Adjustable A Arms

[Eclipse Rogue]

I lowered my car and was told from a local tire shop (Les Schwab) that there is adjustable A Arms for our car to adjust the front camber. They quoted me $450 for the set.

I was wondering if anyone knew were to purchase some for less than that?

 

[SlowSpyder]

thats too much, go get some sliding ball joints for the upper a-arm. Alot cheaper and has camber ajustability

 

[jtmcinder]

Originally posted by Eclipse Rogue
I lowered my car and was told from a local tire shop (Les Schwab) that there is adjustable A Arms for our car to adjust the front camber. They quoted me $450 for the set.

Who makes these adjustable front A-arms (for 2Gs)? And, do they only adjust to remove camber or can they also be shorter than stock to add camber. There might be a lot of interest in these from 2Gs that run in the SCCA's SM class, where such things are legal.

The main advantage of adjustable upper arms over adjustable balljoints is that the latter usually cost you some travel, because now the A-arm hits the inside of the fender before a well-chosen shock bottoms out. And there isn't a bumpstop on the inside of the fender!

- Jtoby

 

[ACM]

If somebody has (fully) adjustable upper A-arms for $450 I suspect there'd be a waiting list a mile long.

I wish.

I'll buy a set right now !

Charles

 

[Velo7825]

ya i would like get some more info on these also.

 

[cait sith]

I could've SWORN I saw these for sale, but for some reason I never book marked them for sale, and now I can't find anything on them.

I remember they were VERY SIMILAR in construction to these:

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Maybe we could bother Skunk2 enough for them to do similar for our 2G's?

Oh, and for what it's worth, those cost ~200 bucks street for a pair and have +/-4° adjustability.

 

[Eclipse Rogue]

So lets hit skunk2.....

 

[logic]

I'm almost positive I saw a product mention in Modified a few months back for an adjustable a-arm from Specialty Products, but when I hit their website, I couldn't find anything. I'll see if I can dig up the article when I get home tonight and post the blurb.

 

[jtmcinder]

It's true! SP now makes a replacement upper front A-arm that gives you camber adjustment (2G, obviously) and is "bent upwards" to make room for their adjustable ball-joint for even more camber and some caster.

Go to this page: http://www.specprod.com/PROD_DIR/PROD_PRODNUMBER.HTML

And enter product #72030.

Oh, and if it's true that they can be used with the stock pivots, that makes them legal for the SCCA's SM class. Yummy.

- Jtoby

 

[ACM]

It's a possible solution, not as good as I would like.

Remember Jtoby, I already tried their adjustable ball-joints and bent both arms bottoming them out on the inner fenders. That was with my winter suspension too - Konis with 500/350 Ground Controls, and almost stock ride height...

The SP ball joints raise the highest point of the ball joint by about an inch compared to stock, with no change in ride height. Unless SP has a low-profile ball joint that will fit, (or there's a conventional ball-joint that will work) these are a non-starter.

Guess I'm on the phone to SP again - they must love me by now

Charles

 

[Tevenor]

The image looks like a custom ball joint to mate to the A-arm adjustments, especially with the 'bent' section. There is no way a stocker will fit in there IMHO.

What we need is a technical sketch or at least some dimensional figures to compare to the existing arms.

If these things end up working out....

Originally posted by ACM
Guess I'm on the phone to SP again - they must love me by now

Charles

If you would be so kind Sir Charles to let us know what they say.

 

[ACM]

Feel the love...
I just grilled the poor guy at SP about the arm.

First things first, we can all stop getting our knickers in a knot, the arms are still in prototype, they won't be available until Q2 end - and if they take on board my comments it may now be later than that.

The ball joint looks for all the world like SP's adjustable ball joint minus the 'cap'. If that is the case, the arm will bottom out and something will bend or break. If this ends up being a different, lower profile, ball joint, the arms will work. I explained what happened to my car and the guy insisted this was a lower profile part. The key is that big slab underneath the arm - if that is the same dimensionally then we're hosed.

Another 3 months to wait...


Charles

 

[cait sith]

I am quite looking forward to the development of this part, if it is done correctly.

Hooray camber!

 

[jtmcinder]

Originally posted by ACM
Remember Jtoby, I already tried their adjustable ball-joints and bent both arms bottoming them out on the inner fenders.

Of course, I remember. But please note that I limited my suggestion to Street Modified, where you can modify the front fenders to your heart's (and A-arms) content.

- Jtoby

 

[igs]

SP blows. Their ball joint and that new bent arm give you even less travel. :thumbdown

 

[jtmcinder]

Originally posted by igs
SP blows. Their ball joint and that new bent arm give you even less travel. :thumbdown

You are entitled to your opinion, but I, for one, like some of SP's stuff, especially the eccentic front upper A-arm bushings, which are durable, quite easy to install and adjust, and get you almost .75 degree more camber for about $100.

Please understand that almost everything that we do is some sort of compromise. We're starting with a production vehicle ... and it isn't a BMW. In some cases, a bit more front camber is worth having to up the springrates, raise the car, or bang the bumpstop a tad sooner. In most cases, this isn't true, but the people showing interest in this new item are those who are a bit more serious about handling than you are.

- Jtoby

 

[igs]

Originally posted by jtmcinder
In some cases, a bit more front camber is worth having to up the springrates, raise the car, or bang the bumpstop a tad sooner. In most cases, this isn't true, but the people showing interest in this new item are those who are a bit more serious about handling than you are.

- Jtoby

Yup, raising the vehicle and riding on bumpstops is what serious handling is all about. Your sir are smart.

 

[Eclipse Rogue]

Hey I am very interested in this product... Everything I have seen is junk. And the stuff that I was told was an adjustable a-arm, wasn't. It was like the ingalls with the slide crap. Let me know what happens!!

 

[njshift]

Originally posted by igs
You sir, are smart.

Which would explain why Jtoby is a wiseman.

 

[MNGSX]

I'm gettting the ingalls extreme camber kit... The eccentric bushings not the ball joint...

I gently moded the inner fender a bit for clearance.. I'm not slaming it big time but running about 2.25 lower up front..

I have'nt heard to many problems as far as people bending upper control arms.. Just how low was the car and what happened before you saw it was bent... Like hit pothole etc...

It's true it is'nt a BMW but those are not perfect either otherwise a BMW aftermarket would not exist.. Also ever see a AWD BMW?

 

[cait sith]

Originally posted by MNGSX
Also ever see a AWD BMW?

Lots of them. The AWD system on them is uh... pretty weak though.

 

[MNGSX]

Originally posted by MNGSX
I'm gettting the ingalls extreme camber kit... The eccentric bushings not the ball joint...

The seller (used uninstalled)... Backed out....

I also have heard reports by autox-ers that they are a bit sloppy in the bushing area...

My front camber does'nt look that bad so I'll just correct the toe, install the ES bushings in the upper arm and check the tyre with pyro.... Then figure out if and what to do about the front camber.

I'll just space out the upper rear with arm some steel plate I cut as it has much more surface area to distribute load than any of the kits for the rear...

 

[Tevenor]

You guys realize that Toby, Charles, and I are all looking at this as a way to gain negative camber and not correct it.

 

[MRPerformance]

Originally posted by MNGSX
Also ever see a AWD BMW?

Several. They were called 325iX.

Sorry for the OT post.

///Mike

 

[MNGSX]

Either way it is a way to change camber.

The SP ball joints are too tall and the bushings flex too much and moving the stock arm out clips a inner fender.... I'm sure the bushings going the other way may not be enough for those who want to gain neg camber at the track either but you wont hit a inner fender...