I was thinking about upgrading my rear control arms. It appears Spohn may be the only ones who make them for these trucks? I don’t really need any adjustment because my truck isn’t lowered that much but for the one arm that’s the only option. I was just curious if there was another brand a didn’t find in my searching. I’m trying to decide if it’s worth the money over buying new GM stuff, I don’t have a supercharger so I don’t know if it’s even necessary.
Spohn the only one for upgraded rear control arms?
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Dantheman1540
Full Access Member
I couldn't find any other options either. Ended up with Spohns boxed lowers because I didn't want the spherical joints or adjustability. Haven't found any good uppers either but I am working on a set of custom adjustable uppers.
iamdub
Full Access Member
I plan to extend and box some new stock lowers and make my own adjustable uppers. The noise and harshness of spherical joints just isn't necessary unless you're at the track trying to hook 1,000 HP at the wheels.
FrankU
Full Access Member
Box in the original lowers.
I still haven’t found uppers. Here are the boxed lowers I am using. The only thing I want to do is tap them for grease zerks.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/272714638952
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/272714638952
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Dantheman1540
Full Access Member
My spohn boxed lowers are tapped for zeros and were under $200 if I remember right. I'll try to find a link to them as ai don't see them with a quick Google searxh anymore.
yeah the spohn lowers are tapped for zerks & 189
they used to have boxed uppers too... no where to be found now
Interesting. Not too expensive either but I don't think I would want poly bushings in one arm and not the other. I'd like them to be the same.
Dantheman1540
Full Access Member
I have the Spohn boxed LCA, great fit and finish.
BUT they can be noisy when going in and out of driveways and stuff. Where they're boxed, it eliminates some of the articulation that you have with the OEM LCA and rubber bushings. I still need to order the uppers at some point
BUT they can be noisy when going in and out of driveways and stuff. Where they're boxed, it eliminates some of the articulation that you have with the OEM LCA and rubber bushings. I still need to order the uppers at some point
Emailed Spohn and they said they never made non-adjustable uppers but that they come adjusted to factory length so if you don’t want/need adjustment then just put them in as is.
Another thing that makes me think it may not be worth it is if I don’t have polyurethane bushings for the front, why bother with the rear?
Another thing that makes me think it may not be worth it is if I don’t have polyurethane bushings for the front, why bother with the rear?
iamdub
Full Access Member
"Mismatched" bushings are actually beneficial and is common in dual sport setups. For example, those in Arizona, Nevada, etc. that play with their trucks in the desert on the weekends but also drive them to work in the city will use poly in the lower arms and Delrin in the uppers. Rubber is too soft and doesn't last in the dunes. Poly is much stronger, but still flexes some. Delrin is very stiff. Since most of the feel of the terrain is transmitted through the lower arms, they use poly to help absorb and smooth it out. Since the upper arms are more for control, Delrin is ideal.
The same applies for the rear of our rigs. Except, we can dial it back a notch and have rubber in the lowers and poly in the uppers. All the arms locate, control and transmit vibes. But, the lowers will do most of the absorbing and the uppers do more of keeping the axle from rotating. For my street rig, I'm keeping with rubber-bushed lowers. I'll use poly for the adjustable uppers since I already have the bushings on hand and I don't wanna research universal rubber bushings for sizes, etc. I'm only making adjustable uppers since I'm lowered (and going lower) and will be lengthening the lowers when I make them to set back and center the axle. I'll fine-tune the pinion angle with the uppers. Yes, I could determine the pinion angle and make longer, non-adjustable uppers to lock it in place, but I want adjustability just in case.
This is just a daily driver. It has a mild cam, mild 2/3 drop, and will never be off-roaded or tracked. I was just looking at options for improvement on something I wanted to replace anyway. I’m not interested in fabricating custom suspension pieces or paying to have them made. The Spohn stuff is already pretty expensive compared to the OE parts.
Either way, if what you said is what is ideal for these trucks then using the eBay lower arms and stock upper arms is the opposite of ideal.
Either way, if what you said is what is ideal for these trucks then using the eBay lower arms and stock upper arms is the opposite of ideal.
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iamdub
Full Access Member
From a ride quality-vs-benefits perspective, yes, it is not ideal. You have nothing to gain with boxed lowers and poly bushings other than longevity of the bushings. I think that a 200K+ mile bushing life with the comfort of rubber bushings is very reasonable.
I installed the Spohn lower boxed control arms in my rig.. I did it to help
deflection and tighten up the rear while towing.. I also did the bigger sway bars
front and rear. Everything is greaseable. So you have to make sure to do the
maintenance. I think it helped. For a "stockish" set up, just replacing the
the stock pieces is fine.. You'll get new bushings and that's what wears out
deflection and tighten up the rear while towing.. I also did the bigger sway bars
front and rear. Everything is greaseable. So you have to make sure to do the
maintenance. I think it helped. For a "stockish" set up, just replacing the
the stock pieces is fine.. You'll get new bushings and that's what wears out
gmartin1215
Glenn
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I found these rear control arms from Apoc, but I have found no opinions on them on Tahoes/Yukons.
apocindustries.com
1999-2014 Chevy Tahoe / Suburban Rear Adjustable Trailing Arms
It fits stock to 6" lifts. Apoc Chevrolet Tahoe's suburban rear adjustable controls arms are a significant upgrade from stock. Factory trailing arms work great with factory-sized tires and suspension, but you need more substantial and longer controls arms to maintain the correct Pinion angle...
apocindustries.com
Those look pretty nice. I just ordered a second full set of factory arms for the Yukon so I won't be doing aftermarket control arms at all. I am wanting to do the panhard bars still. I'm pretty sure the Yukon's bushings are worn out because the tires rub the rear fender liners when turning hard much more than in the Escalade. There are some no-name versions on eBay that look awfully similar to the Spohn but I don't know if the savings is worth the risk of cheapo parts.
