Front Lower Control Arm OE Bush Problems or Not

[JusticePete]

There is that darn 'permamnet record'. I thought mine was sealed after the FBI incident in HS.

[PQ]

Originally Posted by PfadtRacing

I'm not entirely sure what's wrong with that.

Well first off I was only speaking of THIS car that we have to this point. NOT a car that isn't here yet. As far as what we have right now, you guys don't have much nice to say.

But to answer your question, there is nothing wrong with that. I'm just not a fan of the way you present it. That's not your problem. It's mine. And don't get me wrong, I dont' lose sleep at night wondering how I'm gonna pile on Pfadt next. It just seems like whenever I log on and see a Pfadt post, you are responding in defense and not in motivating ways. If there is something causing this it's not my fault. Just my observation. I know a lot. But I'm not a pro driver, mechanic, or expert in any way. YOU guys are. I'm TRYING to learn as much as I can. I WANT to learn.

I have never said a single bad thing or have anything less than praise for your product. EVER NEVER. But I think of 'Pfadt', I think of that guy from the movie Titanic who was supposed to marry the girl until Decaprios character took her away. REALLY hard to like that guy.

But I'm just one guy. Don't let it bother you. You guys are doing a great job at making a solid, high quality product.

Oh, and I seriously would like to see a test of the bush. The video of your strut tower brace was quite interesting. (not being a smart ass)

[JusticePete]

Bump for Chito.

[axis]

Originally Posted by PQ

Well first off I was only speaking of THIS car that we have to this point. NOT a car that isn't here yet. As far as what we have right now, you guys don't have much nice to say.

But to answer your question, there is nothing wrong with that. I'm just not a fan of the way you present it. That's not your problem. It's mine. And don't get me wrong, I dont' lose sleep at night wondering how I'm gonna pile on Pfadt next. It just seems like whenever I log on and see a Pfadt post, you are responding in defense and not in motivating ways. If there is something causing this it's not my fault. Just my observation. I know a lot. But I'm not a pro driver, mechanic, or expert in any way. YOU guys are. I'm TRYING to learn as much as I can. I WANT to learn.

I have never said a single bad thing or have anything less than praise for your product. EVER NEVER. But I think of 'Pfadt', I think of that guy from the movie Titanic who was supposed to marry the girl until Decaprios character took her away. REALLY hard to like that guy.

But I'm just one guy. Don't let it bother you. You guys are doing a great job at making a solid, high quality product.

Oh, and I seriously would like to see a test of the bush. The video of your strut tower brace was quite interesting. (not being a smart ass)

I get the feeling that you're looking for issues to hold against Pfadt. It reminds me of my wife. At times, no matter what I say, she takes it the absolutely worst way. Pfadt is a aftermarket suspension company that sells suspension UPGRADES. If you want parts that are a upgrade to what you already have, they are definitely a great choice. Several of their upgrades weren't designed for DD use but will work just fine as such. You need to evaluate what you feel works best for you, then decide. Even Pedders agreed that there are benefits with going to stiffer front LCA bushing which is exactly what the Pfadt bushing is. As he also posted, it's not on the list of first things to do. The way I read his post about the ZL1 was in reference to even GM feels that they could improve upon the original platform to make a much sportier suspension. Isn't it nice to be able to achieve the same outcome without spending $60k on the ZL1? Seeing that GM has made a few changes to the OEM suspension from year to year shows me that they know there are weaknesses as well. If you feel that any of their parts aren't suited for your driving style, that's fine. Many of us feel they are the right choice for us. If every company had the same philosophy and parts, everyone would be the same. I feel that the different manufacturers and philosphy gives us a wider variety of parts. As for making parts just for the sake of selling them, show me a single Pfadt suspension part that isn't a upgrade.

[plumber84]

I have the pfadt phase 5 race suspension on my car from 2 years ago. Only 9 track days on my car.I only drive it to the track and on the track (not my daily driver) 6900 miles on it. On Aug. 2nd 2013 I was scheduled for a 3 day track event at Watkins Glen and on the first day, second session, my drivers side lower control arm bushing broke (the polyurethane ripped out) causing my front end to feel like the front wheel was going to fall off. I had to extend my stay and have my car fixed (stock control arm replacement) so I could drive it home.

I'm a little dissatisfied with Pfadt as this is the second part to fail with hardly any milage on it. (Upper sway bar end link heim joint was the other failure) They sent me a new heim joint for "cost" $20 which I thought was unfair.

When everything was working the car drove like it was on rails, stable and predictable. I just think these parts should last longer than 9 track days.


I called them today (Got voicemail) and i'm waiting for a reply on the lower control arm bushing.

[plumber84]

2 days have gone by and still no contact from Pfadt. Is this how they handle customer problems? All I get is voice mail. Left 2 messages. No response. I guess I should have gone with one of their competitors. Live and learn....

[Rob@WretchedMS]

The lower arms on the Camaro need to articulate forward and rearward a bit, when this is restricted you will have binding and fast wear of parts.

The G8 is very similar, and there were aftermarket lower arms available for the front, but one of the problems that they had was they were not allowed to articulate forward and rearward enough, as a result there were many people that had broken arms when they turned to the lock in a parking lot.

[plumber84]

Thanks, I was just looking at your website

Maybe a Spherical bearing would be good in this location?

[Rob@WretchedMS]

not really, from a wear standpoint a spherical will get noisy fairly quick, honestly, the stock bushing really is very good for a street car, if you have an all out race car than you don't care about wear and longevity, and it might be a good idea then.

[plumber84]

I only use this car on the road course track. It's not my daily driver. Currently I only drive to and from the track. Although I'm looking for a trailer to tow it to the track. I'm looking to get the most out of it handling wise.

Does Pedders make a Spherical bearing for the front lower arm? Pfadt has a full kit and is very expensive....and I kinda don't want to buy from them again.

[Rob@WretchedMS]

I think that Pfadt is the only option at the moment,
I'm not sure what Detroit Speed has to offer for that, i haven't looked in to that yet.

[plumber84]

Thanks! You guys are great. Thanks for the fast response. I'll be in touch with you about my car set up. I'm trying to dial it in and need some help.

[Rob@WretchedMS]

I'm here if you need me,

[plumber84]

still no contact from pfadt......