Hey, guys.
Stephanie with americanmuscle.com.
Here with a review of BMR's lower control arms with poly bushings for 2005 to 2014 Mustangs.
In this video, we're gonna go over a few different topics when it comes to these rear lower control
arms.
We're gonna talk about the benefits of upgrading control arms, the materials and constructions
of these particulars arms, and we're gonna talk about the install as well.
We'll go over the install in more detail later, but I can tell you right now, I'm gonna call
this install a 1 out of 3 wrenches in the difficulty meter.
BMR's rear lower control arms are gonna be a good option for the S197 owners that are
looking for a fixed square steer lower control arm that isn't gonna add a lot of harshness
to the ride quality through extremely stiff bushings, but that is gonna help with traction
and wheel hop issues.
Traction and wheel hop are issues that the factory suspension allows for, and the more
power and torque that your car is making, the worse the problem will get.
Because the stuck components will allow for more deflection.
The bushings in these control arms are gonna stop a lot of the deflection that the stock
rubber won't allow for.
One of the main reasons why the the stock set up has so many downfalls is because soft
rubber bushings are used.
The soft bushings allow for a more comfortable ride that's forgiving and an overall better
experience with the average driver, which is why they're used from the factory.
This, however, is bad news for those of you that wanna be able to get power and torque
to the ground.
But you have to keep in mind that stiffer options are not always a better choice for
you.
If you take all the flexibility of the suspension, then you're gonna end up with an extremely
stiff ride quality that isn't really gonna be fun for cars on the street and quickly
create an uncomfortable ride and you also have to consider the shock that will then
be transferred directly to the car and the suspension.
Keeping that in mind and knowing that bushings play a big role in the equation here, these
BMR lower control arms have heavy-duty 95-durometer polyurethane bushings.
And this bushing is used on both the chassis and on the axle side.
This type of bushing is a stiffer bushing for less deflection, which is a good thing
here.
Less deflection means less movement and flexibility and, therefore, improve traction.
This particular bushing from a compound that's stiffer than the factory bushing, but it also
helps to dampen NVH at the same time.
So you're not looking at a severely uncomfortable ride quality here.
The other thing about these bushings is that they are internally fluted which is gonna
keep the bushing lubricated and silent.
Your other option instead of poly bushings like these ones here is to go with spherical
bearings, and BMR does have a set of fixed lowers that come with this set up if you think
those are more in lined with what you're looking for.
Spherical bearings are gonna be at the top of the chart when it comes to stiff bushings.
They allow for the least amount of deflection, because they connect the suspensions solidly
to the chassis.
But the trade off is more NVH, so a harsher ride quality.
The bearings can absorb shock like bushings can, so the shock is then transferred directly
to the suspension chassis.
Getting back to these control arms here, these are a box steel design that's heavy-duty and
MIG welded for strength.
These arms are gonna be a lot more rigid and offer more support than the factory stamp
steel arm does, so a definite upgrade for sure.
They're also five pounds lighter than the stock arms are.
There are powder coated, so not only are they gonna look nice, but they're also gonna have
some corrosion-resistance which is nice since they are low-hanging under-car suspension
parts.
In case you guys were shopping around, you may have noticed that BMR offers another set
of fixed lower control arms with poly bushings with a lot of similar features but at a different
price.
These offers are slightly different though.
The lower control arms that I have here with me are MIG welded while the others are TIG
welded, and the arms are slightly different in size as well.
These ones are 1.25 by 2 inches, while the other option is 1 inch by 2 inch.
Small differences, yes, but I just wanted you guys to know that they are different.
The last thing that I wanted to talk about with these lower control arms is the fact
that they're fixed.
Now, when it comes to lower control arms, there are a lot of choices.
You can go with a fixed set up or an adjustable one or even a double-adjustable arm.
One is not necessarily better than the other.
It all depends on your set up and the specific reason for the control arm.
Generally speaking, a fixed lower control arm isn't a bad option at all.
Where you're really gonna want the adjustable arms is in the upper control arms.
But adjustable lowers are good for lower cars, because you have more room for adjustment
there.
But to retain the factory geometry with these arms, just make sure that the offset end of
the arms is installed on the axle side with the offset portion of the bushing facing towards
the rear diff.
The other thing to keep in mind here is that these lower control arms will help performance-wise
with things like better traction, better hooking and better handling, but they are only one
component of a handful of other pieces that all work together.
If you're looking to improve things in the rear, there are handful of other components
that you should look into as well, like an adjustable upper control arms set up, a panhard
bar, relocation brackets, just name a few things.
These are still a good step towards eliminating the wheel hop and getting the rear more stable,
allowing for harder launches and keeping the suspension more consistent no matter what
you're doing with your car.
As far as price, these control arms are gonna cost a little over $100.
Fixed lower control arms range anywhere in price from $105 to $400, depending on brand
and bushing set up, so you have a lot of options there.
The spherical bearing option from BMR that I mentioned earlier are gonna cost more.
It will be about $200.
So the install here is really pretty easy.
I'm gonna call it a 1 out of 3 wrenches in the difficulty meter, and you can plan on
spending about two hours on the install.
I'll give you a quick overview of the install so you can decide if this is something you'd
like to try for yourself or not.
We're gonna need to get the rear of the car in the air and remove the rear wheels, of
course.
The break cable does run through the control arms, so you have the detached side so you
can remove your old control arms.
One thing to note here is that poly bushings can be noisy if they're not properly greased,
so you're gonna wanna make sure that you really grease these before installing and after they're
on your car.
Once you greased the new control arm bushing, you're ready to install.
You're gonna wanna make sure that the narrow end is forward for the geometry reason that
I mentioned earlier.
And just a side note, if you're using jack stands, twerking the arms down a speck might
be a little difficult because it can be hard to get the amount of leverage for 130-foot
pounds.
The process is the same for both sides of the car.
Wrapping things up here, these lower control arms from BMR are a fixed lower control arm
with a box steel construction and polyurethane bushings.
These are stiffer bushings that are gonna eliminate some deflection and provide better
traction, faster launches, and less wheel hop.
You can check these control arms out along with all of your other control arm option
for S197 Mustangs right here at americanmuscle.com.