Is Hotchkis Worth It?

[eversmann79]

i want to install some suspension component in my 78' regal.
Now what exactly is the difference between say BMR or UMI's tubular A-Arms rather than Hotchkis's?
Do i REALLY need double adjustable rear arms?
Springs are Eibach 1" lowering and plan on going 18' wheels with 235/255

 

[j17_mia]

you dont really need them.. but i said do it anyway. hotchkis has been been making good stuff for years.. they never disappoint!

 

[adam6640]

NO !There are many companies making gbody suspensions parts that are just as good & WAY cheaper,I remember when they(hotchkis) first started I called them and asked if the parts were made of Gold LOL ! just go on ebay & type in Gbody & all kinds of cools parts come up
good luck

 

[eversmann79]

thats what i mean, 700$ for tubular front a arms? really?

 

[pontiacgp]

With suspension components what you look for is strength and weight. The more you can reduce sprung weight the more responsive and precise the suspension will be. If you try steel wheels and then alloy wheels you'll feel the difference in the response of the suspension, especially in the front. As for the rear a roto joint in the uppers cures the binding of the stock uppers and you can run a poly bushing in the ears without adding to the binding situation. Depending on what your looking for out of your car you don't necessarily need to upgrade but I like the better response from upgraded parts. I have UMI uppers in the rear and I plan to get the UMI lowers. I have UB machine tubular uppers in the front.

 

[UMI Sales]

Hey guys. We sell our a-arms for what we consider a fair price vs. how much it costs to build them. From sourcing US Steel, to CNC, bending, welding, powder coating and assembling in-house, we consider ours to be the premier ultra-premium a-arm on the market. We make our own cross shafts and bushings. The bushings are made from raw Dupont Delrin, the same premium good stuff every time.

As for adjustable rear arms, there is a place for them in the market the same as non-adjustables. We have daily drivers who are thrilled just to upgrade strength, appearance and bushing material. There are others who are running 150mph on the big end or going to track days and absolutely want a perfectly square setup. Also with factory chassis tolerance and rear end swaps, the accumulated tolerance can skew the rear out of square. These scenarios are where the adjustables shine.

It's up to each vendor to price their products accordingly. We trust you'll never be disappointed with a UMI product - whether it be performance or appearance.

ramey

 

[pontiacgp]

Talking about track cars in our circle track division the guys look at the set up in my GP and wish they could do the same on the race car...only problem is the rules only allow for upgraded shocks, composite springs in the rear, tubular uppers in the front and poly bushings...I have no rules for my car..

One nice aspect about the upgrade suspension parts for G bodies are being designed and made in the US so the parts that we buy are quality parts and the money is kept in the US...I know that's the case with UMI and Hotchkis

 

[UMI Sales]

Agree. I would have loved to have the Roto-Joint option on my street stock. I had a bad corner entry problem which was totally random. I traced it to poly bushings (in all 8 locations) being too tight and binding. Our solution was to reinforce every pickup point with another washer welded on each side then tighten only very gently the nut then double nut a jam nut onto it. We had to watch them pretty close during weekly maintenance.

Roto-Joints would have saved a lot of work.

ramey

 

[pontiacgp]

That's an important point you make. With a poly bushing the bushing rotates on the bolt unlike the OEM bushings so the bolt with the poly bushing cannot be torqued. We also use the extra washer and double nut to allow the arm free movement.

 

[CruizinKev]

UMI Performance FTW!!