    Extreme  1.7mm
These are measured diagonally the same way they would be stressed if in the car.

You can easily see the advantage of the Race over the Street, there is one, the advantage of the extreme is very small but the weight of the Extreme is the same as the weight of the Race due to it being drilled out and the Extreme looks much cooler, as you can see any of them is at least 10 times better than stock.

[DeepBlueGXP]

I installed the Extreme version last night but I haven't had a chance to test it out yet.  I goto Richmond this weekend for the All Pontiac Car Show and Race.  I'll let you know after.

Ron, If you have signed up for the Race version, that is all you need...  Have fun in Denver...

[klipper]

2 questions:

1.  How hard is the install?  Do you have to drop your exhaust to get it on there, or can you just shimmy it up on in?  As I  understand it you just do a direct rip and replace of the stock one

2.  How about a group by for the extreme version DDM?  Pretty please

[lil goat]

Install is very easy, I had to loosen my Solo Mach to make it easy to get up there but did not drop it.

I believe the $175 is a Mod Meet discounted price already, but I may be wrong. You wouldn't notice that much difference from a Race if money is tight.

[DeepBlueGXP]

I did the same as Goat, I only loosened the center clamp of my Solo exhaust to install.  Simple!

[GXPinKC]

Thanks Sky 5, lil goat, and DeepBlueGXP for your help.  I will decide between the Street and the Race.  Either will be a vast improvement over the stock backbone.  If I do go ahead with the Westers Tune or the GMPP Tune, the Race will be best, I am sure.  I suppose the Street being more conservative would work as well but not best from a performance peramiter.  Decisions, decisions?  I was not blessed with the tecnical gifts to install it myself, so whatever we get, will be transported to Denver for installation.  I will ask Dave at DDM to see how much he would charge for installing the one we select.  In any event, I do believe we will go forward with the ProBeam as well.  Might as well bring "Miss Red Eagle" up to the 20th Century performance standards!  Again, thanks for all of your opinions.

Ron

[lil goat]

OK from personal experience I will share, the backbone will help with or with out tune, doesn't really matter it improves handling on even a stock N/A. I see no reason not to go with the Race for the minor price difference, I think DDM charges $30 to install an same for Pro Beam. The Pro Beam is where the tune makes a difference, this will greatly help you get the new power to the ground, but will benefit any Solstice, benefits are certainly greater with a tuned GXP.  The Backbone addresses frame flex, you just don't want it, period. The Pro Beam adds stiffness to the rear and keeps the differential from twisting when power is applied, this applies to any Solstice but as you increase power the differential twists more so there is added benefit with more power. Hope that helps.

[elff]

 

[Chemist]

OK, how in the world has this thread gone 5 days and 33 replies and there is still NO PICTURE of the EXTREME Backbone? 

 

[Quad4racer]

whats the price of the extreme version? DDM still hasnt updated their site.

[lil goat]

At the mod meet the extreme was $175 as for a picture it looks very muck like the one on the DDM web site, it has cut outs, and the sides are scalloped to reduce weight to the same as the Race. The extreme has 2 mm less flex than the Race, but 138 mm less than stock.

[Critterman]

shhhhhhh it is a secret, we wouldn't want another vendor to copy it.  You have to buy it to see it.

[klipper]

I sometimes wonder if by adding more rigidity (is that word) it will cause stress in other areas of the frame that were never meant to be stressed.  I'm not structural engineer, or metal expert by any means...I just wonder if it was perhaps meant to flex there to keep other areas from becoming stressed.

Other than that, I'd love one from the great reviews they have been given.

[lil goat]

I sometimes wonder if by adding more rigidity (is that word) it will cause stress in other areas of the frame that were never meant to be stressed.  I'm not structural engineer, or metal expert by any means...I just wonder if it was perhaps meant to flex there to keep other areas from becoming stressed.

Other than that, I'd love one from the great reviews they have been given.

I understand what you are saying but I would expect the opposite to be true, less flex means less stress, but I could be wrong.

[LiquidPT]

I understand what you are saying but I would expect the opposite to be true, less flex means less stress, but I could be wrong.

