Ok guys I need 4 upper control arms for front and rear. Anyone has experience with different brands or where to get them. I work at honda but I'm not trying to pay out the *** for oem parts if there is a decent aftermarket replacement that can last. Any tips and advice are as always greatly appreciated. Doing a complete suspension overhaul on a 4th gen si h22a swapped. Also need to do shocks/struts soon if anyone has recommendations for those. Don't really want to drop it much unless I have no choice since I still live in an apartment and have to deal with hell is speed bumps on a daily basis.

 

Why do you need new control arms?

 

spc makes camber ball joint replacements, which is the same thing as replacing your control arms. I'm assuming your ball joints are worn out.

 

Control arms have bushings as well as ball joints. If the car was subjected to road salt...those ball joints usually won't come out of the arm without bending it.

The reason Honda parts are more expensive is because they're usually better than aftermarket.

I think moog may sell a decent type of control arm for the prelude. Try reading reviews, and look at the warranty info. Aftermarket bushings/ball joints/boots are often garbage.

Remember to clock the bushings properly. Although...I have seen some junk aftermarket rubber bushings tear after 1-2 weeks of use even after being clocked :/

 

Ball joints boots are torn. Been exposed too long and need to be replaced. also the bushings are gone as well. So instead of attempting to press out the ball joints and dealing with those pita bushings I want to replace the whole arm. Also doing struts, rack, end links, lower ball joints, stud rod bushings and tie rod ends....previous owner neglected the suspension on this thing for too long.

Just did upper control arms on my accord did not know about the clocking. Ruined the bushings within a few days and had to do it over again. Any tips on proper way to clock them

 

Tips on clocking upper arms:

Before attaching them to the knuckle...set them at the angle that they would sit at during ride height. Then tighten the bolts. That way you don't need to involve a floor jack.

Obviously, you should note the position that the old arms sit in at ride height before you take them off.

I tighten LCA/shock fork bolts with the car on the ground. I'm skinny with long arms/power tools.

 

They aren't that difficult OP. Just get a press, and press out the balljoints. That is what I did. Then I replaced with SPC so I could fix the camber issues that occur with lowered cars. The bushings were replaced with the ES bushing kit. Overall, about half the cost of new OEM arms, quality is top (not some cheap Chinese parts), and actually have benefits over OEM. The oem will never allow you to have a good alignment if you have your car lowered. Dunno if you do, but I know most do. Also, for the record there are no aftermarket arms of any sort other than some cheap oem knock off's. Nothing like the civic/teggy skunk 2 etc.

 

Well I hadn't planned on lowering the car until I get out of this apartment life. Speed bumps are once again a daily hell. Though I suppose I could try some adjustable ball joints if they aren't too hard to press out. I do have a manual ball joint press I use on the lower ball joints. At the shop we have a hydraulic press as well. And that would be way cheaper to use es bushings though I am concerned with it being too stiff. I'll do some research on the ball joints. Adjusting camber would be a cool thing to do since we have that fancy hunter alignment machine at the shop I can use.

 

Trust me when I say this, ES are not stiff. I was actually shocked at how oem the car feels with the entire kit installed. They were much softer than I had thought. Just slightly stiffer than oem.

 

You own a performance car, so get used to aftermarket being stiffer.