Loochy88

iTrader: (2)

Car is a 99 Z28 A4 bone stock suspension

What im trying to accomplish is better traction/no wheel hop.

I DO NOT want my handling/roadholding to degrade, but i'm not necessarily concerned with seeing an improvement in handling, though it would be a plus.

After scanning some threads, including this one: https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...&highlight=lca i seem to be reading that poly bushings are not the best in the twisties and that 1le rubber may be the way to go. Will going with poly ends actually degrade my car's handling... i dont care if they dont cause an improvement around the corners, i just dont want to make it worse.

Also, I saw the lakewood square tubed lca's are relatively cheap compared to some of the umi, sphon, and bmr examples. What accounts for the price difference if i do go with an aftermarket lca with poly ends. ( http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku )

DYING BREED

iTrader: (5)

i had the lakewood on my 92 and they are tight, you can feel the difference especially if you do the panhard bar too... i have UMI tubulars on my 02 and they work good... either way they wont break the wallet, but if you lower the car, you will need LCA relocation brackets to keep the geometry right, weather they are bolt in(still get welded) or weld in and definatly an adjustable PHR

rocket22

iTrader: (2)

I'm a Bmr fan,By changing the lca it will improve handling greatly.I would recommend doing the whole rear suspension,lca,phb.it will handle great

Foxxtron

iTrader: (1)

Yes, they will make handling worse. The overall added corner spring rate induced more understeer than necessary, thus making my other suspension tuning more difficult. Be aware that while SOTP can be confidence building, it also can be seriously misleading.

The added bind will prevent the appropriate articulation of the rear axle which is needed. In short there will be less range of axial motion compared to the 1LE bushings. Even though rubber will get worn over time, Poly will creep (otherwise known as coldflow), which I feel is okay in a location that doesn't need much movement (e.g. trans mount, engine mount, swaybar endlinks), however the LCA's, PHB and other similar locations which can use a great amount of axial movement will eventually permanently distort the poly bushings in those areas, which will lead to their eventual tearing as well.

Also, be aware that quite a bit of aftermarket LCA's are heavier than stock. While I don't mind added strength, I do mind added strength added uncessarily while increasing weight on the LCA's, and the LCA's weight is mostly unsprung. Adding more unsprung weight than necessary also harm's suspension reaction time as well.

While I have noticed that the OEM LCA's might not be the best for "really brutal motorsports", they've fared quite well in many AX, and even some RR. The real problems with the factory "star" bushings are not only their age (most of the LCA's on the cars are most likely not replaced by a new OE or OS part, but rather the actual OEM), but the fact that the "star" design doesn't make for good handling due to "less bushing material" present.

Brianss1

NO hop and good traction with BMR chrome moly tubular control arms ,poly bushings, Panhard rod and adjustable torque arm.

The Alchemist

iTrader: (19)

Great post Foxxtron. I recently switched back to stock lca's from poly/ploy lca's and notice the car handles better and the rear is much quieter now.

My quesiton is where can I buy just the 1le lca bushings? I don't need to buy the entire control arm, just the bushings.

Thanks.

Foxxtron

iTrader: (1)

Since you're in PA, you could call stranoparts. Even many around consider them "1LE", I believe they're most likely manufactured by Harris, which supplies to AC Delco, Moog chassis parts, TRW, and several others. I believe that the "1LE" designation sticks in people's memory since almost every bushing on the later (and possibly earlier) 1LE's had the more "complete" bushings as opposed to the "relieved" bushings in non-1LE's.

I believe also autozone might have them as well (maybe under one of their brand names possibly?)

rocket22

iTrader: (2)

I have poly and it corners great,no flex at all.

The problem with 1le's is they aren't a solid bar lca,they are u-shaped like a regular lca on a F-body.

The Alchemist

iTrader: (19)

Read a little bit more about what loads and stresses are put on a lower control arm and you'll realize that they don't need to be boxed or solid. I was like you once and beleived the hype of how poly/poly lower control arms (tubular or boxed) were needed to reduce wheel hop, increase traction etc. But I have seen the light from my own personal experiences as well as what I have read, and after talking to people who really know and understand suspension on these cars.

GM knew what they were doing back in the mid to late 80s when they came out with these 1le optioned cars. They were amazing road racing platforms.

Demon Of Dreams

iTrader: (3)

doing the same thing but have a different question... should I buy the superlube for the LCA's/PHR or should I just leave it as is?

Firehawk526

iTrader: (1)

Just purchased a set of UMI tubular adjustable (single) (poly one end)(QA rods on the other end).

If you want the compromise, I'd suggest these! Dual rod ends can create some unwanted noises, whereas you can have a quieter ride and still some grab IMO.
My car is "bolt on" only at the moment, and since the torque arm upgrade, I've had no wheel hop issues to speak of, but everyone recommends aftermarket LCA's.

http://umiperformance.com/2016.aspx

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I definetly recommend a rod ended PHR. As far as the LCA's go a rubber/rod may be the best compromise. There are also these newer design models.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/617994-lca-gimmic-not.html

I'm curious about how good they are.