Rear Control Arms?

[trailblazr81]

My daily driven 42000mile 00 GT has a flowmaster cat back and K&N F.I. intake kit. My next mods will be Eibach springs Mach1 Tokico shocks and caster/camber plates. Do I need to replace my rear control arms? Should I? I am more interested in turning than hard straight line launches. Will it make a big difference? Or should I hold off on the rear control arms till I can afford a blower and do the control arms with subframe conectors and all the traction/stiffening goodies?

 

[Dark Knight GT]

If you're goal is for better handling, weather at the track, or on the road, then yeah, you should replace your rear control arms. Maximum motorsports makes about the best lower control arms you can get and for uppers, I'de suggest getting a set of adjustable uppers so you can adjust the pinion angle. I have a set of UPR adjustable uppers w/ Maximum motorsport lowers and I like them.

 

[Tylerb59]

Maximum Motorsports Adjustable Lower Control Arms.

 

[Rocketman]

My daily driven 42000mile 00 GT has a flowmaster cat back and K&N F.I. intake kit. My next mods will be Eibach springs Mach1 Tokico shocks and caster/camber plates. Do I need to replace my rear control arms? Should I? I am more interested in turning than hard straight line launches. Will it make a big difference? Or should I hold off on the rear control arms till I can afford a blower and do the control arms with subframe conectors and all the traction/stiffening goodies?

They will make a difference, especially when you launch. When you replace your springs, you will have your LCA half way off. Might at well take the other 2 bolts out and replace your LCA. Why do the work twice?

 

[01GT eibach]

Changing out the rear arms makes a HUGE difference, especially in turns. The lower rear arms arm made of a very flexy stamped metal. On top of that, they are the mounting point for the rear sway bar. The three things that require a lot of the same exact labor (and, hence should be done together, if possible) are the LCA's, springs, and shock/ struts. You will save yourself time and/or money by doing them at the same time ... with the added benefit of thinking that you are driving a completely new car afterward. The handling and ride improvements will be night and day.

Another arm choice to consider is the Pro3i arms. These are high quality arms at a very reasonable price. I got the Pro3i "weight jacker" adjustables that allow you to change the ride height ... a very nice feature to have as springs settle. I tweaked my ride height just today.

 

[trailblazr81]

Will new rear control arms help get rid of the problem of hitting a bump while accelerating, turning, or braking and the car feeling like the rear end is hopping around?? Or the "cheaper" Lakewood, JEGS, or SUMMIT racing brand rear control arms any good?

 

[Rocketman]

Will new rear control arms help get rid of the problem of hitting a bump while accelerating, turning, or braking and the car feeling like the rear end is hopping around?? Or the "cheaper" Lakewood, JEGS, or SUMMIT racing brand rear control arms any good?

Personnaly I think anything is better than the stock arms. I went with aluminum more for the weight savings than anything else.

 

[Dark Knight GT]

Will new rear control arms help get rid of the problem of hitting a bump while accelerating, turning, or braking and the car feeling like the rear end is hopping around?? Or the "cheaper" Lakewood, JEGS, or SUMMIT racing brand rear control arms any good?

Yes, it will help to eliminate rear end movement, though you will get a bit more feedback in terms of physical vibration. As for which brand, as I stated above, I went with Maximum motorsports and there are many others who will recommend them. As Rocketman said above, anything will be better than stock. Aluminum is good for weight savings, though its probalby not quite as durable as the steel ones like Maximum motorsports. I'de say UPR, Metco, Maximum Motorsports, Steeda, Lakewood, and Global West are all good ones. As for Pro3i, Jegs, and Summit, I havent heard much about them. I have heard though to stay away from Mac performance and X2C motorsports, though I think X2C is doing better with their products as of late.

 

[Red mustang Gt 46]

HIGHLY recommended...remember you get what you pay for. I personally like HPM motorsports control arms...reasonably priced, high quality, and great handling.

 

[Bulldog6Z6]

I ordered the steeda aluminum control arms, mainly because steeda is normally good quality stuff, and many people recommend them.
will the 2 pounds or watever weight savings help much? They say its unsprung weight but will that make any difference?

 

[wms004]

MM LCA's with Spherical bearings on both sides.. Never need to replace a worn bushing again, and stiffer than any of the 'polyurethaners'

-wade

 

[rocketman461]

MM LCA's with Spherical bearings on both sides.. Never need to replace a worn bushing again, and stiffer than any of the 'polyurethaners'

Any issues with vibration?

 

[squares98]

mainly just alot noiser than a poly/heim setup.

 

[wms004]

Any issues with vibration?

When cruising at idle i sometimes hear a FAINT creaking sound from the rear when going over uneven roads. The stock suspension and CA's probably made more squeaking sounds tho.

squares98, do you have this setup.. I'm curious how you know this is "alot noisier" configuration.

Wade

 

[squares98]

I had those arms and got the poly/heim ones to replace it and the noise level was cut down dratically, I had those on my car for a week, they were as noisy as the global west arms they replaced with delrin/heim.

 

[urban96]

i have the pro3i ones and their almost exactly like the MM ones, i like em

 

[san~man]

Few things to remember:

1. Stay away from a poly/poly bushing. All you will do is increase bind.

2. Leave the UCA stock or at most, FRPP ones.

3. Nothing will totally eliminate the rear end movement shy of a torque arm. LCAs help, a PHB is a giant step in the right direction, but until you get a TA and remove the UCAs to make a true 3 link, you'll get some movement.

If you read up on the subject, you'll learn a lot. The top players are Griggs and MM. Evolution makes some good products, but no LCAs. There really isn't any other good manufacturers on the market IMO.

 

[wms004]

I had those arms and got the poly/heim ones to replace it and the noise level was cut down dratically, I had those on my car for a week, they were as noisy as the global west arms they replaced with delrin/heim.

Interesting. I guess everyone has different experiences.

 

[KronicRacer]

Few things to remember:

1. Stay away from a poly/poly bushing. All you will do is increase bind.

2. Leave the UCA stock or at most, FRPP ones.

3. Nothing will totally eliminate the rear end movement shy of a torque arm. LCAs help, a PHB is a giant step in the right direction, but until you get a TA and remove the UCAs to make a true 3 link, you'll get some movement.

If you read up on the subject, you'll learn a lot. The top players are Griggs and MM. Evolution makes some good products, but no LCAs. There really isn't any other good manufacturers on the market IMO.

i would say griggs, mm, and/or steeda. griggs does make some crazy equipment i must say. im not sure on the pricing for griggs.

one thing you gotta remember you really should not mix and match suspension component brands, if you start with one particular brand for the rear, stick with the entire rear package.

~anyways~

also it seems that the frpp and steeda HD upper control arms are the same, the only difference is price.

 

[san~man]

i would say griggs, mm, and/or steeda. griggs does make some crazy equipment i must say. im not sure on the pricing for griggs.

one thing you gotta remember you really should not mix and match suspension component brands, if you start with one particular brand for the rear, stick with the entire rear package.

~anyways~

also it seems that the frpp and steeda HD upper control arms are the same, the only difference is price.

Steeda doesn't deserve to be included with MM and Griggs, IMO. I personally have MM parts, while I consider Griggs reserved for cars that see AutoX duty. Mine doesn't, so I went with MM which performs almost as/just as well at a much lower price.