If you’re working in the 4wd suspension and wheel alignment field, and you’re not recommending or installing Upper Control Arms to correct the wheel alignment, and prevent outer edge tyre wear for your customer, its time to start!
Manufacturers have a wheel alignment specification for a reason, tyre wear, return to centre steering, tracking, high speed stability, its a geometry thing.
Well designed Upper Control arms as a bolt in system will have 5 key points that make them worth the investment for you, and your customer.
- They take the factory ball joint, for longevity.
- Will give you at least 3 degrees of caster correction, for 30-70mm lifts.
- Reprofiled front leg for clearance with larger tyre diameters.
- Shock and strut clearance to allow more wheel travel up and down.
- Angle the ball joint cup to work with the extra travel.
When your customer drives away with the wheel alignment set to improve handling, steering response, and tyre wear, compared to being outside of the factory alignment settings without them, they will be far happier that you told them they were required, rather than tell them “it drives ok”.
Beware, if the customer leaves unhappy with the handling, and does his own research via his Facebook vehicle specific groups, forums, or through friends, and ends up sourcing them elsewhere, as you may now have an ex customer who wonders why you never suggested them, or worse, telling them they weren’t required.
I will give you 1 example of how UCA’s can fix the issues of IFS lifted vehicles. We have a roundabout on our workshop test drive route we normally turn right at. When a lifted IFS Toyota comes in with the usual “its wearing the tyres” and “it wanders all over the road” we take the customer around the test route. We take note of the amount of steering lock to turn at the off camber right turn roundabout. After fitment of the UCA’s and a proper alignment, we again take the customer on the test route, normally requiring at least 1/4 turn less steering lock to do the same thing at that roundabout. The correct set up will also make the vehicle track straight, even on rough roads at speed, allow the wheel to return to centre, and stop that uneasy understeer feeling, especially when loaded up.
Think about the tyre wear on the outer edges when you can induce so much under steer at slow speed, as to need to run all that extra steering lock, too.
There are also adjustable Upper Control arms which will give you up to 5 degree caster, and camber adjustment for certain applications, which can be adjusted without having to pull the arms out of the vehicle, or pull them apart. Although this is a specialty fitment, it allows you to explain the options, and costs to the customer, allowing them to understand that the fixed cup ball joint is the minimum requirement for the vehicle with the lift and suspension they have had installed.
The best thing you can do is have the information at hand, and express the features and benefits, so your customer can make in informed decision, based on your position as the experienced person they are relying on, to do the job for them.
