Lower Control Arm Braces

[dmcjohn]

Hi Owen,

Congrats on the product - I'm very interested in anything to improve the front lower control arm.

One difference between yours and Ed's solution I notice is that Ed's still allowed some movement as his support arms were flexible due to their design, but yours appear to be designed not to yield at all.

Have you done anything to account for the arc which the sway bar travels through as the suspension compresses? What ARB bushings are you using?

Thanks,
John

[Spittybug]

Hi Owen,

Congrats on the product - I'm very interested in anything to improve the front lower control arm.

One difference between yours and Ed's solution I notice is that Ed's still allowed some movement as his support arms were flexible due to their design, but yours appear to be designed not to yield at all.

Have you done anything to account for the arc which the sway bar travels through as the suspension compresses? What ARB bushings are you using?

Thanks,
John

John, there is still a minimal amount of flex due to the fact that both bolts run through polyurethane bushings. A small amount of flex in the pivot one for example will translate into a minimal amount of fore/aft motion of the arm, like modern wishbones.

The arc is a moot point. The distance between the pivot bolt on the car and the lower shock mount on the arm is a fixed value. Since these two points are the mounting point for the brace, that plane remains constant as the arm swings up or down. Same concept as the EU solution.

How many sets can I put you down for?

[ed uding]

It is not the same concept, your set is only the rear support that will stress the bold and frame in the end.
This is what we start with, after test and calculation it was not the way to go.
The force is a lot more thane you think, it is still a wonder that all the stock lower arms there.
Rust and bend metal , make it more weak thane it shoot be.
Call it what you like, as long you don,t call it Same concept.

Ed Uding
Delorean Europe

QUOTE=Spittybug;100686]John, there is still a minimal amount of flex due to the fact that both bolts run through polyurethane bushings. A small amount of flex in the pivot one for example will translate into a minimal amount of fore/aft motion of the arm, like modern wishbones.

The arc is a moot point. The distance between the pivot bolt on the car and the lower shock mount on the arm is a fixed value. Since these two points are the mounting point for the brace, that plane remains constant as the arm swings up or down. Same concept as the EU solution.

How many sets can I put you down for? [/QUOTE]

[DMCMW Dave]

The arc is a moot point. The distance between the pivot bolt on the car and the lower shock mount on the arm is a fixed value. :

The are is not a moot point. It is caused by the sway bar being used as a thrust arm. An issue with either design. If the brace is too stiff you'll find that your sway bar bushings won't last very long.

[Spittybug]

I wish to be very, very clear here. I have nothing bad to say (nor have I) about Ed's product or Ed himself and I have never tried his product. The decision of what aftermarket solutions people wish to purchase is up to them, as is the risk of doing so, whether purchased from me or Ed.

I'm using mine, have provided video documentation of it in use and have every confidence in it. Hence my willingness to offer it to others who believe it might help them too. Ed is entitled to his opinion on the pros and cons of his design versus mine but I trust he will respect our community rules and refrain from such a debate within my For Sale thread.

The "same concept" comment refers to the fact that both the EU version and mine use a physical connection between two points whose distance does not change as the arm goes through its up/down travels, that's all. Please read it in the context it was presented. A quick review of any and all of my posts on this subject will reveal no negativity toward any competitive product.

[delornut]

[QUOTE=ed uding;100689]It is not the same concept, your set is only the rear support that will stress the bold and frame in the end.
This is what we start with, after test and calculation it was not the way to go.
The force is a lot more thane you think, it is still a wonder that all the stock lower arms there.
Rust and bend metal , make it more weak thane it shoot be.
Call it what you like, as long you don,t call it Same concept.

Ed Uding
Delorean Europe


I agree with what Ed says here. With his design the load is balanced between the front and rear of the spring tower spreading the stress across a broader area instead of concentrating all of it on one side. Stress is also divided between both ends of the bolt.

Bruce Benson

[Spittybug]

Took the Delorean out for a run up to Tomball up 249 (75+ mph) and then lots of stop and go with traffic lights. Another 20 or so miles with all the beetling around I did. I can honestly say that I get less steering wheel jiggle or wobble, whatever you want to call it, at speed. It wasn't bad before, but it is virtually non-existent now.

I'm trying to be open minded about the concerns raised about the potential for stressing the tower or bending the bolts. I just put the car on the lift and eyeballed everything. Nothing out of the normal.

The extended portion of the pivot bolt, while not supported on the end, is sleeved and thus reinforced from bending. First there is a 1/2" ID steel collar slid over it closest to the tower, then the bushing with its metal sleeve tube. You can see this in the pictures. Total "extension" of the bolt from its normal seated position is ~2.25", 1.75" of that is inside the bushing sleeve. If I detect any bending of the bolt, I suppose I could change the angle of the brace to be closer to 90*, putting more shearing stress on the bolt (less % going to tension), but closer in to the supported portion of the bolt. I have not seen a need to do this however and will continue to feedback my experience.

[Sammy]

I wish to be very, very clear here. I have nothing bad to say (nor have I) about Ed's product or Ed himself and I have never tried his product. The decision of what aftermarket solutions people wish to purchase is up to them, as is the risk of doing so, whether purchased from me or Ed.

I'm using mine, have provided video documentation of it in use and have every confidence in it. Hence my willingness to offer it to others who believe it might help them too. Ed is entitled to his opinion on the pros and cons of his design versus mine but I trust he will respect our community rules and refrain from such a debate within my For Sale thread.

The "same concept" comment refers to the fact that both the EU version and mine use a physical connection between two points whose distance does not change as the arm goes through its up/down travels, that's all. Please read it in the context it was presented. A quick review of any and all of my posts on this subject will reveal no negativity toward any competitive product.

There is something very familiar about all this.

[dn010]

Were these tested on LCA's that are stock and not reinforced? I just notice in the picture that you have reinforced ones; mine aren't reinforced so I'm wondering if this would make any difference... Thanks

[Spittybug]

Were these tested on LCA's that are stock and not reinforced? I just notice in the picture that you have reinforced ones; mine aren't reinforced so I'm wondering if this would make any difference... Thanks

My LCAs are boxed in (did them myself) which gives them more rigidity than normal ones. That is to say they resist twisting or changing their shape (or God forbid breaking). I don't see how boxing alone reduces the fore/aft movement in the road wheel since that is a function of the flex in the pivot bushing and the movement allowed by the front sway bar. I suppose there could be some minor improvement by boxing alone, but I don't see how. The new brace however sits between the lower shock bolt (which has metal spacers bracing it across the width of the LCA, thus making that portion rigid) and the body via the pivot bolt, greatly minimizing the fore/aft movement.

Bottom line; I believe they both improve handling and hopefully safety, but for different reasons.