When I started doing Drag and Drive events way back in 2005, the number of people who tried to complete them with cars that featured mostly race-only parts was staggering and that meant lots of them found out those parts just weren’t heavy duty enough for the street. Folks seem to think that going down the dragstrip is the most brutal thing your car will experience, and that just isn’t true. I mean not even close to true. Just turning sharp at low speeds in a parking lot will put considerably more load on front bushings, ball joints, and control arms than your typical 12-inch wheelstand. So when we talked to the guys at QA1 and they were talking about things that they feel separate a good drag-and-drive front control arm setup from a bad one, we got excited and said we wanted to share this with all of you.
There are a ton of options for tubular control arms for all the popular platforms that folks are building into drag-and-drive cars, and at a variety of price points. So how do you know that the ones you see will handle the loads your car will see? You can use the internet to see what other people say, and you should, but also ask manufacturers that you trust to see how their parts work with other parts on the market. I can tell you from first-hand experience that some well-known brands don’t always stick to the same tolerances you might expect. In a race environment, this might not rear its ugly head, but on the street, you’ll notice and it will cause problems.
Today I’m talking about control arms specifically, and here are five, well actually six, things to consider when looking for the right front control arms for your car.
First off, we’re talking about strength. And specifically strength AND weight reduction. Most enthusiasts, whether they are drag-and-drive folks or pro touring and handling folks, are looking for better handling and weight savings from a tubular control arm purchase for their car. So if we assume that the mounting points and dimensions are such that they will maintain or improve factory geometry, how about weight savings? Weight savings is great, BUT not if it comes with a reduction in strength. Besides having tubing that is the right size and wall thickness, areas that matter are the ball joint mounting area, bushing ends, and shock/spring mounts. These areas need to be big enough, and well braced enough, to survive potholes, curbs, high-speed turns, and more. While some companies use simple tabs for things like shock mounts and ball joint mounts in an effort to make ultra-light parts, we prefer arms with braced mounts that connect in more than one plane. QA1 uses stamped steel shock mounts in their lower control arms, and tubular mounting for their ball joints. This creates a really strong and yet still light part with lots of bracing in multiple planes. QA1 tells us that their control arms average 7lbs for uppers and 9 lbs for lowers. That’s some weight savings for sure, and with all the strength you need.
Next up on our list is friction. No matter how light, or how strong, if the front suspension can’t move then it isn’t doing you any good. Bind-free operation is key to getting the front end of your car to travel for proper handling on the track, and for a nice comfortable ride on the street as well. To get bind-free operation out of your control arms they need to have low friction bushings and ball joints, but it takes more than that. What the hell am I talking about? Well, this goes back to choosing a manufacturer who is building things with the right tolerances. If a welded tubular control arm has bushing tube ends that are misaligned then they will bind even if they have the best low friction bushings. If you can’t slide a single solid rod easily through both bushings at the same time then they are NOT aligned. Making sure they are requires a good, strong, and precise jig. QA1 takes this concern to another level by using a bolt-on upper control arm cross shaft and bushing setup that ensures perfect alignment and therefore ultra-low friction.
Ball joints matter. If you are going to upgrade your car or truck, to be a drag-and-drive performer, you need to be paying attention to ball joints. They need to be strong. Strong enough to handle the streets and the race track. Ultra light duty ball joints often sound like a great idea but are not designed for extended use. Many race only parts are designed to be rebuilt after a weekend of circle track racing and that isn’t what you want on the street. Good, heavy duty, low friction ball joints will not only perform better but also make you feel more comfortable when you do hit the occasional railroad crossing faster than you intended, or a series of potholes that come out of nowhere. And remember, ball joints are a wear item. They don’t last forever. And in reality, most auto parts store ball joints are super tight when new, perfect somewhere in the middle of their lifespan, and then loose later. This is where I fall in love with QA1’s ball joints. They are ultra-low-friction, adjustable, and serviceable! So you can make sure they stay right all the time. I love them.
Adjustable travel is something I like when I start going quick and fast in a drag-and-drive application. Depending on track conditions, you may want your front end to have a lot of travel or a little. It’s key to tuning the leave and making sure the car gets to 60 feet as quickly and consistently as possible. Long travel suspension has become the hot topic in the no-prep world lately and when you need all the weight on the rear tires then that is great. But sometimes you need to keep the front end a bit closer to the ground to keep the car from doing an uncontrollable wheelie. You can accomplish this a couple of ways, including tightening up the shocks or limiting travel, and usually both. In a stock-style front suspension you have a couple of options that you can do, but they usually require fabrication of adjustable bump stops or limiting straps. QA1 incorporates fully adjustable droop stops in their upper control arms so you don’t have to do any additional fabrication and can adjust them simply and easily without lifting the car in the air or even climbing under it. I’m a fan of this setup.
Coil-over compatibility is a must. I’ve raced for years in classes that required stock front suspension components, and it is what it is. But when you want to be able to upgrade to a coil-over shock, you need a set of control arms that can accommodate them. Depending on the application, that isn’t just a lower control arm you can bolt them into, but also an upper control arm that will provide the right clearance. On lower control arms, you need a double-shear shock mount as these are not only going to hold the shock, but the entire weight of the front end. Remember, when you convert from a traditional coil spring and shock to a coil-over shock the spring pocket in the control arm is no longer what is carrying the load. It is the shock mounting location. This is why converting to a coil-over on a stock control arm is NOT a good idea.
One other thing I consider when deciding on parts for my drag-and-drive projects is parts availability and serviceability. If you have a part that fails at the track and you’ve got a trailer and truck to load it into for the trip home, you don’t have to worry about some of these things. But when you might be 1,000 miles away from where your week started, in a car with no support vehicles around, you need to be able to fix anything you can on your own. When you have components on your car or truck that can be repaired with auto parts store items, make sure you have a list with the part numbers you might need. When you can’t find replacements at the parts store, you need to make sure you are getting parts that are up to the task of living on the road and at the track AND that you can service yourself with simple tools. QA1 chassis components will live, but if you have a problem and carry the right spares, you can service them yourself on the road so that you aren’t stranded.
I’m currently planning for a transformation of one of my more famous cars, and while it will still have a “stock style” suspension under it, the car has already had a chassis swap many years ago. I’ll be using some pretty great aftermarket parts to make some major upgrades, along with some very custom touches in order to maintain this car’s identity, and I want it to be a dead-nuts reliable drag-and-drive car. I’ve built several, and have only not finished one drag-and-drive event in my life, so we’ll be aiming to keep the streak alive with this one. Part of making that happen is using the criteria above to make the right choices on parts.
If you are in the market for a set of control arms for your ride, watch the how it’s made video below from QA1 and see what goes into high-quality parts. And use the link below if you want to see what they have available for your ride.
one thing to consider–if you ever ‘curb’ the car hard enough, a stock
control arm will most likely fold. a tubular or other may not–and that
can be the difference between a bent control arm and a bent frame.
id rather bend the arm than the frame, but hey-your car your money,
so……………………