Control Arm Question

[Leroy-B1]

Ok....recently I've been think about adding the tubular upper and lower control arms to my truck....I was wondering why are they so expensive compared to the same thing for other vehicles. I put them on my tri-five and they cost 1/3 new what they do for trucks....want to add but am having a hard time justifying there expense. They would really help with my trucks stance and the fact that I'm running 15 inch original steelies on my truck. Do they charge that much more just because they can? Or is there a reason for it
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[PanelDeland]

It's a concept called "economy of scale".The more they sell or can sell the lower total tooling cost becomes for each set.The Tri five is very popular and had not so great stuff from the factory,so it get replaced almost on every one built.The tooling(probably Jigs in this case) has been around long enough to pay for itself so the parts can be made cheaper.The truck stuff is a little less likely to get the control arms replaced.By the same token,Mustangs are probably even cheaper since there are so many of them.

Basically the cost of parts goes down in relation to how many are made.

[c10monkey]

I have been thinking of this too.

Is there any real advantage ?
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[mac808]

From what I understand, the tubular arms are stronger than cast/stamped arms.

They also have added benefits of more clearance in regards to both ground and spindle/steering/brake components.
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[leddzepp]

They do have more clearance than the factory LCA's do. But I think it is irrelevant since the lowest point is your factory cross member. They are a better design, and They do allow for more adjustability when doing an alignment...but I had no problems aligning my truck with a 5" drop. The shop only had to add one shim per stud (4 total) in addition to what was put there from the factory. The truck drives straight down the road and handles like its on rails. The front tires also sit pretty evenly spaced front to back in the wheel well (probably not perfect, but not dramatically off). Camber, caster, and toe were dialed in. All suspension components are new...if you are not going to replace them, adding tubular control arms is pointless. If you plan on bagging your truck, or going Porterbuilt, they are a must. For a static drop, I do not think the cost is warranted. If they were less, i would probably buy a set. I agree with Paneldeland...have you noticed the cost of bucket seat foam has come down recently for our trucks?!
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[c10monkey]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

They do have more clearance than the factory LCA's do. But I think it is irrelevant since the lowest point is your factory cross member. They are a better design, and They do allow for more adjustability when doing an alignment...but I had no problems aligning my truck with a 5" drop. The shop only had to add one shim per stud (4 total) in addition to what was put there from the factory. The truck drives straight down the road and handles like its on rails. The front tires also sit pretty evenly spaced front to back in the wheel well (probably not perfect, but not dramatically off). Camber, caster, and toe were dialed in. All suspension components are new...if you are not going to replace them, adding tubular control arms is pointless. If you plan on bagging your truck, or going Porterbuilt, they are a must. For a static drop, I do not think the cost is warranted. If they were less, i would probably buy a set. I agree with Paneldeland...have you noticed the cost of bucket seat foam has come down recently for our trucks?!
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Very interesting! Thanks for the info....
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[volksworld]

tubular arms originated from oval track racing cause chevy steering geometry was terrible , you needed an opening in the middle of the upper for the weight jack bolt,straight tubing didnt bend as easily,and lighter=faster.they're still being used in classes that require stock chassis...throw in crashes and those guys have been buying or fabricating ten sets a season per car for the last 40 years...which is a few more than we're putting on our trucks...