Steeda Alum LCA's vs. Pro3i LCA's

wms004 · May 3, 2004

Guys, i'm about to order one of these. looks like 155 and free shipping for the pro3i's or 209+ ship for the steeda's. I know the Pro3i's are designed after the MM ones but i also like that the steeda's are lighter than the stock arms. Has anyone tried both or have any feedback about improved ride quality better handing etc with either?

thanks

-wade

MineralGt · May 3, 2004

The Pro3i's are indeed similar to the MM's, except that the Pro3i's have a solid urethane bushing at one end, whereas the MM's have a 3 piece urethane bushing. That solid bushing on the Pro3i's will introduce bind into the suspension, and will probably crack or break. Ofcourse, both have a spherical bushing as well. The Steeda's on the other hand have 3 piece bushings at BOTH ends of the arms. I would stay away from the Pro3i's since with control arms, you REALLY get what you pay for. I would go with at least the Steeda's, or probably, the MM's no doubt. Also, GlobalWest makes an excellent control arm which is similar to the MM's (the bushings are reversed on the Globalwests, and they use a del-a-lum bushing rather than urethane. Plus, the Globalwests cost about 40-50 bucks more). Just my opinion.

wms004 · May 3, 2004

thanks.. i've been leaning towards the steeda's mostly cuz i want to drop a little unsprung weight even if its only like 2 pounds lighter, but having a bushing with some give is probably a good idea to be safe. I'm also going with FRPP uppers.. if I put both on can i remove the quad shocks? I heard that they become obselete because of the quality upper and lowers strengthing up the rear end.

-wade

85GTlover · May 3, 2004

If you need to remove the quads for tire issues remove them , if not, might as well leave them there. Cannot hurt I do not think, not like they are heavy.

MineralGt · May 3, 2004

Yes, it is okay to remove the quad's with aftermarket LCA's, in fact, it is recommended (not sure exactly why). They will be doing next to nothing with your aftermarket LCA's in there, so dont worry about it. As much as Im in love with the MM rear LCA's, the Steeda's are a very nice piece and I have heard only good things about them. Hope everything works out good for you!

CottonBurnerz · May 3, 2004

I ordered MM LCA last week.. you should look into metcos control arms if you're a hardcore drag racer.. they make the best arms out there

Rocketman · May 3, 2004

I have both U/L Steeda Aluminum control arms and I'm very happy with them. There is a significant weight savings over stock with these arms. I'm not a competition racer or anything, but I did notice a big difference with stop light launches with these arms.

tangerine · May 3, 2004

yes there is a big difference with the upper and lower contral arms. the less the unsprung weigh the better. I notice a big difference in traction when I put them on there. I went from spinning all over the road to hardly even barking the tires. I personally like the steeda's. JMO

JonJon · May 3, 2004

I got the Pro3i's, it made a noticable improvement in reduction of wheel hop and my 1-2 shift is planted better.

Steeda could be better but I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

wms004 · May 3, 2004

thanks guys.. I had seen that picture of a steeda arm that broke (someone who was autocrossing with it) and i was nervous about ordering them. but i would like to reduce unsprung weight and take off those quad shocks even though i'm only running 275's and 18x9's.. its still extra weight! After the arms and quad removable its gonna be driveshaft and seats.. I'm a college student with a valet summer job so just gotta weight for the dough.
Steeda alum lowers and FRPP uppers it is

thanks again

CBASS · May 3, 2004

MineralGt said:
The Pro3i's are indeed similar to the MM's, except that the Pro3i's have a solid urethane bushing at one end, whereas the MM's have a 3 piece urethane bushing. That solid bushing on the Pro3i's will introduce bind into the suspension, and will probably crack or break. Ofcourse, both have a spherical bushing as well. The Steeda's on the other hand have 3 piece bushings at BOTH ends of the arms. I would stay away from the Pro3i's since with control arms, you REALLY get what you pay for. I would go with at least the Steeda's, or probably, the MM's no doubt. Also, GlobalWest makes an excellent control arm which is similar to the MM's (the bushings are reversed on the Globalwests, and they use a del-a-lum bushing rather than urethane. Plus, the Globalwests cost about 40-50 bucks more). Just my opinion.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to disagree with you there Bob."
Pretty sure my Pro3i LCAs had a 3 piece polyurthane bushing on one end. Look at the Pro3i LCA in real life and tell me that's "a solid urethane bushing at one end." Since my 60's have lowered and my car doesn't fish tail when shifting to second, they don't bind. So before you go telling people misinformation, do a little research.

