Front upper control arms
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Front upper control arms I went for an alignment and the guy told me my upper control arms were bad. I was looking at the tubular ones from bmr and umi. I have a 2001 ws6 with completely stock suspension, if I buy the tubular ones from one of those companies will they directly fit or will I need to buy the mounts? Or should I just go with stock control arms if it is my daily?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
2001, and not sure what is bad but when I bought the car the owner gave me some new stock upper arms and said they were going bad so I might need them later, but idk if I should use the stocks he gave me or the ones from bmr or umi
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 62
Likes: 10
From: Cumming,Ga
If it’s your daily I don’t see any reason to go tubular.Especially if you have free new stock ones.
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 12,829
Likes: 30
From: Central Indiana Honors: 4th grade spelling bee contestant
Unless your car is lowered (and you're having toe in/toe out issues), I'd stick with the stock-style upper control arms. I would ask your alignment guy what it is that is actually causing them to be bad. Are they badly rusted? Visibly bent? Is he just looking to make an extra buck on the labor? They are typically a part that never goes bad. You just have to replace the ball-joints.
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 436
Likes: 20
From: Houston Texas
I would say its really simple, but a ******* pain in the ***. Mainly getting the old bushing out. Without ******* up the shape of the control arm too much. I was able to eventually press them out, with minimal deformation, but you gotta shove something in between the stampings to keep it from crushing. To get them in, the press wasnt working. I actually, literally got them slightly started by hand, little bit of grease, and started whacking them on the lift. I was ******* pissed, nothing else was working correctly. That worked like a ******* charm. Relieved alot of stress.
I replaced entire front steering pretty much. Everything but shocks and springs. Inner/outer tie rods, upper/lower ball joints, upper/lower control arm bushings of front and rear, sway bar links and bushings, hub assemblies. It raised my car about an inch. I no longer bottom out except on huge speed bumps.
I would suggest getting the strut mount/bushing/whatever you wanna call it if you remove the strut assembly. you dont really have to, but it makes everything 100x easier if you do. And if you do, you might as well replace the rubber mount/isolator while youre there. I didnt because Im planning on doing the shocks/tires as a whole package.
Trending Topics
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 723
Likes: 25
From: go get your shine box tommy
The control arms are a static part, a piece of steel and doesn't go bad unless it was in a wreck. Maybe they meant the bushings or ball joint was bad? I wouldn't waste money on aftermarket arms unless you just want to, in that case get UMI but make sure you don't get anything labeled drag, might not hold up on the street.
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