Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion?
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Teching In
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 30
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From: Houston Texas
Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? My wife finally gave in and is going to let me buy something for my car. <img border="0" alt="[hail]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_hail.gif" />
On a 01 TA WS6, stock suspension, which would you get and where exactly does each of these increase?
Im mostly street racing no X-cross. So launch traction is what is important here. <img border="0" alt="[Burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />
Thanks,
Brent
On a 01 TA WS6, stock suspension, which would you get and where exactly does each of these increase?
Im mostly street racing no X-cross. So launch traction is what is important here. <img border="0" alt="[Burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />
Thanks,
Brent
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? I have both. The subs made the car tighter for better handling...on an "all out" drag car it will help transfer weight to the rear wheels for traction but you won't notice it on a street car. LCA's eliminate wheel hop (if you have it...some do some don't)....the best traction device for an "all around" street car would be neither...Nitto drag radials will do more for "street racing traction" than either.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,780
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From: Mi./Al.
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? Without a doubt bolt-on subframe connectors, the guys that have these http://www.spectaclesolutions.com/fbodyframe.htm say there just as good as the ones SLP makes but at half the price.
Al
Al
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? For the street I would say SFC's and a set of relocation brackets (if two mods is possible <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" /> ). Subframes should be a mandatory mod on these cars <img border="0" alt="[judgement]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_judge.gif" /> and dropping the rear attach point of the LCA down with relocation brackets will give you a "traction bar" effect off the line. Since your car doesn't appear to be lowered the upper setting on the relocation brackets would be fine. You should notice an improvement.
IMO LCA's alone won't do much for you, but you can always add those later if you run into wheel hop problems.
<small>[ June 19, 2002, 08:23 PM: Message edited by: Fulton 1 ]</small>
IMO LCA's alone won't do much for you, but you can always add those later if you run into wheel hop problems.
<small>[ June 19, 2002, 08:23 PM: Message edited by: Fulton 1 ]</small>
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,780
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From: Mi./Al.
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by brzypoint:
<strong>who makes SFC's for convertibles?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">BMR does for sure and I think Kenny Brown does also, there's probably others out there also. All convert SFC are the weld on type, I'd like to see someone make a bolt-on SFC for them.
Al
<strong>who makes SFC's for convertibles?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">BMR does for sure and I think Kenny Brown does also, there's probably others out there also. All convert SFC are the weld on type, I'd like to see someone make a bolt-on SFC for them.
Al
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by brzypoint:
<strong>who makes SFC's for convertibles?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">BMR does. I got some and helped alot.
And for me. The SFC's made the most difference.
<small>[ June 19, 2002, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: Ed LS1 Vert ]</small>
<strong>who makes SFC's for convertibles?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">BMR does. I got some and helped alot.
And for me. The SFC's made the most difference.
<small>[ June 19, 2002, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: Ed LS1 Vert ]</small>
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Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 72
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From: Corpus Christi, Texas
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? Subframes are necessary if you are keeping your car for more than 2 years or 30,00 miles. The chassis is flexed after 2 years and so the interior squeaks and there is lots of movement in the glue (that GM uses in the unibody parts of the body-chassis). The chassis flex is cumulative, but subframes add weight, so the issue is not totally clear cut.
So, if you buy a new car every 2 years you don't need subframe connectors at all. There are other things to spend money on, like a torque arm, which is the best thing you can buy from my point of view. Or move the battery to the back, which is something you can't buy but have to do yourself.
For rear LCA's the 1LE arms are about $65 each and they have solid firm bushings that are just soft enough to provide some flex for the beam axle to twist on corners. This is something you could consider.
Poly LCA's in the rear are crap because of the beam axle design, so the poly LCA's beat up the attachment ears for the LCA's because something has to twist while the beam axle is high on one side and low on the other as the car corners. I am not going to capitalize each word in the preceeding sentence but this is how it works.
Spherical rod bearing rear LCA's are fine but a little "buzzy" for everyday use. You may be considering these.
I have Kenny Brown double diamond subframe connectors because they tie into the tabs for the rear LCA, which flexed a lot in my last F-body, even though I had subframe connectors to tie across the unibody section of the car. I think they weigh 38 pounds, which is really a lot compared to other types, but I plan to keep my car for 100,000 miles. It is a '98 1LE.
So, if you buy a new car every 2 years you don't need subframe connectors at all. There are other things to spend money on, like a torque arm, which is the best thing you can buy from my point of view. Or move the battery to the back, which is something you can't buy but have to do yourself.
For rear LCA's the 1LE arms are about $65 each and they have solid firm bushings that are just soft enough to provide some flex for the beam axle to twist on corners. This is something you could consider.
Poly LCA's in the rear are crap because of the beam axle design, so the poly LCA's beat up the attachment ears for the LCA's because something has to twist while the beam axle is high on one side and low on the other as the car corners. I am not going to capitalize each word in the preceeding sentence but this is how it works.
Spherical rod bearing rear LCA's are fine but a little "buzzy" for everyday use. You may be considering these.
I have Kenny Brown double diamond subframe connectors because they tie into the tabs for the rear LCA, which flexed a lot in my last F-body, even though I had subframe connectors to tie across the unibody section of the car. I think they weigh 38 pounds, which is really a lot compared to other types, but I plan to keep my car for 100,000 miles. It is a '98 1LE.
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Launching!
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 226
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From: Texas
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? We're missing something here.
From '98 on convertibles have sub-frames from the factory.
As said before, get LCA's if you have wheel hop.
Fixed my problem, and I have 1LE.
From '98 on convertibles have sub-frames from the factory.
As said before, get LCA's if you have wheel hop.
Fixed my problem, and I have 1LE.
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 100
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From: San Jose CA
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by SSmokem02:
<strong>We're missing something here.
From '98 on convertibles have sub-frames from the factory.
As said before, get LCA's if you have wheel hop.
Fixed my problem, and I have 1LE.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was at Ralph's Hotrod Heaven saturday, under the car, and I asked Ralph what the heck people were talking about when they said convertibles came with SFC's from the factory. He pointed to some cheesy sheet metal pieces, saying, "Hardtops don't have this, and this..." I guess every little bit helps, but in this case, not enough. The Kenny Brown DD SFC's made for a huge improvement in the way my car handles.
<strong>We're missing something here.
From '98 on convertibles have sub-frames from the factory.
As said before, get LCA's if you have wheel hop.
Fixed my problem, and I have 1LE.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was at Ralph's Hotrod Heaven saturday, under the car, and I asked Ralph what the heck people were talking about when they said convertibles came with SFC's from the factory. He pointed to some cheesy sheet metal pieces, saying, "Hardtops don't have this, and this..." I guess every little bit helps, but in this case, not enough. The Kenny Brown DD SFC's made for a huge improvement in the way my car handles.
Re: Subframes or Control Arms? Your opinion? BY A NITROUS KIT IT'LL MAKE YOUR CAR FASTER THAN ANYOTHER BOLT ON EVEN WITH CRAPPY TRACTION, THEN ID GET A SET OF 26X11-16 HOOSIER QUICK TIME PRO DOT DRAG SLICKS THATLL PUT YOU INTO THE LOW 12'S EASY ON A STOCK LS1 CAR