1 pivot arm and strut road vs lower A arm

[Nothingface5384]

What's the pros /cons of a double wish bone like GM A-body vs strut rod like Nova II, Mustang/maverick/falcon and AMC?

I was always under the assumption that a double wish bone would always be better than a 2 pivot with strut rod..even if rollerized arm and spherical end strut rod?

[MonzaRacer]

Two different designs, both have good and bad points. Aftermarket just tries to tighten up inherent looseness and design flaws/limitations.

[JustJohn]

Hope some knowledgeable people add to this topic. I feel like I have the lone GM strut rod car.

[stab6902]

I think the main "pro" of strut rod type suspension was that it was a little cheaper to produce, and sometimes the packaging made more sense depending on how the rest of the front end was designed. One benefit of adjustable strut rods is that it's easy to adjust caster. I don't love the idea of using rod ends anywhere in a street car due to NVH and wear concerns.

Both types can work well; I don't know that anyone could tell the difference between a well set up strut rod vs lower A-arm front end from behind the wheel. All they're doing is connecting 3 points (the ball joint and two points at the frame).

Most modern cars that use a single lower arm setup (rather than multi-link) have an L-shaped arm with a stiff bushing in line with the ball joint to limit camber change under load and a soft "ride control" bushing at the back for comfort.