98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

Hey guys, I'm in the middle of a pretty lengthy and involved build and tonight I decided to stop and take a few quick pictures of what I installed the other day. All of my suspension pieces came from UMI and they are definitely top notch. Great quality, fit & finish! The shocks/springs obviously came from Strano, also great service. Sucks that I'll have to wait until next spring to get to test this stuff out... ah well, I just keep telling myself it'll be worth it...

SS DNA

iTrader: (7)

Im scared of doing lower A Arms because it seems like you would have to be checking and checking the Rod end to make sure it doesnt move.

Shockwave179

iTrader: (7)

The lack of aftermarket upper a-arms seems like it's going to hurt you. Do you plan on buying them at some point?

spy2520

iTrader: (3)

i heard there isnt really much to gain with aftermarket uppers, they arent lighter, i guess they could be stronger but i havent heard of any OEM upper arms failing.

I ordered the set though and have them sitting in the back of my car, same lowers, and poly bushing uppers that i dont think are adjustable but i cant remember.


I was wondering though, do you tighten the lower a-arm bolts with the suspension hanging or loaded? I know the car has to be loaded for the rears.

Shockwave179

iTrader: (7)

Aftermarket upper a-arms are beneficial, people don't buy them for weight purposes. They buy them so they can dial in their car properly. The stock upper a-arms don't allow for much camber at all.

spy2520

iTrader: (3)

makes sense, dont you think the adjustable lowers would give you more camber than you would ever want though?

Lt14mla

iTrader: (2)

Looks great OP! What are your goals with the car... i wanted to get lower A-arms but I heard it's not worth it on a street car. Opinions?

Shockwave179

iTrader: (7)

If you are setting the car up for handling then it isn't worth it to get aftermarket lower a-arms because they break. People only typically use them for drag cars. That is unless you find a set of used LG - G2 ones, which were really heavy duty. The other option is to take a stock lower a-arm and use the Global West Del-A-Lum Bushings.

98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

No, I have no plans to purchase the upper control arms...

Originally I had planned on it, but was told that for my intended usage, I really would not benefit from them. I was told this by Sam Strano as well as UMI. That's not to say that someone else wouldn't benefit from having them however... just not me.

98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

Yes, they will. For a street driven car you can dial in the camber that you'd need. However, if you're going to be AutoXing the car and would be needing different, more extreme camber setting at different venues or events then yes, I would probably look into a set of aftermarket uppers. I won't really be doing much of that, maybe a little here and there and some quarters here and there. I was just looking to lighten up the front end and have some versatility which is why I went with the setup that I have.

98RedBird

iTrader: (77)

I guess I'd ask you to bring up viable examples on them breaking... I've only heard of one instance with the UMI arms and that involved hitting a rather sizable pothole and bending the lower shock mount. UMI has remedied this by using a 1/4" spacer to give the lower mount more rigidity and this seemingly has solved the issue.

I was leery about using the aftermarket arm over the stock arm because yes, I would agree that the stock arm is/looks stronger, but I was assured by UMI numerous times that they were more than strong enough for street duty and a little research confirms this. I am comfortable running them at this point.

Them being used primarily for drag racing is a true statement however... but that doesn't mean that they wouldn't be just fine on the street and if you're all about saving weight then why not? Their K-member/A-arms/ and a set of Strano bars will net you nearly 50lbs of weight saving off the front end if I remember correctly, maybe slightly less...

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

Sorry ,but I'll have to disagree.
I have the UMI front A-arms on my Camaro for close to 1yr now with no problems, and this is with 600 lb.in. front spring rate and I drive daily on some less then perfect roads. And as far as using them for handling I think they make a noticeable difference(sharper turn-in). The upper arms are another story,With the front upper arms unless you need noticeably more than -1 camber,more caster, or just want some nice looking upper arms don't bother with aftermarket upper arms, just put stiffer bushings (strano offset, or GW Del-a-lum bushings) in the factory upper arms. I've had both and noticed no benefit with the aftermarket upper arms except what I stated above.