Not necessarily. Sometimes SOMETHING is gonna move, and by stiffening up one part, you've just changed where movement will occur (whether its meant to occur there or not).

[lil goat]

I don't see that to be the case with the frame and the tunnel, I would expect in time that there would be strees cracks from the frame flexing. If it flexes so badly that you can feel it and it effects the way the car handles, and both are true. I can see absolutely no way this is a good thing. But you know what I don't give a .... it makes the car so much easier to drive and more stable in an emergency situation I will be happy to deal with any ill effects, if in fact there ever are any. It is a very rare instance that it is a good thing for steel to flex and torque.

[kennysabarese]

The suspension is doing a little more work. But I'm going to have to upgrade that anyway... I'm sure DDM would know from their experience with Miatas if chassis stiffening would cause other parts of the car to break.

[Critterman]

Don't forget the Mini's they torture as well

[rich71]

i agree that it makes the suspension "work" .......if by stiffening the chassis forced the suspension to bottom out its travel, then i could see it not being good. I now know what the suspension can/can't do, along with the car being more predictable. Finally in the long run, it will lessen the sqweaks of body panels and such. It will help maintain the "tightness" of the body. I have driven in old converts that sounded like a baby rattle the panels and everything else got so loose because of excess flex.

[Ben L]

I think even the stock Bilsteins and springs are up to the task of eating the additional shock transmitted by a more rigid substructure.  Its a net plus no matter what trim your suspension's in.  Believe it.

[Sol Asylum]

I sometimes wonder if by adding more rigidity (is that word) it will cause stress in other areas of the frame that were never meant to be stressed.  I'm not structural engineer, or metal expert by any means...I just wonder if it was perhaps meant to flex there to keep other areas from becoming stressed.

Other than that, I'd love one from the great reviews they have been given.

Here is what is going to happen.  The forces that were causing the car to flex will still be present however because the frame is now stiffer these forces will be transmitted to other areas of the car and if the forces are great enough a new weak point will be found maybe by failure.  The real question is where?  Could be the bolts that hold the backbone in place, the suspension bushings, shocks, springs, control arms....

Increasing the rigidity, yes that is a word, of the tunnel section was obviously something that the engineers wanted thats why there is a tunnel brace to begin with.  There are a lot of other areas of our cars that I would expect to fail under extreme loads before there is any structural failure of the frame.  Tires, shocks and bushings are obviously designed to give and move about, I would think that if an extreme load was applied to our cars that we would over stress these items first and you would most likely notice that part failing.

The problem is that only the engineers that designed our cars or someone else that has all the design information can accurately do a stress analysis and predict where this next weak point is.  But keep in mind our cars were designed to also have a safety factor in the structural strength and I doubt that changing the tunnel brace will exceed that.

Maybe I am wrong but most of the loading that results in body flex is from turning the car and if the body becomes so rigid that it will not flex that force will be transmitted throughout the car until it is exerted on the connection between the tires and the road.  My gut feeling is that this would be where one will see the failure and that would be the car loosing traction and skidding.  However if the tires have such great traction that it doesn't loose grip how long will the sidewall remain firm before it rolls off the bead of the wheel?  I guess what I am saying is that I think rubber items will give long before any of the metallic one.

[Critterman]

I think you w ill be sideways way before you roll the tire off the rim:)

[Sol Asylum]

Me too

Actually this brings up a good question has anyone with the Backbone done a skid pad to see what it does to help that number out?

[tailhooker]

I got the Race Backbone and my previously purchased Pro Beam installed at 1st Sarge's Mod meet last winter. I noticed the difference immediately. When I hammered down, Kate (that's what I call her) used to squirm to the right and then take off. She stopped doing that when I had both installed by Randy.  At Joe's Mod Meet last weekend I traded up for the extreme Backbone, and going home , I noticed a difference for the better. If you are on a budget, or if "spirited driving" for you is the occasional burst of speed and/or acceleration - get the Race version. Otherwise, save up for the Extreme Backbone and the Pro Beam and buy them together. You'll think you are in a different car.