CPT adjustable control arms. Any tried them?

[swoardrider]

Wondering if anyone has tried these from Chicago Performance & Tuning (CPT)??

http://www.gocpt.com/products/5/CPTA...ontrolArms.php

I'm looking for an adjustable control arm that lasts better than OEM, yet doesn't have the harsh ride and loud characteristics of the old discontinued Custom Performance Product's (CCP) spherical bearing control arms.
My other option of course is the Sterns, but they say on their website they use OEM bushings, which I assume means they will last no better than OEM arms??

[mike's machine]

would uneven wear on my front inner side tires can be fixed with adjustable upper control arm?
many says it's not issue with camber, but i have negative camber can't be adjusted anymore since my car's lowered a bit, everything else is fine.
mine's not even lowered whole lot, do I really need adjustable upper control arms?

[swoardrider]

would uneven wear on my front inner side tires can be fixed with adjustable upper control arm?
many says it's not issue with camber, but i have negative camber can't be adjusted anymore since my car's lowered a bit, everything else is fine.
mine's not even lowered whole lot, do I really need adjustable upper control arms?

That's one of the bigger debates on AZ. Our cars are notorious for chewing up front tires due to the design of the front suspension and AWD. This, we know is a fact. Opinions on how to deal with this design and prolong tire life seems to be narrowed down to toe settings, tire rotations, and possibly adjustable upper arms. I've been researching this problem for a week now, and my findings were posted in this thread: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...munch-on-tires

[koolade9]

If I didn't have my sterns, I'd give them a shot...they look legit to me

[swoardrider]

If I didn't have my sterns, I'd give them a shot...they look legit to me

I'm all over them if they are quiet like the Sterns. If they are noisy and harsh like the old CCP's, then I'll have to live with the Sterns and rebuild them every 15K. I hate this OEM design. So far everything is a compromise that directly effects my wallet

[Mike@PureMS]

I'm all over them if they are quiet like the Sterns. If they are noisy and harsh like the old CCP's, then I'll have to live with the Sterns and rebuild them every 15K. I hate this OEM design. So far everything is a compromise that directly effects my wallet

We've got some kits out there now with 30k+ miles. Have not sold any replacement bushings or ball joints, and some of the oldest kits out there are now nearing 2.5 years old. They're holding up great so far, since they come with an upgraded OE style bushing. It isn't a factory bushing, it's an aftermarket one that's more durable..

[swoardrider]

We've got some kits out there now with 30k+ miles. Have not sold any replacement bushings or ball joints, and some of the oldest kits out there are now nearing 2.5 years old. They're holding up great so far, since they come with an upgraded OE style bushing. It isn't a factory bushing, it's an aftermarket one that's more durable..

Perfect! That's what I wanna hear. Your website's description threw me for a loop cuz it says "These utilize factory bushings", so I assumed they were the same failure prone bushings in our stock control arms.
Having an upgraded bushing is a huge selling point.

[koolade9]

I'm all over them if they are quiet like the Sterns. If they are noisy and harsh like the old CCP's, then I'll have to live with the Sterns and rebuild them every 15K. I hate this OEM design. So far everything is a compromise that directly effects my wallet

I've got 30k+ on mine...just swapped them to the RS4 over the weekend and no signs of bushing wear like on the OEM arms. I actually just asked stern about the bushing quality and they said the same thing (upgraded OEM manufacturer).

[swoardrider]

I've got 30k+ on mine...just swapped them to the RS4 over the weekend and no signs of bushing wear like on the OEM arms. I actually just asked stern about the bushing quality and they said the same thing (upgraded OEM manufacturer).

Koolade, are you seeing any signs of lower control arm bushing wear on either one of your cars from track abuse? I'm just wondering if I should replace the lower arms while I'm at it seeing I'll have to re-align and re-corner weight after I install the Stern uppers.

[koolade9]

Koolade, are you seeing any signs of lower control arm bushing wear on either one of your cars from track abuse? I'm just wondering if I should replace the lower arms while I'm at it seeing I'll have to re-align and re-corner weight after I install the Stern uppers.

