cheap uppers and lowers?

[BADNBLUE]

Gonna do my rear this winter you know the usual axles gears. I figure since im back there I may as well do the uppers and lowers. I have a brand new set of cheap tubular uppers and lowers sitting here in the box like as in no name brand. lol So what do ya think should I trust them and use them or drop the coin on some good ones. I had a set of cheap ones on another car I use to own and had great luck with them meaning I beat the dog snot out of that car and had no problems. It was a nitrous and geared gt with stickies. So lets hear some opinions. Only reason I am considering this is because I already have them sitting around.

[j rick kirby]

NEVER use anything on the top other than stock unless you get rid of them altogether with a TA and PHB or Watts.

[not a gt]

I cringe every time I hear this, I have UPR Uppers.

[Mach828]

Originally Posted by not a gt

I cringe every time I hear this, I have UPR Uppers.

I have poly uppers, poly diff bushings, and poly lowers. So you are not alone. Mine has had uppers for 50k+ miles and has been fine on the street, drag strip, and road course. They are the cheap SVE brand too.

[j rick kirby]

Originally Posted by Mach828

I have poly uppers, poly diff bushings, and poly lowers. So you are not alone. Mine has had uppers for 50k+ miles and has been fine on the street, drag strip, and road course. They are the cheap SVE brand too.

You're lucky that it hasn't torn up your torque boxes and it causes unnecessary bind in the rear suspension which causes ill handling characteristics. Now is when you say that your car handles just fine and then I say that you have nothing to compare it to.

[Mach828]

Originally Posted by j rick kirby

You're lucky that it hasn't torn up your torque boxes and it causes unnecessary bind in the rear suspension which causes ill handling characteristics. Now is when you say that your car handles just fine and then I say that you have nothing to compare it to.

I welded the entire upper and lower torque boxes. It handles fine, but I agree, it is far from great. I've driven better setup cars before and am envious. The 4 link design is garbage. Mine does bind at times.

[311-420]

Originally Posted by Mach828

The 4 link design is garbage.

Yep!!

[j rick kirby]

Originally Posted by Mach828

I welded the entire upper and lower torque boxes. It handles fine, but I agree, it is far from great. I've driven better setup cars before and am envious. The 4 link design is garbage. Mine does bind at times.

Put the stock uppers back on and it will help.

[not a gt]

Originally Posted by j rick kirby

Put the stock uppers back on and it will help.

May do this before Oct 10th.

[Mach828]

Originally Posted by not a gt

May do this before Oct 10th.

I didn't experience the binding until I did poly diff bushings. You are probably okay as long as you have stock diff bushings.

[TKat13]

Originally Posted by j rick kirby

NEVER use anything on the top other than stock unless you get rid of them altogether with a TA and PHB or Watts.

I am not disagreeing but more on an educational side, although I fully understand the binding with using some uppers with poly bushings but there are also times where you need to use aftermarket uppers.

Such is the case where I needed to make a pretty substantial adjustment for my pinion angle and I used adjustable uppers to get this angle dialed in.

I used Wolfe race craft uppers, double adjustables and I also have the spherical bushings installed. My question, having spherical bushings on both ends, does this improve the binding condition even over stock arms?

To view what I am talking about, here are the links: Spherical bushings and Upper Arms from Wolfe Racecraft.

Of course the Spherical bushings go into the third member housing, just seems like it would have much less binding than even the rubber bushings.

Eitherway, I needed to adjust my pinion angle so the stockers were no longer an option.

[BADNBLUE]

Also interested if spherical fixes the binding issues. If not I guess I will keep the stock uppers. Really wanted to loose the quad shocks in the back.

[not a gt]

If I'm not mistaken Blue, I think you can lose the quads with lowers only keeping the stock uppers, could be wrong here, someone will let me know lol, I just remember reading here somewhere that if you change LOWERS you could remove quads.

[j rick kirby]

Originally Posted by not a gt

If I'm not mistaken Blue, I think you can lose the quads with lowers only keeping the stock uppers, could be wrong here, someone will let me know lol, I just remember reading here somewhere that if you change LOWERS you could remove quads.

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Just have to try it and see. When I took mine off I got some wheel hop.

[j rick kirby]

Originally Posted by TKat13

I am not disagreeing but more on an educational side, although I fully understand the binding with using some uppers with poly bushings but there are also times where you need to use aftermarket uppers.

Such is the case where I needed to make a pretty substantial adjustment for my pinion angle and I used adjustable uppers to get this angle dialed in.

I used Wolfe race craft uppers, double adjustables and I also have the spherical bushings installed. My question, having spherical bushings on both ends, does this improve the binding condition even over stock arms?

To view what I am talking about, here are the links: Spherical bushings and Upper Arms from Wolfe Racecraft.

Of course the Spherical bushings go into the third member housing, just seems like it would have much less binding than even the rubber bushings.

Eitherway, I needed to adjust my pinion angle so the stockers were no longer an option.

The problem with the uppers is that they are angled and when the axle articulates they need to be able to actually change length and the rubber allows that to happen. Any material stiffer than the rubber creates more bind than what is already there due to the crappy design. So for a street driven car or track car the stock uppers are best. For a straight line drag car poly or spherical bushings are fine.

[BADNBLUE]

Ok I think the next question here would be is there any reason to even change the lowers then? I probably should be clear here that car is 95% street driven 5% drag strip.

[Nekasrof]

Originally Posted by j rick kirby

The problem with the uppers is that they are angled and when the axle articulates they need to be able to actually change length and the rubber allows that to happen. Any material stiffer than the rubber creates more bind than what is already there due to the crappy design. So for a street driven car or track car the stock uppers are best. For a straight line drag car poly or spherical bushings are fine.

Too true!!

[j rick kirby]

Originally Posted by BADNBLUE

Ok I think the next question here would be is there any reason to even change the lowers then? I probably should be clear here that car is 95% street driven 5% drag strip.

The two have nothing to do with each other. It sounds like you are just wanting to do something to your car. SFCs some will argue should be the very first mod, have you done those?

[BADNBLUE]

Yes I have sub frame connectors sitting here ready to go on. I guess what im looking for just isn't possabile. I swore after my last car, pic in sig, I wouldn't do another full on drag car to drive on the street mainly because of the ride and suspension noise. Everything was solid on that car. But man could that car get down. Just trying to get the best of both worlds. streetable quiet and Ill just go ahead and say it.... I want this car to dead hook on the street I know its incriminating lol. Just want everthing to be up to par to handle that but without the noise and still handle decent.

[ASH302]

I would say use em and see, if not drop the money for some good ones

ASh

[Mach828]

If you already have them, I'd just install them and see what you think. At least do the lowers.

If you decide to slap on them uppers, I'd weld the torque boxes though. And if it binds or feels worse, then put the stock ones back on.

[j rick kirby]

Originally Posted by Mach828

If you already have them, I'd just install them and see what you think. At least do the lowers.

If you decide to slap on them uppers, I'd weld the torque boxes though. And if it binds or feels worse, then put the stock ones back on.

If it binds....that's funny!

[Mach828]

Originally Posted by j rick kirby

If it binds....that's funny!

Correction...when it binds.

[Tommy Z]

Get some lower control arms. Delete one upper control arm and with the money you would have spent on uppers, pick up a panhard bar. This is THE go-to simple rear end upgrade that doesn't break the bank. This alone makes the rear end sooo much better.

[DSG2003Mach1]

do the panhard bars and such typically clear the stock exhaust ok?

when I did my 2 car parts swap I took both the upper and lower steeda arms...all the stock parts got sent away on the other car including the quad shocks. I havent driven it enough to really check out the difference