[tfofkyle]

let me start by saying that i know these control arms arent the highest quality out there. they definitely are not for every type of mustang driver, and theyre often times looked down upon by the majority of this forum. i am a broke college kid on a very meager budget. i cannot afford the best of everything. the main use of this car is daily driver with some straight line fun every now and then. no auto-x, no road course, no weaving through traffic like the idiot teenagers you see on the 6 o clock news. so i felt these control arms fit my situation quite well for the price.

that all being said - i needed new control arms. the stock bushings were cracked like hell, and on some hard powershifts one could feel the whole back end bend compress inward like an accordian folding.

originally i ordered the 5.0 resto tubular upper and lower control arm kit (this was before am even offered their similar kit) i ordered in red, and my buddy ordered a set from am in black several months later. we traded sets because he bought red lowering springs (5.0 resto brand) and i had black (frpp b springs) and he wanted his stuff to match. i didnt care either way. the control arms were identical minus the color. paid a shop to install them because i ended up snapping off several bolts during the installation process. kept the stock diff bushings, but i suspect ill replace those soon as well.

first impression: wow, the back end of the car sits really high. before the lca's my car recorded a 7/8" rake in the rear over the front height. after the lca's it shot up to 1.5"! no other changes were made, and comparing the control arms it was clear the lca's were the reason the back end shot up so much. i ended up removing the top isolators and cutting off the dead coils in the rear to bring the rake down to 1/4". car looks fantastic.

first driving impressions: the car rides stiffer. noise, vibration, and harshness went up slightly when moving to the all poly bushings, but completely worth it. there is literally no more "back end wagging around" sensation while turning, especially when coupled with the maximum motorsports full length subframes. large bumps are slightly more painful. but the car feels so much more planted and predictable. first powershift went smoothly with the slightest bit of wheel spin, but best of all - no drama. no accordian style fold, no rear end kicking out to one side. just stayed straight and firm and hooked well.

all in all, i would highly suggest the am/lrs lca/uca kit so long as you fit the proper criteria for usage

[koessl]

Nice review. I would rep you but the comp wont let me.

[tfofkyle]

i would just like to add that the poly bushings on these control arms are very stiff. when i did my spring install i could push down on either side of the axle fairly easy to remove stuff. with the poly bushings i had to remove the lcas and ucas to drop the rear down far enough to cut the springs. there was no bending at all.

ive heard of many people speculating about snap oversteer with the poly rear bushings so i went and found an empty parking lot to test it out in. bottom line is the back end is firmer, and when you do get stupid (stomp it into a hard corner) it will shoot out and it will shoot out farther than it did when stock. however, making hard evasive maneuvers in a sane manner resulted in very stable reponse and much less swaying from the rear than the stock control arms had. keep in mind i still have the stock rubber differential bushings.

overall still very satisfied with the lca's/uca's. and either i got used to the harsh ride, or the bushings settled finally because the car seems to ride better now.

[tfofkyle]

i just wanted to come back and update this. since my lca/uca install i developed a horrible clunk in the rear of my car. clutching in/out, driveways, bumps, take off, stops, etc. finally got off my lazy butt and traced it down - the upper control arm poly bushings on the subframe side are destroyed. literally about 1/2" play from what i could see.

after reading numerous reviews - wasting lots of money, and thinking i know better - looks like ill be ordering oem ford upper control arms because i threw away my stock ones.

fair warning for anyone considering this lca/uca kit - its okay. but i wouldnt waste my money again. and i definitely wouldnt do the poly upper control arms ever again either.