SPOHN front a arms are bending!!!!
08-26-2008, 08:08 PM
#1
SPOHN front a arms are bending!!!! ok so i was under the car today inspecting things and i noticed where the shock mounts to my SPOHN CM tubular lower a arms the mounting plate is bending like maybe 30 degrees. i just put only 1000 miles on the car since all the new parts and these damn things are bending which must be lowering my car some and prob even throwing my suspension off. what should i do? if these parts are built for the street like they are described then why are mine bending?
BOSS APPROVED!
08-26-2008, 10:15 PM
#4
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Jesus Murda... your having a hell of a time with that front suspension! 
I take it that you have yet to bring it down to get adjusted? I'm going to try to get over to Monson in the next few weeks and give those guys a shot at mine... she still needs a little tweaking.
I'll let you know how good a job they do, as it seems are setups are pretty close.
I hope Spohn comes through for ya!
I take it that you have yet to bring it down to get adjusted? I'm going to try to get over to Monson in the next few weeks and give those guys a shot at mine... she still needs a little tweaking.
I'll let you know how good a job they do, as it seems are setups are pretty close.
I hope Spohn comes through for ya!
08-27-2008, 08:50 AM
#7
if your talking about the spots on the shock where there is no more yellow...well when i opened the box to these brand new shocks some of the powder coating? was starting to flake and bubble and this is just what has happened over 1k miles...nothing is rubbing on the shocks themselves that i know of. the only problem i can see is the bending shock mounts. looks to me like they either need to brace that area or use thicker material...
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08-27-2008, 11:09 AM
#8
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Wow, that sucks. My personal opinion is that the aftermarket doesn't make a strong enough replacement for this part anymore. The only one that looked beefy enough was the LG lower arms but I don't think they make them anymore. This is similar to how I don't like any of the aftermarket K-members except the UMI with extra bracing. Best of luck with Spohn, I hope they fix this for you. The parts I have purchased from them have been great. I haven't seen this happen often but it is something that can happen with the aftermarket arms, just the nature of the beast.
Last edited by tpunk; 08-27-2008 at 11:16 AM.
08-27-2008, 10:27 PM
#9
anyways so the results are my car must be too low and my front shocks must be bottoming out which in turn is causeing the shock mount to bend...i honestly dont think i am that low i have G2 springs and absolutely love my stance/ride quality. the roads up here are rough in some areas and unavoidable but i dont see why i am having this issue and others arent? there are plenty of people lower than me if not just the same with konis and they dont seem to be having problems? then again most probably dont have tubular front a arms also but what i was told is that if the arms were beefed up that the next weak link would be my upper shock mounts bending and i REALLY dont want that. he said i need to fix the cause of the problem (my shocks bottoming out) first. they did offer to add extra bracing to my old arms but with the mount already being bent what good will that do...just stop even more bending?
now on the other hand all those with my same set up and that still have there OEM front a arms, are your upper shock mounts bending at all? i cant see the factory a arms giving at all and if anyone is running lowering springs such as G2s or the equivalent then they should technically be bending there upper shock mount from bottoming out they're shocks right?
now on the other hand all those with my same set up and that still have there OEM front a arms, are your upper shock mounts bending at all? i cant see the factory a arms giving at all and if anyone is running lowering springs such as G2s or the equivalent then they should technically be bending there upper shock mount from bottoming out they're shocks right?
08-28-2008, 08:31 PM
#12
I would have told them it was 100% stock otherwise.
I went through this **** with a company called FabTech for tubular A Arms on my truck.
The guy on the phone asked me a million questions, and just picked something at random to void my warranty. Even though they show their **** jumping trucks in the air, my otherwise stock truck had tires too wide and thats why the a arm brackets were being ripped off-SORRY YOU'RE SOL, can I help you with anything else, thank you for buying our products
I went through this **** with a company called FabTech for tubular A Arms on my truck.
The guy on the phone asked me a million questions, and just picked something at random to void my warranty. Even though they show their **** jumping trucks in the air, my otherwise stock truck had tires too wide and thats why the a arm brackets were being ripped off-SORRY YOU'RE SOL, can I help you with anything else, thank you for buying our products
08-29-2008, 07:54 AM
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Not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but I've had this same problem with just about every tubular aftermarket front lower a-arm that I have tried in the past, as well as others who've tried other manufacturer's front lower a-arms as well.
Really, the fact is that light and small tubing a-arms like those aren't very good for street and/or just about any type of corner carving activities since there is a significant load placed on the lower a-arms and the lower "bar" of the K-member during cornering.
Just as an additional note, my intention isn't to downgrade any particular manufacturer, but to rather question the design of many of the aftermarket lower front a-arms themselves.
