GrizzQuattro

Is there a correlation between Suspension Upgrades and premature Control Arm failures?

O.W. Kenobi

I've been upgraded since 30k and no control arm problems at 69k (knock on wood).

ryans4

what does lead to control arm inboard bushing wear is *any* time it spends in a stressed state.

The control arm inboard bushing is in a stressed state when it travels in bump or rebound outside of where it was torqued at.

For a stock car, the inboard bushings are torqued at stock ride height, so every suspension movement stresses the bushing. The bushing was designed to operate in the travel of the stock suspension.

Now, you lower the car. If you don't re-torque the inboard control arms at your *new* static ride height point, then not only will they move outside their operating range (cuase you have essentially preloaded the bushing at static ride height), but the bushing will be in stress at static ride height.

So is it a suspension change that causes the control arm to fail, or wear prematurely? Not directly. It's the change in ride height that does that for you.

This is completely my opinion. Any bushing related to suspension movement should IMO, be torqued at whatever ride height you are going to set the car at.

Andrew C.

at ride height, including the control arm bushing bolts, to put them into a "neutral" state. lowering will load the bushings so will put more stress on them.