I looked at the A4 pretty closely when I pulled the MS kit off, and there wasn't any obvious signs of heavy wear, just the normal wear I'd expect on the lower control arm/lower strut mount bushing. It didn't necessitate replacement, but if I was putting the ohlins back on and driving the car hard, I'd start paying closer attention and look into replacing them sooner then later. Looking at the big picture, most people wear out their bushings by around 100k or so on normal susp, and normal driving conditions...part of this takes into account the amount of articulation the stock setup has, and is constantly torquing on the bushing(s). At least with an aftermarket setup, you're not seeing as much suspension travel, and prolonging the bushing life. That being said, I'd imagine 50k is about the lifespan you'll get out of OEM bushings with a track suspension, driven hard, at least in my experience. Less, obviously as you add more and more track days. I'm not sure how many miles you have on your setup, but if it's pretty low, I'd say leave them be until you actually start to see some wear...just my $.02

As for the RS4, I've yet to actually look into this, but when I looked at the susp this weekend, it appears they use a different (dare I say stiffer) bushing material in their lower control arms. I've made a note to ask the dealer next time I'm there if they are indeed different part numbers for the RS, as even on ecs and purems, they only offer control arm kits for the S and A... Where I'm going with this > RS4 control arms as a potential upgrade for S & A cars...??

[swoardrider]

I looked at the A4 pretty closely when I pulled the MS kit off, and there wasn't any obvious signs of heavy wear, just the normal wear I'd expect on the lower control arm/lower strut mount bushing. It didn't necessitate replacement, but if I was putting the ohlins back on and driving the car hard, I'd start paying closer attention and look into replacing them sooner then later. Looking at the big picture, most people wear out their bushings by around 100k or so on normal susp, and normal driving conditions...part of this takes into account the amount of articulation the stock setup has, and is constantly torquing on the bushing(s). At least with an aftermarket setup, you're not seeing as much suspension travel, and prolonging the bushing life. That being said, I'd imagine 50k is about the lifespan you'll get out of OEM bushings with a track suspension, driven hard, at least in my experience. Less, obviously as you add more and more track days. I'm not sure how many miles you have on your setup, but if it's pretty low, I'd say leave them be until you actually start to see some wear...just my $.02

As for the RS4, I've yet to actually look into this, but when I looked at the susp this weekend, it appears they use a different (dare I say stiffer) bushing material in their lower control arms. I've made a note to ask the dealer next time I'm there if they are indeed different part numbers for the RS, as even on ecs and purems, they only offer control arm kits for the S and A... Where I'm going with this > RS4 control arms as a potential upgrade for S & A cars...??

Interesting. Maybe Mike can chime in and shed some light on your theory?? I'm at 50K with my car now. It's had coilovers since new, and 20+ track days. It's so hard to examine the lower bushings visually unless they are really tore up badly so it's a tough decision to make. I think if there was a definite upgrade, I'd replace them just for piece of mind.

[koolade9]

Interesting. Maybe Mike can chime in and shed some light on your theory?? I'm at 50K with my car now. It's had coilovers since new, and 20+ track days. It's so hard to examine the lower bushings visually unless they are really tore up badly so it's a tough decision to make. I think if there was a definite upgrade, I'd replace them just for piece of mind.

So you're in a pretty similar position as I am... I'd definitely take a look at the lowers and see if there's any obvious wear...if they don't look too bad, f*ck it, get another season out of em. Have you sent off your ohlins to get rebuilt yet? I just sent mine off for the first time after 50k...I'm curious to see what jared has to say about them.

[swoardrider]

So you're in a pretty similar position as I am... I'd definitely take a look at the lowers and see if there's any obvious wear...if they don't look too bad, f*ck it, get another season out of em. Have you sent off your ohlins to get rebuilt yet? I just sent mine off for the first time after 50k...I'm curious to see what jared has to say about them.

Only one of them that had a material defect and broke, the rest all still feel good