From my better experience, OEM front lower a-arms are good for both street and corner carving. The only modification I really desired were the Global West Front lower a-arm spherical bearing kit (which can be noisy, and require expensive replacement). If I had the money at the time, I might of tried the LG front lower a-arms, however like many of their smaller diameter tubing counterparts, they can be a real PIA to adjust.
Really, the fact is that light and small tubing a-arms like those aren't very good for street and/or just about any type of corner carving activities since there is a significant load placed on the lower a-arms and the lower "bar" of the K-member during cornering.
Just as an additional note, my intention isn't to downgrade any particular manufacturer, but to rather question the design of many of the aftermarket lower front a-arms themselves.
From my better experience, OEM front lower a-arms are good for both street and corner carving. The only modification I really desired were the Global West Front lower a-arm spherical bearing kit (which can be noisy, and require expensive replacement). If I had the money at the time, I might of tried the LG front lower a-arms, however like many of their smaller diameter tubing counterparts, they can be a real PIA to adjust.
08-29-2008, 09:10 AM
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My arms did the same thing and the shocks definitely never bottomed out.
http://www.mofbody.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=42623
It' s a poor design and the arms/shock mounts just can't take the load. The old LG arms are about the only ones I know of that haven't bent (even in a 100mph wreck). But LG doesn't make them anymore. It's a shame.
As far as reinforcing them, that whole arm has flexed over and over until it was compromised and started to fail. Do you want to reinforce a material that has already started to fail on a part that holds your wheel on?
I've tried poly bushing in the stock arms and kept wearing them out after a couple years. Like Foxxtron, I ended up with a GW weld in spherical bearing kit.
If you sign up on FRRAX there's a nice discussion here you can read. It explains things a bit more and you even get to read engineers getting annoyed with me lol
http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.p...hl=arm+bending
http://www.mofbody.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=42623
It' s a poor design and the arms/shock mounts just can't take the load. The old LG arms are about the only ones I know of that haven't bent (even in a 100mph wreck). But LG doesn't make them anymore. It's a shame.
As far as reinforcing them, that whole arm has flexed over and over until it was compromised and started to fail. Do you want to reinforce a material that has already started to fail on a part that holds your wheel on?
I've tried poly bushing in the stock arms and kept wearing them out after a couple years. Like Foxxtron, I ended up with a GW weld in spherical bearing kit.
If you sign up on FRRAX there's a nice discussion here you can read. It explains things a bit more and you even get to read engineers getting annoyed with me lol
http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.p...hl=arm+bending
08-29-2008, 09:15 AM
#16
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Maybe just loosen them and put a spreader plate
in between the shock base and the mount boss?
Something stouter than a fender washer but same
idea. Get the load out to the vertical walls instead
of wallowing the flat part.
Or crowbar it back up to flat, and pound a small
chunk of wood in there.
in between the shock base and the mount boss?
Something stouter than a fender washer but same
idea. Get the load out to the vertical walls instead
of wallowing the flat part.
Or crowbar it back up to flat, and pound a small
chunk of wood in there.
08-29-2008, 09:21 AM
#17
Jimmyblue has a great idea.. the weight needs distributed better.
We only had one set I am aware of do this.. it was on my vehicle and I was ran off the road and nail a giant pot hole, I'm surprised it didn't flatten the tire but it did bend the plate like shown.
Hope that helps,
Ryan
We only had one set I am aware of do this.. it was on my vehicle and I was ran off the road and nail a giant pot hole, I'm surprised it didn't flatten the tire but it did bend the plate like shown.
Hope that helps,
Ryan
08-29-2008, 11:02 AM
#18
Spohn Performance's front lower a-arms set a new, higher standard of performance and quality. When we designed our a-arms, we had two goals in mind. One was to provide the performance capabilities needed for the toughest race tracks, the second was to provide the strength and durability required for the demands of a daily driven vehicle. We're proud to say that we have accomplished both.
08-29-2008, 11:04 AM
#19
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My BMR a-arms did this after I hit a pot hole and bent a rim, so it was a HARD hit. There is an extremely easy fix that I don't understand why the aftermarket companies don't do, if they would weld in 2 braces below that plate in the shape of isosceles trapezoids it would increase the mounting pad strength (basically comparing the load limit of flat stock versus c-channel in a cantilever beam).
08-29-2008, 10:23 PM
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Not good for the street? The manufacturer specifically says they are in their ad. http://www.spohn.net/shop/1998-2002-...er-A-Arms.html
Again, what I'm criticising is the design chosen. How the manufacturer deals with these issues is another matter, which I do hope they offer support for their claim.