I have SPC arms on my bird and for anyone looking to go as far as they can on a stock frame vehicle, they are IMHO the way to go. Just look at who's running what and winning with what in the auto-x circuit. You'll find SPC on a lot of stuff out there.
My hierarchy is as follows.
BMI = good quality cruiser level performance oriented to a more every day driver feel with upgrades in handling and feel
UMI = less focus on cruisers, more focus on auto-x performance.
SPC = echelon for performance on stock-frame vehicles. They provide the highest level of adjustment
Now all that said, SPC doesn't have packages like BMI and UMI do. If you're serious about going this route, I would highly recommend either BMI or UMI and buy their complete kit. They are both well-engineered and scienced out properly to work well without causing headaches.
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In your previous thread in the street section you talked about just wanting some basic upgrades and not really wanting the "lowered" look.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimib
Good info Jason, maybe I don’t need coil overs, unnecessary expense. My mechanic suggested them and that’s why I’m looking. I just want this car to be a cruiser, I have no interest in race tracks, just want to drive locally and maybe road trips once in a while.
I really don’t care for the lowered stance that seems so popular. I just don’t like the sag in the rear end. I want it level and possibly a slight rake. Station wagon springs may fix this problem. I do want a tubular front end and a tighter steering gear.
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If this is still where you want to be, I wouldn't actually recommend control arms at all. They're just a wasted expense. There are some misconceptions about what tubular arms do and don't do.
The UMI, BMP and SPC arms offer geometry updates that effect the total caster available in an alignment. Positive caster creates negative camber as the wheel is turned and to an extent also provides some straight line stability. They can't correct anything else because they don't alter the pickup points of the arms on the frame itself. Most of them are within a pound or so of the factory weight arms and if you're using traditional coil springs, there's no need for the more robust lower arm. If you're not planning on doing spirited driving or auto-x where high steering angles are creating negative camber gain, and you're not traveling at sustained high speeds, the benefits of going to a set of tubular control arms are all but lost on you.
What I would do instead is have new, quality high durometer rubber bushings put in the stock control arms and add a .5" tall ball joint to the upper control arm. You could also do solid bushings if you wanted, but it's probably overkill for you. Going this route is going to reduce deflection in the system and start correcting the camber curve of the factory suspension in bump and droop without the need for steering angle to do it. It's also going to save you probably $700.00 bucks, which I would use to fund a set of springs, shocks, and a steering rebuild that includes a modernized steering gear.
The whole package I would put together for you based on what you've mentioned is as follows.
-Stock upper and lower control arms, rebuilt with high durometer rubber bushings, .5" tall ball joint on upper arm, factory ball joint on lower arm
-Global West 1" lowering springs front and rear
-Koni Classic shocks (reds)
-Factory steering rebuild (moog)
-Lares or Borgeson .210 torsion bar steering gear with faster ratio (can do Lee or Turn10, but the cost goes way up)
-Helwig front and rear sway bar
Align the front end at these settings
-0.5* Camber
+3* Caster (or as close as the factory arms will allow)
1/16th" toe in
Combined with the 17" wheel and tire package you're looking at, I really feel that you'd enjoy this ride without breaking the bank.