MineralGt · May 3, 2004

Hey CBASS, relax, im sorry what I said earlier bothered you. I simply remember reading a dozen previous posts comparing the MM's to the Pro3i's, and in all cases, the conclusion was that they were identical with the exception of the bushings on the chassis side. The MM's do use a 3 piece design, and I am almost 100% sure that the Pro3i's dont. If they did, it would definately be advertised here:
http://www.partshopper.com/fordmustang/Itemdesc.asp?CartId={A2F17208-51E0-4077-8EVEREST10A-6DF538DB92AC}&ic=PRO3%2D23957&eq=&Tp=

Ofcourse, there is no mention of a 3 piece design. Im not saying you can't have better 60 ft times or good traction with the Pro3i's, im sure they made a huge improvement over stock. The fact that your 60's have lowered does not say much about the QUALITY of the arms. I had a crappy pair of X2C control arms in my car with solid bushings at both ends. Hell, my car felt fine and I was definately getting more traction. The only problem was, 10k miles later, the bushings were completely shot. Its not the end of the world not having a 3 piece bushing design at the chassis side, but it is damn hard to avoid bind without them. Anyways, im not knocking the pro3i's, im just giving my own opinion here.

CBASS · May 4, 2004

MineralGt said:
Hey CBASS, relax, im sorry what I said earlier bothered you. I simply remember reading a dozen previous posts comparing the MM's to the Pro3i's, and in all cases, the conclusion was that they were identical with the exception of the bushings on the chassis side. The MM's do use a 3 piece design, and I am almost 100% sure that the Pro3i's dont. If they did, it would definately be advertised here:
http://www.partshopper.com/fordmustang/Itemdesc.asp?CartId={A2F17208-51E0-4077-8EVEREST10A-6DF538DB92AC}&ic=PRO3%2D23957&eq=&Tp=

Ofcourse, there is no mention of a 3 piece design. Im not saying you can't have better 60 ft times or good traction with the Pro3i's, im sure they made a huge improvement over stock. The fact that your 60's have lowered does not say much about the QUALITY of the arms. I had a crappy pair of X2C control arms in my car with solid bushings at both ends. Hell, my car felt fine and I was definately getting more traction. The only problem was, 10k miles later, the bushings were completely shot. Its not the end of the world not having a 3 piece bushing design at the chassis side, but it is damn hard to avoid bind without them. Anyways, im not knocking the pro3i's, im just giving my own opinion here.

It might not say it's 3 piece in the add, but how do you get a one piece bushing through the tube when the ends of the bushing on both sides cover the metal tube.
I'm not trying to be an ass, but there seems to be alot of misinformation going around without that person personally experiancing it, or using that product.
As for the quality, I can say the Pro3is have been great. I've had them for 2+ years and no squeaks, or bind, or bushing failure.

MineralGt · May 4, 2004

Hey CBASS, I totally understand where you are coming from. A 3 piece design, to my understanding, refers to the innermost part of the bushing being relatively solid, while the outermost parts become more and more flexible. I did some more research on the Pro3i's and I too, admittedly, have not found anybody complain that their urethane bushings went bad. What I really like about the Pro3i's is the spherical bushing at the other end, its top notch. I know you are not trying to be an ass at all, and I could see how you might get a little bothered after reading my first post (considering you spent the money on the pro3i's, etc.). After my horrible experience with the X2C arms (which, by the way, are no way near the quality of the pro3i), I am just very cautious about control arms. I'm back to the stock arms and im actually still deciding what the hell I want! Anyways CBASS, I hope your control arms NEVER go bad on you, its a frustrating experience I would not want you or anybody to go through. Take care

DeadLurker · May 4, 2004

For the guys with Steeda alum Lca....did any of you notice any squeeking afterwards?

CBASS · May 4, 2004

Thats cool Mineral. I would be cautious too if I had a pair of LCAs fail on me. Good luck on your next set. If you have the cash, you can't go wrong with the MMs.

MineralGt · May 4, 2004

You got me thinking Pro3i now..... take it easy man.

To answer your question deadlurker, what I can say with almost 100% certainty is that a control arm such as the steedas (with urethane on both ends) will be quieter than control arms such as the Pro3i's or MM's with a spherical bushing on one end. The spherical bushing may (and I should emphasize MAY) create additional noise. I have not heard too many people complain of noisy steeda lca's. Hope this helps.

MineralGt · May 4, 2004

By the way CBASS, did you notice any increase in noise with your Pro3i's??

tangerine · May 4, 2004

no squeaking here. You have to be driving pretty hard if you break one and steeda might have a warranty on them. I know the cc plates do.

CBASS · May 4, 2004

You get noise on the shifts, when you let out of the gas to shift. I'm sure it's the spherical bearing hole to LCA bolt tolerance causing it. Like the load on the LCA is lifted so it moves and you hear the spherical bearing tap the bolt. But you really only hear it if you don't have a loud exhaust, or the stereo is off. It doesn't bother me because I can't feel it so I know it's not violent and I know what it is.

Steeda Alum LCA's vs. Pro3i LCA's

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