i am looking into some lca's but i have some questions. i am not sure the difference with boxed and tubular. are boxed just square and tubular round? also, is there any reason to get adjustable ones since i know i will not lower my car. is chromemoly worth the extra money? i think i will be getting spohn's unless i can find some quality for a better price. i am not planning on getting relocation brackets. would these lca's be a total waste if i don't get relocation brackets or would they be of an advantage with factory mounting? thanks

 

Yes, boxed also tend to be heavier

No real reason to get adjustables.

Only if you are trying to squeeze the very last # of weight out of your car.... not a lot of difference in weight for such a small item.

You won't find anything better than Spohn, IMHO.

You will get reduced deflection with the stronger LCA's, and improved bushings. That will keep the rear axle assembly more stable. With a fairly stock engine, you might be able to get away without the relocation brackets. But once you start to put down big HP numbers, the relocation brackets are essentail to avoid wheel hop, even in a stock height setup, IMHO.

You also need to look at the main purpose of your car... for drag racing, the polyurethane ends are a good idea... firm, but don't transmit a ton of noise. But if you are into road racing and going around corners fast, you might want to consider getting at least one rod end, to avoid suspension bind when the body starts to roll in cornering. For a huge HP, track only car, get rod ends on both ends of the LCA.

 

is chromemoly just for weight purposes? i thought it was stronger. or do i not need the extra strength of chromemoly that is if it is even stronger? is it possible that i just get the non adjustable lca's at first then get the relocation brackets later if needed since my car is stock or will i need the adjustables with the relocation brackets? thanks once again

 

Because chrome moly steel is stronger than plain carbon steel, they usually make the tube wall thicknesses thinner. That means the for a piece that is the same strength, the weight is about 40% less. You would have to check with the specific manufacturer to see if he keeps the tubing wall thickness the same (chrome moly = stronger), or he uses a thinner tubing wall (chrome moly = lighter).

As far as "adjustable" LCA's. There is no need to have an adjustable LCA when you add an LCA relocation bracket. The extra holes in the relocator brackets are arranged in an "arc" so that the stock length LCA will position the axle correctly no matter which hole you put it in.

Adjustable LCA's are of limited use. All you can do is move the axle forward or back relative to the body. But there is no reason to do that, except as noted below... moving the axle, for example does not alter the pinion angle significantly. The only reason you might want to move the axle would be to exactly center or position a very large racing slick in the wheel opening. I found that with 28" QTP's, the tire was growing enough at 120+MPH trap speeds that is was starting to hit the front, metal edge of the wheel opening. I moved the axle back about 1/4" so the tire hits the soft rubber bumper cover rather than the sheetmetal when it grows. But that is an exception.