Spohn Del-Sphere Trailing Arms Installed
 

So…with my first trip to the race track I could not get my car to do anything but wheel hop all through 1st and part of 2nd. I came back to the forum and got some good info on how to help prevent wheel hop when launching. One of the things is to install some aftermarket Trailing Arms. The two different Mfgs recommended were BMR and Spohn. I was going to go with BMR because others had used them with a lot of luck and I had never heard of Spohn but after I watched the video on their Del-Sphere product and talking with one of their techs I was sold. They cost me $213 to my door and after getting them I can say I was extremely impressed by how well it was built and it looks like it’s worth every penny. It’s a very nice piece and I would recommend it to anyone wanting some Trailing Arms.

http://www.spohn.net/shop/2010-Chevr...ar-Suspension/
http://www.spohn.net/delsphere/

The install was every easy. An 18mm socket and wrench, some bearing grease, a crescent wrench (maybe), and a torque wrench should be all you would need. While I had the car in the air I did a few things but the trailing arm install only took about 30-45 min. Since they are shipped set to the same length as the factory Trailing Arms an alignment shouldn’t be needed.

Here are some pics. The only issue I had was that one side the Del-Sphere end didn’t quite fit. A slight pull from the crescent wrench on the mounting bracket fixed that with ease.

It will be a couple weeks before I can get back to the track and I’ll report back after I do so. I just thought these were extremely nice and wanted to share so others could see. I’ll probably get the Toe Links eventually but I was told the Trailing Arms are what really make a difference.

The spohn parts are great we have used them on our road race car for years.I noticed in the photo you have not changed the rear bushing yet,they are a must if you are going to do much drag racing.

wonder why you wheel hop so bad. I only wheel hopped first launch cuz I spun too much.. every other one just got a lil wheel spin and went.. Though I did lower air pressure alot second time..

Either way let me know how well that part works.. I'll prob be spinning alot when Supercharger installed so might need that..
So they are solid no bushings?
Any noticable added virbration?

No...no rear bushings yet. Other than some drop springs this is the only other suspension upgrade. Lack of money makes me have to be very selective on what I can do. From my understanding the TAs are a big culprit for wheel hop and since they were'nt expensive and easy to install it was a no brainer.

So what are your recommendations on rear bushings? I might as well start my research to see how much money I need and what kind of install they would be.


My trip to the track was a very last minute thing. Even then I wasn't going to race until a friend talked me into it and even paid the race fee. So....I wasn't prepared at all. I didn't do anything to my car. No lowering of air pressure and I was popping the clutch to hard. I'm going to practice that in a parking lot soon.

Take a look at the link about Del-Sphere that I posted and you'll see exactly how they work...but no....I don't think they are a solid bushing at all. They rotate which makes them a better product than just the solid mounted TAs with poly bushings.

So far I've felt no difference in driveability. No vibrations, stiffness, or noise. However....I haven't even had them on 24 hrs yet and there was so much dew in the air last night because it had rained earlier that I couldn't really test them out. Stay tuned to the thread as I'll be posting more along the way.

Out of curiosity why did you not consider the Pfadt TA's? I see that BMR and Spohn were on the list but not Pfadt hence why I ask, as someone who is looking to do the same with my suspension I am curious about your thought process.

Install looks very nice!
Cheers
K

I would start with replacing the rear diff bushings and the rear sub frame bushings next,they will make a big improvement.The OE bushings are very soft and allow alot of movement in the rear of the car.there are a few good ones on the market,we used Pedders on our car.

Honestly I was initially recommended to look at BMR and Spohn. Phadt and LSR were never brought up. I had already been looking at BMR because I had seen a handfull of people using them but once I looked at Spohn and saw the Del-sphere I was immediately sold.

I just took a look at the Pfadt TAs and I'm will say that I would have still chosen the Spohn without a doubt. Not that there is anything wrong with BMR, Pfadt, or LSR.....I just think the way the Del-sphere joint works is going to be much better by for all around street and racing. It allows for rotation of the end, can be adjusted, and can be rebuilt if needed. None of the other products I saw could do anyting like it. That's just my opinion.....again I'm not knocking the other Mfgs and I'm not a suspension expert by any means. It just made since to me once I saw the way it works.

Now I will say that the Pfadt and LSR TAs should be a lot lighter. That's one negative about the Spohn is that it's heavier than the factory arm. Not by a ton but I'm sure probably 2lbs per arm. However, for my the other advantages seem to out wiegh the wieght disadvantage.

Look at all the products and make a decision based on what you think will work best for your situation. For me the Spohn TA is an awesome piece and I look forward to getting it out to the track to put it through some real world testing.

Won't replacing the bushings cause it to ride a bit rougher? I guess I need to do a search on the forum to see what it takes to install them. Don't you have to almost take out the whole rear end to get to the bushings? Also, do you know about what they cost?

Thanks Caver!!! I looked between the two and cost played in the favor of Spohn as well. I see what you mean about the Del-sphere also. Did you upgrade to the Chromoly or get the standard piece?

Cheers
K

very nice. These are the ones I am going to get. I used a lot of spohn pieces on my 4th gen, and was impressed. And the design of this trailing arm, imho, seems like the best on the market right now. It is available in chromemoly, which is a giant plus, as others on the market are only made out of common grade steel. the welds from spohn are always spot on. and the key point in the design of these are the joints, imho. and spohn nailed that dead on, with their del-sphere design. I especially like the groves in the bushings to help better distribute the grease.

I'd like to get some feedback on the del-sphere's though. How noisey are they? I had something similar on my 4th gen, from j&m parts, for my LCA's.

No.....just the standard. If your worried about weight you might go with the Chormoly but I didn't see the need for me.

If you have any questions either call them or Chat with them from their website. They answered right away and I asked a bunch of questions through their Chat feature.

They seemed to be real good guys. I ordered in the late morning, it was shipped right after lunch, and got it in about 3 days.

I like the Pfadt ones - they come with both new bushing sets - need a bushing tool to get the lower one out! ;)

haven't taken her to the track yet - 5/17 ;)

Nice!!!! Thanks again Caver!!!
Cheers
K

BTW: Don't buy any grease for the Del-Shere arms. Even though they have the grease ends on them the Del-Sphere come greased from the factory. I had already ordered the grease with the arms when they emailed me the install instructions. When I looked at the instructions it said not to grease them and that any additional grease would just collect dirt.

Now....their other arms are a different story. I think you have to grease them.....not like that's a big deal....just letting everyone know.