I was wondering if anybody has used or knows if the Hotchkis Lower control arms are greasable and if they are any good? Also what are your opinions on the BBK lowers? Just looking at buying some pretty soon and want opinions.
there all pretty much the same design, HOTchkis, BBK, MAC, and FMS upper and lower control arms are all the same design, square tubing. They all work good but I'd consider going with a imitaion set on ebay for $145, same as the above brands but cheapier you'll see the same perfromance.
1. Do not purchase anything that has urethane bushings on BOTH ends. The stock rubber bushings are bad and bind the suspension. A harder polyurethane will bind far worse leading to some "twitchy" and scary rear end handling.
2. Articulation with the use of spherical bearings and/or heim joints are needed to reduce this bind. Look for those that offer this feature on at least one end of the control arm.
3. Grease/zirc fittings can be drilled and installed on the ends with the urethane bushings. So, even if they don't come with them, the fittings can be picked up at most auto parts stores and warehouses.
4. The vast majority of rear control arms DO NOT change the poor factory geometry built into our Mustangs. Yes, they may be more rigid, which controls lateral handling and wheel hop, but they don't necessarily help with an efficient launch of the car. In its most basic sense, the upper and lower control arms SHOULD point together at the center of gravity of the vehicle for the most efficient launch. Ford, on the other hand, has them pointed a few feet in front of the bumper...leading to a lot of wheelspin and nothing else. It saves on drivetrain damage. There are control arms offered by various companies, now, that either alter the angle of the upper or the lower control arms to correct this problem. Keep your eye out for this when shopping.
There are a lot of good and bad products to choose from. Hope this helps with your decision.
This is a subject which I'm interested in as well. I've been looking at different arms. I asked about the Summit brand arms but, noone in the 94-95 forum seemed to know much about them. They caught my eye, because they do alter the geometry of the rearend, BUT they appear to have poly bushings all the way around with grease fittings.
Just wondering, why do most manufacturers sell uppers and lowers seperately? Summit's are tubular(like Maximum Motorsports)upper/lower together for 246 bucks. If I don't really need the uppers right now, I'll just stick with the MM lowers for 236.
I don't mean to take over your thread, I'm trying to get this all figured out just like you.
Would you be able to buy spherical or the other type of bushing you talked about and replace the polyurethane bushings that come with most lower and upper control arms?
"Would you be able to buy spherical or the other type of bushing you talked about and replace the polyurethane bushings that come with most lower and upper control arms?"
Depends upon the manufacturer. Steeda, for example, offers some of their control arms with urethane OR spherical bearings. You just have to designate which ones you want when ordering. Some others offer this, as well.
"Just wondering, why do most manufacturers sell uppers and lowers seperately?"
I don't know other than the fact that most beginning hobbiests/enthusiasts don't have the money to drop on an entire suspension project, but tend to do it in little steps. Besides that not everyone is running a stock 4-link. Some are running an aftermarket 3-link or 5-link suspension. Some folks have torque arm suspensions (like myself). Some, as I mentioned earlier, offer control arms with altered geometry, either uppers, or lowers.
You can't go wrong with Maximum Motorsports quality and service. Personally, I'd get the adjustable/weight jacker arms with the spherical bearings on the one end. They don't change the geometry, but are a far cry better than the stockers by allowing some ride height adjustment, a lot more strength, and less suspension bind.