Suspension Arm Discussion (LCA's and other)

I have done a lot of custom arms and ball joints on many cars. I looked at building custom stuff for my 240. It is just not worth it!

1/ if you think it looks cool slammed, slam it. Just dont take it to the track and expect it to handle, it won’t

2 if you want it to handle, do it right, if you want it to look good and handle do a body kit as well.

If you are going to the track with R-Comps, Do not use those cheap arms. Your day could end badly

If I remember correctly, that thread is sooooo long…information overload lol

I know on r32 gtst, you can swap in r33 gtst front lca as bolt on…r33 ones are longer and yield about -3 camber from stock. As for rear I’ve heard of ppl swapping in s14 subframes for wider wheelbase. Maybe something like this can be done for s13s?

Yes it can.

I ran S14 FLCA’s on my old S13. +20mm track, but the balljoints are different so either swap your spindle too or get new balljoints.

Same with the rear - S14/S15/R33/R34 subframe has wider track, but you need offset bushings.

I’ve read a lot of users prefer PBM stuff too; that’s what I saw when researching on buying arms was either PBM or SPL. I ended up going with Bings since it’s essentially CDM SPL, at least that’s how I word it to people.

Ya, I’m not into slamming it unless it’s a track only vehicle and I’m towing to events… which I’m not.

The NRR ball joint thread is about 3 pages long, iirc and started maybe a week or two ago?

Ya, I know the s14 flcas are longer than the s13’s.

Then I’m not following what your were asking…

I’m talking about RLCAs.

Godspeed arms as well as many others use standard thread sizes I’m not sure where you are getting the funny specs from. QA1 precision rod ends bolt in no issues, you just have to properly measure the thread and order them up for about $32 a rod end. You still get china welds but you can bolt in good sealing rod ends.

I am making my own and am going straight up beefcake and using Ballistic rod ends. $50-70 a piece, adjustable when noisy and rebuildable.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Forged-Chromoly-263-Ballistic-Joint_p_1636.html

Anyone have any knowledge on S12 suspension setups?

Just wondering if anyone would be interested in fabbing some.
As far as I’ve researched, (for swapped S13 front ends) A-1 tie inner/outer tie rods are the way to go, but the rear is still a murky topic, I’ve read about S13 rears but require a lot of fab work, and S14 rear bolting straight up with minimal fab work…I’m just trying to do some research

Some QA1 rod ends will work, but others are not available in specs like M10 2.0. That thread spec is not a typical automotive spec. It’s thin and coarse. You’ll find industrial grade rod ends in that spec or other lower end rod ends but you wont find Endura series rod ends in that spec because 99% of the applications for that spec of rod end are in US dirt track or other racing applications that use imperials specs like a 5/8" 16 TPI.

The reason a lower end rod end will cost $32 from QA1 in that spec is because they produce so few of them. Where as, a 3/4" 18 TPI Aircraft grade rod end that i use on my TC rods from QA is less expensive despite being a million times better because they are produced in higher volume because the spec matches a more common application.

It amounts to a trade off between getting more accessible (cheaper) arm bodies (like godspeed) but then over paying for low end rod ends. Whereas if you buy something awesome like SPL LCA’s and you can plug and play great hardware for lower cost.

… did SPL disco their LCA’s???

who makes the best LCA now?

wtf… is there really only china shit available now?

Never heard of a 3/4-18 thread. 3/4-16 UNF is used on the Godspeed arms, and will inherently use the same rods as yours… I just priced the first rod end i found - you can use the KM-T 3 pc teflon lined blah blah and theyre only like $20 each.

M10 2.0 would be a terrible thread to use lol who uses that?

I like the idea. Have any specs or schematics?

If you think that Ikeya Formula is good then those are the only ones available. I don’t like their design though… look at these vs. the old SPLs

The SPLs have the highest stressed point actually on the arms whereas the Formula arms are just threaded into the body, just like all the other copycat companies. I was informed that SPL is going to remake them later this year, but for now, nothing is like them on the market, it seems.

All in my head lol. And I’m drawing them up in solidworks now to do some testing on them.

Since you guys are discussing ride height.

Wouldn’t something like the new pbm knuckles or the driftworks knuckles do wonders for correcting alignment? The knuckles are 25mm lower all around for pbm, which is equivalent to an inch drop in ride height, while the driftworks are 25 mm in front and 50mm in back. Wouldn’t these work to help get the arms more straight and the camber curves of each respective corner closer to the stock ones.

I always thought, that although its still expensive, it is a worthy option for guys that do lower their cars somewhat and are track guys. Although in this case, these knuckles get rid of akerman angle, so I am not sure how well that goes for turn in and grip guys.

yeah i may have typo’d

I thought pbm only sells a super angle kit with which contain the knuckles and other stuff? I could be wrong since it’s been awhile. Either way, it could be a good idea, sure. I’m not sure of their quality since I have zero experience with them but, as aforementioned, all the e-bros seem to love PBM shit.

They just released info on website, saying they now offer those knew knuckles. And they got all their formula d drivers running them. There quality as always is fantastic.

Nonetheless, I would like to hear what guys like Scott have to say about those types of knuckles.