bmr vs hotchkis vs global west vs...

[lucky13firebird]

SO, I'm shopping around for upper control arms, and yes, I'm avoiding all the chinese garbage. I drive the car every day with my wife and kids, so quality is a must. I've noticed a lot of good name brand control arms are around. They all offer different things, but their prices vary greatly. For now it will be just the upper control arms, although I will prob swap the lowers out soon too with the matching brand so as to keep it a set.

I have hotchkis 2" lowing springs for big blocks and a Hellwig 1 1/8 hollow sway bar. Stiffness in ride btw does does not faze me. I do not mind the ride. I also still need to leave room in the budget for many other things, I haven't even started on the rear suspension yet.

who offers the best bang for buck street/track control arms that also don't do too bad with stock lowers? I understand they all benifit greatly if bought as a set, but some sets I can't afford to snag all at once.

i've searched on here and was kinda wondering why not too many people go with the BMR control arms, mostly found glabal west and hotchkis. Hotchkis is good stuff, but again like the sway bar, might be too rich for my blood for only a 3 year warrenty and twice the price of everyone else.

willing to go a little less aggressive on the setup because It needs to have good street alignment since thats where i drive it everyday.

[Smoker03]

The three manufacturers control arms that I personally have used and recommend are Global West, Speedtech and DSE. Pretty much any aftermarket arm is going to give you great gains, and all the manufacturers that you listed will do great. I just prefer the three that I mentioned.

[Vicinity]

Don't forget to look into Ridetech. IMO their quality is second to none, and IIRC their uppers are some of the lowest priced (don't want to use the word cheap, because they aren't).

[toofun]

All great names mentioned above. You cant go wrong with any of them. My advice to you though is to hold out and scour the "for sale" section or post something in the "wanted" section. So many people on here that buy new and then change their project plans to something else for one reason or another. Bottom line is you can pick up a new or like new set of upper control arms from any one of the above mentioned companies for alot less than you would pay for them new. To me their only new when they go on the car, after you drive it out of the driveway it all becomes used! Seriously though look and post in those sections you will be amazed how much money you can save IF you can wait and be patient.

Mark
TOOFUN

[Hotchkis]

Considering you already have our lowering springs I would definitely recommend our control arms to compliment them. All of our parts are designed to work together as a package and is the best way to guarantee that you don't have an issue with fitment. For more information on our tubular A-Arms follow this link: http://www.hotchkis.net/6769_fbody_6874_xbody_tubular_upper_aarms.html. All of our products are designed to give you the most performance possible on the track while still delivering a smooth and comfortable ride on the street. If you have any questions please let us know either in this thread or call us at 888-735-6425.

-Jon Barrett

62295

[Rod]

ok, heres few tips to help your choice

1) what ever you decide, do the guldstrand mod with it when you install the arms, (DSE has a template/jig they have you use with there version of the mod to help there arms) all arms need the corrected pivot point

2) get the upper and lowers together to get the best performance - many of the companies have the newer caster improvement measurements split slightly between the top and bottom arms, so maximun performance comes by using all 4

[lucky13firebird]

jegs offers a military discount so i'll be snagging a set from them.

hotchkis, do your lowers have a built in drop? what is that spacer thing i see in pics of them?

[BMR Sales]

i've searched on here and was kinda wondering why not too many people go withthe BMR control arms, mostly found glabal west and hotchkis. Hotchkis is goodstuff, but again like the sway bar, might be too rich for my blood for only a 3year warrenty and twice the price of everyone else.




We do not spend nearly as much in advertising as some of the others in the industry which helps us keep the cost down. Our parts speak for themselves concerning American made quality, fit and design.




jegs offers a militarydiscount so i'll be snagging a set from them.


We offer military discount as well so by all means please give us a call if you haven't already ordered.



Our 1st gen arms offer caster correction and you can add tall ball joints for better camber gain. We will also offer delrin bushings in a few weeks!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/05/IMG_20120403_173829-1.jpg

[lucky13firebird]

havent bought anything yet, still deciding. money kinda is a deciding factor. am by no means upper middle class and the car isnt a toy, its my only vehicle, these parts need to be able to take some miles. so im still picking

[LS1NOVA]

Give Marc at SC&C a call for a nice package that performs.

[SR71]

Give Marc at SC&C a call for a nice package that performs.

^^^^^this. the sc&c adjustable uppers are competitive price wise but give you unmatched adjustability and the most options.

[Hotchkis]

jegs offers a military discount so i'll be snagging a set from them.

hotchkis, do your lowers have a built in drop? what is that spacer thing i see in pics of them?

lucky13firebird,

Our control arm sets do have the ability to add additional drop. Inside of the CNC-machined spring pocket is a 1/4" shim that sits below the isolator/spring seat. By removing that 1/4" shim you will drop the car an additional 1/2" beyond its current ride height. If you need additional ground clearance you can add additional shims to raise the ride height of the vehicle in 1/2" increments. Considering you already have our springs I believe your suspension needs would be best met through the use of our A-Arms. First off, our suspension components are designed to be a complete system and to complement our other parts. By matching the 2" Big Block drop springs you have with the A-Arms designed to accommodate them you know exactly what your drop will be, that you will get the increased static negative camber without the need for a large shim stack, and the correct amount of caster to allow for increased (beyond stock) positive caster settings, which improve high speed stability and camber gain during turning, thereby increasing front tire traction. Also, by using a matched set of springs and control arms you wont' have to worry about some of the known fitment issues that happen whey you try to mix and match parts.

Check out this video to see more about the Hotchkis suspension for the 1st Gen F-Body as well as some under-car footage of the suspension in action:

Mr4Oi73WzF8