Aluminum Control Arms

georryan · Post by **georryan** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:06 pm

Do we know which ones will fit on our car? I was told recently that the 02-03 wrx wagons have the same control arms as our cars, but the sedans have a different one. Does anyone know if this is true?

IronMonkeyL255 · Post by **IronMonkeyL255** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:36 pm

I would think the GC impreza ones would fit.

The '02+ wrx wagons have basically the same setup as the earlier imprezas, while the sedans have a wider track. On Nasioc, a common upgrade for wagon owners is to change to sedan suspension bits and front fenders.

Post by **Legacy777** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:42 pm

The GC style arms are a direct replacement on our cars.

The WRX ones require some metal washers as shims for the front mount to the engine crossmember. You may want to search as others & myself have looked into it before....so I think there's some more detailed info out there.

I opted to just replace the bushings with STi bushings vs. getting the aluminum arms.

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:47 pm

Legacy777 wrote:The GC style arms are a direct replacement on our cars.

The WRX ones require some metal washers as shims for the front mount to the engine crossmember. You may want to search as others & myself have looked into it before....so I think there's some more detailed info out there.

The WRX wagon has wider front bushings so you'd actually have to cut a few mm off or replace them. I don't know if any US wagons got the aluminum arms though.

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:41 am

Yeah, jamal said it. The bushing sleeves (in any GD/GG car actually) are too long to fit in the bracket in the front crossmember.

I'll try to remember to double-check, but I believe all control arms from the BC/BF/BJ, BD/BK/BG, and GC/GF/GM (and maybe even SF) are the same.

Like IronMonkey said, the GG ones work because they have the same track and swaybar mounting brackets as ours. The GD ones have a wider track and different swaybar mounting.

You can replace the bushings in the aluminum arms with the ones out of our cars. Stand by, if I can get on a computer tomorrow, I'll get part #'s for our bushings.

I'll also try to check and see if there are aluminum arms corresponding to the GG.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:54 am

Anyone know the weight diff between the cast ones and the aluminum?

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:04 am

Shit. Judging by memory and going by estimation, the alloys' probably 3/4 the weight. I don't think they're so much for weight savings - typical Subaru they look really damn tough and I'd bet are a good deal stiffer than the steel ones. Unlike the steels, you'd likely bend the crossmember (perhaps even tear the mounting hole) before the control arm if you hit something hard.

I used the GC ones and had to cut and grind a little of the forward bushing to fit it in the crossmember, but it was an easy job and otherwise fit perfect.

I need to get this car sold before I change my mind.

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:20 pm

I see no GC/GM aluminum arms. But the ones for the WRX wagon are B2010FE351DS, and that's for the kit.

Our front bushings, which would need to be installed in these arms (or cut the original one down like Steve did), are 20201AA000.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:02 am

I don't think they sell GC arms here. I got mine from an importer in New York about five years ago. Or maybe he sent me the WRX wagon ones, but the box listed them as GC.

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:19 am

subyluvr2212 wrote:I see no GC/GM aluminum arms. But the ones for the WRX wagon are B2010FE351DS, and that's for the kit.

Are you sure that's right? On subarugenuineparts it brings up:

PT180104 R STAB KIT/

for $164.

IronMonkeyL255 · Post by **IronMonkeyL255** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:11 am

I know Boxer4Racing can get them, but they will run you a cool grand.

SP-Boxer · Post by **SP-Boxer** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:55 pm

I bought those a few weeks ago! They costed me 275 euroos, so 360 dollar or something.

Different in weight?

Check these pics! (notice, these are kilogrammes)

STEEL

ALU

SP-Boxer · Post by **SP-Boxer** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:57 pm

Why do my pictures not work

Paste the link and you can see them

ericem · Post by **ericem** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:18 pm

lets me try.

???

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:44 pm

You guys lose at teh internets

SP-Boxer · Post by **SP-Boxer** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:37 pm

Save them on my computer and upload them with Imageshack.... That was to much work for me

But there is the difference in weight. Not a very big difference, but still 700gr on each side

Oh my god.... 360 dollar to lose 1.4kg

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:08 am

That's what I was saying - I think it's more about strength and it's probably near worthless on a street car as you can get the ball joints and bushings for the steel arms cheaper.

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:12 am

SP-Boxer wrote:Save them on my computer and upload them with Imageshack.... That was to much work for me

But there is the difference in weight. Not a very big difference, but still 700gr on each side

Oh my god.... 360 dollar to lose 1.4kg

Imageshack has a transload feature so you just give it the url and it does it for you.

Anyway, I wanted aluminum arms but think I've changed my mind and will just attempt to swap out the bushings. Actually it will likely be an ALK (~$200) since it gets you some nice new urethane bushings already in the rear mounts.

Also I think it costs more than $360 to get a set of GC aluminum arms around here.

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:48 am

jamal wrote:
subyluvr2212 wrote:I see no GC/GM aluminum arms. But the ones for the WRX wagon are B2010FE351DS, and that's for the kit.
Are you sure that's right? On subarugenuineparts it brings up:

PT180104 R STAB KIT/

for $164.

It's possible that it's wrong. I was looking up the SPT intake heatshield the other day, and the part number had two numbers mixed up. There's mistakes all through the SPT catalogue.

I'll get back to you all.

SP-Boxer · Post by **SP-Boxer** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:45 am

jamal wrote:Imageshack has a transload feature so you just give it the url and it does it for you.

Anyway, I wanted aluminum arms but think I've changed my mind and will just attempt to swap out the bushings. Actually it will likely be an ALK (~$200) since it gets you some nice new urethane bushings already in the rear mounts.

Also I think it costs more than $360 to get a set of GC aluminum arms around here.

Ah, ok, I didn't know that Imageshack trick

My aluminium arms came from the UK, but for me that's not very far offcourse

I paid like 360 dollars, but I have seen the arms for 325 in the past. And offcourse these are USED arms...

The difference in weight is not so big, but they are stiffer and just as strong as the steel ones. Besides they look a LOT better than the original

I think I will polish them

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:34 pm

I didn't get an answer I was happy with from SOA, it sounded like they didn't know what I was talking about.

I'll call them back on Monday.

0perose · Post by **0perose** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:17 am

subyluvr2212 wrote:I didn't get an answer I was happy with from SOA, it sounded like they didn't know what I was talking about.

I'll call them back on Monday.

hey, I have a suspension question for you!

I forgot until I was just reading this thread, but it isn't related to aluminum control arms at all so I'll just send you a pm

bmxpunk · Post by **bmxpunk** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:13 am

Ok from my days as a bike geek.

Steel tends to bend and aluminum tends to break. SO what is gonna happen if you bump a curb wit hthese?

I mean you can usually limp home if something is bent, but broken and you are stranded city.

Is this just my worry-wart-itis?

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:29 pm

It will take a much harder hit to snap an aluminum control arm, than it will take to bend a steel control arm.

Unsprung weight loss is key. The aluminum control arms reduce the intial moment of inertia, making the suspension all the more responsive.

This doesn't mean much on the auto-x course, but it can mean a lot on an open track when you are hitting curbing at 120mph. Or when you are in the dirt, sliding at 90mph.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 6:28 pm

I think you'll pull the forward mounting eye out of the crossmember before you'd break these arms.

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Aluminum Control Arms

Aluminum Control Arms